Bruce's Journal

[Mike CHS]

We are still getting about a dozen a day out of 20 layers but one silly hen has decided she wanted to sit and hatch chicks in the dead of winter. I don't see it being successful but Teresa is letting her try since she got downright vicious when she tried to get her off the nest and she is getting enough eggs for her sales.

 

[Bruce]

No reason the hen shouldn't be successful. I know it has been colder down there than normal but a hen is pretty warm underneath.

 

[Mike CHS]

We have supplemental heat in the coops but she was determined we weren't going to move her and she is one of the tamer ones. We are such hard masters.

 

[CntryBoy777]

We continue to save most of the eggs....we eat some, there are a couple of people that will call from time to time, and haven't really started giving many to Gabbie....but, will....she just has a defiance streak in her and tries to make demands of things over eating her regular food....so, we are going slow with her treats and specials to make sure she eats her food first. She knows the word treat, so we have to spell it around her....when Joyce browns hamburger, she pours the pan residue over her normal food.....she doesn't react to too many smells and sounds right now, because she doesn't know what it is about....but, she absolutely knows when ya open a can of tuna and will climb your leg to get at some of it....we'll give her the water drained off it along with some chunks. She is eating about 5 cups of puppy food a day in 3-4 feedings.
On the water issue....I'm thinking about getting a 20' stick of the heavy, black plastic piping used for culverts that is about 2' in diameter and see about insulating the inside of it and get a lid for 1 end of it and insulate it too....then, with it about 30-36" tall and use it to place over the up pipes and spigots and should have enought room to store some hose inside also. Pick them up and cover the spigots in each house and in the backyard durning winter and accessing the hose and spigots thru the removeable lid, then empty the hoses, store, replace lid....and store during the Spring. That way wasps and spiders won't be inclined to inhabit them during the warm months. The black will warm in the sun and the insulating material will hold warmth in and cold out. I was thinking of using spray adhesive with those foam mats that are used to float in pools that are made like those noodle things kids use as floats theses days.....it kinda looks like pipe insulation and would certainly not be affected by wet weather....I know your situation is a bit different, but that is what I'm thinking on doing here.....

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I just read all of your journal Bruce! It's very interesting putting the relationships between members and the backgrounds of each together. I find alpacas interesting and I've enjoyed the information that you've shared but I doubt I'll ever own one. I enjoy your chicken stories. I can't believe your cat food is that expensive!

I have to say that I wish it would've worked out with Merlin. I loved my Pyrs and will have another at some point. I wonder if you might have better success after your wife retires since she won't have to be up super early every morning...

As someone that suffers from occasional migraines...mine can be prevented and/or relieved depending on how dedicated I am by my chiropractor. My neck actually curves the wrong way, making it easier for any type of strain or stress to set my body off.

 

[Bruce]

I also wish I could have kept Merlin. DW had the "I'll never get back to sleep" mindset rather than "Merlin is doing his job, I can ignore it" mindset. I doubt she would be happy having a dog bark at night whether she had to get up in the morning or not.

I can generally avoid migraines if I avoid my migraine trigger foods. I sort of feel like I'm walking on that grass strip between the road with fast traffic and the sidewalk. I can occasionally eat a bit of something and stay on that strip but I never know how close I am to the wrong edge so I don't take chances.

@CntryBoy777 Rascal (lunch cat) and Christofur (lunch cat Jr) come running when I get a plate out or open the refrigerator anywhere near lunch time. Though Christofur seems to not care for ham anymore, Rascal has gotten double share the last 2 times. We give the tuna water to the cats though I'm not generous with the actual tuna

It was low high 40°s yesterday and 50°s today, Melted all the snow except where I had blown it. This is our near future, nothing like freezing rain and sleet overnight


I've been collecting the scrap metal from various locations in preparation for a SINGLE trip to the metal recyclers. Given the snow had all melted off it I figured I better get it moved before the snow covers it back up again tomorrow. I dug into the pile that has been in the front yard for the last 4 years (I know, I KNOW!). That pile was originally covered with a tarp by the contractors and I THOUGHT it was lumber they had delivered for the rebuilding. Found out when they were about done that was not the case, at least not by then because I KNOW they had some new lumber in there at times. I was expecting to find some small roofing pieces to scrap and some full pieces that I could keep for some unknown future project. There was also some scrap wood in there and a couple of fairly decent length pieces of PT 4x4 and one 6x6 probably 5' long. Good deck support that!

Well whoever put that metal roof on did it wrong. Holes all through the ridges. I would have thought that holes on the deck would be BAD and holes above it in the ridges would be GOOD since water wouldn't be running past the fasteners but I watched a video done by a roofing company a year or so back and the guy said the most common mistake people make is to put the rubber grommeted screws in the ridges. So it is either all scrap or I decide that whatever I make will be done wrong or will have holes where there should be none and maybe they can be patched with roofing tar or something.

The plywood I put up before to make the rabbit "feeding station" was resting on some old chicken wire loaded with snow and before it warmed up the snow in the wire was the peak of the Q&D structure. Today all the rabbit food was a wet mess since the snow melted. The bowl was, of course, directly under the peak of the structure. I took one piece of roofing that was about 3' long to make a new rabbit "feeding station" tunnel. I then leaned the bigger piece of plywood over it and against the CP fence to keep the 9" of snow we expect tomorrow from pushing the tunnel down.

No sign of the rabbit today but since the snow melted it probably had plenty to chose from. The alpacas were out all day, rain or not and they were pretty wet. The chickens must have thought spring had sprung with the snow gone and the temp up, they were wandering all around their normal haunts up by the house. Yuki must have been out in the rain then got into the dirt in the barn alley. She is the most brown White Rock there ever was! Won't the poor girls be surprised and when it is 15°F tomorrow morning and -8°F Sunday morning ... and their outside world is again covered in white stuff they wish to avoid.

 

[Mike CHS]

I spent too many years in Pensacola to like winter but I'll take ours here in Tennessee over yours.

We are still going to be at or below freezing for the next several days. I'm going through hay at almost double what I estimated for.

 

[Bruce]

I hope you get an early spring Mike! Hay might be hard to come by with everyone having the same cold and going through their supply faster than expected.

 

[Bruce]

I spent too many years in Pensacola to like winter but I'll take ours here in Tennessee over yours.

We are still going to be at or below freezing for the next several days. I'm going through hay at almost double what I estimated for.

But MIke, one just can't appreciate how nice a +10°F day is until the -20°F days have come!

 

[CntryBoy777]

They mentioned today on the news here that from 4pm yesterday to today....counting today's windchill factor...that there had been a 54° temp change. We had 2.5" of rain in the gauge with another 1/2" of sleet and snow....the gauge cracked with the freezing temps, so will have to get another tube next time to town....when the roads clear....