The Old Folks Home

[Wickedchicken6]

I got caught up!

I learn a lot about cooking and baking on here.

I think it's cool about the jumbo guineas. I've never seen anyone with those up here.

In my case, I have what, 50+ pairs of spurs to blunt...and I trim the guineas' toenails once anyway...so what's a few pairs of guinea wings once a year.
I like the challenge to not be bitten.

Dark guineas hold their color much better than light or white.

Here it's a balmy -3C but the sun's out shining so it's still melting. We hope we can get on the land...maybe if we don't get anymore snow or rain. No spring birds here yet though. I'm seriously getting the hatching bug.

(cough, cough)

I think road bans are on here. I think we just get paper stapled on posts. If it's a sign it's just the regular black and white variety. The dot (whatever that stands for) are out in full force enforcing truck weights and handing out tickets.

 

[microchick]

Wickedchicken6. When you trim your boys' spurs, how short do you go and is there a good way (besides splurting blood) when you are about to go too deep? I have a 2 year old rooster who desperately needs his spurs trimmed. I don't want to hurt him but I'd really like to take them a lost shorter than I usually take them. He's not aggressive but no sense in letting the girls get their backs torn up.

Here, the dot stands for Dept of Transportation. In Missouri DOT is called MODOT.

 

[pennyJo1960]

micro I use a cutting head on dremel as it take super close but cauterizes as you do it

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Wickedchicken6. When you trim your boys' spurs, how short do you go and is there a good way (besides splurting blood) when you are about to go too deep? I have a 2 year old rooster who desperately needs his spurs trimmed. I don't want to hurt him but I'd really like to take them a lost shorter than I usually take them. He's not aggressive but no sense in letting the girls get their backs torn up.

Here, the dot stands for Dept of Transportation. In Missouri DOT is called MODOT.

Ok...yep, that's the name right there...lol!

I use a pair of dog nail clippers and I go as short as I can without them bleeding. Once in a while I cut a bit too short. I mainly go for cutting off those wicked sharp points...and I like to make sure there are no sharp corners on what's left.

I've seen the spur be twisted off on you tube. It still leaves a blood covered projection...or there's penny's way. I do like to leave a stub for the roosters protection unless he or the spur is causing issues. I just don't want yhem to be able to spike each other or accidentally puncture one of my females. I haven't found the rounded stubs to be an issue unless I let all the roosters out.

 

[drumstick diva]

" spurting blood,"

 

[Wickedchicken6]

naw...just dripping really.

But then again...I castrate with a scalpel.

The guys are always very nice to me.

 

[Cynthia12]

Giraffe baby cam near me.
I've actually had thoughts of asking if they sell emu hatching eggs

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClnQCgFa9lCBL-KXZMOoO9Q/live

I have been watching this off and on..is she ever going to have that baby? What are those things she is having..Braxton Hicks?? You have to wonder .. when will they start to worry. Didn't know it took them so long, especially when she is having so many contractions...and for a while now, pretty close together. Poor thing!

 

[Cynthia12]

Practice is supposed to make perfect, isn't it?

I was waitin' for someone to jump on that

Our signs went up already too! A full month early. We just get the ugly, well beat up metal ones as well. We have mostly loggers and heavy haulers that are rough on our roads. Only milk haulers, and there's only a few, are down in the potato flats where there are maybe half a dozen farms with cows.

I hear ya. My "former" vet for my dog refused to even do a worm float for me for the chickens (we only see dogs and cats) yet she works on the eagles from the Raptor Rescue. My new vet still doesn't treat birds of any kind but has no problem with her techs doing a worm float for me.

Well, here we go. We had temps in the high 50's yesterday with another thunderstorm last night and not bad today which was great because it made getting ready for the snow storm that just started much more pleasant. The wind isn't supposed to pick up until late so I was able to put off tying down the windmill until after I locked the chickens in for the night. Heavy snow shouldn't kick in until around daylight and hopefully let up by Saturday afternoon. We're all set for the inevitable power outage. Both generators are gassed up. One on the front porch for the house stuff and the other on the back porch for the well and other stuff. Wood box is full, snow thrower ready to go, shovels, flashlights, solar lights for coop, yard, feed shed etc. all in place, turkey and veggies ready to go into slow cooker tonight so we can pick on it for the next two days as we snuggle in and watch all the great movies I taped onto the Genie for when the snow takes the satellite out. Not bad prepping for a couple of old fogies, eh? Oh, and I think we're good even if they don't get our power back on before the next big storm that's supposed to hit next week. Now time to take a hot shower and fill some water jugs. Got to just love pre-spring.

We just finished up yet another snow storm! At least, we hope that's it. Wow, tried the freeway thinking it would be good by noon..right when we get to the entrance, there's an ambulance trying to get on. Oh great. Traffic is slow of course and the ambulance is weaving in and out of it trying to get to the accident. Going as slow as we were, the car in front of us was slipping sideways. Got to the accident..thanks goodness the two vehicles didn't look bad, and the folks looked ok. Decided to get off at the next exit and wait another day to get to the town we wanted to get to. And there, on the opposite side, going South, were more police and another ambulance. Sun came out about 2 hrs. after we got home. Hope it stays that way for a few days. More snow on it's way by Tues. supposedly. Hubby going in for a procedure on eye on Tues. Come on weather...be nice.

 

[microchick]

naw...just dripping really.

But then again...I castrate with a scalpel.

The guys are always very nice to me.

I bet!

We have been using the dog nail clipper method and then rounding them off with a dremel. I'd like to get them a little shorter but I really don't want to make them bleed.

Dripping, splurting, oozing.....A year ago my now deceased Lavender Orpington rooster decided he had to make a run at me. Since he weighed about 9 pounds I decided that I'd better nip that in the bud immediately. I ran him down, caught him, dangled him by his ankles till he decided his breach of good manners wasn't worth the humiliation and put him down. That's when I found myself holding one of his spurs in my hand.

He'd grown two inch spurs in his first year and one had snapped off at the leg. I was really surprised as I hadn't felt it break and it really didn't bleed as much as I thought it would. I gave his leg a squirt of blue coat and from that point on he was a perfect gentleman until the day he keeled over from a heart attack. I always thought he probably figured that darned human person was tougher than she looked and he just better behave himself.

Two days ago it was in the 70s. Now the temp is 29 and when I opened the door to run out and lock up the chickens, I got hit in the face with snow. I don't think it is going to amount to much at least I hope not but I tell ya, I'd much rather have mother nature get it out of her system all at once with a good measurable snow than this warm one day cold the next on again off again stuff.

Stay safe everyone!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I know it is sunny and warm 55 here Micro but tonight dips down again although suppose to have dry weather for awhile
meaning maybe a day