The Old Folks Home

[CapricornFarm]

Thanks everyone. IT was a very pleasant surprise for me!

I have spent three days trying to find where my bantam hens are stashing their eggs. I was getting 4-5 eggs a day from them and suddenly nothing. Today I found their stash of 14 eggs carefully tucked behind a portable nesting box. The little biddies have been hording eggs on me, probably waiting for somebody to go broody and park their backsides on them. I cracked a couple of them and sure enough, one had a few days worth of growth showing in the yolk so somebody was spending some time on them. I swear I looked in that corner and saw nothing until today. Little devils.

We have gotten over 3 inches of rain here since last night. They were calling for rain, but it just drizzled and showered here for two days and then last night somebody unzipped the clouds and it poured all night. We just went out and cleaned out some gutters while there was a break in the downpour. We've had enough leaves falling that they were creating dams in the gutters and they were overflowing. They are calling for rain for us through next Tuesday with the exception of Sunday. We need the rain but goodness, not all at once.

Seems like it is all or nothing with rain. Our dirt has changed to dust, it is so dry here.

 

[microchick]

Seems like it is all or nothing with rain. Our dirt has changed to dust, it is so dry here.

We were out in one of the pastures two days ago and there were 3/4" cracks in the ground. Our ponds are down almost 2 feet. Way too much with winter and hard freezes coming.

So far we haven't went below freezing. In fact the temps have been in the low 80s through the end of Sept and first of Oct. I was looking ahead though and see that next weeks temps in the low 60s and lows in the low 40s so it's coming sooner or later. DH was talking today about 'studding' out a pair of my old boots so I wasn't sliding on the ice and falling this year like I did last year. No more broken ribs allowed he said. I asked him if that mean that a broken wrist or hip was acceptable. He wasn't laughing. I was.

 

[chickadoodles]

Congrats on your badge Micro! Elderberries wow your fortunate!
I had hoped to have some this year. Not but hopefully next year.
I bought a set of 12 snakes for a few bucks on amazon and it does help some.
The ones I hung in the fruit trees did not work. lol The dang birds built a nest right next to one!

 

[CapricornFarm]

We were out in one of the pastures two days ago and there were 3/4" cracks in the ground. Our ponds are down almost 2 feet. Way too much with winter and hard freezes coming.

So far we haven't went below freezing. In fact the temps have been in the low 80s through the end of Sept and first of Oct. I was looking ahead though and see that next weeks temps in the low 60s and lows in the low 40s so it's coming sooner or later. DH was talking today about 'studding' out a pair of my old boots so I wasn't sliding on the ice and falling this year like I did last year. No more broken ribs allowed he said. I asked him if that mean that a broken wrist or hip was acceptable. He wasn't laughing. I was.

I used to fall a lot in TN. Between slippery mud, poop, and ice, falling happens. Plus i had a big dog and big goats and it is easy to lose your balance. I cracked some ribs sneezing once! Luckily i have a lot of padding so i mostly just get bruised.

 

[microchick]

I used to fall a lot in TN. Between slippery mud, poop, and ice, falling happens. Plus i had a big dog and big goats and it is easy to lose your balance. I cracked some ribs sneezing once! Luckily i have a lot of padding so i mostly just get bruised.

Yeah, I have enough padding also, thank you, I also had on a thick fleece lined hoodie, lucky for me or I would have been hurt worse. I have a congenital deformity in both feet that has caused me to be clutzy my entire life so yeah, the ground and I are old buddies. I spent most of my childhood with bandaides on me knees and elbows.

I went out to water the chickens and checked them to see if any had grown webbed feet yet. One run has a nice swimming hole in it where they had scratched out a dust bath wallow for themselves. Don't know why I bothered to give them fresh water, they were just going to go drink out of the mud puddle anyway.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I went to nipples to for water no more mud for chickens and do not do ducks
did get my 2 silkes today have to post photos tomorrow

 

[getaclue]

Yeah, all the effort we put into cleaning water buckets, keeping them filled with fresh water, and the goof balls prefer a water puddle to drink from, whenever available.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Yeah, all the effort we put into cleaning water buckets, keeping them filled with fresh water, and the goof balls prefer a water puddle to drink from, whenever available.

It is the special poo flavor that makes it irresistible.

 

[microchick]

 

[chickisoup]

Hey guys. Need to play catch up. I've been dealing with dentist appointments, farm fall projects, aka working in the timber clearing trails, and dealing with a 12 week old pullet with a possible growth on her eyelid along with our Cattle Dog who's Degenerative Neuropathy is progressing. He is now wearing traction boots on his hind legs, which help him tremendously but he keeps loosing them outside so we have to go out and hunt them down. Thank goodness for reflective strips.

I was surprised to find out when I logged on that I'd been awarded my first badge!VERY honored and my thanks to all involved.

Chicka, we have wild elderberry bushes in just about every ravine on our property. I was able to harvest berries one year and made syrup out of them. The trick is to get them before the birds and deer do. The bags are a great idea.

Rubber snakes work great. Only 1$ at Dollar General. We put them up in the rafters of the car port and barn to keep the birds from roosting over our cars and tractors and leaving us a load of poop on our vehicles. I set one by my chicken feeder one night to see if it kept the vermin at bay during the night and forgot to remove it the next morning. The chickens response to it was hysterical.

Congrats and so well deserved Micro!!! View media item 7892577