The Old Folks Home

[apteryx]

Why was it postponed?

I believe that it was postponed due to not enough chickens to give away. Oz had a large batch of eggs incubating that were affected by a power outage during the cyclone that hit the PI. Those eggs were to be the chickens that were going to be given away during the mission.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote: I've always loved to travel but I hate air travel now too. When I was a kid we had a few long road trips through the south and out west. I travelled all over Europe when I was in the army and got hooked.

I have too many chicken related projects to go anywhere for more than a day or two right now.

ManyNorth Asian languages dont have the letter L, just as we have issues with rolling Rs in some languages and guttoral sounds in Germanic languages.

In Thai, every syllable is pronounced in one of five tones: low, mid, high, falling, or rising. The tone must be spoken correctly for the intended meaning of a word to be understood.

The three letter word spelled "mai" in English has 4 seperate meanings - but the general concensus is that English is the hardest language to learn - our exceptions to rules are tenfold our rules

ไม่

maiF not; no
ใหม่

maiL [is] new; modern; fresh
ไหม maiR [word added at the end of a statement to indicate a question]
ไหม้

maiF to burn

tone affecting meaning is similar in Chinese. I'm glad I learned English first.
I appreciate your help.
My daughter just made it to Chiang Mai and is planning on spending 4 or 5 days there. She posted a picture of her cottage in Sukhothai.
Her quote above the picture was "My own little garden bungalow the past 2 nights. heading back into hostel territory tomorrow".
Pun intended, I'm sure.

As I am getting older and can spend more of my money on me instead of my kids

I am really enjoying traveling. Right now, it is mostly within the US although DH is thinking of hitting the Calgary area probably next year since we have the two weddings this year. I absolutely love the red rocks of southern Utah and northern Arizona. SCG and I are already planning this year's trip to the Kanab area. Can't wait for that trip!

My boss and his wife have a trip planned to Jamaica in March and I have to admit, I am completely jealous of their trip. I think it is time to get my passport!

I have a friend that grew up in Calgary. I've wanted to go but never made it there. Several friends went to Copper Mtn. CO. He and I were the only ones to brave the back bowls. He was hard to keep up with.

I love Jamaica but I despise all-Inclusive resorts which have taken over a huge portion of the destinations there. Tourism has always been important to Jamaica but the all-inclusives have really harmed the average Jamaican who used to provide services for visitors. As an example, if a tourist wanted to go horseback riding on the beach, there would be guys with stables along the coast that rented horses. Now, the all-inclusives have their own stables and the guy that used to rent horses no longer has customers, he can't afford to send his children to school (which is not free in Jamaica) and now he's angry - just like every other Jamaican that's been put out of work by the AI. Jamaica has always been a place where one has to watch their back and be aware of one's surroundings, (like Chicago or Detroit). IMO all-inclusives have exacerbated the problem. Tourist dollars now go to big corporations and is no longer being shared by the average citizen. Kingston is very dangerous now and taxi drivers from other parts of the country won't even drive there.
I want the few travel dollars I have to go to the locals rather than a corporation. Rather than do excursions that a hotel puts together, for instance snorkeling trips, I'll drive up the coast, find an old fisherman with a boat and ask him to take me out. It's cheaper and all my money goes to someone that needs it.
In Jamaica, I prefer to rent a villa. It is no more expensive and can be much more rewarding. Every villa owner is required to employ at least 3 Jamaicans, so the villa will have a maid, a butler and a cook - sometimes more servants. Most of the villas are on the beach but some may be high up on a mountain with an ocean view. You can call ahead and let the cook know what you like to eat and she'll have everything on hand when you arrive. Or, as I did, we waited till we got there and I went to the open air market with the cook every couple days and we collectively decided on the menu based on what was freshest. The butler will arrange safe transportation anywhere you want to go. I remember the maids would cut flowers from their gardens every morning and decorate every room in the villa each day with fresh flowers.
I recommend the Port Antonio area as opposed to MO Bay or Negril. Port Antonio was THE destination in the early 1900s. That is where the movies 'Lord of the Flies', 'Cocktail', 'Club Paradise', 'Blue Lagoon' and lots of movies in the 40s and 50s were filmed. It's near the Rio Grande for flat boat floating and the Blue Mountains for their famous coffee. You can also visit the Dunn's River falls on your way to or from the MO Bay airport. One of our villas was at the Blue Lagoon, very cool place. We also stayed at one at the top of a mountain overlooking the Frenchman's cove.
I find the people to be very kind and protective of visitors. The first time there, I was planning on driving since I've driven every where I've been. No matter who I talked to, everyone tried to talk me out of it - even the woman renting cars. I finally relented and decided on a taxi. It was so wise. I most likely would have gotten lost IF I hadn't gotten in a horrible accident. Jamaicans have to be the best drivers on the planet. Scary but good. It turns out the Rio Grande bridge just before Port Antonio had gotten wiped out by the last hurricane. We had to walk across the river with our luggage. Our taxi driver helped us and when we got to the other side, he found us another taxi, paid for it himself and went with us to our villa and escorted us into the villa to make sure we were safely in the hands of our butler. Pretty cool experience.

Here's where we were served dinner at night.

If any of you are brave enough, you can join me in the Phils.

The whole experience for a week would be less than $2200 unless you add in jet skiing or scuba diving

The chicken Mission was postponed until September

I'd love to but can't handle it now, maybe next year. I'd love to see your setup.

IDK how many of you guys are in the North east but the storms they are a coming.... Found this new weather tool...

All stocked up here.

I have a dumb question.

How do I know or is there a set age when my chicks will not need the heat bulb? I have raised it b/c I noticed they dont sit under it. Just on the outside edge of the light. Is there a certain temperature at night that I need to look for?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge on this

As others have said, there isn't exactly a set age. It depends largely upon ambient temps. The colder it is, the longer they'll need it. The 90-95 for the first week and lowering 5 degrees each week thing is primarily for the commercial industry because they can't take the time to customize or raise birds like a broody would. That routine works for them and will work for you. As Chickadoodles and superchemicalgirl said, observing nature IMO is the way to go. A broody doesn't heat all the ambient air. She provides a hot spot to warm up and that's it. I provide a warm spot and lots of cool space. When they no longer seek out the heat, they don't need it. If you take it away and they start chirping loudly, put it back cause they're cold.

Well the girls are locked up and all is set. -40 tonight and tomorrows high should be about -5. Lol gotta love the Rockies.

I think Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the coldest place I've ever been in my life.
Winter won't let go. I hate to complain about weather because it is what it is, but I'm crying uncle now.
I think this is now the worst winter I can remember in my life and I'm in my 60s. As a kid, we always had about a week in December or January that was -5 to -10F. The rest of the winter wouldn't be that cold but we'd sometimes get a lot of snow. We're going into the 4th deep freeze of the winter. In the next week we're only having one night that will stay in the teens. Every other night will be single digits or minus temps. We're got 5 inches of snow last night. Then another snow storm Friday and Saturday. It won't be going anywhere for a while. Nothing in sight above freezing till the 14th and looks like a big thaw coming by the 15th. I've never been so ready.

. Do you guys think this is too "boy" to be given to a baby girl? The blues have doves, red cardinals and flowers on them.

Either, very pretty. The baby won't care.

Anyone here ever hatch Pheasants? I may have access to a fair number of inexpensive (for Pheasant) eggs, and the little bit of research I've done so far leads me to believe the temps for incubating and hatching are pretty similar to chickens, but that the Pheasants may need higher humidity, and are more sensitive to brief drops during hatch. Same author also says they should be brooded in almost complete darkness to minimize the chicks picking each other to death. Makes me a little nervous, not sure I want to try.

I had pheasant about 45 years ago but never incubated. I'd ask here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645710/incubating-ring-neck-pheasant-eggs

 

[chickadoodles]

My DH and I cooked up some eggs and added some left overs to them to feed the chickens and one hen could not wait for him to put the dish down she wanted her share first! lol


Then one of the BA jumped on his arm to join the Buff Orp... I missed that shot. lol

 

[kingfrodo]

thanks for the tips. I guess I didn't provide enough information earlier and for that I'm sorry!

My "babies" are almost six weeks old feathered out except their heads. They are in the barn in a stall so they have their "nest" I made with the light over that and can run around their chicken jungle gym we made.

I'll leave it there a little longer b/c we are going to get into the 50's tomorrow and that is chilly for here!

here is a pic of my little Lucy. She is the favorite out of the bunch.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Wow...leave the house for one day.....46 posts to read!! Y'all are a chatty bunch!!

Now I forgot what I was going to say

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Oh yeah...wisher and the Gandolf thing. I don't know about the majority of roosters...but my adults (RIR/PR/EE), are basically.....bump chests a few times....ruff out hackles...."Oh look!!...something shiny!!"

Maybe they have a short attention span. Nah..."span" is too encompassing of a word. I need a shorter word.

Now, the game roosters on the other hand......all of my future cockerels......get a ticket to freezer camp

 

[drumstick diva]

SCG I think the blue quilt is perfect for a girl.
When I was very young I refused to have a "pink' toothbrush. - We were a family of 5, so everyone had to have a different color. My favorite color was blue. My younger brother wanted green. was a true PITA from an early age, according to my father.

I was very aware that girls were 'supposed' to have pink and rebelled against that notion. Later on I refused to buy the girls Lego sets because everything was PINK, and girls only had recreational interests. They never got to do anything cool and were confined to a pastel world.

 

[kingfrodo]

SCG I think the blue quilt is perfect for a girl.
When I was very young I refused to have a "pink' toothbrush. - We were a family of 5, so everyone had to have a different color. My favorite color was blue. My younger brother wanted green. was a true PITA from an early age, according to my father.

I was very aware that girls were 'supposed' to have pink and rebelled against that notion. Later on I refused to buy the girls Lego sets because everything was PINK, and girls only had recreational interests. They never got to do anything cool and were confined to a pastel world.

I grew up on a farm and my poor daddy only had girls while his brother had boys. I NEVER played with dolls and if you gave me one I would rip the head off and bury the body in the yard with my Tonka trucks! I totally get not liking the pink.

 

[Wisher1000]

I have a completely different way of doing this - I keep my brooding indoors in the climate controlled basement. It is usually between 55 and 65 degrees down there. I have found that the babies really only need heat for about 7 to 10 days in those conditions. I used to do the 5-degrees-a-week thing until I watched a broody mom raise her chicks out in the coop in the dead of winter in -20 degrees. I then became much more lax about the whole thing and have not lost a single bird. I do feed high protein game bird starter to increase feather growth.

SCG and I agree on this, although I leave them some heat a bit longer. Once mine start that lining up in a circle outside the strongest light, I raise it a couple of inches until they get directly under it. Once they start lining up around the outside again, I raise it again. When they sleep in another corner, I take it out. Depending on outside temps, it takes raising the lamp two or three times. They feather out faster with the higher protein feed and less light. If you keep them warm all the time, the feathers don't come in as quickly.


Glad it's not -30 here. We are under a snow watch for 6 to 10 inches, though. I am hoping to be able to finish up putting a quilt together tonight (if the roads aren't too bad and I get home at a decent time) and then hopefully quilt and bind it this weekend. Do you guys think this is too "boy" to be given to a baby girl? The blues have doves, red cardinals and flowers on them.

I think the quilt is beautiful, but I think the answer to whether or not it is suitable for a girl is up to the mother of the girl. If she thinks blue and tan are boy colors, she may not approve. She may take it, and oooo and ahhhh over it, but never use it. I would hate to see it end up in the closet then going to Good Will. Try to feel her out for her ideas, maybe ask what she used in the nursery and what cute outfits she bought, noting colors. You should be able to determine if she is a "Girls wear pink" kind of person. I would never give a pink blanket to a baby boy, but I think if I had a girl, I would use alot of blue! Just sayin".....

Quote:

Oz I will not be able to afford out of the country this year but your pictures have sold me on doing this maybe next year if you are doing it more than once?

OH! Let's try to all plan a TOFH Chicken Mission Trip for 2015!! That would give us all time to save up the money, and would be SO MUCH FUN!!

Come on, lets do it!! Who's game?

I guess that's one problem with quilting - finding someone to gift it to.

I can solve this problem for you, I would love to have a homemade quilt(s), in any colors you like! My stepdaughter's great grandmother (my DHs grandmother) made her a quilt and I have been so covetous of it since she was a little girl. I was at her house (she's 27) and noticed that it is on her bed and is being used as a bedspread. I am glad she is using it. It would make me crazy if she had it put up and never used it.

My "babies" are almost six weeks old feathered out except their heads. They are in the barn in a stall so they have their "nest" I made with the light over that and can run around their chicken jungle gym we made.

Spoiled Brats!

here is a pic of my little Lucy. She is the favorite out of the bunch.

That's Tusca - Lucy, after the county she was hatched in!

 

[kingfrodo]

OH! Let's try to all plan a TOFH Chicken Mission Trip for 2015!! That would give us all time to save up the money, and would be SO MUCH FUN!!

Come on, lets do it!! Who's game?


I can solve this problem for you, I would love to have a homemade quilt(s), in any colors you like! My stepdaughter's great grandmother (my DHs grandmother) made her a quilt and I have been so covetous of it since she was a little girl. I was at her house (she's 27) and noticed that it is on her bed and is being used as a bedspread. I am glad she is using it. It would make me crazy if she had it put up and never used it.


That's Tusca - Lucy, after the county she was hatched in!

Spoiled brats is right! Every day I scoop out all the shavings and leaves and stuff and go outside and get a new wheelbarrow full of leaves and stuff so they can have new stuff to dig around in everyday. I had the DH hang roosting boards at various angles and heights so they can jump and play on those.

I think I need a 12 step intervention......