Unexpected Helper Today Photos

[Ladysonja]

If I did the math right, he is about 70 to 80 years old now? How long will he live?

Will you have to will him to someone if (God Forbid) anything should happen to you?

I've heard of African Grey parrots having to be willed to family members or friends since they live for many many years past the original owner(s) even when the owner purchased the bird in their early teens to twenties...

Zoop sounds like a great pet and I'm sure he will be too slow to gooble up a wayward chick that gets in his path...

I do have a question... are you making the coop Zoop proof? He kinda looks like a pet that goes where he wants to go when he wants to go...

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Too funny, will you be leaving the prints? LOL

 

[chickenfanatic]

wow crazy i want one ehehehehehe

 

[rebbetzin]

Quote:
Funny, I hadn't given much thought to Zoop outlving us...

HMMMMM..... They live to be about 100 years old. I should find someone who would like to have him. If something should happen to us.

Yes, the coop will be Zoop proof. And Spartacus proof too, (our 150lb Italian Mastiff)

My backyard has three fenced sections. One for Zoop, One for Spartacus, and one that was my potting shed and square foot veggetable garden, that now, will have the chicken coop and run in it too.

The chicken run is bordered by a concrete sidewalk on one side. On that side will be hardware cloth 3' tall and a row of brick work at the bottom and a solid roof over that portion of the run for added shade. The other two sides are fenced with, pallets that have 1/2 chicken wire, and 1/2 inch fencing on both sides of the pallets. There are vines and other well established plants on the other side of the pallets on Zoop's side of the fence.

Yesterday, on the chicken run side of the fence I put up 4' by 8' sections of white PVC type lattice work, on top of the other wire and plastic fencing. All screwed in tight to the pallets
.
On the end of the coop, where the egg box will be, there will be an 8' foot gate that goes from the potting shed to the edge of the chicken coop with a concrete threshold that is over 12 inches deep. So... I am thinking neither the dog nor Zoop or the neighborhood cats wiill be able to get to the chickens. The entire thing will be covered, in hardware cloth, most likely, with a wood frame. The run is still only "in my head" at this point.

I drew a picture of the backyard so you can see the chicken coop is "snuggled" in a safe area.

The chicken coop is elevated on decorative fence blocks I got for free from one of my neighbors. You can kind of see them on this photo. They are a very nice grey granite looking type of stone, not concrete, something much more finely cut and polished.

Those same blocks will run between the side walk and the hardware cloth. I plan to grow "sprouts" of different kinds in the holes in the blocks. Plants with small leaves, that will fit through the the hardware cloth so the chickens can have a small snack now and then.

 

[rebbetzin]

Quote:
The paint was close to being dry, it was warm and windy this am. And I just brushed off the dirt and gave the sides a second coat of priner. I still have to do the enamel on them.

I think I will never get this thing finished!!! I am working on a "how much more money I need" list for my husband. I need a bit over $100.00 to finish the coop and the tractor, and have a make shift brooder. That isn't too bad.

We will have the most expensive eggs in town no doubt. Just like I have $100.00 tomatoes!!

 

[rjswayne]

Quote:
He is a Desert Tortoise. My brother inherited him from a client when the fellow passed away, the family said the tortoise was about 50 to 60 years old. I have had him almost 20 years now.

He has a great personality, for a tortoise that is... He used to come in the house and watch TV with the kids.

He looks just like my little lady "Big", she is a California Desert Tortise (which is protected and yes I have her registered with CDFG). We've had her for 12 years, when I adopted her she was the size of an Eisenhower Dollar, now she is ginormouse!

We plan on passing her on to the kids!

 

[rebbetzin]

Quote:
He is a California Desert Tortoise, he spent most of his life in CA. Most of my family is there.

Wow, she is in great shape!! I need to put some Vit E oil on Zoop's shell, it is getting dried out looking.

For grins I ought to weigh him, I have never done that. He is a big fellow.

 

[Wynette]

WOW! I just read all the posts on your thread, and your area for Zoop and chickens looks and sounds just AWESOME! All I can say is HOLY COW! Zoop's a neat boy; I've always wanted a tortoise, but don't think one would survive here in the midwest. I'm fascinated with them! I did have a neighbor while growing up that had a tortoise, don't know the breed (I'm sure there are many), but she was only about the size of a basketball. She'd escape from their yard now & then and, of course, everyone knew where she belonged. She looked like yours (and like Big) but on a much smaller scale. NEATO!

Sounds like your chickens will have a most awesome area - best of luck with them, and enjoy those delicious fresh eggs when they begin to arrive in your nest boxes!!

 

[Mom 2em All]

I love my tortoise- I have a sulcata- Bubba. He is of unknown age, will outlive me and is willed to my 12 year old daughter when the day comes that I am no longer here.

I live in Michigan, so out in my garage I have a pig heat mat ( http://www.qcsupply.com/Products/363.aspx) for him, for winter. The side door of my garage is open- kind of like a tortoise door. He will go out there in the snow for a little while. He doesnt care. I order him Mazuri tortoise chow from the feed store, and I have human-grade cactus pads delivered monthly. He grazes my yard all spring, summer, fall.(he grazes in the winter too, but nothing out there in the snow). He takes himself back to his heat mat when he wants to be warm. I add a UVB light over his area during the winter. In the rest of the year, the sunlight does the trick. They do not hibernate.

He will grow to be 200 pounds. Right now he is 50 pounds.
The dogs ignore him, the chickens stay away from him- and he tries to eat everything, (even dog and chicken poop

)

 

[Anny]

hahahahahahahahaha