Sdwd

[NellaBean]

My house is old so has a chimney that used to be connected to a pot belly stove, I think.......now it is walled off, so I have a chimney I could use. Wish I had a fireplace. Sigh. I would sit in front of it 24/7. Warmth. Yay.

I am sitting here on the couch, all the chickens are tucked in for bed. Made some fresh guacamole and picked up some chips and salsa from Chili's....why is their chips and salsa so delicious? mmmmmmmmmm......I have lots of food, so if i can just manage to not freeze to death, snow would be fun. Playing fetch with the dogs with snowballs is always a good time. The young dumb dog doesn't understand the concept of snowballs and continually chases after them even once they "shatter" into nothing. Dumb dog

 

[speckledhen]

Wood heat is the best. We don't turn on our heatpump unless absolutely necessary. To get our house as warm as it stays with our soapstone stove running, the bill would be probably upwards of $200 each winter month. Love my wood stove!

 

[NellaBean]

A friend of mine rents a pretty nice house...newer 2 story...3 bedroom, 2 bath, etc......she has having heat problems last month. Heat ended up going out....landlord didn't get it fixed right so the pipes froze and busted....it was ridiculous! They got the pipes fixed, the heat fixed and the carpet all replaced from the "flood". And my friend just got a $527 electric bill, from the heat problems, I'd assume.

If I was her I would take the previous bill, next months bill.......find out the average, subtract it from the $527 and give the landlord a bill for the rest.

My bill is high during winter but not as bad during summer.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
She does have a dark egg, doesn't she! I hope they all hatch out pullets! Well, except for the Blue Suede boy for LadyHawk!

 

[crazyhen]

Love my woodstove too. It is not as economicable as a soapstone one, but the wood is not to bad here. 50.oo For a big truck load split and stacked for me. I looked at the pellet stoves but they do not work well if the power goes off. Here that happens a lot if it is windy and cold. Sigh, They are working on the lines here due to a road project in the area.
Its too early for me to think chicks yet.
I am thinking about a winter coop for my hens closer to my house instead of down below. I can move them in late fall and they will be much easier to care for. The run would be smaller. I just have to save for it and see if I can find some scrap lumber . It cost so much anymore to do anything. It would make a good chick starter area if i can. Dreams, dreams. Gloria Jean

 

[NellaBean]

I am definitely making a list of things for my "next house". Better layout for sure and will have to have good chicken areas.

When is our meet and greet and build and schmooze and booze and eat at LadyHawk's again? anyone interested in buying a quad of Welsh Harlequin ducks? I'm definitely not a duck person. Definitely.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Brandon,
I am really likin' these little Cochins, too! I like your Partridge. I have nothing Partridge here.

Here are the 3 Blues (? right) I hatched. Look at the combs ..... are they all males?

These 2 blacks might be barred Cochins. Can you see a spot on their heads? Barred or Black?

This is what greets me as I walk out the door .... He always comes up to me at the door! This is Prince (Brittney named him Prince Charles!) He really is a sweet one, too!

 

[Serrin]

Ya know, it's been hovering right around 29, maybe 30 degrees all day today, and I swear, it feels colder today than when we were having daytime highs of only 8-10 just two weeks ago!

And that didn't even include what the wind was doing. Thankfully, that has been very light of late.

We're expecting a chance at a big snow storm later this coming week. I do hope so! I know y'all think I'm crazy for saying so, but I'd far rather have snow than rain! Snow is so much easier to shovel you know!

Well, I got another 3 rows of tiles in on the guest bathroom show and had to stop.

I've run into a snag around the single valve shower control, and will have to figure out how I'm going to cut the tiles to accommodate it before I continue. I'm such a stickler for the tiles being cut absolutely perfect. Even if nobody ever sees it, I'll know it's there. And yes, I'm just OCD enough that it would drive me up the wall!!

Chief is feeling great. he even tried to carry on a crowing conversation through the pump house walls to the boys outside. Silly little man!

I'm just going to wait and see what the weather has in mind before I decide when he goes back out to his girls.

Anyhow, I gotta go and close everyone up for the night. I wonder if these girls are ever going to slow down in their egg laying for winter. I rather wish they would. Then I could worm them and not feel so bad about loosing so many eggs!

Hope everyone keeps their power on. I'll be saying a few prayers and keeping my fingers crossed for y'all in the south lands. Stay warm, stay safe, and don't forget to hug your chickens!

 

[NellaBean]

Glad to hear Chief is feeling better!

My poor molting leghorn girl is starting to grow feathers back in. I need to bring saddles out tomorrow as I have some seriously bald girls going on. Stupid roosters. You can tell who the favorites are.......I think I need to get my sister to make some more. Pretty sure I don't have enough for everyone. My cochins and olive eggers look horrid.

I need my sister to knit the leghorn girl a sweater. Poor thing.

I am going to reinforce the window coverings on the coop tomorrow and freshen up the shavings in the bantam cochin hutch and brooders. Cleaning them out may have to wait until springtime at the rate this weather is going. Yuck.

 

[NellaBean]

Kathy, those look barred to me. I had a set of 6 back in the day, part of the same batch from TSC. 3 were black, 3 were barred. Those look more like the barred ones but it was very hard to tell.

Give your chicks another week or two to feather before you say blue or splash. One looks blue at least!

Prince the rooster looks great.

I was looking in the brooders today and thinking it is high time to separate by sexes. I think the youngest batch will all go into the "girl brooder" as I am unsure about the boys in there. My younguns are looking great. I may or may not actually keep them come spring time......I am thinking I may prefer to keep 2-3 dozen total, not 50. So I may sell a dozen more chickens come spring time and try to stay around 3 dozen total.

and the ducks will go. Adios Welsh Harlequin Quad! If they are still around for our Ky meetup and one of you wants to buy them, i can bring them with me. I am not a duck person.