Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

With the weather so cold Friday and Saturday my water source for the cattle stock tank froze. Nothing like filling 5 gallon pails in the bathtub and hauling them out like a thousand times. Today the line is fixed, WHEW! While I don't mind hauling buckets I REALLY did not want to spend the rest of the winter doing it. I am not a youngin like I used to be.

I managed to find a way to alleviate my problem of abundant eggs. My BIL brings them to work with him and sells them to his coworkers. So far I have off loaded 22 dozen with the future looking bright.


Bogtown-sorry to hear your lovelies are dealing with mites!! Hope things turn around soon! How do you rid the coop of them?

Hey Rhetts! The whole water hauling thing is enough to make you want to quit farming. LOL. OMGosh. What a pain for you. Hope it doesn't happen too often to you.
Good for you on making a little extra on the eggs. fantastic!

I will have to clean it all out. I'll also bring in the shop vac. Then I need to dust the corners either with Sevin Garden dust (which I don't like using because of the bees) or spray down the wood in there with Neem Oil. I might just do that. I'm suspicious that DE doesn't work. Or the big bag of substandard grade that I have doesn't work. Quite honestly I will wait to do this clean out after the second treatment. A couple days after. If anything climbs onto those birds they will die right now anyways. It is not an easy chore in the winter to get this coop cleaned up. Ugh.
So so gross. I'm confident though that I will prevail. LOL.

Merry Christmas to each of you. I have been running my tush down (I Wish) with end-of-the-year business books, Christmas Merry, and hibernating (not so much of this). Hope each of you are doing well. I am not going to read all the posts between then and now - too much time and still too busy. But I have missed reading about you. Gonna go clean the coop and gather a few eggs (four a day consistently now.) Missed you!

Ivie: I've been wonderin' about ya. I knew you were probably a busy Christmas Momma...runnin' around. I've got a ton to do this week...everything seems to come to a head and all I want to do is hunker down and not do any of it. Looking forward to our Christmas Even gathering though...and I don't want to embarrass myself with a dirty house so will get on it.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I am not sure if I should mention this here either. But I consider you all my friends and I would tell my friends.


My Grandkids (Son's kids) other Grandpa ( I hope that explains who he is ) Had a severe stroke last night. The Dr's said the next 48 hours are critical. They put him in an induced coma for next 30 days. Because of where the stroke was in the brain they do not know if he will be able to ever communicate again. The chances of speaking are slim to none.

They gave him a 20% chance of surviving this. We are all trying to wrap our heads around this. A real Christmas bummer. While he is not related to me, we are like he said at my Dad's funeral " all family now". My Dad died 2 weeks after his Daughter married my Son 8 years ago.

I am not sure what to even ask for in prayers, but they would be appreciated. He is only 62.

Sorry for the morning downer. I will do my best to not mention this again.

I am thinking it is a good day to go outside and find something to keep me busy, after a barrel of coffee.

He sounds like a very nice man and deserving of all our prayers. At least for your Grandkids' sakes. So sorry Ralphie. Rough holidays for your loved ones. 62 is too young. And a stroke is a tough battle.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Comparing Ralphie's pictures of Speckled Sussex and those poor SS roos in their dark cage...well is it any wonder they don't look good. Wow. What a difference.

And Yes, Thank you Kloppers for putting those Beautiful BA's on pasture. Like to hear stories like that. What a beautiful flock.

A friend told me this about my birds and eggs and the place that I keep them and let them out to pasture. "Love In, Love Out." So True about chickening.

 

[holm25]

With the weather so cold Friday and Saturday my water source for the cattle stock tank froze. Nothing like filling 5 gallon pails in the bathtub and hauling them out like a thousand times. Today the line is fixed, WHEW! While I don't mind hauling buckets I REALLY did not want to spend the rest of the winter doing it. I am not a youngin like I used to be.

I managed to find a way to alleviate my problem of abundant eggs. My BIL brings them to work with him and sells them to his coworkers. So far I have off loaded 22 dozen with the future looking bright.

No calves yet. But I am so excited for them to come!!!

Bogtown-sorry to hear your lovelies are dealing with mites!! Hope things turn around soon! How do you rid the coop of them?

So many things I have started for my spring to do list. The chickens run is one of them. I will make it bigger with sections instead of one huge one. It is tore up beyond belief. Not sure it can recover. Maybe I can let the chickens range with the cattle this summer. I like the idea but I want my eggs in the coop not spread all over the pasture!
Have a good day all!

You do winter calving??

 

[lvie]

Oh - update on the coop/run Remember I was having an issue with moisture on that metal roof the dh put over the run? So I opened up the plastic and created more venting and then my ds used some left over product from a job and sprayed the inside of the roof with a foam. It works like a charm. The whole run and coop are pretty nice on those wintery, windy days. It stays about 40 and under in there during our nice winter weather. I have lighting so they continue to lay eggs. Actually some just started laying. I am making plans for this next year which will keep me in trouble with the dh. LOL.

 

[lvie]

I am not sure if I should mention this here either. But I consider you all my friends and I would tell my friends.


My Grandkids (Son's kids) other Grandpa ( I hope that explains who he is ) Had a severe stroke last night. The Dr's said the next 48 hours are critical. They put him in an induced coma for next 30 days. Because of where the stroke was in the brain they do not know if he will be able to ever communicate again. The chances of speaking are slim to none.

They gave him a 20% chance of surviving this. We are all trying to wrap our heads around this. A real Christmas bummer. While he is not related to me, we are like he said at my Dad's funeral " all family now". My Dad died 2 weeks after his Daughter married my Son 8 years ago.

I am not sure what to even ask for in prayers, but they would be appreciated. He is only 62.

Sorry for the morning downer. I will do my best to not mention this again.

I am thinking it is a good day to go outside and find something to keep me busy, after a barrel of coffee.

I am so sorry! Absolutely should tell us these things. Prayers offered.

 

[duluthralphie]

Comparing Ralphie's pictures of Speckled Sussex and those poor SS roos in their dark cage...well is it any wonder they don't look good. Wow. What a difference.

And Yes, Thank you Kloppers for putting those Beautiful BA's on pasture. Like to hear stories like that. What a beautiful flock.

A friend told me this about my birds and eggs and the place that I keep them and let them out to pasture. "Love In, Love Out." So True about chickening.

I feel guilty having to keep my birds in the breeding cage. Those birds holm posted turned my stomach. 5 in a little cage. I have 3 in a 4x4x4 coop with a roost and 2 nest box, with a 16x6 ft run and I think I have them crowded.

Yesterday, we went shopping ( one of my least favorite things to do) I got my wife a size 28 sweat shirt for Christmas just to liven things up here. We left at 3, I had my problems putting the turkeys away at three, Blackie was not going into his coop after his victory over Penguin. (BTW Judy said she broke Penguin and three other turkeys up when they were picking on Blackie yesterday, I missed that)

Anyways about 6pm, as my wife was in old navy, her 40th store of the afternoon, I was sitting in the car, I had had enough of shopping and shoppers. I remembered I did not shut the door on Bert and his bunch either. I was scared to death something would get them. Where Bert's coop is, an open door is not good. Of course I thought leaving for shopping at 3 we would be home buy a little after 4. Foolish me...

When I got home they were all safe sound and snuck in their coop. Another space I hate keeping them in. I think it is two small. They have a 8x4 coop, a 8x6 covered run another 4x4 coop and a 12x6 run set up in an L shape. I have 8 birds in there.

So I have no idea why a person would keep birds like those Sussex were, and even worse why advertise the way they live but showing them in the cage. It is no wonder City people ( no offense to city people, and by city people I mean people without and never having animals) get upset with farmers when they see those type of pictures and think we all raise our animals like that.

 

[duluthralphie]

You do winter calving??

No her cows do, she just stands by while they calf.....

 

[lvie]

Hey Rhetts! The whole water hauling thing is enough to make you want to quit farming. LOL. OMGosh. What a pain for you. Hope it doesn't happen too often to you.
Good for you on making a little extra on the eggs. fantastic!

I will have to clean it all out. I'll also bring in the shop vac. Then I need to dust the corners either with Sevin Garden dust (which I don't like using because of the bees) or spray down the wood in there with Neem Oil. I might just do that. I'm suspicious that DE doesn't work. Or the big bag of substandard grade that I have doesn't work. Quite honestly I will wait to do this clean out after the second treatment. A couple days after. If anything climbs onto those birds they will die right now anyways. It is not an easy chore in the winter to get this coop cleaned up. Ugh.
So so gross. I'm confident though that I will prevail. LOL.
Ivie: I've been wonderin' about ya. I knew you were probably a busy Christmas Momma...runnin' around. I've got a ton to do this week...everything seems to come to a head and all I want to do is hunker down and not do any of it. Looking forward to our Christmas Even gathering though...and I don't want to embarrass myself with a dirty house so will get on it.

I think its called motivation when we know people are coming over and we want to provide a clean environment for them to sit in. I read somewhere that we 'should' entertain weekly. Ha! that must have come out of the 50's with Leave it to Beaver. LOL. I look forward to the family gatherings too. Went to one yesterday. The In-Laws. There were a mere 67 there. Not all the family could make it. That is the eight siblings, their off spring and then the grand off springs. Fun! LOL. Got my baby fix and now there are three more little ones coming around the first of June.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

And a word of caution, NEVER buy anything too large for her
You will not live long enough for her to ever forget that​

Yesterday, we went shopping ( one of my least favorite things to do) I got my wife a size 28 sweat shirt for Christmas just to liven things up here.

Whatcha doin' here Ralphie. Going against your own advice?!

Poor Judy.

I tell you what. For my 30th Birthday my Husband bought me a beautiful flower arrangement...





Spraypainted all black.
I hated it. It smelled like paint fumes and he spent money on something I could not appreciate. It was dumb. I get that he was trying to be funny but I didn't think it was worth all the effort and expense.

Just a thought....

And good luck with that Christmas Present.