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

[Opa]

I've been watching the reports coming out of Joplin and the amount of devastation is almost beyond comprehension. I've been to many of the areas shown and to see how they now look is so sad. If you were to undergo such a tragedy just where would you start with trying to put your life back together. May God help them during this coming time of travail.

 

[vanalpaca]

Opa, glad you're back safe ahead of those thunder/hail storms. Not really bad here, just rumbles and a bit of rain. Ran over and put the alpacas in before the kid's band concert, missed the first 2 songs, but she wasn't up yet so all ok!

Out of dog food the last few days, so they got bread soaked in eggs (cooked) this morning and PB sandwiches last night and tonight. Guess they be back on their fud tomorrow. Some days just aren't grocery days!

Broke up my broody hen's nest. Found the hatched chick thrown out along with a chick in a smashed egg, both were Wellies. I don't know why they threw them out, they were chirping the visit before. So I scooted the hen out of the nest box and TOOK IT out of the coop. Put the broody eggs in the bator and the eating eggs got cooked up for the dogs. (Dark Wellie eggs were OBVIOUS and the eatin eggs are really light).

The peeper in the bator died last night and the other one hatched out. That upset me as well. I watched him through the window all day working on that egg, thought for sure it would hatch while I slept, stuck his head under his wing on the opposite side from the zip and gave up.

So now the next group of eggs are all starting lockdown and this first 14 eggs only 3 have made it into the brooder. Shipping eggs and foam bators are all so iffy! Can't wait until CHICKENSTOCK!!

So far, too only have a couple females and mostly roos on the chickies hatched this spring. Six of those are from a line that threw a 'blonde' wellie so I'm marking them as future possible culls. Time will tell.

Cheers all,
Bonnie

 

[Opa]

I don't understand what it is with this waking up everyday at 4am. Still it does give me a period of quiet that allows me to read all the posts on BYC, work the crossword puzzle, and drink a pot of coffee. It also gives me time to reflect on the previous day and realize how fortunate I truly am. All one has to do is watch the news and listen to the woes that others face. I can't imagine the helpless feeling that the victims of the recent tornado must be going thru.

I read that some areas are so devastated that they only was people can find where their home was is by GPS. Everything they owned has basically ceased to exist. Personal belongs strewn as far as 85 miles away. Years of possession and memories scattered to the winds. For others the storm was much worse. They have lost loved ones and still others are still searching.

So having a little rain fall whether emotionally and in reality is a small task. Our blessing abound when we look at what others face. May God keep them near.

Yesterday I sent David home with 2 dozen bantam eggs to make pickled eggs with. I will continue saving them until June 1st and then place however many that have accumulated in the incubator. I think I will also place about 2 dozen Welsummer eggs in the other incubator. I'm excited to try out the incubator that I just built. It will hold 41 eggs and if I have a good hatch between the two I'll have chicks everywhere.

Everytime I look at incubators I think about the opportunity to purchase a Leahy 624 incubator that looked like brand new. It had belonged to the seller's grandfather, had only been used a time or two, and had been sitting in his house for years. It was only 40 miles from my oldest son so shipping wouldn't have been an issue. He was only asking $75 for it and I let it pass. At the time I thought why by a incubator capable of hatching more chicks than I would ever hatch but I still should have bought it.

 

[vanalpaca]

Been watching the tornado news all morning. 2000 homes lost. Seems to me that would be at least 6000 people without a house to sleep in and missing people/dead count up to only 116? And that many homes HAD to have had animals/pets lost all over the place as well.

I'm working at clearing the chickens out of the basement by finishing the chicken run to attach to the pit greenhouse large window. The 4 laying hens are in the greenhouse as their 'coop' and there are 6 10wk old NHR in the basement waiting to move outside. Along with 6 dead worm bins (yes, got into chickens and the medicated feed in the waterers went into the bins with the waste water and oops, no worms now!) That all needs to be cleared out.

Then need a brooder built for the garage instead of the basement!! It will be 2 x 4 x 18" so I can get them up to outdoor size. Currently using disposable cardboard boxes. But it is tornado season and we have had them come into town (small but damaging to homes) so need to revert the basement area to a safe area!

Opa, how many Wellie chicks are you bringing to Chickenstock, cause I am really looking forward to getting a small start up lot from you!!

I have a van with the seats out for alpaca hauling and I am just bringing a couple things and a small cage of Silkie chicks so there will be room for a large cage/box for Wellie chicks!!

We have a reprieve from the storms today, but more hail threats for tomorrow afternoon.

Not awake this am until 5:30. The birds were cawing/screeching. Don't know if it is the hawk family as they hunt before dawn or if it is crows or jays. Usually in the later am, the wren goes off. But we disturbed her cutting branches above her so we could see a postage stamp view of the pond from the bedroom as hubby is spending most of his time there nowadays. It's been two days and we heard a wren this morning, but that may have been the box 60 feet down the fenceline. We've learned to leave some leaf trash/branches along the woodsy side of the yard as it gives more birds places to search for food.


Its time to put up the thistle feeders and the hummingbird feeders as well and go plant up the butterfly garden. Oh so much to do!

Definitely need the bator/hatcher combo. Waiting to hear if mine shipped. Now probably won't need it until next year. Picking up a batch of eggs in a week or so for my last try, then will be getting in chicks since at my hatch rate of 15% I will need them!!

Hope you all are SAFE from the weather today.

Anyone with PICTURES TO POST?
Cheers, Bonnie from Ohio

 

[Opa]

Funny how the seasons affect ones perspective of what is acceptable temperatures. Currently it is 54 degrees and I awoke at 4 feeling cold. Just a few months ago I would have considered 54 to be warm. Oh well, the coffee is tasting pretty good and I've been blessed with another day so life is good.

Yesterday I started planting my garden. I planted sugar snap peas, 3 types of lettuce, carrots, onions, and beets. Today I plant horticulture beans, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, yellow and butternut squash. Rain is predicted for this afternoon so the timing will be prefect. I won't plant the tomatoes and peppers until next week as frost is still possible this week. Last year I put in 2 dozen pepper plants and I think this year I may have to increase that. Our cool climate with the threat of frost lasting well into June can sure make planting difficult and I've often wondered if a snowman wouldn't make an ideal scarecrow.

 

[vanalpaca]

Hi Opa!

1500 missing unaccounted for in Joplin and they had tornado producing storms again last night. Homes without basements build on cement slabs! No place for people to go for safety. Made me think about Japan and wonder how things were there and the news popped up with nuclear core meltdown in one of the reactors, worse than Chernobil.

I grew up on the Columbia River in Washington state, on the edge of the Columbia Plateau which takes up about a third of the state on the eastern side. Contrary to popular belief, it is sand, clay, sagebrush.

My dad worked at the railroad and used to run building materials downriver to the Hanford Nuclear Plant. Now my bro is an engineer working there.

Seems to me even in our tiny tiny town, Old Nick (a greek railroader) had chickens. He gave us 3 of them and they never laid an egg in 3 years. A black and white speckled one, a black one, and a red one.

Been looking for started plants for the garden. One more place to check, hope they aren't sold out. Around here plants come in on Mother's Day and are gone by the 4th of July.

The wren is back in her box regaling us with her song for the morning.

I'm finding I like it about 65 with this high humidity. Time to start the jugs of SUN TEA. I have a jar of sugar water in the fridge. 1 lb of sugar and 12 oz of water, heat to near boiling until dissolved and put in a jar. It is supposed to be for the microscope for running fecal floats for the alpacas.

But since it is just sitting there, nice fresh batch not being used, I pour a tablespoon of RealLemon juice into a large glass, add some glugs of the sugar solution, fill it up with fridge water and I have instand lemonade.

Got to get up and go do chicken chores and see how the nestbox battle is going with the 4 laying hens. They can't quite fit two in an apple crate on its side. Put two down with straw and DE and they keep trading back and forth, but want to lay their egg with the other hen. It was funny to watch. HEN TV. Thinking about checking out some of the 'used pallets for firewood' places I see along the road and look at those boards. Might be long enough for nestboxes. Then I can make them one big enough for two, maybe with a back access this time.

Hope you have a good day, sposed to storm later, but it is gorgeous and green out there right now.

 

[Opa]

It's rained just about all day. This afternoon the rain shifted to thunderstorm. Thunder rolling, lightening flashing, the whole ball of wax. Certainly dampened my plans to plant today. The old lady next door just called and asked if I could come over and put a battery charger on her car. Just as she asked the sky lit up and the boom sounded like it was right on top of us. Told her I'd be glad to help but it would be a little while before I came over. I don't mind get wet but I don't think being struck by lightening would be much fun.

 

[Highlander]

I love a good lightning show, pity we rarely get them here!

The gosling and ducklings are growing fast, and boy are they messy! Cute though so I guess that makes up for it!

What did you end up with at the end of your hatch Sam? Love that new incubator you built, it's beautiful. Hope it gives you more success than your styro.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

Quote:
Awe....how cute

 

[Ec_Prokta]

They're so adorable, Highlander!