Washingtonians

[Stumpfarmer]

I've fed all the chickens outside and checked the babies three times, plus washed all my horrible work-coats in case that's what was carrying the itch, and then hung them outside. Have to go clean the chickies beds now, and then get second-course food to the outside chickens. Oh, and move Bacchus again; I've got him working on the snowberries in the east yard, where I'm going to try to get more pavers-in-gravel going this year if I can wangle the budget for it.

I was trying to locate the arboreally correct cutting point would be for the drooping oak branch which makes my life difficult every time I move through that yard: twenty-five feet up, thirty feet out from the trunk. Well, that's a facer!

 

[Kaneke]

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my chickens just love the snowberries ... they eagerly jump up for the berries and eat the leaves too .. I've seen Roopert pull a branch down so the hens could eat off it

our oaks out back are surrounded by wild-rose, snowberry, Oregon grape, and Indian plum bushes .. we leave the yard pretty much in native vegetation, and never seem to get deer in the yard; I notice that my neighbor on one side with apple and pear and cherry trees, has a lot of the fallen fruit gnawed upon; my neighbor on the other side bemoans her nibbled rose bushes, though they put up a six-foot chain link fence with triple strand of barbed wire on top ... and used to have very aggressive territorial RIR hens ...

I have one of those make-your-own-pathway forms for concrete ... if you need to borrow it -- also somewhere around here is the kick-it-along concrete mixer for use with small batches

(we used it to pour the big shower pan ... unfortunately had to remove the concrete several months afterwards since late-DH applied the vinyl waterproof layer underneath in the WRONG way -- he STAPLED it to the floor so of course it leaked .... especially around the drain where he neglected to leave slack to pull upwards around it)

 

[CarolynF]

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Our kids did concrete floors with a dark stain to finish. They thought with kids and animals it was a good idea. I think it's awfully cold, but if they'd planned ahead they could have installed radiant heat and it would have been really cozy! Interesting note... they're putting heating pipes in the new barn they're building! Maybe the plan was to keep the kids and pets in the barn!

 

[RustyHen]

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She is just beautiful

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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She is just beautiful

Thank you. I sure am happy with her.

 

[jbear]

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SAWEET she looks almost as good as my 2 new AM B's one of which layed a HUGE green egg on the way home..

Somebody should tell you that Ams lay BLUE eggs.

 

[RustyHen]

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Be careful! Just a bit of advice from someone who's been there: don't let it drag on too long if it's not getting better.

I picked up ringworm on my leg a couple years ago. I didn't know what it was at first and neither did my regular doctor (it didn't look like the typical ring worm shape). Long story short: after a couple punch biopsies the lab was finally able to culture a tinea fungus. After several dermatologist visits, a couple trips to the ER, and a secondary infection of MRSA thrown in, I was put on oral lamisil to knock it out. Topicals were doing nothing (although the Micro-Tek cured it on my dog and horse--I gave it them to them

).

I picked it up in August and didn't get rid of it until January. I have a huge scar on my shin where the tissue was eaten away by the fungus and then the bacterial infection didn't help.

I know this isn't a common scenario with ringworm. The doctors were really concerned because it was on my shin where there isn't a lot of flesh between the skin and the bone. I would be careful, too, if it's right over your spine.

I wouldn't be able to take oral Lamasil, either (diabetics have to be very careful of the stuff, and I'm taking medications which are counterindicated), so yeah, I'm being respectful. I knocked the itch, finally, with Tiger Balm and a gauze pad full of Bag Balm stuck over. The thing one cannot do with ring worm is scratch it, the other is let the skin dry and flake: it spreads the infection. That's one reason Vick's and other menthol/ecalyptus sorts of salves work often enough for people to swear by them: they knock the itch and moisturize the skin long enough for the immune system to take care of the Tinea.

What's particularly hilarious is that nothing else here has any indication of skin infections, not livestock or wildlife.

Be sure to check the kittens very well, as a kid I got it every time we had a new batch of kittens.

 

[ultasol]

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I saw one who's comb was so -- grotesque - that it covered her eyes. I swear the bird was blind. Now - that comb, no way it develops naturally. Blind birds die. So those genes would not get passed along. They just don't look 'right' to me.

Different strokes for different folks

Fog

The Capons were AMAZING... now that's an art that I think is cool, coming back around. We have a friend that when he was a kid during the Depression would caponize his roosters and sell them for a much higher price, helping to support his family during a very difficult period. This is the first time I have ever seen one. Gentle Giants. Did you know they don't even produce the tools you need for properly caponzing these days? You have to search them off eBay. Ring judging of Runners? Ever seen that? Me either. How about the Table Top judging of Turkeys? Didn't even know that was an event. They need to judge the keel bone of a turkey for straightness. Can't do that in a cage. This was also the second show ever here in the PNW for Table Top judging of Serama.. we had one of, if not THE number one judge in the US here judging them on TT. It was quite an honor for the Serama people.

The Youth show had gorgeous birds too. Ever bathed a bantam to get it ready for a show? Those kids are so proud of their birds. It takes me at least an hour and 20 to get one bantam cochin ready. Silkies probably take longer. Imagine a youngster bathing a standard of ANY kind, or their 5 silkies or whatever. Probably a lot of effort goes into it. Hang out and watch Showmanship, or the Avian Bowl once. Those kids know their stuff.

I guess any event is what you will make of it. Someone could go to Crossroads and be disappointed. I know A LOT of effort and time goes into putting on ANY show no matter how big or how small. Most of that effort is volunteered. Volunteered by folks who love poultry and want to help people learn about them.

Sorry some of you had a disappointing time, but please please do not come on here and complain. If you want to see something different at a show, suggest it to the Club President, then step in and help. I for, one had a great time, it was nice to see people I usually only see at shows.

I'll step down off my soap box now.
Hope ya'll have a nice day.

What I find somewhat amusing is that almost everyone that complained HAS birds, and didn't show. THAT is why shows in general have shrunk. This show, specifically, was not top priority for those trying to keep their best showbirds in pristine condition to compete at Crossroads.

I showed, I had fun, and I worked hard to do it. I stayed up until 2am Thursday night to bathe birds, and has stayed up until midnight Wed night to bathe birds- despite clinical, classes, tests, etc. If you want something bad enough, you'll make it happen. The best thing? I had two of the top judges of geese, Toulouse in particular, look at my birds and go over them with me. I also got new opinions on my silkies and got to discuss potential future breedings. Although it wasn't a big show this fall, these judges have seen birds of this type and variety all across the country and can tell me how mine measure up. That is priceless!

 

[ultasol]

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Mister, you better bring a bird next time! Just one! I'll even feed and water it for you if you can't get away from your sale area long enough to do so.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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