The Front Porch Swing

[LindaB220]

Nice efficiency apartment! Like the Under the Shed spa too! Hope Chica just got a bug bite or something which will clear up naturally. I have a ewe often gets a moony eye. Sometimes I go to the effort to catch her and put eye drops in, sometimes I just watch it, seems to clear up in a day or two either way.

I heard someplace, and I've been testing it the last year, that if you check the dew first thing in the morning it tells you if it will rain or not. Dew = no rain. No dew = rain. Has any once else noticed this or knows the science behind it? I've been finding it quite accurate.

Now this is something that I've never heard about. I'll keep a watch. I hope today is better than yesterday. On the positive note, maybe I didn't kill my eggs that were so hot the first day in the shed. We'll see. I have another dozen being shipped tomorrow 1/2 doz Basques, 1/2 doz Coronation Sussex. I'm really hopeful about that. My quandary is the SBEL's will need to go to lockdown at 18 days but the others will be a week behind. Do I need to buy just a still air incubator for the lockdowns.?

Ok, so now the bad news. I had tentative permission to use the 40' x 200' wooded area with a 15' clearance down the middle. Now the guy I originally sold the land to has decided to deed it to the husband of his grand daughter. So they will be fencing off the 2 acres plus the wooded area that I had available for roaming. This will leave me with about a 40' x 75' area with my storeroom included in it. A LOT less play room. Still very doable but a disappointment at the same time. My new neighbor just married Bob's grand daughter last month and has a large beautiful home w/ built in swimming pool. He also has a 50' x 75' metal workshop for their companies extra equipment and now needs another building for his stuff like the new boat. The house originally was built by Bob for his son ( a neardowell) who trashed that fabulous brick home and left Bob holding the mortgage. Knowing that Matt was going to marry his gdaughter he sold that 2800 sq ft house and 5 acres for $50,000. Gave it away. Granted Matt had to redo all the walls, carpets etc but he still got a steal. Bob will probably be the one to pay for building the new big metal store house. He likes my SIL Clint and wanted to do something nice for him so he build a carport out of metal using his materials and 5 of his workers. It would have cost about $5000. And it went over the line of the property. So when Matt puts his fence up we will have about an ext 35 ft of property. Not on paper of course. Also Bob wants to buy the 3 acre piece of land on the other side of me that is owned by Freida, the neighbor that went to the nursing home. My garden sits on her property so I'll not have it either. Like my Mama used to say, "It'll all come out in the wash". I may be dead and gone before all this happens. But the fence is going up soon.
I have to stay positive about this because I'll have babies running around soon. I have the 20 CX coming on the 14th and they will be 8 days old. It only gets to about 70 at night. Can I get by without the brooder light or heating pad thingy? I could move them inside the storeroom at night for a few days. I know I'll have to have it for the babies that hatch in 3 wks.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Nice efficiency apartment! Like the Under the Shed spa too! Hope Chica just got a bug bite or something which will clear up naturally. I have a ewe often gets a moony eye. Sometimes I go to the effort to catch her and put eye drops in, sometimes I just watch it, seems to clear up in a day or two either way.

I heard someplace, and I've been testing it the last year, that if you check the dew first thing in the morning it tells you if it will rain or not. Dew = no rain. No dew = rain. Has any once else noticed this or knows the science behind it? I've been finding it quite accurate.

aww it's dewy here every morning as the humidity is 150% yuck!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Now this is something that I've never heard about.  I'll keep a watch.   I hope today is better than yesterday.  On the positive note, maybe I didn't kill my eggs that were so hot the first day in the shed.  We'll see.  I have another dozen being shipped tomorrow  1/2 doz Basques, 1/2 doz Coronation Sussex.   I'm really hopeful about that.  My quandary is the SBEL's  will need to go to lockdown at 18 days but the others will be a week behind.  Do I need to buy just a still air incubator for the lockdowns.?

Ok, so now the bad news.  I had tentative permission to use the 40' x 200' wooded area with a 15' clearance down the middle.  Now the guy I originally sold the land to has decided to deed it to the husband of his grand daughter.  So they will be fencing off the 2  acres plus the wooded area that I had available for roaming.  This will leave me with about a 40' x 75' area with my storeroom included in it.   A LOT less play room.  Still very doable but a disappointment  at the same time.  My new neighbor just married Bob's grand daughter last month and has a large beautiful home w/ built in swimming pool.    He also has a 50' x 75' metal workshop for their companies extra equipment and now needs another building for his stuff like the new boat.   The house originally was built by Bob for his son ( a neardowell) who trashed that fabulous brick home and left Bob holding the mortgage.  Knowing that Matt was going to marry his gdaughter he sold that 2800 sq ft house and 5 acres for $50,000.    Gave it away.  Granted Matt had to redo all the walls, carpets etc but he still got a steal.  Bob will probably be the one to pay for building the new big metal store house.  He likes my SIL Clint and wanted to do something nice for him so he build a carport out of metal using his materials and 5 of his workers.  It would have cost about $5000.   And it went over the line of the property.  So when Matt puts his fence up we will have about an ext 35 ft of property.   Not on paper of course.  Also Bob wants to buy the 3 acre piece of land on the other side of me that is owned by Freida, the neighbor that went to the nursing home.  My garden sits on her property so I'll not have it either.  Like my Mama used to say, "It'll all come out in the wash".  I may be dead and gone before all this happens.  But the fence is going up soon.
I have to stay positive about this because I'll have babies running around soon.  I have the 20 CX coming on the 14th and they will be 8 days old.  It only gets to about 70 at night.  Can I get by without the brooder light or heating pad thingy?  I could move them inside the storeroom at night for a few days.  I know I'll have to have it for the babies that hatch in 3 wks.        e

That's so tricky and unsatisfying to have quasi-agreements with neighbours about land use and land ownership. One always wants MORE!

Got a pony prone to founder who has to stay in until noon. Ha! 12:05 and I can hear him neighing! Little sucker can tell time!

 

[perchie.girl]

Wow! I am away one weekend and I miss over a hundred posts!? I am not even going to attempt to catch up on old topics!!

Had a busy weekend here. Barn roof is almost completely replaced. T-ball game Saturday morning--- I love to watch that little guy play. Then, because I was not going to chase one of those crazy leghorn cockerels through the brush at dusk while it is pouring down rain again, I put together a run for the young ones. They are happy. I am happy.

My goal on Sunday was to get the broody set up with her little efficiency apartment and some eggs. I had been collecting the EE eggs and a couple from my NH. I have no clue if she will be a good momma or not, and no clue on whether the eggs are fertile, but I guess we shall see. I tossed together a little cage and fit it to the end of her preferred nest in a wooded crate. I think it turned out pretty good for using scrap supplies and NO tape measure! I mean, it only really has to last 21 days, right? When I hauled it into the coop she took off out the door for a little stretch… or so I thought. Once I got it all situated, eggs included, she was nowhere in sight. I had a brief moment of panic as well as thoughts from the Dr. Seuss book "Horton Hatches the Egg." I felt like she hit the door running with nothing but a look over her shoulder to tell me "I'm outta here, the nest is all yours!" She returned full of dirt (ah, she must have had an appointment at the Under the Shed Day Spa). After she filled up on food I ushered her into her new home. She looked around a bit confused before she saw the eggs and the switch flipped. She is happily sitting on 6 EE eggs, two NH eggs, and two leghorn eggs (brown or white, nobody knows) all mixed with a SLW Roo. We shall see if this actually happens!!

Pics to be added by phone in two seconds-- I took them before I put food, water, or hen in the box.

In other news, and sort of related to a discussion earlier about culling or antibiotics or something? Forgive me if the convo never happened… there was a lot to read!! I am sitting on the very edge of my first cull, and so torn about it. When I started my chicken plans almost a year ago I decided that I will never use antibiotics. If a chicken gets hurt beyond recovery, they get culled. If they are hurt and have a chance, they are cleaned up, maybe some blue kote, and given the option to survive. If they survive, awesome, if they go downhill, cull. This worked well for Lucky who survived a hawk attack just after Christmas. You would never know she had a big gouge taken out of the back of her head. Anyhow, Chica, my FAVORITE hen has a swollen eye. I am not going to mess with disease, at all. My problem here is that I am not certain it is disease I am dealing with… so I am tiptoeing on the edge waiting for a clear sign… her eye is clear, no oozing, bubbling, anything. No nasal drainage. No sneezing, coughing, rattling. She ranges normally with the rest of the flock. I think it has gone down some the past day. It is soft to the touch, not firm. Am I crazy? I guess I am holding out hope that she just got pecked or poked it on something. Her eyeball looks just fine. I tried to separate myself from them, they are just livestock, fragile in a lot of ways, but Chica… she lays a large egg 6 days a week. She is friendly-- not overly so that it is annoying, but if you need to catch her it is not a problem. I guess I am just waiting for one little sign that points me in either direction. Sorry for rambling, had to get that out.

Anyhow, I hope everyone has a great week! Tball again tonight!!

Welcome back... sounds like you have been reallllllly busy... LOL. Like your condo too.

Have you isolated Chica? Mareks is one disease that does that. and if she has it the rest may get it. Of course getting bonked on something will do that as well. but isolating would be a good idea and keeping an eye out for out of balance behavior..... Mareks has a bunch of different symptoms.

deb

 

[LBejaran]

Muscovies are hatching, Muscovy babies are hatching!!!

Mom and I have to run errands so I let Nivia on duckling duty until I get back. One of the babies died, but it looked like it wasn't developed right. There were no eyes. I don't understand why these hens hatching the ducklings so early. This is nearly a week early. I'm trying to understand it, and all I can come up with is that my broodies are super efficient with their time. Instead of getting up every chance they could, they stayed on the nests, only getting up occasionally. That and all the humidity might be affecting the hatch.

I hope the other eggs hatch. Two of the ducklings are drying now but there are two eggs left. Time for prayers!

 

[Loc20chick]

I'm way behind on reading here and too many posts to go back to. I'm sure more stories are coming.

Muscovies are hatching, Muscovy babies are hatching!!!

I hope the other eggs hatch. Two of the ducklings are drying now but there are two eggs left. Time for prayers!

I hope the rest of the hatch goes well.

On a new note, just got 5 Muscovy ducklings and 4 pekins

will post pics once they get settled. 2 of the pekins just hatched today but the rest seem to be at least a week old. excited about this..

 

[Loc20chick]

Ok, prayer warriors, here's my need. My husband is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, but it has to be delayed because he has caught the cold that has run through my entire family. So, my request is this: That the surgery will be rescheduled in a timely manner, that his health and surgery date will be in compliance with each other, and that his surgery will go well with a good outcome (removal of a bony cyst from his back. He's been having nerve impingement pain since last October)

prayers said and will continue to lift him up in prayers this week. Keep us updated

 

[perchie.girl]

That's so tricky and unsatisfying to have quasi-agreements with neighbours about land use and land ownership. One always wants MORE!

Got a pony prone to founder who has to stay in until noon. Ha! 12:05 and I can hear him neighing! Little sucker can tell time!

Have you tried a grazing muzzle for him.? They make em down to the mini sizes... for those who dont know. These muzzels allow the horse to drink and eat... But with founder too much sugar rich grass can kill so the muzzel lets em pick up a few bits of grass. OFten times they have to be kept in a dry lot (no grass corral) due to calory restrictions.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

I give you... The efficiency apartment!

I finally got a very close look at this apartment in the gallery view. Very nice adaptation. I have a bunch of dog crates and a couple very much like the one you adapted.

Taking notes here.

deb

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Have you tried a grazing muzzle for him.?   They make em down to the mini sizes...  for those who dont know.  These muzzels allow the horse to drink and eat...  But with founder too much sugar rich grass can kill so the muzzel lets em pick up a few bits of grass.   OFten times they have to be kept in a dry lot (no grass corral) due to calory restrictions.

deb

So far he's managing on this regime: in till noon, out till supper time. We haven't had a lot of rain and the grass is not lush. I feel his front hoof every morning when I put down his breakfast in front of him, and if its warm I'll limit him even further. He was bought in Manitoba, so brought up with no lush grass at all, but we've had him ten years about and only foundered him twice, but not for the last four years, so I think we have a handle on it.