~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[Mahonri]

Since you all have one of the most active threads on BYC can you all help me?

The Easter Hatch has a cutest chic pics contest.

Will you all go vote for the one you think is cutest-----> HERE?

 

[gryeyes]

I voted, Mahonri. Not easy - they're all adorable!

The gravel DID get spread with a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake. Took him a day and a half. He wears shorts and was real easy to watch.

My special order of sexed (female) Cayuga ducklings are in at Bradshaw feed. I'll pick them up this evening after work.

I absolutely promise to update this thread AFTER I get my taxes filed and finish up with my retirement paperwork. And have been rested after work this week.

 

[sherylreno]

As am I. The NYD Hatch had plenty of them in it. I see those little cockerels running around and just sigh. They're going to have good lives until they're six months old - or begin to crow - and then they'll go to HHandbasket and Farmer Lew's Freezer Camp. There, they'll have a really GOOD life with more protein and no "dangerous" free-ranging. (The Freezer Camp is covered.) And then they'll nourish us.

I'm keeping my resident rooster quotient low, with just the current five.

However, there was a higher ratio of hens to roosters in that NYD batch, so I get to keep more of 'em than in the past. Let's hope this hatch doesn't have my usual surfeit of roosters in it.

Linda, I'm learning a lot about genetics in poultry. I'm not sure if you know this or not but it's the hen that determines the sex and not the rooster. For some unknown reason the hens body will produce more roos if the roo is older than the hen and the opposite happens if the roo is younger than the hen. I hope this helps some? I'm finding this to be true with my duck breeding. My older duck hen is older than the drake and she produces mostly girls and my other duck hen is younger than the drake and she produces mainly boys. I found this out by talking to people at the Stockton show in January.

 

[HEChicken]

For some unknown reason the hens body will produce more roos if the roo is older than the hen and the opposite happens if the roo is younger than the hen.

That's really interesting. I already knew the hen determined the gender but now it sounds like the roo does have some influence - even if it is only by virtue of his age. I will have to see if this proves true for me. Right now I live in the city so can have only hens. Consequently my flock of hens ranges in age from several years to my newest pullets who hatched in August of last year. We have an impending move to a 10-acre property outside the city, where we will be able to keep roos, and with this in mind, I bought chicks from the straight run bin this year, since it doesn't matter so much if some turn out to be boys. Since the roos will thus be younger than all of my current hens, I will be curious to see if this plays out, as I intend to hatch some of my own eggs once they are fertile.

 

[gryeyes]

Linda, I'm learning a lot about genetics in poultry. I'm not sure if you know this or not but it's the hen that determines the sex and not the rooster. For some unknown reason the hens body will produce more roos if the roo is older than the hen and the opposite happens if the roo is younger than the hen. I hope this helps some? I'm finding this to be true with my duck breeding. My older duck hen is older than the drake and she produces mostly girls and my other duck hen is younger than the drake and she produces mainly boys. I found this out by talking to people at the Stockton show in January.

I knew the hen was the most responsible party. I only incubate and hatch other folks' eggs (shipped hatching eggs) - a couple of my hens have gone broody and hatched their own (well, the flock's) progeny. I just like poultry, love my chickens, and don't control anything they do in the breeding department. Lotsa "mutts" (or "designer breeds" as I like to call 'em) running around. I do like to add different breeds so there are some representatives of the breeds I like, plus it gets new blood into the flock. My flock is "eclectic." I like that. Just can't get attached to the cockerels, as I have my core group of Roos: Carl, Charlie, Nugget, Frick, and Bernard.

 

[Kansaseq]

HI Linda,
You've mentioned your Rav-4 several times, and I just wondered if there was anything you DON"T like about it? They're awesome little suv's, I know, but I'm going to be making a car decision in the fall, and the Rav-4 and Honda CR-V are pretty neck and neck. Any input? How many chickens can you fit in your Toyota?

 

[gryeyes]

Well, Kansaseq, my sister bought hers in the mid-90s after significant research. (She was the responsible one of us two.). My best friend in Paso Robles bought hers next, and I bought mine on Dec. 10th, 2000 - it's a 2001.

I love my RAV4. Most of the time the two back seat backs are down to allow for more crap to carry around. They can raise or lower individually, so right now I have one of them in the upright "seat" position. Although the ride isn't as "car like" because it is a light truck body & suspension, it's not a rough ride at all. Small turning radius. I do not have the 4-wheel drive version, because I lived in Monterey county when I bought it and never imagined I'd own a house with a steep, rutted driveway underneath Ponderosa Pine branches.... But the new gravel has taken care of that problem.

The only odd thing is the way the back, storage door opens from left to right. I don't know why it is hinged on the right side, because it seems as if it would be easier to load bulky items if it opened the other way. I do like side hinges better than top hinges.

It's very reliable. I've got 123,000 miles on it. The original battery lasted ten years. I am neglectful about servicing and have had NO issues, nothing but windshield wipers, oil, filters, and tires replaced.

I like that I sit up above traffic (similar to a small truck) but it's not too high to get into it or out of it without a step or handhold. The hood is unobtrusive.

I knew I wanted a RAV4 when I bought it, but this one was the only 2-wheel drive on the lot when I absolutely HAD to replace my Mazda pick-up which blew its engine on the highway 110 miles from home. (It was 13 years old.). This model is one of the "L" series, with a great stereo system and racks on the roof. I don't ski or kayak (but I'd like to try the latter) so the racks have been woefully under-utilized. At least until I bought pre-formed, rigid pond liners from Lowes and the plastic Little Tykes playhouse off a CraigsList ad, and had to get them home...

 

[Kansaseq]

Thanks for the review, Linda. I love my 210,000 mi CR-V, but newer ones seem a bit more expensive than the Rav-4, and don't get quite as good mileage in the 2006 model that I'm looking at (translation; any newer and I flat can't afford it!). Loved my 93 4-Runner and miss it, so will probably love the Rav-4, I'm sure. Just wondered if there was anything that really bugged you about it, which there doesn't seem to be. Back seats will be down 99% of the time due to hauling my dogs back and forth to work (and buying feed and shavings, etc). I'll have to make a mental note to tray and get an 'L' series for better toonage. Just gotta save a down payment and pick a color!

 

[gryeyes]

A year ago yesterday, I looked at this property and made an offer on it. Although escrow closed on May 27th, 2011, I didn't move in until mid-July, after the fence was up and the well was working.

But I've loved this house and nearly two-thirds of an acre for a year now. It just gets better and better.

I will be posting many more photos and lots more tales after I work my last day on Monday, April 30th. A year ago, I thought I would not retire for a few more years. I am really pleased I was wrong about that!

I'm going to take up sketching and water colors again, write a book, plant some plants, plan for a very low-key egg sales business, and watch the furred and feathered residents as much as I want.
In no particular order....

I'm currently sitting in my cubicle, purging stuff from the computer (wow, did I really store all those photos here at work?!?!?) and deciding what items I can give away to co-workers.

 

[remuda1]

Holy cow, only four and a half days to go!! Awesome and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!