The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

We are finally getting sun in Woodland today.

I started culling the old hens today. First one was 7 years old and had an egg and forming eggs. Organs looked good too

Braggart!

 

[ronott1]

Braggart!

We had the wettest winter in history--for the 150 years that records have been kept--and the Oroville dam contract is $275 million to repair the spillways.

All this after 5 years of drought...Very fickle weather out here

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A good friend lives in Santa Barbara and he's been keeping me apprised. I've been following the dam saga.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: I also think these are exquisite and I think you're being too way hard on yourself. It sounds like you're looking at through eyes that only see what didn't get created according to your mind eye...instead of the beautiful piece before you. You wouldn't be a practicing perfectionist, would you? I ask that in totally honest and open way. You remind me of me with my nail art. I'm working on finding peace in seeing the beauty of what I create and others see instead of the mistakes I can see. As a kid who could never complete projects in art class growing up because it was too overwhelming to get it as perfect as I wanted it...I've had to find a balance that I can live with...lol. I couldn't even begin to attempt the sewing and quilting projects everyone does on here. It's an amazing skill to be able to create such projects with such foresight and ability. It's an equally amazing skill to be able to see the task through and finish it. My mind would blow to pieces to even attempt such intricate work that you and others do on here.

It is unfortunate the vet can't just see the cat at your place and save the extra trip.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Micro I'm so sorry your having problems with some of your birds.

I recall some on the Heritage thread talking about raising birds that are resistant to all sickness and if they lost some they just lost them.
In the end they had a healthier stronger flock.
I hope yours will also be stronger and resistant to what ever is ailing yours.

Quote: I just wanted to agree with not being too hard on yourself. As someone who worked at a high health hog barn at both the multiplier and nucleus stage with the biosecurity requirements we had to adhere to, even with all that...not every single thing can be controlled. They were European hogs brought in...big stuff and millions of dollars in investment not only the barn and hogs itself but it's place within the whole company structure. A few of the protocols; everyone had to shower in, everything was disinfected prior to entering the barn, we couldn't go to abattoirs, feed stores...basically any place that was a risk where things could be tracked back to the barn. Or we had to be away for 3 days if we had been. The feed and shipping trucks had to be washed and disinfected. I believe we couldn't bring/eat pig products to the barn.

But there were still flies that got in the barn and the odd bird. The trucks were to be washed and they had to disinfect tires...but our vehicles could have run across their tire tracks and we didn't have to disinfect. Pigs barns (not ours) still got infected with PURRS and other things in the years I worked there despite these protocols. Even with Virkoning and bleaching the rooms as pigs were moved out (I was the bleacher) things got transferred within the barn.

I went to a small animal/poultry sale yesterday knowing the risks. I travelled with my disposable gloves (in case) and my bottle of fresh Virkon that I topped up to a higher than 3% solution. (I think 3% will kill aliens and their offspring and all the bad stuff in the universe...lol) I cleaned my hands and even used gloves before handling the Virkon. My shoes, both tops and bottoms plus pants were appropriately doused before even getting in and touching the truck. My hands were also cleaned twice at supper (and I didn't even touch anything at the sale except my phone and the chair I sat on) I stopped in home, changed all my clothes AND the towel I was sitting on to a fresh towel. Which is on top of a seat cover. All my sale clothes went straight into the wash without touching anything. My hair got pinned up, my number from the sale was tossed and I disinfected my phone. Only with fresh clothes and my heavily Virkoned shoes (twice) and a clean towel to sit on did I venture to this yard with the chickens. I wore a toque to cover my hair and only my farm boots to the coop to pick the eggs and shut it for the night. Exhausting...yes.

But with all that precaution, realistically...we have neighbors about 5 miles down the road with poultry. They were at the sale. The gentleman drives past our farm 5 days a week. Most of the people there are buying purebred birds. One of the people who has an amazing setup and beautiful birds...was there and bought birds. His place is where my guineas come from. I did buy SS Hamburg chicks last year that got eaten by coons that broke into our shop. (

) His chicks get raised in a different building away from his adult birds. I'd like to get hatching eggs, probably from him. But it appears most bring in adult birds from sales and poultry meet ups.

Even the our closest neighbor works at the co op in the grain/fertilizer department. They also drive past. It's almost impossible to be perfectly sterile. My birds free range. There's outside birds. Even if we did have them in an enclosed run the sparrows etc would sit on the run and crap in it.

I do what I can control. I always wear disposable gloves for both me and them. I handle the chickens separate from the chicks I just hatched (I pick the laid eggs, then do hen chores, then roosters and THEN the chicks in the house hatched from the purchased eggs last but they get fresh gloves) I even handle anything to do with my budgie separate at a different time of the day. The 2 chicks I hatched are on quarantine until a later date. The eggs that didn't develop get burnt...I won't even chuck them "in case."

I do want chicks and chickens that can flourish under real world conditions. It's the whole reason I got stuck in this confusing but extremely fun adventure of going from 5 chickens to the whatever I have now. (130? 140?

) Something like that.

I did buy some expensive purebred chicks from a heritage breeder and they didn't hold a candle to what I was expecting, some didn't make it home and they weren't day olds.

It reminds me a lot of some of the purebred, stock I've come across over the years in livestock that look great in the show when they're pampered but go poof when they have to survive normal conditions. I have the greatest respect for the breeders, both purebred and cross who do an awesome job of selecting and raising stock and birds who perform regardless. I'm getting off topic...I think my point is great breeders make great birds. Some things are out of our hands but it's a good place to start. I don't think massive culling is always the answer.

Ok...I'm just going to stop now.

Oh, I forgot...I didn't buy anything. Didn't want to risk buying hatching eggs with all the people handling the cartons etc..etc.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Welcome to the thread @Chicken Huck. All are welcome!

SGC your beautiful quilts never fail to amaze me. I like them all but that bottom quilt is just stunning.

This is going to be my next project that I tackle. I found it on a wholesale Chinese on line store called Banggood. Stuff is super cheap and we buy from there a lot. The only problem is that it takes about a month for anything to get to you. I think I paid something like 5.69 for it.

It's listed as a 'diamond painting' and supposedly you use rhinestones to bring out the colors. Looking at it though it appears to be laid out like a printed needlepoint. If I can do it in a needlepoint, I probably will. For some reason I've been unable to stick to any one quilting project over the winter months. I currently have three including a standard design block quilt that I am trying to get laid out using blocks cut from sweatshirts that we no longer wear.Must be that old age ADHD kicking in again. I sometimes think I am just one more time of standing in front of the open refrigerator trying to remember what I'm there for away from a bottle of Ritalin.

You order from Banggood???

I've got a separate credit card just to order from the internet (and so I have one in my name in case DH keels over and everything's frozen) Anyways...I want to order from that site...they have AMAZING nail art supplies. I just haven't yet. Glad to hear you order from there and that it is good. I'd like to frame that pic...very nice!

 

[pennyJo1960]

wow thought I was the only one with more than one quilt started

have three or 4 planning stages 2 half done love doing the ragtime
finding things to either plate in blocks or center pieces but made my own just all blocks

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Oh no...I'm so sorry to hear that.

I agree with Ron. Can you rig it so they'd have enough supplies while you're gone? I've got 4 - 50 lb self feeders now and 3 - 5 gallons waters (not using the one yet) but it has made a world of difference...especially the waterers.

With the 65ish hens and 13 guineas, the water lasts 2-3 days...3 days at the moment. And it's big enough and heavy enough nobody can knock it over (looking at the roosters on that one

)

Just a month or so and the chicks are off heat and on their own. If you have an enclosed run...perhaps a non chicken neighbor could just open and close their pop door? For the overnight stays you may have?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Nice to have you here Huck, I enjoyed your rambling down memory lane, we share a lot of that on here. Actually topics change by the minute, and old or young, all are welcome here.

Hello and welcome Huck! And to anyone else I missed while I was doing taxes.

The first show I can remember watching is The Dukes of Hazard. I asked Gran to remind me when it came on because I was too young to know days of the week. I also remember some scary flick about bees or wasps attacking people and they wouldn't let me stay up and watch it. I still wonder to this day what happened in that movie.

I hope everyone gets the appropriate weather needed for their areas...and no droughts and no floods. We need no rain for quite a while. We still can't can't even dream of getting on the land yet. Maybe next week the garden may be dry enough to think about tilling. Hopefully...lol.

Ok...back to work.....

 

[Kusanar]

 
Nice to have you here Huck,   I enjoyed  your rambling down memory lane,  we share a lot of that on here.   Actually  topics change by the minute, and old or young, all are welcome here.

Hello and welcome Huck!  And to anyone else I missed while I was doing taxes.

The first show I can remember watching is The Dukes of Hazard. I asked Gran to remind me when it came on because I was too young to know days of the week. I also remember some scary flick about bees or wasps attacking people and they wouldn't let me stay up and watch it. I still wonder to this day what happened in that movie. :/

I hope everyone gets the appropriate weather needed for their areas...and no droughts and no floods. We need no rain for quite a while. We still can't can't even dream of getting on the land yet. Maybe next week the garden may be dry enough to think about tilling. Hopefully...lol.

Ok...back to work.....

Around what year would that movie have been out?