Sally's GF3 thread

[saysfaa]

In case you are looking for more ideas for eating your sweet potatoes - my son's fiancée is from a part of Africa that grows lots of sweet potatoes. She said she likes to eat them raw.

 

[NanaK]

My neighbor (with too many chickens) is gone on vacation until the end of the month. Her mom is caring for the birds. This afternoon, I got a text from mom saying she found two chickens dead in the run. Heads removed, but next to the bodies. Not much if any blood.

She's thinking raccoon(s) are most likely responsible. I agree.

The predator will almost certainly be back. The resident predator keeper-awayer is an aging pitbull who is staying with mom. He usually roams at night, but not now, as it's too cold at night for him to wander. There is no roof over the run, and I think most or all of the fence is chicken wire. Not to mention the trees near the run; easy climbing, jump to the coop roof, jump in. Or just tear through the chicken wire or push/pull open the door.

This is not how I think her flock numbers should be reduced. But it might how they are.

This is sad. I will pray for those chickens.
The way they are contained may just make for easy pickings for a predator. I hope she is at least closing the coop at night.

My chickens are pretty secure but I still periodically walk around my coop and run to look for attempts at digging or pulling on wire. Might be a good idea for you especially if the neighbor looses more. Coons often travel in groups.

 

[Sally PB]

my son's fiancée is from a part of Africa that grows lots of sweet potatoes. She said she likes to eat them raw

Well, that had never occured to me! I might try a nibble next time I prepare some. I would think they'd be starchy, like a potato is...?

The way they are contained may just make for easy pickings for a predator. I hope she is at least closing the coop at night.

Yes, they get closed up in the coop.* Last spring/summer, raccoons got into the coop and ate eggs, but left the chickens alone. Mom told me she's been keeping on top of egg collection. With nearly 3 dozen chickens, there are a lot of eggs, and they get hidden.

*The coop is too small for the number, and has about a half square foot of ventilation once it's closed up for the night. Yes. A half square foot. If the thought of that doesn't make you want to cry, the air in there will. It reeks.

I can't tell her what to do. I know she's very busy, but I feel badly for these chickens. They don't know anything better, I suppose; that is not a consolation to me.

My chickens are pretty secure but I still periodically walk around my coop and run to look for attempts at digging or pulling on wire. Might be a good idea for you especially if the neighbor looses more. Coons often travel in groups.

I know what you mean; I've seen them in groups. I decided that Freya's last out for the evening will be in the area of the coop/run. I'm sure the raccoons "know" about Freya, but a reminder can't hurt.

 

[NanaK]

*The coop is too small for the number, and has about a half square foot of ventilation once it's closed up for the night. Yes. A half square foot. If the thought of that doesn't make you want to cry, the air in there will. It reeks.

This is really sad. I've seen similar in my area. Sometime is makes me want to knock on doors and say something. I'd probably only be cursed or shot!

I've had a few folks come by (friends, family) and see my coop. It is directly behind my house. When one makes a comment they didn't know I had chickens or it doesn't smell like I have chickens so close to the house, I love it! I feel like I must be keeping things clean enough.

Don't get me started on what some are fed. I do not understand the thinking behind just giving any animal ONLY corn. Some here do that. Because their grandparents did.

DH used to say, "they are chickens, they don't need all that". Now he doesn't question it. He even helps with the chicken chores.

 

[Sally PB]

I've had a few folks come by (friends, family) and see my coop. It is directly behind my house. When one makes a comment they didn't know I had chickens or it doesn't smell like I have chickens so close to the house, I love it! I feel like I must be keeping things clean enough.

I can sometimes catch a wiff of the night's cecal poops when I go in the coop at morning open. It's not a stong ammonia smell, it's the cecal poop smell (bad enough, right?).

Hubby said early on that he was surprised at the lack of smell in and around the coop.

It's a nice compliment, isn't it?

 

[Sally PB]

Sally's encyclopedia of snow, 26 November entry:

Today we have "creaky" snow. It's heavy, wet, and sounds like a saddle when you walk on it. Creak, creak, creak, creak...

It would make GREAT snowballs, but they would pack waaaaay down, and really hurt if you hit someone with them. Or, if you only sort of pack them, they would go SPLAAAT on whatever they hit. In my case, the tree wide left of the side of the barn.

In any case, you mittens/gloves would be soaking wet.

 

[fuzzi]

Sally's encyclopedia of snow, 26 November entry:

Today we have "creaky" snow. It's heavy, wet, and sounds like a saddle when you walk on it. Creak, creak, creak, creak...

It would make GREAT snowballs, but they would pack waaaaay down, and really hurt if you hit someone with them. Or, if you only sort of pack them, they would go SPLAAAT on whatever they hit. In my case, the tree wide left of the side of the barn.

In any case, you mittens/gloves would be soaking wet.

Bwahahahahaha! Love it, "creaky" snow. I know exactly what it sounds like!

 

[Sally PB]

Today is a nice day, by November 30 standards. Sunshine, (getting a bit hazy now), some breeze, but it feels downright balmy at 48 degrees!

I went up to the greenhouse after lunch. About 4 feet off the ground, it's 80 degrees in there! Down at ground level, it's cooler. I didn't check with the thermometer, but there was still some ice in a bucket of water sitting on the floor.

I might try starting some spinach or lettuce in pots up there. I've tried it in large totes of dirt/compost, with mixed results. I have a different set up now. I have two folding tables covered with black weed block fabric. (The only use I have for weed block fabric now, and only because it's black.) I could put some pots of soil on the tables, and then cover them with clear totes. Effectively, a green house inside a green house.

I think one of the problems with planting in a tote was the 2-3 inches of lip height above the soil level. With our low sun angle, a good part of the dirt on the south side of the tote was in shadow most of the day.

I kept that in mind when I filled pots with potting soil for starting my tomatoes last March/April. Fill the pots FULL, water well to get the soil to settle, then top off with more soil. I think it helped.

 

[Sally PB]

48 grams of, "I love you, Mom!"

Thank you, Robin. I love you too.

 

[NanaK]

Beautiful! Love speckles!