Washingtonians

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Showing is always a worry. The 1 and 2 day shows like Chehalis and Monroe and Stevenson are mostly attended by serious fanciers who keep their birds parasite free and in good health. The fairs, where the birds are stuck there for 5 days with people poking at them and other people's backyard birds next door are a bigger worry. The only time I've had sick stressed birds or brought parasites home was from a county fair. That is why many serious fanciers never exhibit there. (Indianapolis was a huge show and fun, fun, fun, but my birds clearly were not at their best after 5 days of travel.) I guess it depends on whether one is serious about breeding top birds. If you want to breed good birds, you need to exhibit. I always think my birds are unstoppable in the yard, then I compare them to other people's exhibits and realize there are a few faults I could work on. I'm always skeptical of anyone who claims they have show quality anything- and doesn't show themselves. On the forums we certainly hear from lots of writers who sound like they have the poultry world by the tail and the best birds around but, lo and behold, they never have time to make a show....
So, I guess the answer is, if your birds are just your pets and layers, ( and goodness knows there's nothing wrong with that!) you are probably wise to avoid shows and fairs, but, if you really want to be involved in bettering the breed, you can't do it without exhibiting against competition from time to time.
(And, yes, there are precautions we take- like putting on Frontline, and giving vitamins, and isolating birds after they arrive home.)

thank you for the input. I really appreciate it. I am just starting.....but I want to become a serious exhibitor (my goal).

 

[renart]

finally it warmed up in here. power on last night at 5 pm. still have about 6 inches of snow and my horse barns are flooding from the melt off. we did not completely freeze thanks to Mr Heater and I did have tv and some internet thanks to the generator. there are indoor safe heaters, I will post a link to the one I have. it has a low oxygen sensor on it and will auto shutoff should any fumes build up, it kept my kitchen/dining room at 62 degrees on medium setting. 69 on high. the rest of the house, living room and dog room were upper 50's as I have no way to close those off. I do hook mine to a 5 gallon propane tank instead of the little bottles, you can get it with a hose for a big can. so happy we bought this thing!
http://www.mrheater.com/product.aspx?catid=41&id=116

Aye, we use one of those when we camp. We have a 16' round that it keeps very nice and toasty when we are out early or late in the season. Luckily for us, the wood stove is our primary source of heat, so we need not fear of power outages in that respect. Losing the internet would be a nightmare for the both of us though (well for any length of time)

 

[Rainwolf]

the chickens refuse to step on the snow, its melted away from their doorway and they go out the door and stop, should another push one there is a whole lot of flapping and scrambling to avoid the snow...apparently its the same as molten lava and they will die if a toe touches it lol

Mine think the same!

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

the chickens refuse to step on the snow, its melted away from their doorway and they go out the door and stop, should another push one there is a whole lot of flapping and scrambling to avoid the snow...apparently its the same as molten lava and they will die if a toe touches it lol

Same story here. LOL. No one wants to touch it.

 

[Hinotori]

Congratulations Broody on the clear scan.

We still have no power. I've been filling one of those camp showers with water I heat on the stove. I miss overhead lights most. DH says we'll get a whole house generator in the future.

The snow melted enough the chickens were out today. All excited and bouncy. Stuffing their beaks with grass as fast as they could.

 

[Ogress]

Before I lose power and internet again, I need to post real quick:

60+ hours no power no phones, not even cell phones, no internet, NO HEAT, 300" driveway under 3" of snow, huge chunks of ice sliding from roof making shoveling too dangerous. We kept warm by holding our hands over a boiling pot of water!!!! Candles too - they give off a little heat. Cell phones came up for a short while this afternoon, and I managed to get someone with a front-loader up here and he just finished clearing our driveway.

We have a generator connected to the house, but it caught fire in the first 1/2 hour while we slept. Fire went out on its own. Rats. F%^$ing Rats!

We are out of here to get to someplace warm - Geothermal heat takes a few days to warm up a house.

Stay safe!

Monique

 

[Ogress]

Make that 300' driveway under 3' of snow! LOL Had it been the other we would have fled!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Oh! Let's see if I can get this posted properly. Here is a video clip of a few choice moments from "California Suite" which was shot during rehearsal on Tuesday night. This is the promo piece being used by the theater. My "stage husband", who plays both of my husbands in 2 different stories during the show, produced the video. He is a very active volunteer for Pierce County Humane Society and Coalition Humane for spay/neuter and produces all the video for the Humane Society. He also hosts the local show on Comcast which spotlights the weeks adoptable pets. He's a great guy and I love working with him!

Very cool and I think I may have seen somebody I know in there.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

5:13 PM >> 4 guests viewing this forum, Come on in!

Don't be shy! CR isn't here at the moment!

OK see folks yes even you lurkers just look at how I get picked on here. I ain't a bad guy REALLY just ask me and I will tell ya so!

 

[Chickielady]

I have found that if you want to get something dry, like chickens, use talcum powder. Dry what you can with other things, then get the last bit of moisture with talcum powder. It should not affect your lungs and you don't need gloves.
It works on wood dance floors when the roof leaks, babies' butts to prevent diaper rash, etc. so it should work on your chickens.

We use DE, it really is a great de-moisturizer & can even be added to a car or trailer that is locked up over winter.
Since we always have at least 50# of it, we gather it in coffee cans & set them in locked vechicles, boats, the foundation under the tarp, etc.