Monday, February 1, 2016

Stupid Birds and Bad Paint Jobs





Today I got the beat up old brush guard and the air filter pipe and canister assembly painted. I also got the hood about halfway finished as well.

This would go a lot faster if I could.... 1. Paint for shit and 2. had some tape that would stick worth a damn.

Truth is if I had ever tried to be a body and paint man I would have starved years ago. It's funny too since I am really a pretty good artist and even made a living sculpting miniatures for various historical and fantasy games for a few years. Problem is there is more of a science to getting the paint on metal evenly than art or at least that's my excuse. Not saying good paint guys aren't artist by any means because they are, it's just they understand the science they must do first to get to the art I think.




Here's what that air filter canister and pipe looked like while I was cleaning and getting the rust off it. It actually turned out looking pretty good and the clear plastic top cleaned up nice and I painted the band that holds the oil reservoir gray for contrast.

Where I really suck at painting though are the larger pieces like the hood. I had to start with it flipped over and got many runs. Runs in my paint is my biggest issue usually and why I hate painting sheet metal.




If you look closely you can see the evil runs. My other issue is that even though it is really warm for February the paint is still taking forever to dry and harden properly and I am running out of space. I had to paint the hood in the shop and I really didn't have room to get a good paint spread while painting it.

I am going to paint the center red section of the hood with a brush so it's going to take a few coats to get the brush marks out of it as well.

The stupid chicken antics continue to follow this project around like midget clowns running after a small car.

I had some parts from the air filter assembly soaking in a pan of kerosene and one of the Red sexlink hens came up and decided to take a drink. This morning I used a paint stick to stir up the rad paint and then dropped it on the ground only to come back and find one of the Red Sexlink hens attempting to eat the stick.

She now has a red beak.




We got three or four of these Red Sexlink hens that have zero survival sense. They come out from the protected barn lot and just wander around any old where completely oblivious to the world around them. We already lost one who walked right out in front of a car and this morning when I got back from buying tape the neighbor's dog had one in his mouth.

He didn't hurt it though as he is a big old stupid lab and was just trying to take it home I think. I honked the horn at him and he dropped the bird and came over to me with a stick. The bird appears to be fine I checked her over for injuries and found none and she is still eating every time I go out to check again.

When the other hens see a dog or hear a car any where near them they run/fly to the barn lot but not these couple of Sexlinks.

Last night Mrs. PP asked me if Turkeys would get along with chickens. I didn't think much about it at the time but the fact she asked that has been bugging me all day. I got a feeling she is up to something.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!


22 comments:

  1. omg! Last year when I was out painting my coop, mine would try to drink the paint. I had a banty rooster with red on his feathers because he kept messing around the paint cans...what a ding dong! lol

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    1. JuGM - Some of these damned hens are just odd. They try and peck at everything.

      Least I will be able to tell red beak apart for a while.

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  2. Please note: Blackhead is a single celled organism(Histomonas meleagridis), and has the potential to damage the liver of turkeys and gamebirds. The cecal worms, a common parasite found in chickens, acts as an intermediate host for the Blackhead organism. Raising chickens away from turkeys and game birds is a good preventative measure in controlling Blackhead Disease.


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    1. Anon - I had read about that disease some time ago but forgot about it. Thanks for the info maybe it will deter the Mrs. from bringing home some surprise turkeys :)

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    2. I was told not to mix turkeys and chickens because of this though I have seen it done but I decided not to do it unless i could keep them far apart which hasn't happened yet. I think that of all farm raised meat, turkey is the one I could do without.

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    3. Sf - The wife says that is we don't have it in the area it's not suppose to be a problem. Now I love me some turkey but I am not thrilled about adding them to the place right now for sure.

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  3. Turkeys? Mrs. PP? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

    Kurt

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    1. Kurt - No kidding. It's bad enough with all the damned chicken's pooping all over I can't even imagine turkeys.

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    2. I don't know turkeys but a friend got a fozen one year and the 1st good rain they all stood out in it looking up with beaks open. A couple drowned that way. Each time it rained he had to confine them indoors. I suspect its because his came from an intensive turkey op and generations of confinement bread the stupid into them.

      Exile1981

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    3. Yea, but I also meant that it she got you to do that, what's next? Goats? Cows? Pigs? Alpacas? All the above and more? You'd need 36 hours in a day. ROTFL

      Kurt

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    4. I meant a dozen turkeys not fozen turkeys... i'll blaim the cold meds.

      Exile1981

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    5. Kurt - Well we won't have goats. Someone gave us one over the Summer and she was an adorable goat that hung out with me while we had her but keeping goats with sheep, especially a lot of sheep is not a good idea. Sheep have much harder skulls than goats and unless the goats have horns (which is a whole other problem) the sheep can hurt one bad. I would like to get a pig myself!!!

      Truth is though she often asks if she can get other critters and I always say NO!!! For the reason you mentioned.

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  4. I actually read about keeping Turkeys in Storey's book on Poultry last year (actually, a pretty good book if you are looking for a general text). I was surprised to realize how many different kinds of turkeys there were.

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    1. TB - Ya there is this pretty kinda burgundy and white breed the Mrs. and my mother really like which I think is why they were asking.

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  5. Lay a light dusty tack coat on first and wait. This will keep it from running. When it is almost dry spray it on a litter heavier. Then a final coat. Don't try to do it all at once. Especially in cold weather. I'm no expert, but I have painted a couple of planes.

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  6. i never suspected you to be a sculptor!
    read 'confessions of a crazed cattlewoman' to see their fowls, all types being raised together.

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    1. DH - OH I was quite good at it back in the day. About 15 years ago I did a small line of American Rev war greens (Greens meaning the originals that are then made into molds) for a company that I think is still around. My real problem was I was too slow. My sculpts were pretty good but it took me about four times longer than others. Such is life.

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  8. Enjoy your turkeys! Look into copper sulfate for preventing blackhead disease.

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  9. PP,

    I find if there's something we want to paint, then the work comes out really nice. However, when it's something we "HAVE" to paint the work comes out crappy.

    Don't think chickens and turkeys can be put together in the same coop.

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  10. Put some Penetrol in your paint Preppy.
    No brush marks baby try it you'll thank me.

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