Ok, this is getting crazy. The same hen, Mohawk, is broody again. This time, we can't blame it on hot weather, or on a change in routine. No, she simply goes broody at the drop of a hat.
Our cure for broodiness is to put the hen in a smaller cage, elevated off the ground. The cage is upside down so she has only the mesh ceiling to walk on. We give her food and water and just leave her in the cage for three days and then she seems cured. She goes several weeks or months before getting broody again.
I wonder if we could get some fertilized eggs and let her hatch them... Our city won't let us keep them, but we could hatch them.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
To Quote SouthWest Airlines, "It is on!"
Or something.
The contractors have come and gone, leaving a wake of estimates, proposals, and brochures. Products were pushed, services were offered.
One thing my wife and I like to do when dealing with simultaneous projects is divide the "responsibility." Typically this means that each of us will "own" a project and be responsible for scheduling contractors/etc.
For this round, my job was the Garage Door project (my lazy wife is handling the front door, side door screen, and house painting).
I'm happy to announce that the contractor for the garage door is hired, the door ordered, and we're now just waiting for delivery/installation. The screen door is ordered and will be finished off this week. The front door is ordered and we even bought the new house address numbers.
All that remains is the paint, and I think we're all set there, too.
Now, where did I put my spare jillion dollars?
SUPPLEMENTAL
Alas, no doubt the next several posts will have to do with home repair and contractors. You have been warned.
The contractors have come and gone, leaving a wake of estimates, proposals, and brochures. Products were pushed, services were offered.
One thing my wife and I like to do when dealing with simultaneous projects is divide the "responsibility." Typically this means that each of us will "own" a project and be responsible for scheduling contractors/etc.
For this round, my job was the Garage Door project (my lazy wife is handling the front door, side door screen, and house painting).
I'm happy to announce that the contractor for the garage door is hired, the door ordered, and we're now just waiting for delivery/installation. The screen door is ordered and will be finished off this week. The front door is ordered and we even bought the new house address numbers.
All that remains is the paint, and I think we're all set there, too.
Now, where did I put my spare jillion dollars?
SUPPLEMENTAL
Alas, no doubt the next several posts will have to do with home repair and contractors. You have been warned.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Contractors...
We're about ready finally to paint the house. But before we can do that, we need to have our incredibly weak/inferior/deteriorating front door replaced. Also, the garage door has seen much better days and is rotting a bit at the bottom.
So, having these three uber-chores on the list, we have had to call in an army of contractors to give estimates. We'll end up talking to at least 9 (3 for each project, most likely). I never ever like this part of the project. Granted, I could paint the house myself, but I'm at the mercy of the garage and front door folks.
And then there's the part where they try to gauge how much they can charge for the work. I want to tell them "Look, I'm not trying to put you out of business, I just want a fair price for quality work." but it always seems much harder than that.
SUPPLEMENTAL
It is funny when contractors enter the back yard and look at the chickens. They never expect that, though I bet it's getting more common these days.
So, having these three uber-chores on the list, we have had to call in an army of contractors to give estimates. We'll end up talking to at least 9 (3 for each project, most likely). I never ever like this part of the project. Granted, I could paint the house myself, but I'm at the mercy of the garage and front door folks.
And then there's the part where they try to gauge how much they can charge for the work. I want to tell them "Look, I'm not trying to put you out of business, I just want a fair price for quality work." but it always seems much harder than that.
SUPPLEMENTAL
It is funny when contractors enter the back yard and look at the chickens. They never expect that, though I bet it's getting more common these days.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Yum?
Today I was out in the back yard with the kids (we were weaving palm fronds into various shapes, because, well, just because) and the chickens started making a lot of noise. Turns out one of them had something in her beak and was running away from the other two chickens.
Luckily I had my camera. Unluckily, I'm a terrible photographer.
At first I thought, and really really hoped, it was the mouse in her beak. A rather pesky mouse has taken up residence behind our compost pile. It comes out and eats our tomatoes the second they begin to ripen. (Alas, that's a whole other post...)
But this wasn't a mouse. And not a big worm either. No, it was a salamander. Poor guy. No idea how they caught him, but he's gone now. I sure hope the eggs don't start tasting... reptilian...
Of course this isn't at all new behavior for chickens. I remember reading when a fellow chicken owner caught her birds eating a small frog!
Luckily I had my camera. Unluckily, I'm a terrible photographer.
At first I thought, and really really hoped, it was the mouse in her beak. A rather pesky mouse has taken up residence behind our compost pile. It comes out and eats our tomatoes the second they begin to ripen. (Alas, that's a whole other post...)
But this wasn't a mouse. And not a big worm either. No, it was a salamander. Poor guy. No idea how they caught him, but he's gone now. I sure hope the eggs don't start tasting... reptilian...
Of course this isn't at all new behavior for chickens. I remember reading when a fellow chicken owner caught her birds eating a small frog!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Long Weekend
I'm home with the kids this weekend as my wife head up to Lake Tahoe for some well-deserved vacation time. I asked my older daughter (9) what she wants to do this weekend. Here's her list:
1. Archery
2. Block Party
3. Library
4. Push Mower
5. Play Catch (Softball)
6. Movie
7. Ride Bikes
8. Play "Water the Kids"
9. Eat my chocolate sucker
10. Just Plain Daddy Time
No good movies out right now, so basically, archery is $20/kid/hour and the rest is free... Yes, she really did say that she wants to use the neighbor's push mower. I always try to find a way out of attending the block party, so she put this on the list on purpose.
I can't wait to see what my younger daughter's list looks like.
I wanted to surprise them with something cool, but I suppose in this case coolness is in the eye of the beholder...
1. Archery
2. Block Party
3. Library
4. Push Mower
5. Play Catch (Softball)
6. Movie
7. Ride Bikes
8. Play "Water the Kids"
9. Eat my chocolate sucker
10. Just Plain Daddy Time
No good movies out right now, so basically, archery is $20/kid/hour and the rest is free... Yes, she really did say that she wants to use the neighbor's push mower. I always try to find a way out of attending the block party, so she put this on the list on purpose.
I can't wait to see what my younger daughter's list looks like.
I wanted to surprise them with something cool, but I suppose in this case coolness is in the eye of the beholder...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
