Hope everyone has a Joyous and safe holiday season!!
Nic and Matt
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Still learning....
I learned a valuable tidbit this week:
I'm an idiot....
But before I get into that, I FINALLY figured out how to get videos off of my phone so am going to try and share one of my faves:
Nic Chasin' Chickens Chasin' Chickens:
I knew that with the coming cold weather that some special attention would need to be paid to the chickens... Nic has been freaking out about the girls getting cold but I keep reminding her that they wear a down coat 24/7, so they are fine - at least for the low temperatures we can expect. If it gets to below 10 degrees, then I'll worry about it...
But we've had something of an early cold spell, and while home sick with a tummy ache on Tuesday I happened to glance out and see the water feeder for the girls was mostly frozen, and the girls were not at all happy...
So I went out there, turned the girls loose, broke up the ice... went inside and brought out some water and filled their garden area water dish and also a pan I have for giving them scraps... they went right for it... Sorry girls...
So my plan had been to use an aquarium heater I happen to have (not for fish - for brewing purposes of course), and just keep the water warm that way.
Brilliant plan! So I rig the thing up (we have electricity to the coop), dropped the heater in there and loosely put the top part of the waterer on there in hopes of keeping the heater in place and hopefully the girls out of the top of the thing...
What Einstein (me) didn't remember is that it's the lid being locked down that allows water to refill the trough around the base... we got home last night from Taco Nite and I went to check on things and gather eggs... thing was bone dry!!!!
I realized my mistake right away, and since the temperature was up around 38 or so I wasn't worried about things freezing last night, I pulled the heater and locked down the lid....
Again, the girls went right for it...
Only two eggs and I doubt I'll see much more tonight as the girls recover from the drought...
I think this weekend I will design an alternate waterer that has a hole in the top to get the heater through.... I'd think I can dig up some plastic buckets for the task... seems a lot easier than trying to drill a hole into the galvanized steel of the current waterer...
Other news....
Thanksgiving was nice and quiet this year... Just me and Nic for dinner so instead of a turkey, I grilled some Cornish Game Hens on the Weber, baked some potato rolls, and we enjoyed the other usual goodies for a Thanksgiving feast...
Ironically, I did smoke a turkey that day as well, but it was for the Civil War party we were hosting the following Saturday... Turned out great (the turkey that is), but alas my BEAVERS went down to the duckies, again, in short order... I'd say something like "maybe next year" but seriously doubt the Beavs can compete anytime in the near future...
I'm an idiot....
But before I get into that, I FINALLY figured out how to get videos off of my phone so am going to try and share one of my faves:
Nic Chasin' Chickens Chasin' Chickens:
I knew that with the coming cold weather that some special attention would need to be paid to the chickens... Nic has been freaking out about the girls getting cold but I keep reminding her that they wear a down coat 24/7, so they are fine - at least for the low temperatures we can expect. If it gets to below 10 degrees, then I'll worry about it...
But we've had something of an early cold spell, and while home sick with a tummy ache on Tuesday I happened to glance out and see the water feeder for the girls was mostly frozen, and the girls were not at all happy...
So I went out there, turned the girls loose, broke up the ice... went inside and brought out some water and filled their garden area water dish and also a pan I have for giving them scraps... they went right for it... Sorry girls...
So my plan had been to use an aquarium heater I happen to have (not for fish - for brewing purposes of course), and just keep the water warm that way.
Brilliant plan! So I rig the thing up (we have electricity to the coop), dropped the heater in there and loosely put the top part of the waterer on there in hopes of keeping the heater in place and hopefully the girls out of the top of the thing...
What Einstein (me) didn't remember is that it's the lid being locked down that allows water to refill the trough around the base... we got home last night from Taco Nite and I went to check on things and gather eggs... thing was bone dry!!!!
I realized my mistake right away, and since the temperature was up around 38 or so I wasn't worried about things freezing last night, I pulled the heater and locked down the lid....
Again, the girls went right for it...
Only two eggs and I doubt I'll see much more tonight as the girls recover from the drought...
I think this weekend I will design an alternate waterer that has a hole in the top to get the heater through.... I'd think I can dig up some plastic buckets for the task... seems a lot easier than trying to drill a hole into the galvanized steel of the current waterer...
Other news....
Thanksgiving was nice and quiet this year... Just me and Nic for dinner so instead of a turkey, I grilled some Cornish Game Hens on the Weber, baked some potato rolls, and we enjoyed the other usual goodies for a Thanksgiving feast...
Ironically, I did smoke a turkey that day as well, but it was for the Civil War party we were hosting the following Saturday... Turned out great (the turkey that is), but alas my BEAVERS went down to the duckies, again, in short order... I'd say something like "maybe next year" but seriously doubt the Beavs can compete anytime in the near future...
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