The Old Folks Home

[dsqard]

Well sounds like you will either have to make a door or bring them in to the garage if you want them dry. Will they be OK locked up in that small house for hours?

 

[Stumpy]

Bunnylady, I hope you have recovered!

That would be pretty normal around here. A couple of weeks ago I stepped out of the front door to go lock up the chicken house. I had forgotten to do it until it was late, about 9:00 p.m. I looked down to see a sizable venomous snake slithering off of the bottom step. It was large for a copperhead, between 3 and 4 feet long. We've probably killed a half-dozen venomous snakes this year. I finally realized why my dog had been sniffing the steps every morning. The snake was spending the night on them because the bricks retain so much heat from the sun. I pretty much leave the non-venomous ones alone.

SCG, don't you like venison? I'm looking forward to it, although we have to rely on "gifts" since DH isn't interested in hunting.

 

[Bunnylady]

Oh, I'm good. Nature still has that "gee whiz" factor for me, so I'm good with snakes. I kill venomous ones as a safety measure, of course, but as long as they aren't eating my rabbits or chickens, the others are welcome here (DD and I got a chance to watch a Green Rat Snake eat a rat in the rabbitry a couple of months ago. Go snake!

SCG, I once lived next to a guy who was an avid hunter. I still remember the shock of looking out the window and seeing a deer hanging from his kids' swing set for the first time! I must admit to mixed feelings about deer. While I enjoy seeing them (I still get a little misty-eyed when I think about the doe and her days-old fawn I saw this past summer), I don't enjoy the damage they do, nor do I enjoy the close encounters of the hair-raising kind that we've had on the roads (I've heard that vehicles account for more deer deaths per year than any other cause).

Gonna be damp and blustery around here for a couple of days as Sandy passes by. We'll be praying for you folks further north, who'll have to deal with more of the mess than we will!

 

[Wisher1000]

Ok, things are definitely getting weird around here.

Hubby just called me outside to see this big spiderweb that is getting built (by a big spider, naturally) in the tree branches just outside one of the kitchen windows. As I started to walk down the back steps, something hit me on the arm. I looked near my foot where the "something" landed - it was a snake! A baby corn snake, maybe 14 inches long; it had apparently dropped off of the porch roof. I've become pretty much used to having the odd Anole fall on me during the day, or having tree frogs come flying at me out of the dark (they come to eat the bugs that get attracted by the lights) but snakes in the dark is a new one!

Halloween is just around the corner!

BF is off to go inflict mental harm on millions of young childrens hearts (and my own) by shooting Bambi's mom or dad. He attempted to prepare me yesterday for a potential deer body swinging from a tree on the property for a few days. I told him he had to find another venue for that. Sick, but I can picture the chickens thinking it's their own personal deer treat and I'm already psychologically damaged enough.

When my DH and I were dating, I had the same conflict. I lived on 6 acres and was feeding the deer on the back side of my pasture. He was/is a southern "good ol' boy" and a hunter. I decided a compromise would be in order. I told him that when we got married, I would support his hobby, I would not complain about the weekends he spent in the woods, or the money he spent on guns, ammo, scents, calls, camo clothes, etc. and when we had children, I would not block them from hunting. In return I had two demands, 1- He didn't subject me to anything with hair on it and bleeding. All kills stayed away until it was packaged for the freezer. 2- He would not kill anything on our property. He gladly agreed, thinking he had the best end of the deal. It was fine until we moved here, 23 acres in the middle of hundreds of acres of managed hunting land! LOL! To his credit, he has never complained.

Anyone else prepping for Sandy?

Not me, I'm prepping for Homecoming! Today is homecoming here in Tuscaloosa and I am taking my boys to it for their first time! I'm more excitedas than they are! It is a major event here with a parade, tailgating, media events, games, hundreds of thousands of people and the the game! ROOOOOLLLLLL TIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEEEEEE!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Yes, I understand that hunting is necessary, and while I'm sure venison is delicious (I haven't had it since I was maybe 8) I just don't want to see it while it has eyes and ears and fur. I'm with Wisher on that one.

My eating habits are kinda strange, I've been a "vegetarian" since 2002ish (I can remember the date I quit smoking but not the date I quit meat) due to not wanting to sponsor factory farming/crowding/antibiotics, but when I started poultry a few years ago I had extra boys after hatching. I tried to sell them, and then realized that I was selling them mostly to a certain death, anyway, just not at my own hand. Since then I've decided the roosters have a good life and that I can process them humanely so I might as well. So now I eat chicken. Not often, I still get most of my protein from non-animal products. Then BFs mom shot a moose recently and had about 900 pounds of meat in her freezer. We took some (BF is a total meat and potatoes kinda guy, in fact I think he left for hunting this morning wearing a shirt with veggies that had faces on it that says "EAT MORE MEAT"). I ate half a moose sandwich (it was delicious), although it didn't quite fit into my "raise it to be happy and free, and kill it humanely" mantra, and it was delicious. I'm still trying to figure out ethically if I'm totally okay with adding hunted meat to my diet. I think I am and then I picture Marissa Tomei saying "Imagine you're a deer..."

 

[mickey328]

I've only had venison once and didn't care for it at all. However, I love moose! Not sure I could shoot one...definitely not a deer but prolly not a moose either unless I really felt I had to. Mostly what folk hunt around here is antelope and elk, both of which I've had and quite like. Since DH and I have no interest at all in hunting, we don't have access to either. We're only allowed 6 hens where we live, so we keep them just for eggs. Wish we could raise some meat birds but...alas. If we had the room, we'd definitely grow most of our meat as well as veggies, but we can only do what we can do. Our next project is to raise some meat rabbits, which we're hoping will put a good sized dent in our purchasing of meat protein. At some point in the next couple years, I'm hoping we might be able to go in with someone for part of a grassfed cow...none of those hormones or gmo stuff.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I had contemplated meat rabbits, too. Haven't gone there, yet. I've never had rabbit, but it seemed like a quick and easy way to get meat. I hope you're able to get less restrictive zoning laws. Some of our larger towns are starting to rework their livestock restrictions and lift them. Gardiner, Maine is looking into relaxing livestock laws after they caught some people with pygmy goats.

Cleaning up the yard for the hurricane is boring. I let the chickens out for company, the ducks are always out free ranging. The goats are screaming at the top of their lungs to be let out, too, but I can only take so much destruction. I wouldn't mind if everyone stayed out of my garden, but once I took the fence down for winter it's like no one can stay away from the allure. The ducks destroyed all the cabbages I had left, they've left my row of celery alone, but now the chickens are eating it. The garlic I planted sprouted and the ducks ate most of the sprouts (I can't wait to eat the ducks, they're going to be delicious) and now the chickens have discovered the rest. The goats love to trample the sprouts and the celery...

 

[mickey328]

Here in our little neck of the woods, rabbits aren't considered "livestock" so we're okay in that respect. They're quiet and won't be running around loose, so I'm thinking if we keep the smell down (not too hard to do) the PITA neighbor shouldn't even know they're there, LOL. We're not going into huge production; just going to start with a buck and 2 does. Only have to feed the two of us so if we get 6 or 8 litters a year, it should be sufficient. I've never had domestic rabbit either, but I've had wild ones Grandpa used to snare and really liked them. They're "gamier" thank domestic so I'm thinking it should be really good. You can use it in pretty much anything you'd use chicken for...and it has the lowest cholesterol content of any meat out there...even chicken!


Sounds like your ducks are pre-seasoning themselves...got any other herbs to have 'em eat??

 

[debilorrah]

Pretty soon we are off to the Harvest Festival with one of our grandsons. He is going in costume to trick or treat, and YES I will have pics!

 

[Arielle]

My mother occassionally served rabbit. Really very good. Domestic, from a local farm. I just can't bring myself to kill the creature, but I can eat them. Same for Bambi. In college I took a wildlife management class all very interesting. Especially where it increased my understanding of thinning the herds before winter to ensure enough food for the remaining deer. I can't hunt, but I sure enjoy the meat. Venison used to be a fav; haven't had it for years though.

Snakes, and bugs--I dont mind them. More of GOds interesting creatures. I do get annoyed with women who freak out when there is a bee or wasp on ME. Not a good time to be panicking when the stinger is only a mm from my skin!! So hush up lady . . . .

Saw one lonely bat out at the end of the soccer game tonight--just one. I do sonder how they are effected with the spraying to kill mosquitos because of the West nile and triple E. I"m not convinced sprying is truely effective, rather it's a tactic so the public will feel safe. THen I wonder if the incesticide is safe around all the childre, and well, me too, for that matter. I think I would rather risk the disease.

I heard the state inspector say that chickens are a source of west Nile. . . . sure would like to know more. Here they are spraying for west nile or EEE , but birds and chickens are vectors too. UGH! SO why bother spraying.

Maybe someone can anser this? If we can devel a vaccine for the bird flu why can't we develop a human vaccine for EEE or west nile. My horses get vaccinated; so why not people?