Baymule
Herd Master
Nope. YOU deserve the best! If you don’t take care of yourself, then you can’t take care of your animals.
Canesisters 2023 journal - turning my Disasters into Delights
- Thread starter canesisters
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- #242
canesisters
Herd Master
Spent this past weekend working on 'prettying-up' the new chicken yard. Hauled a lot of downed branches out to the burn pile. I pruned the crepe myrtles from the front of the house (they're a WHOLE 'nother story....) so I had a couple dozen 12-14' long bendy, mostly straight branches that were heading for the burn pile. I decided to attempt to wave/braid/twist them into an arch to go over the new chicken yard gates. It turned out HUGE and is currently in the barn with bricks hanging from the top of the arch to try and flatten it a bit. I had several sections of picket fence over in the 'useful stuff' pile along side of the barn and decided to use them to create a new flower bed. They're just set against the wire fence at the moment. Going to level them and mount them more securely against the wire. I've got a white Rose of Sharron that is just BEGGING to hide a t-post 
A while back, my sweet rooster Benzo passed from old age.
A friend called and asked if I might be interested in a roo. She was picking up a rooster for her flock and saw that they had one that looked very much like my Benzo. I said YES!
This is Christopher Owen... (CrOw
)
The ladies are enchanted
A while back, my sweet rooster Benzo passed from old age.
A friend called and asked if I might be interested in a roo. She was picking up a rooster for her flock and saw that they had one that looked very much like my Benzo. I said YES!
This is Christopher Owen... (CrOw
)The ladies are enchanted
Baymule
Herd Master
You had a good weekend! So sad about Benzo. But look what just hit the farm! Looks just like him! Now Mr New Roo must pass the personality test.
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- #244
canesisters
Herd Master
Well, I didn't clear a fence line and burn Massive logs like SOME people... but it was productive and felt good to move just that little bit closer to checking another major project off THAT list
Baymule
Herd Master
Not all progress involves burning big logs. I’m not moving very fast…., so far I’ve loaded up and spread down the new gonna be a fence, 50 T-posts.
And I found the drop lights for the 50 baby chicks coming this week, that I’m not prepared for…….,
And I found the drop lights for the 50 baby chicks coming this week, that I’m not prepared for…….,
SageHill
Herd Master
You've been BUSY and PRODUCTIVE!
Geeze - I need to just stay outside and get things done. Long list too.
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- #247
canesisters
Herd Master
I love my hay guy!! He delivers 2 round bales at a time, goes through the trouble to drop them into my hay trailer so that I can manage them later with no equipment. Last time he dropped 1 in the trailer for later and moved the truck to drop the other over the fence so I could get cleaning & maintenance done on the hay ring. The hay is just local grass but is dry and well kept.
But THIS time he did me dirty!!!
I texted a week or so ago that I had dropped the 2nd bale into the ring and that I could take 2 more whenever he was available. Normally he comes in the evening, but he texted back that he was working nights for a couple of weeks so he would come deliver them during the day.
I put the strap inside the trailer (to keep the bales from rolling into the feeder until I need them), lowered the trailer front and left his money in a baggie on the trailer with a Thank You note.
When I got home he had delivered as promised. But - and really it's not his fault at all - the bales had fallen into the trailer in exactly the wrong way. Number 1 bale was in the middle of the trailer being held by the strap like it was supposed to be. But #2 was HUGE, didn't fit completely into the trailer and was sitting partly on the front gate and partly ON bale #1! This meant that all of the weight of giaganta-bale #2 was trying to roll bale #1 backwards.
It took me a little over an hour with a pitch fork, a rake, 2 ratchet straps, and a LOT of shoving/grunting/mad-crying/and asking God why can't JUST ONE thing be easy around here, before I was finally able to drop #1 bale into the ring for the girls.
I still love my hay guy - he's the Best & goes well out of his way to take care of me... but I think I'm going to try to arrange all future deliveries for when I'm there.
But THIS time he did me dirty!!!
I texted a week or so ago that I had dropped the 2nd bale into the ring and that I could take 2 more whenever he was available. Normally he comes in the evening, but he texted back that he was working nights for a couple of weeks so he would come deliver them during the day.
I put the strap inside the trailer (to keep the bales from rolling into the feeder until I need them), lowered the trailer front and left his money in a baggie on the trailer with a Thank You note.
When I got home he had delivered as promised. But - and really it's not his fault at all - the bales had fallen into the trailer in exactly the wrong way. Number 1 bale was in the middle of the trailer being held by the strap like it was supposed to be. But #2 was HUGE, didn't fit completely into the trailer and was sitting partly on the front gate and partly ON bale #1! This meant that all of the weight of giaganta-bale #2 was trying to roll bale #1 backwards.
It took me a little over an hour with a pitch fork, a rake, 2 ratchet straps, and a LOT of shoving/grunting/mad-crying/and asking God why can't JUST ONE thing be easy around here, before I was finally able to drop #1 bale into the ring for the girls.
I still love my hay guy - he's the Best & goes well out of his way to take care of me... but I think I'm going to try to arrange all future deliveries for when I'm there.
Baymule
Herd Master
It’s hard to win a fight with a big round bale. Which, by the way, is not round, but flat on one side from sitting in storage.
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- #249
canesisters
Herd Master
But I won that fight in the end!!!
Ratchet strap pulling big bale backwards: click, click, click
Me: You.... WILL..... MOVE!
Ratchet strap pulling big bale backwards: click, click, click
Me shoving with a pitchfork: I've beaten bigger bullies than you! MOVE YOUR ARSE!!!
2nd ratchet strap pulling little bale forward: click, click, click
Big bale suddenly drops into place
Me: HA! Don't TELL me a woman can't lift 500lbs with a pitchfork!!! Who's your Mama!!! .... happy dance
Ratchet strap pulling big bale backwards: click, click, click
Me: You.... WILL..... MOVE!
Ratchet strap pulling big bale backwards: click, click, click
Me shoving with a pitchfork: I've beaten bigger bullies than you! MOVE YOUR ARSE!!!
2nd ratchet strap pulling little bale forward: click, click, click
Big bale suddenly drops into place
Me: HA! Don't TELL me a woman can't lift 500lbs with a pitchfork!!! Who's your Mama!!! .... happy dance
- Thread starter
- #250
canesisters
Herd Master
My chicken feeder is a trashcan with 4 'ports' from amazon around the bottom. It stays out in the chicken yard 24/7 and I was worried about overnight visitors. There are little hard plastic plugs that go into the holes, and those seemed to be working great at keeping unwanted visitors away.
But lately the ladies have been dropping a cup or so of feed on the concrete below and a possum has discovered the free midnight snack. I suspect that he has been licking the plastic ports too since they are all the sudden hard to remove in the mornings.
I had heard that pepper flakes will deter mammals but not bother chickens. The past 2 evenings, when I close up the feeder ports, I sprinkle a heavy 'dusting' of red pepper flakes all over the base and the ports and most of it is still there in the morning.... so maybe it is working? I set up a game camera last night in hopes of watching the varmint react to the heat.
Kinda mean, I know, but I don't mind giving the little beast heartburn.
It's been super windy the past few days so I don't know if the ladies are eating the flakes during the day or if they are blowing away.
Maybe I'll get some pre-seasoned eggs?
But lately the ladies have been dropping a cup or so of feed on the concrete below and a possum has discovered the free midnight snack. I suspect that he has been licking the plastic ports too since they are all the sudden hard to remove in the mornings.
I had heard that pepper flakes will deter mammals but not bother chickens. The past 2 evenings, when I close up the feeder ports, I sprinkle a heavy 'dusting' of red pepper flakes all over the base and the ports and most of it is still there in the morning.... so maybe it is working? I set up a game camera last night in hopes of watching the varmint react to the heat.
Kinda mean, I know, but I don't mind giving the little beast heartburn. It's been super windy the past few days so I don't know if the ladies are eating the flakes during the day or if they are blowing away.
Maybe I'll get some pre-seasoned eggs?
