The Front Porch Swing

[wyoDreamer]

Fermenting the feed makes it easier for the bird to absorb the nutrients. It is kinda like a pre-digestion of the food; grains are notoriously hard to digest, this just makes it easier.

 

[vehve]

The heat is different in Europe, and you don't have a/c... the occasional chance to cool off indoors makes it so much more bearable.

I've lived in Holland for 22 years, 10 years in Alabama... A good ol' Dutch heat wave isn't comparable to Alabama heat.

I very vividly remember landing in Atlanta for the very first time. The airport was airconditioned.. I walk out the door and BAM I hit this wall of humid heat. It about knocked me back

Atlanta has that humid heat, right? That's a killer. Indoors isn't so bad here though, we have so properly insulated houses that it keeps them a lot cooler. I used to live in an apartment were the daily low was 29C through the hottest months of summer, and that was horrible. No way to sleep.

 

[wyoDreamer]

vehev, Finland is one of those places I would love to visit when I win the lottery and become a multi-millionaire.

Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are on the list.

Was it the Finland Curling Team that caused such a ruckus at the Olympics with their BOLD checked pants?

Have you explored much of the country - I only ask because so many Americans never leave their little area to explore what this country has to offer.

 

[vehve]

vehev, Finland is one of those places I would love to visit when I win the lottery and become a multi-millionaire.

Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are on the list.

Was it the Finland Curling Team that caused such a ruckus at the Olympics with their BOLD checked pants?

Have you explored much of the country - I only ask because so many Americans never leave their little area to explore what this country has to offer.

No, I think it was the Norwegians. (The Mexicans had a pretty cool sledding uniform too).

Yeah, we used to sail for a couple of weeks with the family every summer as a kid, so that way I've seen pretty much all of the coast and visited most cities along it, and also one summer the Saimen lake region. We also have usually spent a week skiing in Lapland, so I've been to a couple of places around there too, never in the summer though. Nowadays we take some trips to the middle of the country on dog related business. Hunting trials and whatnot.

There are some places on the Finnish Maiden I haven't explored though, her head is somewhere I haven't been, and her right side along the border too. (Finland is shaped like a woman, and often referred to as 'Suomen Neito', the Finnish Maiden. Just don't look at what Finland and Sweden look like together on a map, especially on the 2 euro coin which shows the EU countries.)

 

[perchie.girl]

I was wondering why the dogs and chickens are panting so much, and it felt a bit hot, but then I looked at the thermometer. +29 deg C (84F) outside, and I'm sweating like crazy doing a bit of garden work. How on earth do you people survive with your 100 F weather?

Lots of water Lay low during the hottest part of the day... get your work done during the coolest or at night. Past a hundred and its a different set of rules.... because its a step beyond what I am acclimated to. WE ony get about three or four weeks worth of the high temps durning the summer.... 105-110.

I have had conversations with a fellow that lives in Death Valley. 140 degrees is very common for him in the summer and he raises geese. I was stunned. He has to make areas where they wont burn thier feet while they are wandering about the yard.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

hi! I don't see MT on your list, so, Greetings from Montana!

here is our backyard


and here are the ladies heading into their 'meadow' in the morning

Welcome to the Front Porch....

from Sunny San Diego... or Sandyeggo.... LOL. There is usually something to nibble on on the porch someone always makes cookies or mufins and There is always tea or lemonaid to sip on.

I am drinking water and munching Tylenol .,... No treats for me... I caught my toe on the rug by the door and fell Arse over Teakettle yesterday. My everything hurts.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
We did that when we lived in Vegas.... cept we didnt have a car with AC. Owwweee.... that was before seatbelts...

deb

 

[bruceha2000]

I resemble that.... ahemm... LOL.

Same car would hold a whole bale of hay when my truck broke down....

Had an alpaca come to the U of MN in a Prius. And I've stuffed 3kids (1 in car seat) & 4 dogs in the cab of my Dakota, no it's not a crew cab. Hubby just got me the new Durango, just imagine how much I can stuff in there!

I guess we can take 2 alpacas then. My wife has an '06 Prius, mine is an '09.

I like that name!

Warning short rant ahead....
well, my realtor called Tuesday, we got an offer on the house. We needed to accept, decline or counter by Wednesday 5:00. We counter offered and wait. We're OK waiting to see if they accept or not, finally my realtor calls at 7:00 pm Thursday night and says they accepted our counter. Yeah! We wait, I email him at 11 am the next day, and wait. finally, I call him at 2:00 and ask about the documents, if he had received a copy of the signed counter offer or not. "Yeah, I got them. Do you want me to send you a copy?" Ah, YEAH!
Maybe I am out of line, but shouldn't I automatically get copies of all signed legal documents?
My realtor is a dork.

My fault, I should have done my research and checked up on him before signing. I just trusted my neighbor, she signed him to sell her house. I figured he may work harder to get people out to look at the house if he had two for sale in the same neighborhood.
I guess I'm a dork.

Your realtor should have at least emailed you scans of EVERY signed document. Heck, he should have emailed ALL documents of any nature he got from potential buyers. I think you are correct in your assumption, you didn't chose a very good realtor.
Still, I'm glad the "two houses in two states" thing is coming to an end for you and this realtor will be a fast fading memory.

Sounds like some new, chatty blood is needed then!

Hi, I'm Felix, and I have trouble shutting up.

And he has a very good sense of humor.

Don't take my methods as general methods for Finland - I'm only in the learning stages still, and I don't really have any Finnish chicken keeper friends to compare stories with. The climate is a bit different from yours though

I try to think of the best way to keep a flock alive through winter (other than moving them into our bedroom), but I'm sure my coop will show some defects that Ill have to attend to in -20 deg C. I also try to build everything as low maintenance as possible, and since it's in the middle of our yard, I like to keep things nice to look at too. That compost I'm always rambling about will soon be painted grey, like our deck and fence.

-20 C is nothing. My birds had -20F several times the last 2 winters. They will be fine as long as they can stay out of the wind.

I've got 100mm of rockwool in the walls and floor, and 150 in the roof. If needed, there's a 90W tubeheater installed on the wall, and a heat lamp which currently holds a 75w ceramic bulb. I'm planning on mostly just turning the heat on if we get insanely cold weather, or if the humidity gets out of hand. I'll have to see if I need to do something about the ventilation still. I keep reading US recommendations and compare them to finnish recommendations, one says to cut up humongous holes, the other deals with the moisture with properly placed vents and bedding.

I'm also going to panel in the run with something clear for the winter, and give them a deep litter with leaves and pineneedles.

Ventilation with no drafts, food and water is all they need in the winter.

That might no be too healthy, I almost passed out turning my compost while it was at its hottest - 70 deg C ammonia steam isn't good to breath.

And now you know WHY the coop needs to be properly ventilated.

 

[vehve]

I guess we can take 2 alpacas then. My wife has an '06 Prius, mine is an '09.

Your realtor should have at least emailed you scans of EVERY signed document. Heck, he should have emailed ALL documents of any nature he got from potential buyers. I think you are correct in your assumption, you didn't chose a very good realtor.
Still, I'm glad the "two houses in two states" thing is coming to an end for you and this realtor will be a fast fading memory.


And he has a very good sense of humor.


-20 C is nothing. My birds had -20F several times the last 2 winters. They will be fine as long as they can stay out of the wind.


Ventilation with no drafts, food and water is all they need in the winter.


And now you know WHY the coop needs to be properly ventilated.

The 70 deg C compost puts out a lot more ammonia steam (especially since I wet it) than the coop will though. And the compost isn't bad unless I turn it.

 

[vehve]

Lots of water Lay low during the hottest part of the day... get your work done during the coolest or at night. Past a hundred and its a different set of rules.... because its a step beyond what I am acclimated to. WE ony get about three or four weeks worth of the high temps durning the summer.... 105-110.

I have had conversations with a fellow that lives in Death Valley. 140 degrees is very common for him in the summer and he raises geese. I was stunned. He has to make areas where they wont burn thier feet while they are wandering about the yard.

deb

Death Valley I couldn't handle. They have areas where even bacteria doesn't live.

We went to Italy in early June, it was +35-+37C all week. I really understand why they keep siesta in the day.