Pictures of the Chicken Digs

Ive been threatenin to post pictures so now imma gonna do it. Here is some pics of the new chicken digs.

(Chicken Yard)

(Hens with rooster poster)

(Brooder)

(Perch for egg boxes water and feed)

(The roost)

(Egg boxes)

(Exterior of the coop)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YURI!!!!

Today is my baby boy is 10 years old. Can you imagine that? I am shocked. It hit me this morning that he is 10 years old. I took him to the movies this weekend to see the new Star Trek flick. We got home at 11:45 pm and he was really fighting to stay awake. I think he saw the whole movie. We stopped at McDs before the movie so that I would not have to get a small loan for the popcorn and soda. I think he liked the movie pretty good. I know he was upset when his Mom and I went without him a week ago.

He is getting big and seeing him every day it is hard to gauge just how big he is getting. I know that he is getting big when he can wear Brandos flip flops and they fit. Also he is pretty close to Brandos height. I know that I am constantly on him about one thing or another but, when I am at work and have a moments peace to think about it, I just thank God that he blessed us with the best child anyone can hope for. He is helpful and loving and caring and has a pretty good head on his shoulders. He has made a mistake or two but such is life as a child.

I love Yuri with all my heart and he makes me proud of him with the decisions he makes. I have seen him open doors for the elderly with out them muttering so much as a thanks and seen him do it again and again. He can play the piano and sometimes I want to cry at how well he can play a piece at such a young age. I have seen the boy that he has become and hope that when he becomes a young man, he understands why I am here to be his father and not his best friend. If done right, like my father done for me, one day he will realize what had to be done for his sake.

Yuri I love you so much and want to wish you a Happy 10th Birthday. I give you all the credit in helping me become the dad that I am. I know I am not always the best dad in the world but you have made me alot better than I was. You are the best son and I could have ever hoped for.

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY YURI!!!!!!

The New Coop

Hello everyone. The chicken man has been busy so I have not got pictures yet but they will be posted very soon. This weekend I have had some good times and some bad. The bad time happened this Friday when I arrived home after work to find that 7 of my 11 chicks, that were doing well all week long, had died. I am not fully sure what happened but all the youngest ones didn't make it. At first I was thinking that the older birds pecked them to death but they do not exhibit any damage to elude to this conclusion. The rabbit that is in the next cage had found his way over and the carcases were flattened but this happened, I believe, post-mortem. After thinking about it I think a raccoon or cat may have pestered them until they croaked. I think 1 chick was actually missing by the perp. My CSI team members (Country Scene Investigation) and I will not stop until the culprit is found, tried, convicted and sentenced (shot dead).

After this discovery, I moved the remaining chicks to a new more secure location and stepped up work on the new brooder for the chicks. The 6 straight run chicks are doing well and growing like weeds. The coop was completed Saturday and chicken moved in that evening. The next morning we were told that they approved of there new digs by 3 eggs in the egg bins.

The run was completed on Sunday and Brando was given the honor of opening the new coop door to let the chicken explore the new run. Due to her impatient nature she ended up shoving the first one out and the others followed in suit. After watching them for a bit I see a need for a shaded area because they all seemed to hang out in the shadow of the building. This is next to come. I wonder how long the grass will hold out with these 6 chickens? A couple of weeks I suppose.

Like I said I will post pictures soon. Thanks for reading.

Chickens Galore

This weekend we purchased a chicken coop that a friend of mine is no longer using. The 4x8 coop is came complete with a rooster named Roho. I was warned that he was mean and to not turn your back on him.

We also purchased a few new chickens. The first group we bought we about 4 weeks old and seem to be doing well in their new surroundings. The first group consist of 3 Americana or colored egg layers, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Phoenix, 2 Golden and 2 that I cant remember the breed of.

Roho spent one night with us and the next morning we put him in a pet crate and took him to where we bought the chicks. The man took one look at him and said "I need him." I told him that I had no need for this rooster and he informed me that he would trade him for 6 straight run chicks. I said, "It's a deal." Now I have 6 more baby chicks.

So the total count so far is 6 original chickens from last year. 11 chicks of the first group and now 6 smaller straight run chicks. That is a total of 23 chickens.

I am thinking that we may have a few too many when these get bigger and I am considering letting a few go with the tractor that I sold to a friend at work. I think we have a while before we can place these chickens all together so I have plenty of time tow work on my coop. I have been thinking about how I want to place things on the inside to make for a efficient and easy to clean coop.

I have decided to place the laying boxes on the outside of the coop so you can collect eggs without going inside. The water and feed with be close to the door and the roosts with be place along the wall opposite of the door. I will cut a door in the side for ease of cleaning litter and above the roosts I will build a small brooder. That way all the chickens are all together and I will have to go into the house to check on the chicks but this is a very small amount of time in the year as to all the other stuff that will have to be attended to every day.

Wish me luck. I hope to post pictures soon of the progress.

As you may know....

The energizer bunny ran out of juice. Also I ended up losing another chicken to the other hens. It was in the coldest part of the year and I was heading into a turnaround of about 40+ days of 12 hour shifts. The chicken that was attacked by the dog was in pretty good shape but with the addition of the other chicken that the others had pretty much mangled from pecking, they became too much work to keep them around. Wish thing would have happened different but instead of prolonging it any further, I decided to do the most humain thing I could do. Like I said wish the timing wasnt so bad because I am resonably sure that both would have pulled through with some TLC and alot of time and effort but due to work schedule, I had neither. Rest in piece little chickens.

Posting with a Nintendo DSi

This my first attempt at posting with a Nintendo DSi. It really is not too different but you can not post pictures that I know of. I will attempt to post a picture later but not sure if I will be able to.

Just keeps cluckin and cluckin and....

The chicken is still doing well. Her wing is extra crispy now and I will probably attempt to amputate the dead part some time this weekend, if I can find someone who will hold her while I do it. In 2 weeks I will be forced to place her back with the brood. I hope the placing her in the coop at night trick works. We will find out. She is very healthy acting so I have my fingers crossed.

Like the Energizer Bunny....

the chicken keeps going on and on and on and on........ It has been a month and the chicken is still a kicken. She is eating and seems to show signs of good energy. Her wing looks like a chunk of dried jerky glued to her side but other than that she is ok. She has not layed one egg since the attack and that is probably for the better. She needs to keep up her strength for healing than egg production. I am tempted to clip the wing at the joint. The way it was damaged it will never be able to be used again. I may wait a bit longer just to see how it is going to do first.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

Still a clucken

My chicken is still haning around. I really hope she makes it but I am afraid she maybe going downhill. Time will tell.

Chickee update

The chicken is still hangin in there. I hope she makes it but wonder if I am just prolonging her suffering. Not really sure what I need to do. Her wing looks bad but I am still hopeful. She is still eating and drinking and pooping so I hope and pray she gets better. I feel bad about not checking as close on them as I usually do. This weekend I plan on letting her walk in the yard for a bit while I clean out her cage.

Chicken delima

A couple of days ago I got a call from Brando and during the call the neighbor rang the door bell and said our dog was attacking one of our chickens. How did this happen? I asked myself. The dog and chickens where put up in there coop and pin. Somehow the dog got out of his pin and the chicken had been out for a couple of days.

Normally when I let the chickens out they will roost back in the house after dark. Some how one didn't go back in the pin and I miss counted when I did a head count that time or it got wedged behind a piece of playground equipment and couldn't get home. Brando went out and put the dog up but the chicken pinned between the equipment and a chain link fence was chewed up pretty bad.

She had stuck there a day or two because she had two eggs in the grass behind her and when I lifted the equipment she walked ever so wobbly toward the rest of the chickens in the pin. While I gathered needed first aid stuff for her injuries, the other chickens came out of their house to inspect the lost chicken and for what they knew a complete stranger. (Chickens are not really smart.)

I caught her and administered first aid to her chewed wing and put her in a pet carrier in the building where it is a bit warmer. Covered the carrier with a warm blanket and gave her fresh food and water. I have been periodically checking on her to see if she is going to pull through and I must say she is eating and drinking which is a very good sign. If I put her in with her fellow bird brains they would probably attack her as a stranger and peck at her open wounds.

This morning she is still hanging on and still seems to be eating and drinking. I think it will be a long road to recovery if she even makes it and then I have to introduce her back to the flock. From reading it is best to introduce a single bird back in the middle of the night. When the others awake they think, Wow she has always been here.

Get well original birdy.

The Moe The Merrier

I finally relented and added another mouth to the family. Brando and the kids have wanted a inside pet (something other than fish) for a while and I have put my foot down but today I had a weak moment and we got Moe.

So far he had adjusted well. He rode home very quitely and not makeing those cat being ran through a meat grinder meows. He has been very quite and has been mostly relaxed around the house. I heard Yuri ask if he would be more active tomorrow. I hope he stays cool calm and collected. He has a pention to set on the piano but pulling the books off on him may have taught him a lesson.

I must say that he has fit in so far and I think will make a shining new light in this disfunctional family. We needed Moe in the family so we got Moe. HEY MOE! Nuck Nuck Nuck. He he he

[SMS Message from a mobile subscriber]

Blogger mobile test

FRIDAY!!!!

I am glad that Friday is here. I have only a few hours left and it will be the weekend. Feels like I have just got back to work. I will have to say that my work attitude has improved and I hope that it will stay a while into the new year. Hopefully a few well placed weeks off and I will not get a case of the grumps. I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and I can't wait to write it incorrectly on my first piece of paperwork I have to type up or fill out so to everyone out there in bloggersfield.

HAPPY 2008!

A Page From Ragged

I need to take a page from Raggeds book and point out all that I am thankful for. Thanks Ragged for helping me understand what I need to do.

Here is the list:
1. A healthy family- a year ago we did not have this and for this I am unending grateful, optimistic and keeping my fingers crossed just in case the sunny outlook don't quite cut it.
2. A wonderful wife and kids- they are who they are no better or worse but always in my eyes wonderful to whom with my heart and soul is dedicated and will NEVER deviate. Love ya Brando, Yuri & Yin.
3. A wonder wealth of family and friends that I can rely on.- I can't think of anyone in my family or friends that wouldn't take the shirt off their back to help us if we needed help and if the tables are turned and I put in the same situation I hope I am held to this regard also.
4. A home- Not just a shelter that covers my head and not a 40 room mansion but a true home that I can't wait to get to after work or any other travels that we may take. I think Love can even make a cardboard box a home.
5. A job- Not the best job in the world but definitely not the least and I have been blessed with the wisdom to know that even on my worst of worst days that there is worst out there and to stick out the hard times swallow my pride to support my family. These days you are truly blessed if you have a job.

I would like to thank all my family and friends for there work and effort through the Holiday Season. I know that it is not easy to take time from your busy schedules to spend time with us and I am truly blessed to have the family and friends that we do.

I have heard several at my work say that they dread getting together with family or in-laws or what not and I can't really say that I have ever dreaded this and that is something to be thankful for also.



On a religious note I also would like to say that I am so thankful that God loved a sinner like me enough to sacrifice His one and only Son so that I have a choice to one day make it to heaven. I know that I am not perfect and I know I have a long way to go and all of us is sinners from the very get go but for someone to give His life to give me a chance........ I am truly blessed.

What Now???

While I was running up town to take my tire to get patched, I noticed that the city had the road blocked. When I returned home, I went inside to notice that we had no water. Holy crap what else can stop working. The only thing that has not been disrupted around here is the natural gas. Knock on wood. I am sure that it will crap out sometime this week.

Out of the Dark Ages

For the last 2 days we have been with out a phone. We have resorted to using our cell phones for everything. Also this early morning around 3:45 am some yaahoos slammed their car into a utility pole at Kings Hill Road near us knocking out power to 2 small towns. Ours (Poe Dunk) and the one to the East.... We will call it BFEville. The power was supposed to be restored around 8 am but didn't get back on until till about noon. Someone said it was a couple of girls that stole a car for a joy ride. You know women drivers.../cringe for the slap from Brando.

It was hell without power. I mean like we couldn't sleep because the fans wasn't running, the alarm clock didn't give me that warm glow to check the time every 10 minutes or so, we couldn't get online to check email and blogs, Brando couldn't harvest her farm on Face book, the chickens couldn't lay and the toilet wouldn't flush. Damn those electric toilets!... and whats with those chickens??? Oh well we got home with a dial tone in the phone and some spark in the wires and we are back in the 21st century.

Now if I can figure out how to get my stupid alarm clock to quit blinking 12:00 I will be set.

Have a Happy New Year!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

On my Christmas break, I have enjoyed a great many things. First we went to Kentucky to visit my folks and also spent some time with Pilot, Needles, Ragged and Kdense. Thanks for all the gifts. They were very thoughtful and nice. It was really nice to catch up with family.

While visiting my folks I made sure to take along my Christmas movies that are a must for this time of year. I took Snow Day, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story and Christmas with the Kranks. I think I finally got my fill for Christmas Movies this year.

Christmas morning was a big hit for the kids. I think that Santa was right on the mark with all of his gifts. Yuri asked us how Santa knew he wanted a castle when he didn't even tell anyone he wanted one. I told him that Santa has been in this business for a long time and is good at his work.

Yin got a Leapster and has had her head buried in it since we turned it on this morning. Yuri also got a computer game that he has been playing for a while today.

We didn't leave the house all day and our friends down the road dropped off our gift which was a custom made calendar of my yard haunt and a big plate of homemade candy. I'm gonna be as fat as a cow when I go back to work.

I was really good this year because I got a nice hooded coat, sleeping pants, clothes, a drill and light set, money and season 7 of Scrubs on DVD. I must have been very good to get this stuff. Brando will post what she got for being a good girl this year.

Ho Ho must have done a really good job this year because both kids have basically vanished into their rooms toys in hand and haven't been heard from since. Brando not being one to let the tree set there with nothing under it yelled, "TIMBER!" after the tree was robbed of its ornaments and promptly shoved back in the box for next year.

Merry Christmas everyone.

READY OH SO READY!

I am ready for vacation. I am suppose to get out of here at 3:30 pm but the way things go you just never really know. I don't mind working over if I have to but I hate hate hate the call-outs. Officially my vacation does not start until 11:00 pm Sunday night so they can call as much as they want to until then. However I have been called out on vacation before and was stupid enough to come in thinking they would be thankful and greatful for me giving up a couple of hours to help them out. That will never happen again.

I am ready to head South the my folks house. I hope we get Yin well enough to travel. She has been suffering from a very colorful stomach bug. She showed us her digestive pyrotechnics last night twice in the van, once in the hallway and a couple of times on the couch. Brando called and said she seems to be doing better.

We have cleaned all the stomach paint that was so artfully displayed all over the house with towels. I think we are out of clean towels now. Lets hope the onslaught is over. If she has the same thing as a fellow co-workers child had we are in for a second wave from the other end.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is a very stressful time for most but I know I put a lot of stress on myself from stuff I can not control and in retro spec really don't matter too much. I have been trying to remind my self to ask myself a question when I find myself obsessing over something. I ask myself will it really matter a year from now? If the answer is yes then continue with the obsession but if not try to drop it from your thoughts. I know....Easier said then done.