Three eggs today. YAY.
OMLET!!!
Congrats!
Another month and you'll have a whole dozen! LOL
Enjoy that omelet!
still no eggs, I think the chickens are still tramitized.. and since I brought them some neighbors thay are going on strike...
So is my spell checker.
Something must be retrograde... Uranus, Mars, the moon, something. What astrological sign governs eggs and spell checkers?
I dont know Jay but when you find out, please let me know...
Jay don't ever go away, my funny bone really needs you...LOL. Hay
Hay, I'm pretty sure it's Uranus that's retrograde. =0)
(Oh, I'm so bad, I'm just going to have to take myself outside to the wood pile!)
I was thinking it was Ovus Checkimus...but I'm no good with Latin or astrology...nomy...ohgee...
Checkimus Ovus actually... I do believe you are right, Grow. That'd be the 13th astrological sign, doesn't have it's own month 'cause it's erratic in nature, no one could ever pin down it's cycle.
Do you recall it's symbol?
I'm not getting any eggs either. I thought it was just the crummy Iowa weather but maybe there's more to it than that! I'd best go observe my planets now.
The chickens have joined the latest sulk. They want to be clothed for winter.
Didn't get any eggs day before yesterday but wasn't suprised with the weather like it was. I got two yesterday and I was pleasantly suprised.
Still no eggs...
Better sign 'em up for chicken duds... do you suppose they want sparkleys?
O, O, camo chicken duds.... Billy'd like that and the coyotes couldn't find 'em... tumbleweed color.
Jay...That is the most eggggslant Idea.
LOL =0D
I got 2 eggs today. One was from one of my game hens.
Cleaned out the coop and put fresh hay... Still no eggs but BIlly did proclaim loudly... EWWWW poop Nanny, but still no eggs... Smart boy
Doubt I got any eggs today. The wind was blowing like a hurricane and it blew my pen over! We had to hook a come along to it to get it back upright and then strap it down. I did see a little red hen settling herself into one of the nests when I came down off the hill. I know they enjoyed their free ranging time. I'd let them out a while every day but I know my dog would get one of them eventually.
What's a come along?
It is a sort of portable winch:
http://www.cvfsupplycompany.com/hanpowpulcom.html
Oh! We have one of those. We use it when we put up fencing for tension. We don't call it that.
lol i've never heard it called a portable winch...
tease...
checkimus ovus: oval configuration of brightish stars near Orion, older versions say it has 3 triads of stars -one at the point and two below the main oval, also a bright star above and off of the far end of the constellation.Said to resemble both egg and chicken. Hmmm...seen only in the bleak midwinter....hmmm....
We have portable wenches...they're called .. .. ..
Yes they are....
Of course their portability is limited--you can't transport them across state lines.
I am so glad to see that you are using your scholarly training to do research, grow...now where is that other DG scholar, porkpal?
Just what do you call it Cmoxin.. Curious minds wish to know.
Catsy's been studying her criminal law statutes! Well done!!
We call it a fencing ratchet. But Kelly says he knows the term come along, but he doesn't use that term with me because he says I would say that was a silly name. Errr....well....yes....
We call it a fence stretcher. A comealong is more like a winch and is used more in woodcutting, I'd think.
We use come alongs for trees and such. T'would be far sillier to put a fencing ratchet in a tree. Rather limiting one's applications, I'd say...
I have a dozen hens and 1 nice rooster - 3 of the hens are getting close to 3 years old but the other 9 are January or February, 2009 hatch so have just "gone over" from pullet to hen. I got these 9 in October. So with a dozen hens, right now I am getting anywhere from 3 or 4 to as many as 7 eggs per week! But we have really had "floppy" weird weather here. Just like this week - we had rain and cold over the weekend and rain Tuesday and overnight into a messy start to the day yesterday, but yesterday topped out at 74 - today it will be 54 (if we're lucky) and yesterday and overnight into today the wind is trying to blow us off the map! Is it the weather or something else causing few to no eggs?
I think so wingsandblooms. I remember a couple years ago everyone was saying that their hens stopped laying when it was very windy....I forgot that until you mentioned your windy weather.
It does seem that hens everywhere (with a few exceptions) are on strike right now....probably a combination of low light levels and the weather.
I have actually gotten no eggs at all for the last 3 days now. I was beginning to think that maybe our local coyotes had them nervous, but so far they don't come in too close. We put the dog pen right up next to the chicken pen with a part beagle/part coon hound there and I think she is probably a good deterrent to predators. The only problem we have is that she thinks she is a chicken - everytime the rooster crows she howls with him, and every time the hens announce their egg laying, she has to sing with them also! So between 4:30 and 5 every morning I not only am awakened by the rooster, but by Daisy as well.
I believe portable wenches can cross state lines... I have many times and the authorities have yet to prevent me...
=0)
And we always called it a come-along... a fence stretcher is different. I've used a come-along to persuade a reluctant donkey to "Git in the Dang Trailer!"... far more convincing than 4 strong men, grain, ropes, and whips. A donkey respects something that can pull harder than it can.
I have a very large hand-thrown stoneware mug that I keep at work. It has a rectangle on the side in plain clay colour (the rest of the mug is blue and grey) and impressed into the clay coloured rectangle it says "WENCH" in large letters.
I save this for selected meetings with selected folks who will appreciate the humour.
I also have a mug that says "I'm not bossy. I just have better ideas." I save that one for meetings with an entirely different group of people.
My boss has a small ceramic urn on her desk with a cork stopper that I bought her for Christmas last year. it says "Ashes of Problem Clients" on it. I plan to get one of those when I graduate from law school. :-)
Anyway, I like the idea of it as a donkey hauling device!
Oh yes, it works like magic. Just hook one end to the feeder area, then run the other hook out to the halter rope. Stretch the donkey's neck out til it's uncomfortable, then step back and wait. In a minute or two the donkey will step forward. Reward with nice scratching. Rachet the come-along until donkey's neck is stretched again, step back and wait. Donkey steps forward. Continue til donkey's front legs are at back of trailer... at this point when you stretch, donkey may start to sit down, back legs beginning to slide under trailer. DON'T panic... just wait. Donkey is making last full blown pull and that is why legs are sliding, and when the donkey realizes it's not working will stop and stand up again (as opposed to kill itself, which is what a horse would do at this point).
Give the donkey a minute or two for deep thoughts, then quietly lift one front foot into the trailer. If the donkey takes it out, lift it in again... you may need to stretch donkey one more click. But donkey will eventually leave foot in trailer... some at this point will put weight on that foot and bring the second foot in, others need the second foot lifted in for them. When both front feet are in the trailer, lots of scratching and sweet words.
Then stretch and repeat... many of the donkeys pretty much give it up at this point and come right on in.
A few times of being loaded like this, and in future just stretching the neck and wrapping the lead rope around something solid will be all you need.
DO NOT EVER, EVER DO THIS WITH A HORSE!!! You will have one huge wreck. You will have big vet bills. You will have increased your loading problem immeasureably.
When loading skittish animals, it helps a lot to put the hitch/trailer jack down so that the trailer doesn't move so much when they're loading. Then don't forget to raise it again before you drive off (personal experience talking here).
I've used this technique on an 11 HH BLM jenny that defeated 4 strong men and wouldn't get within 25' of the trailer (long ropes), and I've used it on a 14 HH Mammoth Jack that just wasn't "in the mood" to load that day.
That is interesting Jay, and if I ever get donkeys I shall remember that. I like the disclaimer about the horses. you are so true...
I have both seen and caused some humdingers of a wreck with horses, both with trailers and without. In fact, I only discovered this technique with donkeys because that day I was angry enough with my Jack that I was ready to kill him...
I expect you know how that is...
and it actually worked like a charm.
Of course, being a donkey he had to have the last word and wouldn't get OUT of the trailer. It's a little hard in the desert to find a bush stout enough to hook the come-along to. LOL Which I suspect he knew...
Understand, this was a Jack that had been loading and unloading for a year at least, no problem. But the previous ride had been tied in a two-horse trailer (I haul loose in a stock trailer) and he took umbrage in a big way.
Well, we all have our 'issues'. =0)