The Front Porch Swing

[Triple Willow]

@wyoDreamer... don't worry, that perfect place is out there.

 

[RachaelS]

Does anyone else watch Dr. Pol? I think I love him

I think Bee has a lot in common with him as far as attitude, a caring but no-nonsense person, that knows the smartest (i.e. cost effective) way to treat animals without letting them suffer.

 

[chickenboy190]

I've got old so I prefer trapping. That critter can just sit there and wait on me. LOL A lot of people do love coon hunting. And those coons are perdy tastey too. Did you get all that skunk off of you??? lol I believe I need to do some fishing this year. It is a good stress reliever. I believe when you get older you forget to do the fun stuff!

Yeah Lol! Yeah I got it out of me put not out of my clothes yet Yeah fishing real fun!

 

[Beekissed]

Does anyone else watch Dr. Pol? I think I love him

I think Bee has a lot in common with him as far as attitude, a caring but no-nonsense person, that knows the smartest (i.e. cost effective) way to treat animals without letting them suffer.

LOVE watching him! Never get to very often because we don't have TV but when I go to my son's house on Tuesdays to clean, I sit down and watch an episode of Dr. Pol. I think he and I would get on like a house afire. His son's kinda Mr. Magoo and I wouldn't want to have just him to help me out there with the livestock but I guess it's a family business and he had to do sumpin'...

Well, my heart is broken. The sellers accepted an offer on the place this morning, signed the papers right before I called to set up an appointment to see the place.
I tried hard not to get my hopes up, but DH was so excited and kept talking about what we could do there that I got carried away.
Doesn't help that I am hormonal. Cried my butt off all the way home.

Well, life goes on. I need to trust that God has something better planned for me. Hope he remembers that I love to dig in the dirt, play with my dogs, ride around on my ATV and drive my tractor.
Please God, I don't want to live on a tiny lot, in a subdivision, surrounded by busy-bodies and controlled by stupid rules.

Yep....He always does. I have come to believe that with everything that is in me these past several years as I have seen my life take many twists and turns to fulfill His will for me in this life. Things I never could have imagined or planned for myself...and His plan was always better!

You'll see.....

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Have I mentioned that we are planning on getting some baby goats? I am looking into dairy goats, and we went a few weeks ago and talked to a dairy farmer that used to work with my husband. He has around 50 does.... Alpines, Nubians, and Toggenburgs. We are planning on getting a couple of doelings from him if he ends up with extras this kidding season. Hubby called him last night and he said that he has had 2 does kid so far. One had triplets, but 2 were stillborn. The other had twins. They were all 5 doelings. Unfortunately, he has a couple of big hogs, and one of them killed one of the babies. So out of 5 kids, he only has 2 left..... not great numbers, but at least they were all does! If those numbers hold out then he should have a few extras! He should have more born in the next few weeks!

So, I have to hurry and get everything situated.... I am probably getting ahead of myself, since we don't have fence or anything yet....

I am planning on moving our little coop, since we are getting the big one ready, and turning the little one into a goat shed. It is 5x8, so plenty big enough for 2-4 does.... Hubby will eventually build a pole barn with at least 3 sides enclosed...
Bee, what do you think?

Oh, hon! You asked the wrong person! I'm none too fond of goats and think they are much, much more trouble than they ever yield in good for a homestead. They require major fencing and they still keep getting out, they are born for mischief, they don't flock well, and the current gene pools out there have been ruined by the pet market and goats are no longer the hardy and tough animal they used to be back in the day. Back then they could be an asset but now they are more of a liability.

You'd do far better getting some hair sheep that you can milk....Katahdins are reasonably milky and are a wonderful and easy livestock to have around. No need to stack the deck against yourself by getting goats.

Also, I never advise getting the animal before having the buildings and fences firmly in place.

But...no one else holds my views about goats out there so you'll maybe want to ask someone else!

Our sermon last Sunday was God giving us the desire of our heart. here is a link to the church and you can watch the sermon online
http://www.vineyardkcnorth.com/

I heard another take on that verse the other day in a sermon and it made a lot of sense to me. This fellow said that it could be that people are reading that verse wrong in thinking that God will give us everything we desire in our hearts but rather that God will give us the proper desires that should be in our hearts. Desires not for the things of this world but for fruits of the spirit instead. I had never heard it like that but it really made much more sense to me all the sudden...I had always wondered about that verse and how so many people get disappointed by it when they don't get what they want in this life.

Here's the words that follow that line and when that fellow showed these and said what he said, it all came clear to me....

Quote:
I'm old and have listened to preaching since I was 4 and had never heard that explained in that manner...funny, huh? I hope I never get done learning about His word and will for me.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: I love smooshy faced doggies. and LOOK at those feet....

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Well, my heart is broken. The sellers accepted an offer on the place this morning, signed the papers right before I called to set up an appointment to see the place.
I tried hard not to get my hopes up, but DH was so excited and kept talking about what we could do there that I got carried away.
Doesn't help that I am hormonal. Cried my butt off all the way home.

Well, life goes on. I need to trust that God has something better planned for me. Hope he remembers that I love to dig in the dirt, play with my dogs, ride around on my ATV and drive my tractor.
Please God, I don't want to live on a tiny lot, in a subdivision, surrounded by busy-bodies and controlled by stupid rules.

It just means THAT house isnt for you..... YOu will find it... I found mine by not looking....

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Have I mentioned that we are planning on getting some baby goats? I am looking into dairy goats, and we went a few weeks ago and talked to a dairy farmer that used to work with my husband. He has around 50 does.... Alpines, Nubians, and Toggenburgs. We are planning on getting a couple of doelings from him if he ends up with extras this kidding season. Hubby called him last night and he said that he has had 2 does kid so far. One had triplets, but 2 were stillborn. The other had twins. They were all 5 doelings. Unfortunately, he has a couple of big hogs, and one of them killed one of the babies. So out of 5 kids, he only has 2 left..... not great numbers, but at least they were all does! If those numbers hold out then he should have a few extras! He should have more born in the next few weeks!

So, I have to hurry and get everything situated.... I am probably getting ahead of myself, since we don't have fence or anything yet....

I am planning on moving our little coop, since we are getting the big one ready, and turning the little one into a goat shed. It is 5x8, so plenty big enough for 2-4 does.... Hubby will eventually build a pole barn with at least 3 sides enclosed...
Bee, what do you think?

Build a very sturdy fence.... goats are soo fun but a bit of work to keep contained. They rub on everything. Anchor the bottom of the fence with eaither a sturdy rub board or pipe. then hot wire...

Even my Nigerians the teeniest have made big bulges pushed out on my chainlink. BTW Nigerian Dwarfs make very very good milk.... Cute little buggers.

deb

 

[Lacy Blues]

I need a dog that will kill a hairy little chihuahua that wears a pink harness!!!!!

I was inside today and I heard this strange sound outside. I went to investigate and that dog let go of my little bantam hen. It wasn't terribly hard to catch her as I think she was close to being in shock. Anyway, caught her up and checked her out all over. She had a damp spot where her wing met her body so I think that's where it was holding her. Didn't find any wounds. So I put her back. Meanwhile, my future son in law chased that dog off the property. Then I discovered that several of my birds were out of their pens. In their panic, they had cleared 6' fencing. I think 4 bantam hens were out and terrified. One large fowl cockerel was out, hiding under a trailer. Then upon counting each bird in each pen, I found that another bantam hen was missing as well as a large fowl hen. We found the bantam hiding among some logs that are somewhat scattered about that my husband has cut but not split. She was lightly wounded. From the wounds, I deduced that this mutt had her by the head. She has a hole in her skin behind her comb and a couple small little scratches underneath her wattles. But she had blood on the tip of her beak and I couldn't find a source for it. Hopefully, she bit that dog's tongue while he had her in his mouth! She was in shock and was easy as pie to pick up. I held her for a good 15 minutes while I looked for my missing large fowl hen. Then I took her inside and cleaned up her wounds with iodine. Had my daughter hold her in hopes that she would come out of her daze soon. After another 15-20 minutes of searching high and low it was time to feed so I took her back outside. She had been looking around and was sort of alert. I watched her as I fed the other birds in her pen and she just stood there, wobbling a little and staring off into space. I determined that she wasn't ready to be outside and it was getting cold. So, I finished feeding and went back and got her. She's spending the night inside tonight. She didn't eat anything so its still there for her breakfast. I hope she's ready by morning. I heard her kind of stumbling around in the box I have her in and went to investigate. She laid an egg while I watched. I can't figure why she would be stumbling. I guess tomorrow will tell me more about it.

So, anyway, while I was feeding the rest of the birds, I located my missing hen. She had not only flown over her 6' fence but also flew over another one and into a coop in the main barn. As I came to this particular pen to feed, I saw the bird on the perch and noticed it was blue. I thought.. what? then I realized it was her. I was so happy to find her and she seems to be completely unharmed.

So, as far as I can tell, all birds are fine. One was in shock but she should be ok by morning.

At one point, that dog was making its way back toward my place and I sent my son inside to get his .22 but it never came all the way back. If I see that dog again, it's dead!

 

[LindaB220]

Mine has been trying to subdue me (not attack - could be my boots are close enough to the color of the hens ), he's going hormonal with all the hens running around teasing him. So I picked him up and talked to him very seriously.
I did the math on egg production today. Even counting 2 yr old hens slacking off, I'll have 5 extra dozen eggs this summer after the ones that are spoken for. S'what I get trying to keep egg production up in the winter (without lights) to sell to my sisters. My husband wants more ducks 'cause he says they're the best for his pasta. With 4 ducks last summer, we easily had a dozen a week and don't need nearly that many. I think I'm going to put a sign up by the road this summer - lucky we live on a main road. Now I just need to design a sign. And mow the field. And find parking. And paint the coop. And build the extension for the ducks. And modify more horse fence panels to keep in ducks. I have chicks coming soon!! I wanted Marans for the dark dark eggs! Have Cream Legbars coming this summer! It's so exciting! I'm thinking "Rainbow Eggs from Happy Hens". Whaddaya think? Maybe paint a rainbow colored hen on the side of the coop, or hens with a rainbow overhead. My luck it'll look like a kindergartner picture.

That sounds great!!!! I live in La. so maybe you wouldn't mind if I lifted your idea of Rainbow Eggs sign. I don't even have my pullets yet and already people are wanting on my "list" for eggs. Love it.

I had a great find today. My SIL is very CL savvy told me about a free dog kennel. He called this old lady and told her about my wanting chickens and on a budget and she turned over 50 people in front of me away and gave it to me. I gave a fellow $25 for gas money to move it. It's about 8x10 and will be able to predator proof so easy. I'm so blessed.

 

[Beekissed]

Great score! Don't ya just love little old ladies?