This and That and a GIVEAWAY

What a week last week was!  A co-worker's daughter was in a bad car accident a week ago yesterday.  She was driving when she ran off the road.  She over-corrected and rolled the Suburban 4 or 5 times.  She was the only one badly injured.  She's in a neck brace for at least 8 weeks and cannot take it off, even to shower.  She shattered a vertebrae in her neck and was inches from paralysis.  She went home from the hospital on Friday.  She was qutie lucky, to say the least.  But that put her dad out of work for all of last week.  So I was doing my best to handle my job and his.  He is our inside salesman, so I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with customers and outside salesmen.  But we got through it.  It's always rough at work when anyone is out, as we are at our limit with personnel.

I entered a giveaway this morning! Pam and Farm Man over at A Southern Farm are doing another nest box giveaway.  I didn't enter the last couple cause I thought others deserved to get it.  But I am entering this time.  I may not win, but it's still fun, nonetheless.  Maybe you are interested?!  Go check it out!
http://georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/2010/06/henpals-3-hole-chicken-nesting-box.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeOnASouthernFarm+%28Life+on+a+Southern+Farm%29

 I spent the weekend doing things around the house.  We had a couple more chicks hatch this weekend.  There were three actually, but  I think the other hens got a hold of one.  It was missing the next morning, and I found just a small tuft of downy feathers.  I gathered the two remaining ones and put them in a brooder box.  We've still got four more hens sitting on eggs.  They should all start hatching soon, I think.  I didn't really keep up when they started sitting.  And sometimes it's hard to tell when they don't sit constantly.  I had a hen hatch some out at nearly four weeks once cause she wouldn't stay on the eggs.  I almost threw them out!

My Garden is looking okay.  My corn is growing cobs now.  I have watermelons I'm hoping will be ready for my vacation in two weeks.  My crookneck squash is all dying, though.  Same thing happened last year.  These stuid little beetles eat holes in the base of the stalk, climb in, and eat my plants from the inside out!  Makes me so mad I could spit! 

Our baby pigeon is out and about now.  He's still a bit ugly with his oversized beak, but I'm sure he will grow into it.  The white pair keep laying eggs, but none ever hatch.  She sits for maybe two weeks, then abandons the egg.  I put a pigeon egg under a chicken yesterday, but I'm not sure how that will work.  She may crush the poor thing. 

Sorry I haven't posted much lately.  It just seems I always have more to do than I really have time for!  I'm going on vacation in a couple of weeks.  My family is driving up from Beeville, Texas.  They have rented a large house out at Rodanthe (Yes, the same place as the movie Nights in Rodanthe) for a week.  So I will probably be out there with them.  They rented the house a couple of years ago, but I didn't go then.  I couldn't get off work.  I hear it has a private in-ground pool, and is only a block from the beach!  It will just be nice to see them all again.

A Number of Things

Okay, so I have a lot to post about.  That seems to happen a lot, but I don't get around to all of it.  Then it becomes old news.  Then I end up not sharing some things because that happened three weeks ago.  Who cares?!  I'm gonna share a few things today, but still not all of it because it would be an insanely long post.  Besides, it can become some boring details anyway. 

Thanks for the thoughts of comfort on my Monday.  I got up at 3:30 this morning to go pee, and it was raining again.  Then at 6:30 this morning it was coming down in buckets, as the morning news anchor, Lynette Taylor,  put it.  I was glad the chicks were in the brooder.  They are still outside, but they are under the shelter.  Wanna see some pics of them?  I got some before I scooped them up and some of them in the brooder box.  The white ones came from this silkie rooster and white hen.  You can see the black chickie in with her in the second pic, but none of the black chicks made it.  I was gravely disappointed.

They were hatched in a nest box I got from Pam, over at Life On A Southern Farm

She and Farm Man make and sell nesting boxes for the hens.  The have a web site called Hen Pals.  Even if you don't have chickens they are certainly worth checking out.  Excellent hand-made craftsmanship!

I also got these!  A friend and co-worker was doing some spring cleaning and getting rid of a bunch of chicken stuff!  I reminded him of my chicken adventures, and last Friday he brought me a big box of chicken stuff!  Look at all the stuff he brought me!

Do you remember the pic of the nest I took with the bird tail sticking out of it?  You can see it here.  Turns out, it was a mama Robin.  When she flew off I grabbed the ladder and my camera and climbed up to see what she had in my Magnolia tree.  Guess what I found?!  This!!

I have a flower that popped up in the middle of the back yard last year.  Does anyone know what it is?  I dug it up and moved it over by the mailbox.

I have more, but I will share later.  I got two awards!  One from Amy and one from Tracey.  Actually, the one I got from Tracey I got a month or two ago and never posted about it.  I'm a bad, bad boy and in need of a good spanking.  I thank them dearly from the heart of my bottom, and I will share about that tomorrow, time willing. 

An Unpleasant Chicken Day

Yesterday was NOT cool.  We went about two months without a dcent amount of rain.  Jim Howard and Greg Armbrect said we were getting some, but we didn't.  I'll bet Greg Fischal said we were, too.  But very little rain came if any.  Friday we were slated for a 60% chance on Monday, but by Sunday night it had jumped to 90%.  And the rains came.  My garden needed the rain, too.  I was carrying 5 gallon buckets out to water my veggies one at a time.  It's about a quarter acre, so my arms were a bit sore. 

As most of you know I had chicks hatch last week.  Some came Tuesday or Wednesday with more to follow Friday.  I never got an exact number, but I believe it was around 18 or so.  The bantam with the silkie rooster kept losing hers.  She hatched out 8 in total, but they were dying one at a time.  She still had 6 when we left on Friday.  Dustin, our neighbor fed and watered for us.  He's farmer's grandson. We got home late Sunday so the birds were left to sleep.  I didn't have time to check them before work yesterday, but when I got home I changed and went out to see.  It was still raining and all the birds were soaking wet.  The two hens were huddled over their chicks.  But the bantam/silkie only had 3 doing well with one squished in the mud!  It was the last black one.  I had to put it out of it's misery, and I was at the very brink of tears.  I didn't make Mike do it.  And I felt just awful!  Mike did tell me he pulled one dead chick from her that morning, and two from Bucky and China.  So I wrangled up the remaining chicks...three silkie/bantams and six from Bucky and China....nine in total.  I put them in the brooder box with feed, water, and some wheat straw for warmth.  Both hens clucked on calling their chicks, and the chicks peeped quite loudly from the box.  I felt awful for that, as well.  But I felt they would be safer that way.  I do have a heat lamp for them, as well. 

We also had a couple of pigeon squab hatch last week.  I think one of them is dead, too.  Mama was sitting on them and wouldn't let me check.  But I know one is still living.  I could see it moving.  Got another pigeon sitting on two eggs.  Baby pigeons are so UGLY!  Their beaks are way to big!  Glad they are pretty when they grow up. 

I haven't been commenting as much lately.  I've been busy as a bee in a clover field.  But I still pop in to check on each of you.  Just cause I don't say anything doesn't mean I'm not reading!  I'll try to get some pics up in the next day or two.  I have some, but they are still on the camera.  Have a pleasant day, all.

They're Here!!

We have all been waiting.

I had a hybrid bantam hen.  She is all white, but I have both parents.  They are both black with a tan or cream colored collar.  She was by herself, so I put a white silkie rooster in with her.  Well, they got busy, and she started sitting after laying about 15 or 16 eggs.  It seemed like forever ago when she started sitting.  We'll be away for the weekend, so I figured if they had not hatched by Friday, I was gonna throw out the eggs.  Yesterday afternoon I saw a little white head poking out from under her, but I could still see eggs.  She was still sitting, too.  Then I check in on her this morning before leaving for work.  I saw a black chick, but it wasn't moving.  I think it might be dead.  I told Mike just in case, so he can get it out if it is.  But since she was still sitting I let her sit.  I wll check back in this afternoon.  I can't wait for her to get up.  I'm curious as to how these chicks will turn out!  I will post later when they are out and about with some pics! 

A Mix of Stuff

First things first.  Now that all of you have thought less of me for what I posted Friday, I must say that it isn't what you were thinking.  That guy in the pic with me is Mustafa (we just called him Steve).  He was an Iraqi that worked as a translator for us.  He also got us "things" from outside the walls.  That is a hookah we are smoking....remember the caterpillar in Alice and Wonderland?  We were NOT smoking weed, green, trees, mary jane, hashish, or anything of the sort.  It was flavored tobacco.  Strawberry if my memory serves me correctly.  I wanted to bring one home, but they said customs wouldn't allow it.  Then, when we were in Kuwait they said we could...it was too late, then.  But we had fun on occasions while we were over there. 

We had quite a busy weekend.  We didn't go to the aution Saturday.  There was just too much going on.  I did meet my mom and sister with kids in tow for lunch at Zaxby's.  Then Mom came back to the house for me to wash her car.  She was gonna have it done professionally, but I offered it for free.  Mike was working on our kitchen cabinets, stripping the paint.  They are birch wood, so we decided to strip the white paint and lacquer the wood.  Looks pretty nice. 

We also had a successful rescue attempt on Saturday.  We used to have Becky, a Quaker Parrot.  She was quite noisy and drove Mike insane.  So he gave her to our neighbor.  However, our neighbor doesn't have the best track record for taking care of animals.  And sure enough, he grew bored with Becky and let her go outside about a week ago.  Since then we have either heard her talking and squawking, or seen her high in the trees.  Saturday she landed in a tree in the back yard, then the top of the chicken coop, then back to the tree, then on top of the other neighbor's shed right up next to the fence between our yards.  So I put a chair up by the fence and, wearing leather gloves cause she always would bite me, I called her.  She hopped onto my finger, and I grabbed her little talons with my thumb.  We put her in a 2nd stage brooder pen and I put in some water and chicken feed.  A week without those and she was ready for them.  She's okay now.  My dad is gonna get her now.  I just gotta find her a new cage.  She's doing good right now, though. 

Sunday was busier. I went shopping. And I did just what I complained about my mom doing. Though she was looking at clothes and shoes...ugh! I was shopping at Lowes! I was looking at the things I can't afford right now. And I was looking at the things I could afford, but had to choose this or the other. I almost bought a fig tree. I'd love to have a fig tree. Probably not this year, though. But I did buy seeds for the garden, plus a few started plants. I also bought some flower seeds to plant around the house, and some solar garden lights for the front of the house. Then I spent most the rest of Sunday afternoon planting the garden. I've got squash, watermelons, canteloupes, okra, bell peppers, egg plants, corn, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, and Zinnias to sell as cut flowers. There's probably more, but I can't think of it all now.

Here's that motor cycle from Orange County Choppers that kept me so busy in March. (Don't know why blogger is squishing my pics all of a sudden.  They don't look good that way)

I was looking for some papers in an old shoe box, and I didn't put it away.  Stripey Cat decided to make a

bed out of the box!

Our Easter visitors.   Not sure if they were wild or not, but I'm guessing half wild. 

Here's our little chicks.  They're actually about a month old now, with feathers and all.  I don't have a recent pic.  The four on the right are RI Red (pea comb rooster) and black sex link hen.  The one on the left is full Black Australorp.

I got an award from Tracey last week (SEE I DIDN'T FORGET)  I haven't had a chance to post on it yet.  I gotta try to come up with things you don't know about me first!  I'll try later today or tomorrow.

Can I Breathe?

These past two weeks have been a bit on the insane side of things.  We had open house at our branch for work last Tuesday and again at our Edenton branch 1 1/2 hours away on Wednesday.  So, that meant that I spent a good deal of Monday, and even some of the previous week, trying to prepare for all of it.  My boss flew to New York (upstate) to pick up a motorcycle that belongs to the company.  But it wasn't just any motorcycle.  It was personally created for Airgas by Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. of Orange County Choppers (OCC).  Tuesday we had a number of vendors here to sell their products (3M, Bosch, Metabo and others).  We were giving out free hot dogs, chips, and drinks.  The Hypertherm Rep even fired up a plasma cutter and let me give it a try!  My boss asked me to come in at 6 a.m. Wednesday to drive the six-figure ( I don't know the exact amount but I'm told it is between $100,000 and $250,000) motor bike to Edenton, NC, help out while I was there, then drive the bike back to Greenville that afternoon.  Then on Thursday, I had to drive the bike to Greensboro to meet someone who was taking it up to one of our stores in Kentucky.  Friday we had full gas inventory.  This week I have been trying to play catch-up from last week, plus it is month-end close out.

On top of all of this,  we have had some chicks hatch, and Mike called me this morning to say that Prissy was having her third litter of kittens (and she's not even 2 years old yet).    She's getting fixed soon.  You better believe I'm taking a much needed break this weekend.  Mike and I will be heading out to my parents Friday morning for the weekend.  I have pics, but they will have to wait till later. 
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday!

Finally, the Weekend

I am so glad it's Friday.  I am really ready for the weekend.  Nothing really major happened this week, but it has dragged out so much.  It's just after 3:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, and I am exhausted.  I wish I had a nap today.  I'm guessing an early bed time tonight.  It's gonna be a busy weekend.  I haven't had much time at home the last few weekends.  Three weeks ago was Christmas, two weeks ago was New Years.  Christmas was at my parents', and I had planned to stay home for the new year, but went to take care of gimp Dad and sick Mom.  Last weekend I had drill with the army reserves.  So this weekend will be try-to-catch-up weekend.  My nephew had a birthday last weekend I couldn't make it to because of drill.  I ahve another nephew having a birthday this weekend.  I'll be there because it will be at Pizza Inn just down the road from my house.  But the list is long of things to get done.  Mike is smoking a Boston butt roast for Saturday.  I want to drain and clean the fish tanks.  Max needs a hair cut.  I will probably (try) to move a dresser and rearrange clothes this weekend.  The list is endless.  But next weekend I will be flying to Orlando, Florida for a Yellow Ribbon Campaign for the army.  It's mainly a suicide prevention class, but they also hook up those who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with resources for benefits, school, employment assistance, etc.  If I pass this Physical Training test next month (that reminds me, I have to run tonight) I will probably be going to school in South Carolina at the end of next month.  Wow!  My plate is full! 
Mike was talking to farmer last night.  He was over visiting when I got home from work.  They were discussing the up coming planting season and (what else) chickens.  He's got Mike hyped about it all!  He wants to make some sort of business out of it all.  He wants to plant peppers for vinegar sauce, and other veggies to sell at the market.  Not to mention, breeding chickens to sell.  Oh, breathe........I need prayer!  LOL 
Well, got lots to do.  I'll try to get my camera from my mom this weekend at the party.  Everyone have a great weekend!

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.”

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!!

Update- Stayin' Alive

Rainbows seem to be the theme lately.  So I thought I'd drop one in myself.  This one was taken right outside my back door a few weeks ago.  I was walking out the door to head off to work, and there it was.  Somehow I think the beauty of it was lost on the chickens and cats.  Everything has been going okay. Our visit with Robert was nice.  I didn't get any pics of us.  He took a couple with a disposable.  I will have to get him to send some in the mail.  We visited the  North Carolina Aquarium  at Pine Knoll Shores.  It's right on the beach near Atlantic Beach.  We really enjoyed that.  That evening we stopped and bought some fresh shrimp and lump crab meat (real deal) and had fried fish and shrimp and crab dip at home.  It was awesome.  Chickens are all doing well.  Something happened to the egg turner and out of 44 eggs we only had one single egg hatch.  How sad is that!!  We were soooo disappointed.  I'm really hoping it's a hen.  I do have a white silkie hen that is finally sitting on eggs.  Her first few eggs she just kicked around.  She won't lay in her little nest box I made.  She just layed them on the ground.  So I put down so straw and put a couple of bricks to make a nest-like place for her.  She ate two of the eggs, and I was afraid she wouldn't sit on the others.  But I think she has seven eggs under her now.  Hopefully they will hatch.  I'd love some fuzzy bottoms.  Still looking for a camera.  Soon, I hope.

I do have to say that chickens are not the most intelligent creatures I have ever had the priviledge of working with.  I let mine have free range of the yard from time to time, but it seems near impossible to get them to go back inside.  Farmer said to leave them alone and they will go back in on their own at roosting time, but I don't buy that.  They are quite adept at finding new places to roost, as chickens are curious creatures.  So I entice them back inside with feed...of course.  But a few of them are often behind the coop or off in the side yard.  They know the food is in there, but how to get to it?  They will run, and I do mean run, up and down the side or back or the coop trying ever so hard to figure out how to get inside.  They even jump in the water dishes!  It never occurs to them to walk around to the front of the coop and go inside the very same door they exited from.  I have five tiny bantam chicks that China hatched, though, and they have learned well the little holes they can squeeze in and out of.  Maybe, they lose intelligence as they get older.  Hmmph...don't we all?  My white silkie hen is sitting on one single egg.  She layed some a few weeks ago, but was kicking them around and not sitting on them.  I tried to incubate them, but the leaked.  So I am not sure if she will be able to hatch this single egg.  But time will tell.  I think she's been sitting a week and a half, so I will wait another two weeks before I take her off the egg.  I'd love a little silkie chick, though.  We will see.

Crazy Chicks!!

I have no time to do a lot this afternoon.  I am off to the parent's house for the weekend.  I have drill next weekend I have drill, and Robert will be here two weeks from today!!  I wanted to post something, so I have a few pics of some crazy chickens!  Enjoy, and have a good weekend.

Free Range

When I got home yesterday Mike and Farmer were in the back yard chatting about chickens.  Farmer is a really nice gentleman in his middle to late 70's.  He is often giving us vegetables from his garden, he gave me wire and string for my green beans in my garden, and last week he gave us crates to transport chickens to the flea market.  When I arrived yesterday we were discussing the price of chicken layer pellets and how much they like to eat.  He was saying that if you let them run around the yard to eat grass and bugs that it can help defray the cost.  I do let them out from time to time, but there is a hawk that has been hanging around for the past weeks.  So I try to only let them out when I can watch them.  They do love to run around though.  And when I'm in the yard they chase me all over the place (waiting for me to feed them, of course).  I had to wrangle up the bantam bitties, though.  Henry suggested it because he let his roam and they got big enough that he couldn't catch them.  He waited till they roosted and they were roosting in the top of a very tall Maple tree.  So that didn't help.  I didn't want to have that situation, so I caught them and pinned them up.  I'll probably sell them at market this weekend, anyway.  China is sitting again on 12 eggs.

Well, it is a holiday weekend, as Labor Day is upon us.  I really don't know what Labor Day is all about.  It is called Labor, but we don't work.  What's up with that?  But I have a three day weekend staring me in the face.  I will be going to market most likely on Saturday morning.  Then in the afternoon I will be heading off to visit my parents, and my father's birthday is on Sunday.  Holiday or not for you, enjoy your weekend. 

Weekend's Here!!

I do love my weekends. The good thing about summer is the longer days. It's nearly 6 p.m. when I get home from work. That means I still have a couple of hours to work outside. Of course, I try to run a couple of miles first. Then it's on to the chickens, garden, yard, whatever is outside. I prefer to be outdoors. I am just an outdoors person. If I don't have anything pertinent to do, I will let the chickens out in the yard, or I will go sit and talk with my nieghbor. But in the winter time I have to drive home from work with my head lights on. That means little gets done outside till the weekend. Even with the longer summer days I wish I had more time to work outside. That's why I like my weekends.

This is my shed. I spend a lot of time here. It's covered in the back and the chicken coop is back there, too. I keep the lawn mower in the back (which will get put to good use this weekend). The feed is in there. And I found a horse shoe that is hanging over the door. When we moved in Pat and Mike painted it to match the house. The roof is green. Just to the right is my big Magnolia tree. I want to put in a patio, but I'm not sure where. Should I put it by the Magnolia? Or should I put in behind the shed, under the pine trees. I want to put a hammock there with a little sitting area for drinks. I even thought of putting an outdoor kitchen there.

Elvis and Prissy go back there a lot. Elvis prefers to stay during the day, and cats around all night. His favorite place to chill is on my bed. During the winter he will come inside at night. He doesn't much care for cold weather. That's something we have in common. He hasn't been feeling well this week. He didn't go outside at all for three days. That's not like him. And I had to bring his food and water into the bedroom. Last night he peed on the bed. Elvis has never done that. He eats, drinks, sleeps, meows, all the things cats do. He's just acting really strange. I don't know what's wrong with him. These are my babies. On the left is Little Chicken. He's about 5 weeks old. He follows me all over the yard. And he runs to me when I call him. In the center are the bantams I got from Henry. They were hatched by their momma. It took a few days, but they have warmed up to me. I added one more to them yesterday, but I don't have a pic yet. And to the right at the five bitties we hatched in the incubator (just like Little Chicken). The five plus Little Chicken are a mix between my Rhode Island Red rooster and my White Leghorn hens. They are so much fun.

Well, I'm outta here for the weekend. Got lots to do. Y'all have a good one. Talk to you nest week!!