Check out the video for cat scaring crap out of dog goodness.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
We got a dog!
Her name is Dia, and she is a 1.5 year old black German Shepherd. She's nervous and her tummy is a bit upset from the move and changes in food (plus she ate a rawhide bone in one evening... we have since taken them away from her.) But she is a very good dog who walks without a lease nicely and sits on her mat in the house politely.
Check out the video for cat scaring crap out of dog goodness.
Check out the video for cat scaring crap out of dog goodness.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
more chickens
I now subject you to more pictures of chickens.
Additionally, Jeza has taken to walking daintily around on the rocks Roger laid for the landscaping. She gets to go into the backyard because she's too arthritic to jump the fence.
Additionally, Jeza has taken to walking daintily around on the rocks Roger laid for the landscaping. She gets to go into the backyard because she's too arthritic to jump the fence.
We got robbed
The Helpful Gnome got robbed.
Someone forced the back door open and went through all our stuff. Closets, drawers, up into the attic, broke open our fire box, unwrapped stuff, etc. They took 10 playstation 3 games, two jars of coins, and a handgun and nearly 100 bullets. For all the time the must have spent going through our stuff, they left a lot of really pricey things, like the flat screen, the playstation, the digital camera, the laptop, the liquor, et al.
Playstation games, coins, firearm.
Luckily, I still had the receipt for the gun, so the cops reported the serial # to the pawnshops. However, the cop who responded told us no one ever pawns the guns.
We're hopefully getting a dog this weekend. We also ordered an alarm system.
Someone forced the back door open and went through all our stuff. Closets, drawers, up into the attic, broke open our fire box, unwrapped stuff, etc. They took 10 playstation 3 games, two jars of coins, and a handgun and nearly 100 bullets. For all the time the must have spent going through our stuff, they left a lot of really pricey things, like the flat screen, the playstation, the digital camera, the laptop, the liquor, et al.
Playstation games, coins, firearm.
Luckily, I still had the receipt for the gun, so the cops reported the serial # to the pawnshops. However, the cop who responded told us no one ever pawns the guns.
We're hopefully getting a dog this weekend. We also ordered an alarm system.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Landscaping, chickens outside
The chickens have upgraded to outside! It wasn't really ideal for them to go outside at two weeks of age, but they have filled up the wading pool and were going stir crazy. I transported them in a giant bin and basically dumped them out on the grass. They were pretty upset, but then got really excited when they discovered bugs. They play this awesome game where one finds either a) a bug, or b) something they think is a bug. When this happens they grab it and run away and the entire flock follows trying to steal it away.
You may notice that the chickens are half feathered and thus, pretty ugly. It's normal, they're losing their fuzz and gaining real feathers. It's only ugly on the yellow guys.
They spent the night in the lean-to under the heat lamp. I was really worried about them being outside and it being chilly, but I went out this morning to check on them and they were all up and running around. I went out around 11pm last night to check on them and half were under the lamp and half were balled up together in a corner. I picked them all up and moved them under the lamp. I think the space was so big they didn't realize there was a heat source.
In other news, Roger did some landscaping. He pulled up these ugly wooden pieces of wood and laid down really nice looking rocks. He added topsoil and now the flower beds look really nice!
We also moved out the compost bin Rog built. He's going to attach doors to it tomorrow, so pictures of that will follow!
And lastly, for your entertainment, baby birds trying to sleep but keep being interrupted.
You may notice that the chickens are half feathered and thus, pretty ugly. It's normal, they're losing their fuzz and gaining real feathers. It's only ugly on the yellow guys.
They spent the night in the lean-to under the heat lamp. I was really worried about them being outside and it being chilly, but I went out this morning to check on them and they were all up and running around. I went out around 11pm last night to check on them and half were under the lamp and half were balled up together in a corner. I picked them all up and moved them under the lamp. I think the space was so big they didn't realize there was a heat source.
In other news, Roger did some landscaping. He pulled up these ugly wooden pieces of wood and laid down really nice looking rocks. He added topsoil and now the flower beds look really nice!
We also moved out the compost bin Rog built. He's going to attach doors to it tomorrow, so pictures of that will follow!
And lastly, for your entertainment, baby birds trying to sleep but keep being interrupted.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Rain barrels
Holy moly does water come off the roof! We had one good rain yesterday and we went from bone dry to overflow. I filled up four gallons for watering our seedlings and baby chicks. It's going to rain again today and then again later in the week. So much water and so little to do with it! We can't drink it or use it for cooking (it's not just rainwater, it's runoff from the roof... bird poo, dirt, all that good stuff). If anyone has any suggestions on how to make lots of water useful, I'm all ears.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Rain barrels and compost bin
We spent all weekend outside again today. I dug trenches for the potatoes, which will probably be arriving this week. I thought I was going to die. Unfortunately, we don't have a mechanical piece of equipment that will dig trenches and create mounds
of dirt.
Roger built a compost bin out of pallets.
We also put a rain barrel under one of the gutters. In order to do this, we had to take a saw and cut the gutter and route it into the barrel. There is an overflow tube so when the water reaches the top of the barrel it was run out of the barrel and into the gutter underground. And yes, Roger is polishing it. He cleans everything.
I had to put a netting over the top of the chickens... they are starting to try to fly out. Unfortunately, they're going to have to stay in the pool for another week. It's too cold and they're too young to go into the barn yet, even with the heat lamp. They're getting so big so fast! They're inhaling food... I can't keep the food containers full!
Roger also got on top of the barn and cleaned out the gutters. They've been overflowing when it rains, and holy cow now we know why. I would have taken a picture, but it's just a giant mound of black sludge, and you can use your imagination for that one.
of dirt.
Roger built a compost bin out of pallets.
We also put a rain barrel under one of the gutters. In order to do this, we had to take a saw and cut the gutter and route it into the barrel. There is an overflow tube so when the water reaches the top of the barrel it was run out of the barrel and into the gutter underground. And yes, Roger is polishing it. He cleans everything.
I had to put a netting over the top of the chickens... they are starting to try to fly out. Unfortunately, they're going to have to stay in the pool for another week. It's too cold and they're too young to go into the barn yet, even with the heat lamp. They're getting so big so fast! They're inhaling food... I can't keep the food containers full!
Roger also got on top of the barn and cleaned out the gutters. They've been overflowing when it rains, and holy cow now we know why. I would have taken a picture, but it's just a giant mound of black sludge, and you can use your imagination for that one.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Four days old!
The babies have grown HUGE! Their wing feathers are growing in and they're making little efforts to fly. They're eating a massive amount of food and drinking about 2 quarts of water a day. I upgraded them to a wading pool.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Chickens came today!
This morning I woke up to a phone call from the post office... the baby chicks had arrived! I went to pick them up and every one of them had arrived safely! I took them out and put them in the brooder one by one after showing them how to drink. They then spent the next hour or so sucking down the water and food. We have:
15 Cornish X Rocks (meat birds)
5 Black Star (layers)
3 Americanas (layers of blue eggs)
2 Australorps (both layers and meat birds, but these two will be layers)
1 mystery bird (the send a 'rare bird' with your order)
In other news, Roger spend most of the day cleaning out the barn. The barn is an absolute disaster and he made HUGE strides in getting it cleaned out. I finished making the chicken coop in the lean-to. The birds will be able to go into the barn in a couple weeks.
15 Cornish X Rocks (meat birds)
5 Black Star (layers)
3 Americanas (layers of blue eggs)
2 Australorps (both layers and meat birds, but these two will be layers)
1 mystery bird (the send a 'rare bird' with your order)
In other news, Roger spend most of the day cleaning out the barn. The barn is an absolute disaster and he made HUGE strides in getting it cleaned out. I finished making the chicken coop in the lean-to. The birds will be able to go into the barn in a couple weeks.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Basement Foundation
We hired a guy to put carbon fiber straps on one of the basement walls that has had some bowing and cracks in the cinder blocks.
http://www.fortressstabilization.com/
Is the product we had done. Supposedly it's so strong the cinder blocks will explode before the straps give out. It's stronger than bracing the walls with steal beams! Of course, it is a very expensive product, but it doesn't take too long to install so you save on labor. Here are pictures of the straps on the basement wall.
http://www.fortressstabilization.com/
Is the product we had done. Supposedly it's so strong the cinder blocks will explode before the straps give out. It's stronger than bracing the walls with steal beams! Of course, it is a very expensive product, but it doesn't take too long to install so you save on labor. Here are pictures of the straps on the basement wall.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
NAIS
A few weeks ago I wrote my senator regarding NAIS, the animal tracking proposal that keeps resurfacing. I basically expressed the often seen argument that if our dearest value is freedom, it is anti-American to track every farm animal everyone owns and to make it more difficult and more expensive to RAISE FOOD for ourselves. It is RIDICULOUS to think the government wants to know how many chickens I have, where I bought them, how many died, WHY the died, and if they ever leave my property (and where they went and how long they were there...) And of course, in order to do this without mixing everything up, the best way is to plant a chip in every farm animal. Let's just go ahead and tattoo a bar code on the forehead every animal and be done with it.
The government wants every state to do this, but the small farms have been pissed off enough to hold them back so far. Except in Wisconsin. Sucks to own chickens there.
Anyway, so here is my senator's response.
Dear Ms. Rood-Emmick:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about animal identification proposals currently being considered by the federal government and individual states.
The incidence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Exotic New Castle Disease, and Avian Influenza in the United States, as well as the known interest of terrorists in attacking our food supply, suggest that it would be helpful to discern quickly the origins of food in our supply system.
However, I agree that each of these proposals must be considered within the individual freedoms enumerated by our Constitution. I also agree that any program that would financially harm small farms and hobby operations, as well as provide disincentives to our youth participating in county and state fairs, would not be beneficial to rural Indiana.
I will continue to closely follow the debate surrounding potential identification programs. Thank you, again, for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
The government wants every state to do this, but the small farms have been pissed off enough to hold them back so far. Except in Wisconsin. Sucks to own chickens there.
Anyway, so here is my senator's response.
Dear Ms. Rood-Emmick:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about animal identification proposals currently being considered by the federal government and individual states.
The incidence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Exotic New Castle Disease, and Avian Influenza in the United States, as well as the known interest of terrorists in attacking our food supply, suggest that it would be helpful to discern quickly the origins of food in our supply system.
However, I agree that each of these proposals must be considered within the individual freedoms enumerated by our Constitution. I also agree that any program that would financially harm small farms and hobby operations, as well as provide disincentives to our youth participating in county and state fairs, would not be beneficial to rural Indiana.
I will continue to closely follow the debate surrounding potential identification programs. Thank you, again, for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Chicken Pen
Over the weekend I started building the fencing for the chickens. Roger spent his time cleaning out the barn. It would thunderstorm for a half hour or so, then stop. I would run in the barn, chat with Rog, wait for it to stop, and run out and put up some fence.
The chickens should be here Monday, and the brooder is ready for them! We're expecting 25 babies.
The chickens should be here Monday, and the brooder is ready for them! We're expecting 25 babies.
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