Good Morning!

[WLLady]

So DH doing the bulk of the work, and a friend came over to help today, and all but the quad of royals are gone now. Some of the left over cockerels are done as well. Feeling a little bit numb today, just from all the chaos of birds going yesterday. Just waiting on some of the turkey meat to half way freeze so we can grind it for ground turkey. Next up is moving hay for the ponies. And then taking stock of what is left, and getting the now empty turkey pens open for the chickens that will move down there and stay for the winter. It will be okay after it's all done, but boy is it hard to actually DO....and i'm not actually "doing" any of it at all! I need to take DH out for dinner or something. Also brought in the trail cameras, and found that that buck was right where i thought he would be when i thought he would be there. another sigh. filled in my hunter report and ripped up my tag. that's it for me for hunting. maybe in a couple years i'll get back out there again.
But the news has been a constant source of entertainment from the USA (YAY! i must add). I was just talking with my parents who are in the USA, and they said that there was a party where the kids were singing that song "the witch is dead" HAHA. that's priceless. Hopefully things change for the better-fast! I know Biden isn't "in" until January, but still....and I hope someone puts on his big boy pants and let the change over happen peacefully.

[WLLady]

me again. we are down to rhodebars and welbars. a few mixes. 4 royal turkeys and 2 red slate turkeys. A bunch of cockerels and old roosters will go this weekend (with or without me helping) and we have chosen our 8 ducks - 4 for bayvista and 4 for us. the rest will be freezer camped and likely turned into pastrami or montreal smoked duck when i get the chance. Man this is difficult. I won't be able to get rid of them all, there's no way. I think I would die inside.....so we'll always have some around. So many people have turned up for 3 or 4 birds and ended up taking 5-6 instead. I think that's the definition of chicken math. The last of the welsummers went yesterday. along with a couple of mixed birds. it's so much quieter here in the morning, only 2 roosters really that crow....not 15. And i'm quite proud to say that it was ALL done with social distancing and never even close to the gathering restriction numbers. so. yay us!

I just quit my teaching position as of the end of this week. I'll give the midterm to the kids tomorrow and mark the midterms, and then the course gets turned over to someone else that can give the kids the predictability of being there for them. I also turned down teaching for jan-april 2021 term. I'm also off work at my other job for however long this takes now. driving is out of the question and passengering is getting close to being out of the question.....so, there's always comfort food-lol. bacon in the oven right now, not even sure i want to eat it for breakfast, but it smells good. LOL. We are down to about 6 eggs a day now with all the other girls being sold.

The ducks are in a horse stall that we open towards the north every day. So they're slowly learning to go around the barn to go in at night. The horses are smarter than the ducks! The horses have learned how to help us herd the ducks in every night. And the dog is quite proficient at it as well! (no squished ducks yet, and no eaten ducks either!) The guineas learned it in about 20 seconds, which surprises me, because those things are idiotic at the best of times. No way will we catch those things....which is good for them. They are eating so many flies right now with this weather (so are the ducks). I hope it stays warmer a bit longer.....I'm not up to snow quite yet.

[kenya]

Wow you've sure done a lot of work. Hopefully the reduction in birds will make it doable for you and hubby. I think it will give you some breathing space to enjoy your birds with hopefully less pain. Sad you had to give up your teaching job, I'm sure you must have enjoyed doing it but you need to cut back and get that back better. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.

[Kbr42]

Fingers crossed the lighter work load helps. The nice thing about chickens and ducks is they are always available. If you ever feel you can handle more. Hang in there.

[ross]

It’s a sum beech, hugs Kathy /Martin .

[Farrier1987]

Well I finished the clothesline project today. One post, one tree, and the stand to stand on was built to do double duty as a dog house. Got a chunk of conveyor velt for a waterproof top as shingles or whatever wouldnt stand up to being walked on and stomped on by goats. Small set of stairs (not attached) to fain human access. Stand is about 4 ft high, and another 5 ft above that to the line. Not super pretty, but built strong and windproof and functional. I liked the inside with that snap[ together flooring bought cheap as remnants, no place for fleas, ticks etc to burrow into the cracks. I got a couple of u bolts, will attach to the pole to build a shelf for clothespins etc. Thinking I will make it big enough for a clothes basket at waist level to minimize stooping.

[Farrier1987]

I think its the third frost of the year last night. Wonderful day yesterday. Dogs goat and horse seem to like the new clothesline stand/doghouse.

[labradors]

Great idea!

If it were mine, I'd like a rail on one side (for safety) with a flat top on which to plonk the clothes basket and clothes pegs on.

Linda

[WLLady]

somehow i'm wondering how you will hang up the laundry with a goat in the laundry basket ;-P

Well back from the surgeon. MRI on order...hopefully sooner than later. For sure it's nerve pain....but they don't know where from because the CT is clear. The break in the rod is a bit higher up than I guessed...go figure. anyways, no surgery right now, but MRI and then maybe surgery if they see any impingement on the nerves, or injections. All good news, the fusion is in great condition even if the hardware broke. The might not even take the broken hardware out....they may just leave everything where it is.

So, I can help with the duck downsizing this weekend...so hubby isn't doing ALL of it, and of course that means i will last helping with the first bird and then packing everything in freezer bags. or preparing for montreal smoked duck and more pastrami or something. Then we can get the leftover chickens into their pens downstairs (i'll sit and point that one goes there, and this one goes there....). and get everything ready for winter with the heated dishes put in and trough heater and stuff. Slowly, one step at a time.....today I will be happy to get the cured turkey breast out of the fridge, washed and into rub overnight for smoking tomorrow. hope everyone has a good day!

[Farrier1987]

The break in the rod is a bit higher up than I guessed...go figure.

I know a really good welder if you think that might work.