Out With The Old, In With The Soon To Be Old

Hope everyone out there in blogland has a wonderful new year.  Don't waste your time with resolutions.  Either you are going to do it, or you are not...plain and simple.  Dieting?  Quitting a bad habit?  Eating healthier?  Spending more time with family and friends?  Just do it.

But whatever you do this year, do it with gusto.  Do it with umph. Do it with pride.  Make 2010 a great year in spite of any obastacles that my lie ahead.  I hope with all my heart that all of you have the happiest new year, at least for the first few days.  It is what you make it!

2010: The Space Age?

Well, Christmas is over, and the new year is only a day or so away.  We are heading into 2010.  It's funny to see it written down.  I remember as a kid we couldn't wait for it go get here.  We just knew that by 2010 we would be in the space age.  Surely we would get to work via jet packs.  There would be no more paved highways because cars would float in the air and could fly.  And surely we would already have been in contact with beings form at least one other planet and/or solar system.  We just knew that Star Trek or some variation there of would be a reality.

Of course, when I was ten years old Hailey's Comet zipped by us, not to return for about a hundred years.  That was fuel for the fire.  Today people ooh and aah over having telephones  that can travel with us and access the internet.  We have GPS systems that can pretty much tell us how to get anywhere from here.  And we have blogs that we can post any message or picture to instantly and have people all around the world read our musings!  Technology is amazing!  But I still want to fly to work.

And To All A Good Night

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

From the Chicken Boys and Gang

Randy and Mike

Elvis...does his own thing, but has gotten quite lovey in his later years

Minnie (a.k.a. Porkchop)  A little shy girl..loves to sleep in a pile of clothes or pillows

Max...Never met a stranger...but likes to bark at cars when they drive by, or at a knock at the door, or at another animal in the yard, or at helicopters flying over...but is scared to death of a thunder and lightning storm.

Priscilla (a.k.a. Prissy)  A little groucho at times, but can be a real lovey girl when she feels like it.

Black Kitty and Stripey Cat...both love to be held, and like to sleep in the bed.  As soon as you pick them up the immediately go limp and start purring.  I can love and kiss them or swing them all around and they are just as content.  But they are mischevious at night and like to race the hall making noise like a herd of elephants....it got them put outside a time or two...LOL

And from the Chickens and Pigeons

We hope all of you out there have a wonderful holiday!

Christmas Is Here

It's Christmas time!  And my Christmas Cactus is in full bloom!!  This is probably my last post til after Christmas.  My pigeons got attacked by a small hawk the other morning, but he got none.  He landed in the same pine tree as that owl.  Mike shot at him with the .22 and he flew off.  He has not returned after a week now.  Something attacked my white silkie hen.  Mike went out the other morning and her right wing was covered in blood.  We moved her and her rooster into a better, drier coop, put some salve on her wing and put a next box in for her.  She immediately started scratching and pecking as I threw her some feed.  I later found out that a man's dog had gotten back there and attacked her.  He came by to apologize and offer payment for her.  We turned down the payment, but agreed to exchange fresh eggs in the spring for fresh bacon.  She seems to be doing okay.  Fingers crossed.  I went holiday shopping with my mom this past Saturday.  What a nightmare that turned out to be.  It wasn't too bad, except my mom likes to shop for herself.  She could spend hours in a store picking out all the things she wants only to put most of it back as she checks out.  She did this on Saturday, as well.  So neither of us finished out shopping.  She was going to return on Sunday with my dad, but with his leg as bad as it is, I'm not sure how that turned out.  I still have three nephews to buy for.  I will probably stop to buy those tonight on my way home.  I tried to get a pic of my new niece.  She was born on Thursday, December 17, 2009.  She was 7 pounds 1 ounce and 21 inches long.  Her name is Jolissa Dawn.   I haven't seen her yet, except a cell phone pic my brother sent to me.  It's his third child, but only daughter.  I will get pics at Christmas and post them! 

Well, you all have a wonderful Christmas!  Be blessed and I will see y'all after the holiday!!

All These Pictures

I was looking for some moisture wicking long underwear last night that was U.S. military issue when I stumbled across some cd's with pictures on them.  I also uploaded some more pics from my camera.  So today I am going to do a house/Christmas post.  Enjoy!!

Christmas lights on my front porch.

Our kitchen tree with lights in the window

Lights on the fence in the back yard

Our ever so humble abode

A full moon right in our back yard

My Christmas Present from Pam over at Life on a Southern Farm

And me.  I really don't like this picture.  It's a terrible picture of me.  But, at least it's a close up.  I will definitely get a better pic later.  One of Mike, too.

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!!

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Well, everyone has made it clear I cannot go.  I wasn't leaving permanently.  I was just gonna stop blogging, but keep reading.  However, no one seems to want me to do that.  I was going to post some pics on Black Kitty (that's what Mike named him) but for some odd reason my pics will not post today.  Pics I take with my camera take a long time to load normally, anyway.  So instead I am going to share a pic I borrowed from someone else.  I am also going to share a poem by one of my favourite poets, Robert Frost.  When I die I want his poem The Road Not Taken engraved on my head stone.  If there is one thing I have learned in my short 33 years  on this spinning ball of dirt and water is that chances are worth taking.  I have lost many, but that is because I have loved many.  And I regret none of it.  I am thankful for every single person who has entered into my life.  Some I have known for a lifetime, some for only a few short moments.  But all have touched my life in some sort of way and changed me ever so subtly.  And I am glad for that.  Thank you to each and every one of you who have blessed me by simply reading my ramblings.  I am sure I will post again before the fat man slides down the chimneys, but Merry Christmas y'all!!

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost

Not Much To Say

I have only been blogging for about six months now, but I am considering a break from blogland.  Lately, I have found myself straining my brain to find something to post about.  I can only say so much about my chickens before my blog becomes completely boring.  And to add to my frustration, I am missing my chickens.  Sunrise this morning was at 7:12 a.m.  I was pulling out of the driveway around 7:25 a.m.  On my drive home in the evenings I have to drive with my headlights on because it is already dark.  So naturally, I am spending zero time with my birds.  Not too long ago Mike got a pair of Buff Orphingtons.  Pretty birds, and she was already laying.  He also got me some more pigeons.  I was down to three, but  one did not come back.  He brought me four, so I now have six total pigeons.  They are pretty birds, but I don't have any new pics.  It's hard to get pics when it's dark the entire time I'm home.  I love the Christmas holiday, but I hate winter.  And the cold weather has settled in for a couple of weeks.  Not cold enough for snow, but cold enough that I will now get shocked everytime I touch something metal. >:(  I HAVE to say that I was excited when I got home yesterday to find a box in the middle of the living room with a UPS label on it.  It was the nest box I won from Pam over at Life on a Southern Farm.  It was wonderful craftsmanship.  I'm not sure who will be the lucky hen yet.  Probably one of the Orphingtons.  Either my black one or buff one. 

I guess I will leave it up to you guys.  Should I stay or should I go?  If I quit the blog for a while I will still stick around to read you guys. 

25 Things About Me

I have been tagged by A Southern Garden by Becca for a meme about me. I am suppose to write 25 things about me that you do not know. Check out this blog.  http://beccasgardenspot.blogspot.com/


1. Name someone with the same birthday as me. Barbara Bush...I had to Google this one


2. Where was your first kiss? In my parents' garage


3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property? Not that I can remember. 


4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? Yes, my sister.  But she is a second degree black belt and can hold her own.....and it was many years ago.


5. Have ever sung in front of a large number of people? Yes, but I suck at it.


6. What's the first thing you notice about your preferred sex? He looked familiar, but I could never figure out who he looked like...even to this day.


7. What really turns you off? Commands instead of requests


8. What do you order at Starbucks?  Who can afford Starbucks?  I drink Food Lion Brand and lots of it!


9. What is your biggest mistake? Not finishing medical school


10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? No way!  I hate pain!  If I were gonna do something for attention I'd run away on my wedding day, then tell the cops I was kidnapped.


11. Say something totally random about yourself. I am a real kid at heart.


12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? Yes - Cary Elwes - from Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Princess Bride, and Liar, Liar


13. Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows? Yes, but don't tell anybody


14. Did you have braces? No, but I need them.


15. Are you comfortable with your height? Yes


16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you? Cooking my favorite meal for dinner when he knew I had a bad day.


17. When do you know it's love? When you still want to be with them when they are at their worst.


18. Do you speak any other languages? Phrases here and there from a few languages, but not as a whole.


19. Have you ever been to tanning salon? No


20. Have you ever ridden in a Limo? Yes, at my friend's birthday.  I didn't really know any of the people there except Mike.  So Jay sent us home in the Limo after he had picked us up in it.  They were just bar hopping anyway.  That's no fun when you're not single.


21. What's something that really annoys you? being sick.  I absolutely hate to be sick.

22. What's something you really like? Being outdoors.


23. Can you dance? No, but I do it anyway.  Get over it!!


24. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? Yes, when I was 14.  I had hypoglycemia (opposite of diabetes).  I was traveling back to Texas with my aunts after attending another aunt's funeral.  I was pumping gas in Villa Rica, Georgia when I passed out and hit my head on the concrete island.  I was okay, just a little (painful) scrape on the side of my face.


25. What is your favorite breakfast food?  I love me some Frosted Mini Wheats cereal or Kellogg's Crispix!



Now I am suppose to tag five other bloggers for this meme. If you have already done this or simply just don't want to then no biggy.  Just a bit o' fun.  Have a great weekend!!

John (and Chris, if he wants in) LOL @ Going Gently
Debbie @ There's an Angel on my Front Porch
Odette @ A View from Above
Nancy K. @ Bluff Country Back Yard Chickens
Anna @ Chickens in the Basement

It's Broken, Alright!

I got quite a scare yesterday!  My cell phone was not ringing out loud.  I think it has to do with this blue tooth thingy that has even made me call someone I didn't intend to call.  But I noticed I had a voice mail yesterday, so I checked it.  It was a message from my mom.  She only said she needed me to call her that it was important, and my dad was hurt!  My dad delivers mail, so I instantly thought he had been in an accident!  The voice mail was nearly a half hour old, so when I finally spoke with my mom she was able to give me some details.  I got more as the night progressed.  He was changing the tire on his truck.  He had a wrench on the lug nut, and a copper pipe on the end of the wrench.  The nuts were too tight, so he was pushing on the copper pipe!  The maleable copper pipe broke, the wrench flew off the lug nut and his right leg broke in three places!  He called my mom's cell from the ground, who in turned called the house (where he was outside of) for my brother to call the ambulance.  He had no idea my dad was outside and hurt.  They took him to the small, local hospital in Belhaven.  They said it was pretty bad, and sent him to a bigger hospital via ambulance in Washington, NC.  He had to have surgery, which was scheduled for 8 a.m. this morning.  He was in surgery for four hours, which I thought was quite a long time for a broken leg.  Dr. Birdsong said it was worse than he expected.  He had to put in a steel rod.  He will probably be in a cast, and he his not allowed to put any weight whatsoever on that leg for the first eight weeks.  Then he will be evaluated to see where he stands.  He will probably have to have rehab, as well.  That means he will be out of work for the next couple of months....not good at all.  I will be spending the weekend at my parents' home.  Pray for him, please.

Impatience, A Water Hose, and Dead Fish

I enjoy aquariums.  I think they are relaxing to watch, and fairly inexpensive to maintain.  They make great pets for people on the go.  They don't need to be walked, they don't bark, they don't piddle on the floor, they don't require a lot of attention.  When I was younger I had a salt water aquarium that I really enjoyed, but it was a lot of work (as salt water aquariums were then...not so much now from what I hear.)  I currently have two aquariums.  One is 37 gallons and the other is 14 gallons.  They are both fresh water aquariums.  In the larger one I have semi-aggressive fish.  I now have one Opaline Gourami, two African Cichlids, and one African Brown Knife.  In the smaller tank I have two tiny fish; a male and female Fire Belly Mickey Mouse Platys.  I used to have more fish.  I took good care of them.  But I had an accident one day.  I took a personality test once that claimed I was a perfectionist to which I scoffed.  But my mom suggested it true because I'd rather do a job well then do it at all.  That is true with my aquariums.  I wait till they are nearly caked with algae before I clean them, but that's because I intend to clean them well when I do.  I take out the castle, plants, sea shells, etc. to each be cleaned individually.  I scrub the sides to make sure no algae is left on the glass.  I stir the rocks to get all the algae and food particles and waste from the bottom.  Then I suction all the dirty water out with my aquarium pump.  It can sometimes take me three hours to clean the aquariums.  Well, one day this past summer I had gotten impatient.  I had finally finished the cleaning, but still needed to add fresh water.  Instead of adding each gallon of water with the water purifier added to it, I decided to take a shortcut.  I went outside and pulled the water hose into the house and began filling the aquariums with the hose and adding drops of purifer to the water pouring from the spout!  What a horrible tragedy I had unveiled by doing so!  It was just awful!  I had a gazillion of the platys because they are live bearers and were having babies by the scores.  Now I'm just down to two.  In my larger tank I lost just one Gourami, but I had it for nearly two years.  Those four fish almost get lost in my larger tank.  I've considered getting more fish for that aquarium, but those cichlids are very teritorial, and may kill anything else I put in there.  I will wait to see what happens with the platys.  That female has a big ol' belly, and may be squirting out babies any day.  I'd like to get back into salt water aquariums, though.  I hear they are much easier to maintain than they used to be.  But salt water fish can be expensive.  Poor little fishes.

Circle of Friends Award

I got an award!  I got an award from my new dear friend, Debbie, over at There's an Angel on my Front Porch!  http://debbie-jeremiah3017.blogspot.com/  She has had a rough year as she shares about it on her blog.  But the amazing thing is that through her blog she has gained so many friends from all over the country and world that have kept her and her family lifted in prayer.  I'm proud to call her friend. and I also want to share this award with my friends.  If you are reading my blog, you are my friend.  And I bestow this same award upon you!!

THESE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS AWESOME AWARD.

GRAB THE BUTTON

POST IT ON YOUR BLOG

MAKE SURE YOU TELL YOUR FRIENDS I GAVE YOU THE AWARD

(THIS WOULD SURELY MAKE SENSE, BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT

"FRIENDS")

MAKE SURE YOU SHARE THE AWARD WITH AT LEAST 5 OTHER

"FRIENDS"

YOU ALL DESERVE THE FRIENDSHIP AWARD...YOU ARE AWESOME

SHARE 5 THINGS YOU LIKE TO DO:

1) I like to watch "Family Guy"

2) I enjoy playing with my dogs, Max and Minnie

3) I like to make deserts...cakes, pies, cookies (but I don't have much time to do it)

4) I enjoy have family and friends over for dinner and company

5)  I like traveling (even around the world...I'll have to blog about my travels to S. America and Africa sometime.

THANKS FOR BEING A FRIEND!  PASS IT ON!!

Hunting Season

As I blog today, I wonder if this post will be contraversial.  Possibly more so than I anticipate.  Perhaps not.  The men in my family are avid hunters, to include myself.  I don't hunt as much as I did when I was younger, but I do from time to time.  My grandfather travels to Montana and Canada frequently to hunt.  A couple of years ago he went to Montana and killed a very large bull elk.  I don't have the specs here, but he was offered a large sum of money from Cabela's for it.  It was a possible world record, but turned out to be #8 in the scheme of things.  To visit the house you would think you were in a museum.  There are mounts everywhere.  The great room has been nicknamed the animal room.  But before you get yourself in a tizzy, be aware that the carcasses were not discarded.  The hunting, though for sport, is also for food.  I am more than happy to visit the freezer to remove a package of venison or elk steaks for dinner.  Elk burger is quite good, as well.

The Trophy

The First Big Bull

The Bugler

The Bobcat

I figured with now being hunting season I'd throw up a post on such.  These are just to name a few.  With the type of business I am in it is a frequent topic of discussion, even with the customers.  The only thing I don't care for is hunting with dogs.  The dogs chase the deer till it's tired out, thus making it easier for the hunter to shoot it.  I don't hunt like that.  I never have, and I never will.

Giveaway-Life on a Southern Farm

Pam over at Life on a Southern Farm has a wonderful surprise!  They make hen nest boxes to sell and have sold over 400 this year!  To celebrate, they are giving away two, yes that's two, nest boxes!  To enter all you have to do is go to her blog and leave a comment to the post! If you Blog, Twitter, or Facebook about it, it counts for extra entries!  Check it out!  See my side bar for a like to the web site!  Just click on the picture of the nest boxes!  http://www.georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/

Workin' Weekend

Another Friday is upon me.  It's been a pretty fast week.  I am supposed to have Reserve drill this weekend, but my super has asked me to work on Saturday.  Our store in Plymouth, NC, as they are moving to Edenton, NC.  They needed a new building, and most of their business is out on the beach.  So I have been asked to go help move and reset up the store.  It means overtime, so I agreed.  Then I will go to drill on Sunday.  I can make up Saturday on another weekend.  I"ll just have to reschedule training (RST).  Got my Christmas tree up.  It's not much, but it looks good nonetheless.

It partially covers the tv from the rocker, but it's really the only place I can put it.  Plus, it's right in front of the window so you can see it from the road.

Mike was in the kitchen making jalapeno shrimp wraps.  They are my absolute favorite!  And everyone who likes hot stuff and eats them loves them, too.

The kittens love to play in bags and boxes.  Mike saves the beer boxes for them.  Strpiey Cat was playing in one and kept sticking his face and paws through the carrying holes.  They are so funny.

Of course, I gotta throw in a pic of Jinx.  This is supposed to be my brother's dog, but he lives with my parents.  He's an outside dog, but occasionally they let him inside.  He get a bit nervous then.  His name is Jinx because my brother didn't think he would live.  He got a puppy, and it got bitten by a snake and died.  Then he got another puppy that got under his wheel and got run over.  He had bad luck with dogs, so he figured This one wouldn't make it.  He's a great little doggy.  He's sweet, and if I didn't already have so many animals I'd sneak him home with me.  Y'all have a good weekend!!

Holiday Scenery

I do love my holidays and weekends.  My parents live about an hour and a half away from us.  But we like to go there whenever it is convienent.  Our place is fairly country.  There is a field behind our house and plenty of wild life.  But my folks truly live in the country.  They live down a long dirt road with only family living down there, as well.  Their land is surrounded by water on all three sides.  Occasionally there are deer around, and once in a great while a black bear splashes out of the water.  The fishing there is just great!  We catch tons of Speckled Trout, Puppy Drum, Sting Rays, and Black Drum.  Sometimes we catch Blue Fish and Flounder.  The creek surrounding the house is Wrights Creek and is a big estuary.  Sea Hawks build nests around to raise young, and in the summer the dolphins swim up in the creek chasing bait fish.  We even catch large shrimp in the cast nets and Blue Crabs in crab pots during the summer.  Seafood is a staple for us.  This is the wonderful place that I have always spent my holidays.  And it is where we will be spending our Christmas, as well.  I thought I'd share some pics I took out there this past weekend.

From the creek, looking out into the Pamlico River.  That bouy marker is often topped with an Osprey nest in the summer and filled with a chick or two.

From the front yard, looking out across the creek.  There's marsh land in the little cove, home to all sorts of wild life.

Several wild Mallard ducks skid across the creek in back of the house.

From the pier, looking out across the creek at the tall pines and marshland.

In the back yard, the sun was shining through the tall pines.  It looked so cool on the camera screen, I just had to snap a pic.  I forgot who recently posted a snippet of Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken, but this reminded me of it...my all-time favorite poem.

A marsh snail climbing a branch of a Waxed Myrtle.  When I was a kid I kept an aquarium with these in it.

A crab boat cruising into the creek.

I thought it was a Sea Hawk, but it turned out to just be a Buzzard.  It looked cool soaring in the cloudless, blue sky.

Another Mallard (f) smimming behind the marsh grass.

A final shot of those beautiful wild Mallards.  I love it here.  It's so peaceful.  It's so....HOME!!

The Goose Is Getting Fat

It's December!  That means Christmas is coming!  When I was a kid we sang this song called Christmas is coming...the goose is getting fat!  I have so many fond Christmas memories.  It's the only thing I like about winter (unless we are fortunate enough to get a decent amount of snow).  During my 33 years of breathing I have only been blessed with one white Christmas.  That was in 1989...some 20 years ago.  But I remember it like it was yesterday.  My entire family was staying at my granparents' house.  My parents' car stalled between their house and my grandparents' house, and during the night the wind blew snow across the fields and completely covered the car.  My sister and I walked (about a half a mile) home to get all of our Christmas presents, put them on a sheet, and dragged them that half a mile back to Grandma and Granddad's.  We had so many groceries that they would not all fit in the fridge, so we simply put some items out in the snow to keep them cold.  My Grandma told my uncle (who was visiting for the holidays from South Texas) to drive his Chevy Suburban across the field.  So he did.  But he got close to a neighbor's yard, got stuck in the mud, and busted the septic lateral line on Chistmas eve!  It costed them a pretty penny to get that fixed.  I got some cross country skis from another uncle and headed out across the fields.  I sunk in a snow bank several feet above my head, and it took me quite some time just to get out!  There were nearly 20 people staying at the house that Christmas.  I remember my grandma going into the kitchen at 2 a.m. (all us boys were sleeping in the living room) to get something to eat.  We could hear her digging in the cabinets looking for her favorite, Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls.  She knocked a lot of stuff out onto the floor and cursed.  It was so funny, because all us boys heard it, but we all pretened to be asleep.  That was one of the greatest Christmas' ever!  ......To be continued.....

New Blogger

If y'all get a chance, check out a new blogger.  He's also new to chickens from what I can tell.  But he could use a few followers. http://thebackyardchikenfarmer.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just a Few Words

Nothing special about this past weekend.  We were going to visit my parents, but we figured with Thanksgiving coming up this week, I will have a four day weekend.  So we stayed home, deciding to venture out in that direction later this week.  Henry, our nieghbor, made a grill for us out of an old water heater.  It turned out a lot nicer than I expected.  We bought some pork butt roasts, and Mike put them on the grill Saturday morning around 8:30 a.m. to smoke over some oak wood.

I haven't taken a pic of the finished product, but it turned out pretty nice.  We smoked the butt roasts for eight hours, and they turned out wonderful.  We invited our friends Les and Robin over.  I've never been to Les and Robin's, but Mike has.  They have a lot of chickens.  But Les lets a lot of his free range.  They just had a baby in September and he is so adorable.  I was holding him, and it made me wish I had a baby.  I've always loved kids.  I think they are a lot of fun.  I once worked for Head Start (3-5 years old) and most of those kids were a blast.

We are down to just two kittens.  One Henry is taking to his house for his son's 9th birthday next week.  So we will have just one kitten.  I think Mike has decided to keep him.  His name is (of all things) Black Kitty. 

He's so funny, though.  Black Kitty races up and down the hall like a bolt of black lightning, barely visible as he slips through your feet. (I'm dreading putting up the Christmas tree).  Then, when he tires out, he climbs right up on your lap, or sometimes up your chest uner your chin, and falls fast asleep.

We did drag out the Christmas decorations this weekend.  I put together the tree, but I have not put out any decorations, except a few that I could just set around the house.  Sunday was pretty much a do-nothing day.  I did talk with my brother, who works at an egg farm.  They have eleven huge hen houses with around 300,000 hens in each house.  He's only worked there a little over a month, and they have already put him in charge of his own house.  Kudos for him.  He's working Thanksgiving day, but he will be there at my folks home in the evening.

One more pic for the day.  I have to share this pic of my bantam hen that I got from Henry as a little chick. 

She has turned out so pretty.  I'm considering mating her with Bucky.  They would have some pretty chicks, I'm sure.  I love her fan tail.  She almost looks like a Japanese bantam.  She may have some in her, but she comes from mixed bantams.  Her original flock belongs to Farmer, that farmer that lives behind us.  (Mike just calls him farmer)  But that's about it.  More to come later this week.

Babies for the Weekend

I couldn't resist.  I had to post a couple of these pics of the baby silkies peeking out from moma! 

She would have been a great mom, methinks.  But we removed the babies because we have had some pretty cool nights.  They are in a brooder box with a large breed chick and a bantam chick.  The bantam chick is old enough to be out with some other bantam chicks in a coop.  They are 2 months old, but he's smaller than the others and keeps squezzing through the holes and running out on his own.  After that owl incident I'd rather keep an eye on him.  Mike got some bantam eggs incubating that came from the neighbors hen and rooster.  I'm not sure what the plans are for those. I'll have to ask this weekend.  Everyone have a great weekend!!

*********************************************************************************

An idiot decided to start a chicken farm so he bought a hundred chickens to begin with.

A month later he returned to the breeder for another hundred chickens because all of the first lot had died.
A month later he was back at the breeder for another hundred chickens for the second lot had also died.
The breeder was a bit confused and wanted to help. So he asked the idiot what he was doing in hopes that he could offer advice on what to change.
The idiot responded with, “I think I might be planting them too deep.”

Pigeon Update

I have some good news and some bad news.  The good news is that the other pigeons came home to roost in the coop again.  I'm sure they were afraid to return for a few days because they were frightened.  That owl incident was awful for them and us.  But that mean old bird won't be bothering them again.  They are safe and some in the coop, which we might be moving closer to the house this weekend, anyway.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that one of the pigeons still alive had been injured by the owl.  There was a visible gash in it's chest that I had been considering stitching.  However, she got close enough to Michael the other day when she was eating and drinking for him to see that she was getting no sustenance.  Everything she ate and drank poured out of a hole in her throat.  It was only a matter of time before she would either starve or dehydrate.  She had to be humanely euthanized.

....and then there were three.  We down to only three pigeons.  I'm not going to buy any from a market breeder.  They are just too expensive.  Mike said he'd check with Mr. George to see if he has any he'd be willing to sell.  He races his, and has a ton of them.  Sometimes he gets too many and sells off a few to get rid of them.  We will see.
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This farmer has about 200 hens, but no rooster, and he wants chicks. So he goes down the road to the next farmer and asks if he has a rooster which he would sell.
The other farmer says, "Yeah, I've this great rooster, named Randy. He'll service every chicken you got, no problem."
Well, Randy the rooster costs a lot of money, but, farmer decides he'd be worth it. So, he buys Randy and takes the rooster home.
He then sets him down in the barnyard and gives the rooster a pep talk, "Randy, I want you to pace yourself now. You've got a lot of chickens to service here, and you cost me a lot of money. Consequently, I'll need you to do a good job.
"So, take your time and have some fun," the farmer ended with a chuckle.
Randy seemed to understand, so the farmer points toward the hen house, and Randy took off like a shot.
WHAM! Randy nails every hen in the hen house three or four times, and the farmer is really shocked.
After that the farmer hears a commotion in the duck pen, sure enough, Randy is in there.
Later, the farmer sees Randy after the flock of geese down by the lake. Once again, WHAM! He gets all the geese.
By sunset he sees Randy out in the fields chasing quail and pheasants. The farmer is distraught -- worried that his expensive rooster won't even last 24 hours.
Sure enough, the farmer goes to bed and wakes up the next day to find Randy dead as a doorknob -- stone cold in the middle of the yard and buzzards are circling overhead.
The farmer, saddened by the loss of such a colorful and expensive animal, shakes his head and says, "Oh, Randy, I told you to pace yourself. I tried to get you to slow down, now look what you've done to yourself.
Randy opens one eye, nods toward the buzzards circling in the sky and says, "SHHHH, they're getting closer..."

Man Chickens

Here's Perogi.  He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch.  We keep him in a coop away from the others.  He's a great breeder, though.  He's Rhode Island Red, but he must be mixed because he has a peac comb.  He's got a couple of black sex links with him right now.

This is our Black Orphington rooster.  He's a beautiful bird with bright, shiny feathers.  His name is Blackie Chan.  He's with a black and a buff orphington hen.

I can't leave out Bucky!  He's a mean one, too.  Mike's arms are all scratched up where this little bantam spurred the snot out of him.  He loves the sound of his own voice, too.  He crows all day long, and ocassionally during to odd hours of the night.  He's got a girlfriend...China.  But I have a white hen that should be ready to start laying soon.  She'll be his girlfriend, too.

You saw Little Chicken yesterday, along with the blue silkie rooster.  I also have a white silkie rooster and white silkie hen.  There's also two other roosters that I'm still trying to identify.  They are either Dominique, Barred Plymouth Rock, or Cuckoo Maran.  All three of these look similar, and pictures in books and on the internet differ.  It's hard to tell when you're not a chicken expert!

Chicken Pics

My Blue Splash Silkies.  The hen got Mereks when she was a small chick and lost one eye.  She's still pretty young, but seems to be doing okay.  Her name is Blueberry.  No name for the rooster yet.

This is Dana.  She's a White Cornish Rock.  She was being raised for Perdue, which sells chicken in the grocery market.  I have a few others, but she has a messed up foot.  One foot is bigger than the other.  She walks with a limp, but gets around just fine.  Very sweet, gentle, and loving.

One of the five little silkie chicks.  They are so fuzzy and cute.  They have huge eyes!

This is Little Chicken!  Can you believe you big he has gotten!  He's about 8 months old now and is just starting to get his pubescent, sick-sounding crow.  He's a biter, but I think he's just an eater.  He loves to eat!  He's turning out to be a beautiful rooster, though! 

More chickens later, y'all!!