Surviving Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

Ralphie it was a good thing the chick was making a ruckus for you and you saw the pads were off!! I am sure they are fine. I can only imagine the damage a broody turkey can cause. A chicken is dangerous, turkey could be down right deadly!! Tread carefully!!

 

[scandiafowl]

Sad day here

. We lost a cow... She was laying uphill last night and was in the same spot this morning. So my grandpa kept his eye on her and eventually went inside for lunch. When he came out 1½-2 hours later he found her dead. So he quick got the tractor and brought the body out to the hay field and opened her up hoping to save the calf but it was to late

. It was one of the new black angus cross heifers

. She died from laying up hill and bloated

Holm, I am so sorry!

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie it was a good thing the chick was making a ruckus for you and you saw the pads were off!! I am sure they are fine. I can only imagine the damage a broody turkey can cause. A chicken is dangerous, turkey could be down right deadly!! Tread carefully!!

For a chick that was about 20 minutes from us putting her down she does really well. She is small and will never be a breeder, but for a Creamette she is extremely friendly. She lives by herself, in the living room (in a cage) and may live there a long time.

She can thank Ivie for her being alive today. When she was hatched she could not move her legs were completely splayed out! Ivie taught us how to splint her, Her first 24 hours were not fun.

She gets spoiled and makes noise when she wants to be held. I actually thought she just wanted to be held. Judy was the one that picked up on her being cold. Then I saw the pads had shut off.

She could cost me my NPIP, but if that is the case so be it. They said they do not want to see chickens living in the house. They are worried we will get sick is their reason.....

 

[jerryse]

For those of you who have had the pleasure of cleaning geese, wild or domestic, what is your choice of plucking, wet or dry? Do you use wax for all the hair left or do you burn it off? I only processed the one goose for Thanksgiving. I did a dry pluck and burned the hair off. While it wasn't hard, I was just wondering if there are easier, cleaner ways.

I have done it both ways . There is no easy way . Wax makes a nice clean carcass but wax is pricey and messy .

 

[duluthralphie]

I have done it both ways . There is no easy way . Wax makes a nice clean carcass but wax is pricey and messy .

Which is another reason geese should be compost,,,,,,

 

[jerryse]

Which is another reason geese should be compost,,,,,,

They are after I eat them .

 

[holm25]

thanks guys it was really sad but its all part of being a farmer.

 

[Rhetts]

I have done it both ways . There is no easy way . Wax makes a nice clean carcass but wax is pricey and messy .

How well do the feathers come off when wet? Doing it dry I was covered head to toe in down. I was assuming wet would make less mess but didn't know if the feathers came out any easier or harder. I go back and forth on the wax. Burning it though proved to be somewhat tricky as we were trying to avoid making it taste like char.

I was really excited to get the geese at first (2 years ago) but they have been my biggest disappointment. I will keep 2 breeding trios for now. Any hatchlings will be food. I currently have 5 extra males that need dealing with thus my goose cleaning questions.

 

[lvie]

Well, it has been a couple busy days out there. Alot has happened. Holm, thanks for pointing out that yes, I did say that and yes, it was last year. I never thought about it that way. Birds of a feather must stick together don't cha know. I feel so much better about my word now. I am sorry about the cow and calf. I know very little about cows (we get milk and meat and they eat grass and alfalfa) but I would have thought it a very unusual story about them not being able to lay uphill. I know that the looses and the birthing are all part of the process however, it is pretty difficult when losing a member of the farm family.

Mean? Ralphie I wasn't saying YOU were mean. I was saying it was mean of Bogtown to tease you while she was heading down hwy 169. She was so close and yet so far away. Afterall, you did offer to hide in a piece of luggage and go along. So I was teasing and saying she was mean by waving as she travel to the airport - 'bye - bye'. I can imagine the last thing that kids want to do when heading for a plane to a beach is to stop and visit.
Igor looks great. I wish SC looked that good. I tried to splint her legs again last night and the splint was off this morning. I must need a smaller rubber band. I will try again. She goes around in circles to get where she is going, and she is going all over the place. I have a recent picture of her that I am going to post in a few minutes.

Coffee, HOLY CATS! Is there ever a dull moment in your life? The accident - I am with you Ralphie - completely. Turn the phone off in the car or pull over if it is that important that you need to text - - - or talk. The coop looks wonderful and I am almost intimidated to post the coop that my neighbor just built me out of scraps. But of well, I will get over it very quickly.

Speaking of a different coop - its suppose to be a tractor. LOL. He keeps reassuring me that I can move it easily. LOL. DH and I BOTH had to push and pull together to move it. Hence, it will not be a tractor long. I will build a cement block foundation and it can go on top of that. I just need to decide where to

 

[lvie]

where to park it. Whew! I guess I am little windy So I will post the two pictures and go make a cake.