Chickens And Sawdust?

Today I worked on fixing the bottom door latch on the storage shed and adding wood around the inside of the door frame to make it harder for little critters to break and enter.

I'm sure that no matter what I do mice and ? will still be able to run around inside the shed, but I'm going to make it as hard for them to get in as I can. I'm not finished so no photos. I'm still trying to figure out how to close up the bottom area of the door entry where the plywood has rotted away.

I was going to post some photos of another apron I found but then I caught these guys on the porch again and I had to take some pictures.

I wasn't going to take anymore pictures of chickens on the porch for awhile, but these hens were just too funny.

I knew they wanted me to come out and give them a treat, but when I didn't rush right out and open the door and toss them some lettuce they started pecking around in the sawdust.

What?

Even Morgan came over to see what they were doing and if there was anything for her. Sawdust?

Tom brought home lettuce for the goofy chickens so they got their treat when I finished taking pictures.

Earlier, I was going to finish up the kitchen island and put on the last three knobs...

but!?... I can't find the knobs!

My poor brain. This morning I emptied out the drawers and got them all lined up on the island counter, got the drill battery charged, and used a template to mark the centers of the drawers so I don't eyeball the knob position and have them crooked.

Then I went to get the knobs and I can't find them. Oh dear! I know I'm moving so much stuff around and going from one job to the next that I should be writing myself notes! This was the post I made on the last day I remember seeing the knobs. I checked back to see if there was a clue... no clue. Wherever the knobs are I'm sure they are somewhere that at the time I thought made sense. I'll go out and look through my tool drawers again tomorrow. Maybe the toolbox?

I hate it when I can't find stuff!

Peek at the Past
(September 15, 2009)

They're not going to put sides on the bridge until next year.

Hope there are no more jumpers.

(The island is done now except for the knobs! Look on the left sidebar under How to or DIY stuff and click on Island Diy for photos of the kitchen. I need to make a special post that shows the kitchen DIY from start to finish. If I can find the knobs!)

[3 eggs today]

P.S.
Life on a Southern Farm
is having a nest box giveaway.
Beautiful
Nest Boxes
handmade by FarmMan
on their Southern Farm.

Stop by and check out her blog. I would love to win a nest box, but I would have to remodel the whole inside of our chicken coop to fit the box inside. Well, I don't really have to worry very much because I never win anything, so I'm safe, but there will be a lucky winner. Maybe you?

~:>

Smiles

Chickens On The Porch And Morgan Has A Problem Or How To Keep Chickens Off The Porch, Deck, Patio

The chickens are catching the last rays of sun in a warm protected spot on the porch. The porch is radiating some warmth and I know the house is blocking the breeze.

Having chickens on the porch is not something everyone wants because of the chicken poo problem. Our chickens do not spend very much of their time on the porch so their droppings are not  a problem. I find that hosing off the deck takes care of any poo.
(wear eye protection when hosing off the deck)

If chickens are spending time on the porch it is because there is something about the porch that is more attractive to them than other places. In the winter our chickens come up on the porch to stand near the slider next to the wood stove. Chickens aren't dumb. They know where to go to warm up.

How to keep chickens off the porch or deck? Well, I don't mind having them on the porch, but I have a few ideas.

Don't give the chickens anything to eat or drink on the porch. They are going to show up again at a place where there was food. I feed my chickens treats on the porch so they show up every day on the porch tapping at the slider.

Make sure the chickens have places where they would rather spend time than on the porch. If they like the porch because it is warm and protected from wind then they need a warm protected spot of their own. They like dusting areas, if it's hot they like cool shady places that have been watered where they can scratch out a hollow in the damp ground and stay cool. If it is cold they like warm sunny places where they can sun bathe out of drafts and wind.

They like to spend time where there are food sources, water, and treats. Toss out a little scratch on the dirt so they have to spend time scratching for it, have an additional water source, when it is hot a little mud puddle is fun for them, and treats (cabbage, melon, pumpkin, etc.) can be put out for the chickens to lure them to a new spot you would like them to frequent.

The only way to keep the chickens off the porch that I know of that is sure to work is to keep the chickens locked up, keep a dog on the porch that the chickens are afraid of, or screen the porch.

I spent some time playing with my house plants and repotting them. I stuck two of the spider plants in the large planter box until I get a bigger pot for them.

I wanted to transplant some of the small ivy that's in the green garden into the chicken planter, but I couldn't find a start with roots. I'm going to have to use a shovel tomorrow and dig deeper than I can with the hand trowel.

And... then... Kristine came back here while I'm typing up this post and told me that Morgan has blood under her tail.

Oh dear... well after cutting off a lot of Morgan's feathers around her bum and tail we found a few cuts that were bleeding. The cuts may have been from when the groomer trimmed Morgan's coat? The cuts were not forming a scab because (we think) Morgan was licking them and keeping them open.

So, we came up with this t-shirt outfit for Morgan to wear to keep her from licking. We cleaned up her bum, washed with soap and water, rinsed, put on a little neosporin, and rigged up this t-shirt outfit. Hope she leaves it alone tonight. Kristine thinks she will take it off by morning.

Peek at the Past

click here

[6 eggs today]

I've been watching Jeeves and Wooster here on YouTube. This doesn't have anything to do with eggs except Jeeves did put an egg in the fixer up concoction he made for Wooster. I love the opening music and the show makes me laugh. 

~:>

Smiles

Porch Chickens

The chickens enjoyed a cabbage treat on the porch this morning and then stuck around in hopes of more good things to eat. The hens look bigger to me now. I guess they gained weight over the winter.

One of the Wyandotte hens has been acting poorly for over a week, but looks like she is feeling better today. She is moving around quicker and is eating and drinking. One of the hens is laying tiny eggs. Maybe it's the Wyandotte? Hope the sunny warm weather perks her up.

One of the trunks of an oak tree has bent itself all the way over and is touching the top of the chicken coop. The trunk is way too big for me to mess with. I guess Tom is just going to wait for it to fall on the coop?

I watched movies on YouTube today instead of going outside. But I did have an appetite and ate so I hope I'll have some energy tomorrow. I hate feeling so blah.

Peek at the Past

(May 3, 2009)

I still haven't done much genealogy.

[8 eggs today]

I had a cute egg basket just like this

but it was hard to use and didn't hold many eggs.

~:>

Smiles

On The Porch Again

Wow! I just found out that pressing the control key and o causes the post to publish. I'm not all the way awake from a quick nap. I went to type On in the title box and oops! Publish... ready or not.

The chickens all look wonderful They are doing well in the cold weather which surprised me because it seemed that they weren't finished molting when the cold arrived. They all look plumb, well feathered and hungry. Of course they are always interested in food. This time it is lettuce they are cleaning off the porch. That is a stack of wood in a wheel barrow that Tom has parked outside the slider handy for filling the wood stove.

I hope the deck makes it another winter without me falling through one of the saggy weak spots. I have tried to patch up some of the weak areas, but in some places the support boards have cracked. Maybe we should just tear it out and build some stairs to the front door and sliders? I don't think Santa is going to bring us a new porch. I would love to have one with a porch swing, a clothesline and enclosed area to use all year. Dream on...

This is Pastey the Light Brahma with her pretty new feathers. She sure looks better than she did in October here when she looked like she was half plucked. I love fluffy chickens!

Tomorrow the plan is for Kristine to take us off the mountain to go Christmas shopping. I'll charge the camera and take it along in hopes of getting some great Christmas photos.

[no eggs today]

Smiles

~:>