The day dawned COLD 12 degrees F. Apparently, we are in a cold snap and will not go above freezing before Tuesday – worst cold snap here in 70 years. It is so nice to have a heat pump! (haha) Can’t get the inside temperature over 63 degrees.
This morning Karl and I bundled up in our Carharrt Onesies, coats and headed out to GREASE THE LADIES. For you Chicken Neophytes- Heavy Breeds actually do well in the cold- but their combs, waddles and sometimes feet can be prone to frostbite. Coating the combs in Vaseline helps conserve heat and so this morning the ladies were greeted with a tag team- Karl- Grasp -Shannon- Grease routine until all combs, waddles and feet were coated. The ladies strutted around with gooey, shiny combs with feathers and straw stuck to their sticky feet in the morning cold.
After morning chores, the day was spent inside in warm clothing as the heat pump don’t work too well below 32 degrees.
For those of you who have dogs- I am sure you too are continually amazed at their disgusting habits. The constant licking of nether regions, poop eating...
Those of you who have Great Danes – or other floppy - lipped varietes can also identify with their ability to HIDE disgusting items in the mouth UNTIL they can come in the house and enjoy the fruits of their forays.
Daisy- our Dane – stays inside if the temps drop below 32 degrees –she has managed to convince us she will freeze to death inside the insulated dog run. After our evening walk to close the coop, she pranced in the house and to the rug where she proceeded to play. I thought with her new Christmas rope bone. When I went to sit and watch the news- imagine my horror when I found out her new ‘’toy” was a frozen RABBIT HEAD.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Coop Fortification 1/2/10
1/1/2010
We have deemed 2010 The Year of the Red-Tail Hawk. (not sure what the Chinese restaurant placemats say) Today mom called and said “that hawk is back out there perched on the big plastic owl !” “Do you mean the plastic owl that we put out there to scare the hawks away?” Sure enough there he was! Luckily we had not let the ladies out – and he stayed there long enough for us to shoot a few grainy photos through the upstairs window.
So on this cold, windy, first day of the New Year, out goes Karl (my husband and resident Appalachian engineer) to further fortify our ‘fowl fort’.. Tomorrow will tell if the reinforcements and pie tins fluttering in the wind will work.
We have deemed 2010 The Year of the Red-Tail Hawk. (not sure what the Chinese restaurant placemats say) Today mom called and said “that hawk is back out there perched on the big plastic owl !” “Do you mean the plastic owl that we put out there to scare the hawks away?” Sure enough there he was! Luckily we had not let the ladies out – and he stayed there long enough for us to shoot a few grainy photos through the upstairs window.
So on this cold, windy, first day of the New Year, out goes Karl (my husband and resident Appalachian engineer) to further fortify our ‘fowl fort’.. Tomorrow will tell if the reinforcements and pie tins fluttering in the wind will work.
Carnage at the Chicken Coop! 12/31/09
Our ladies have enjoyed 4 years of relative ease at the Lazy Dog Ranch. We have lost a few to mysterious means and one to an errant dog- but none so graphic as what awaited me at the coop today.
I arrived home early this afternoon and noted when walking in the door that the chickens were not clamoring at the chicken yard door to get out and run. I peered down the hill into the orchard to confirm that Karl had opened the coop – door was open.
As I made my way down to the orchard to let the ladies out- it was apparent something was very, very wrong. I called the girls and they ran en masse with Peggy quacking in fear. I let the ladies out – well some of them and then in the far corner of the run encountered the source of their fear. Trapped in bird netting we use to cover the run was a HUGE red tail hawk.
After muttering some loud explicative I let the ladies out did a count- and saw no carcasses in the run. Damn! Two hens down. I went around to the coop and shut the run hatch- trapping the hawk outside in the run and then went around and opened the coop door.
It looked like a chicken exploded inside the coop. One of my Barred Rocks was no more, Another Comet was plastered in the back of her nest box keeping a low profile and not moving. The hawk had come into the coop to eat his meal.
I went back to the yard- by this time the hawk was out of the netting and hopping around the enclosure. He appeared trapped and I marveled at his size and beauty
Welcome to our Blog
I FINALLY took the time to sit down on this dreary last day of Feb. 2010 to make our blog page. It seems we have been "blogging" a long time- sharing our stories with friends around the dinner table, the pickin' circle and by all the digital media we use today.
Many of our friends and family think we are a little nuts for our efforts to "homestead" . While we are far from the complete sustanability that was possible in my Grandma Pennell's time ( she is my muse ), there is a certain amout of pride in collecting our own eggs, raising our own maters and enjoying the sunset around a campfire with dear friends.
In our 6 1/2 years in Haywood County, we have met more like-minded folk who have been inspirations, mentors and most importantly - friends.
While we have failed at many of our efforts- there is satisfaction in knowing that we have tried in some small way to lessen our impact on the environment.
Many of our friends and family think we are a little nuts for our efforts to "homestead" . While we are far from the complete sustanability that was possible in my Grandma Pennell's time ( she is my muse ), there is a certain amout of pride in collecting our own eggs, raising our own maters and enjoying the sunset around a campfire with dear friends.
In our 6 1/2 years in Haywood County, we have met more like-minded folk who have been inspirations, mentors and most importantly - friends.
While we have failed at many of our efforts- there is satisfaction in knowing that we have tried in some small way to lessen our impact on the environment.
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