Opa's place -Where an old rooster visits with friends

[vanalpaca]

Working down a beehive sounds like an interesting day.

We sheared 26 alpacas today. From 9:30 am until 5 pm. Then clean-up and packing all the stuff&Fleeces into my van took another 1.5 hours. I almost left and checked and the pasture water was empty, so spent another 1/2 hour.

They all look so much cooler and SKINNY instead of puffballs.

Thursday we shear another 17 at another location. It is too hot here for them at 95 degrees.

I pulled prime blanket fleeces and bags of seconds from the shorter neck hip shoulder area. Most of the girls are unplanned pregnancies. Can't find breeding records from last year and only had 1 record of breeding and 1 other time I thought I bred, maybe two times. Hopefully it is something I bred and not a crossbred. But one is due in the next month so that IS unexpected.

Called my dad at the hospital, he is in recovery in the ICU for a few days. Yesterday was appendectomy, found kidney, bladder, UT infections. Wish older folks would take care of themselves instead of toughing it out! So happy he is making it through!

Cheers all, it is hot and I am happy.
Bonnie in Ohio

 

[Ec_Prokta]

Glad that your father is recovering, Vanalpaca! And good job on the alpaca shearing. What are you going to do with the wool now?

Today was good. I got some of a project done for my friends, and I got to talk to all of my friends today!

 

[Highlander]

Hey Vanalpaca, you've been a member of this thread for a few weeks now and we still haven't seen any pics of your alpacas. Tsk Tsk!

 

[Opa]

The sun hasn't been up for very long and all ready to temperatures are going up drastically. I know for many folk a high of 95 with a heat index of over 100 is commonplace, but for us it's downright miserable. Yesterday broke high temperature records and today may come close.

Yesterday I was out before 7am and weeded the garden and I've got to get started on my chores today pretty soon if I want to avoid the worst heat. Stay cool everyone.

 

[peepacheep]

I think this morning might be a 2 cup of coffee morning. We have been socked in with low misty clouds the past couple of days. Yesterday DH and I went up to Diamond Lake. At close to 5,000' we were above the clouds. While I have to the lake many times this was my first time fishing on the lake. Snow and sunshine on Mt Thielsen and Mt Baily was so beautiful! Used wet flies and sinking fly line and let the wind slowly push the boat along, sorta wind powered trolling. DH caught 6 nice rainbows. Had one for dinner last night, delicious!

This morning one of my Buff Brahma pullets tried to crow. Yep, I think this pullet will never lay an egg. While I do not mind having a Brahma roo, the EE roo in the coop is going to have a different opinion. The chick grow out pen will have to get turned into something a little more permanent.

Time for a trout omelet and on to critter chores. Have a good day everyone and stay safe with the heat!

 

[Opa]

Today was even hotter than yesterday but didn't break the record. It made it to 98 and the record for this date is 100. Thank God for small favors.

I think tomorrow if nothing has happened I going to pull the eggs for under my broody bantam. The should have hatched Sunday and nothing is happening so it's time to admit defeat. Sure is a shame after all the effort she has put into it.

One of my egg customers stopped tonight with a chicken that their cat chased up on to their deck. They don't have any idea as to who it might belong so they brought it to me hoping I'd take it. I've got in in a quarantine cage and told them if the owner shows up looking for their bird tell them to come and get it. It is sort of preety though.

 

[Ec_Prokta]

That's hot, especially for Michigan!

Sorry about the eggs, but that's a pretty bird! What breed is it?

 

[Opa]

Sprite, I'm not sure what that bird is exactly. Probably some ameraucana cross.

I candled the eggs that were under the broody Vorwerk and it looks like they weren't fertile. I took the eggs and placed a couple of 2 week old bantam blue orpingtons with her. I put them with her about 11 last night and I think I should go check on them to see how well she is accepting them. I also candled the eggs I have in the incubators. They've been in the incubator for 8 days and I was very impressed with what I saw. I hatched chicks from this rooster/hen combination last fall but it now appears that none of the Vorwerk eggs are fertile. I'll give them one more week before deciding wether or not to pull them. Sadly I have a lot of folks that want to buy both chicks and eggs.

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Good afternoon!!!!
vanalpaca, so glad to hear that your father is doing well. I am fascinated with your shearing and sorting project with the Alpaca's; also wondering if you spun any of it?
Opa that is an attractive new chicken you have there.....quite colorful. So sorry to hear about all the hatching problems; it can be so frustrating when you need them to hatch.
Peepacheep if I every catch another rainbow I will be asking for your recipe....apparently I don't know how to cook them and the one we had a few years ago was pretty awful!!

Not as hot here today and somewhat cloudy and breezy. Nice relief after the 100 degree days we have had of late. Went fishing again yesterday and took momma to day care and she actually had a good time and is warming up to it!!!! yeah! Fish fry here tonight...bass and goggle eye always taste good!

Have a wonderful afternoon, stay cool, hug someone you love!
Blessings, CCMH

 

[Opa]

The young feller (47) across the street brought me close to 3 pounds of bluegill fillets the other day. Hope and Granny were surprized when I said I would fry them all. They were equally surprized to discover that with just the 3 of us eating there wasn't any fish left after supper.