Saturday, January 7, 2023

We're in Business


 

We are officially back up and running across the board now. The new water line worked and held this time but I only ran it at about 75% full open pressure just in case. I filled all the stock tanks and then shut and drained the line again to let the glue set a bit more. It will probably be another week or longer before I need to fill em again so better be safe than sorry at this point.

And ya I stole that pic cause it looks just like one of my old Romney cross girls. Much more snow than we typically get more than once a year around here though.

I had meant to get most everything done and caught up yesterday but got slammed at work and didn't get back to the Small-Hold until dusk. Another reason I hate Winter is the short afternoons and evenings. I am always short on time. So I spent all day today getting everything back in order and restocked as much as I could...IN the sleet, rain and snow anyway.  

The sheep are down to their last bale and a half of hay so I need to put a few more out for them, somehow one of my Summer use only water tanks got turned back over, filled halfway with water than cracked in half at some point due to freezing. Also we have been targeted by some chicken predator who picked off two of my hens this last week as well. I cannot say for certain if the construction work across the road has anything to do with my chicken issues but I have lost more chickens this Fall and Winter than I have in the last 5 or 6 years combined. Maybe they disrupted and destroyed too much local habitat hunting grounds and the predators moved over here? I also keep going back to the reports I had from several neighbors driving down the road that would stop and tell me my chickens were running around out there only for me to point to my birds 10 feet away in the yard. I kinda wonder if there wasn't a feral flock over there I did not know about.

Gonna have to raise some chicks this Spring for sure. If a person can even get em come Spring. Otherwise I will need to break out the incubator I guess.

At this point it isn't even mid January yet and it is pretty obvious to me that unless work or the weather begin cooperating (or both) I ain't getting squat done on my projects this Winter. Won't be long until it will be time to start designing and starting the new seedlings. 

Sometimes I wish I could just go into hibernation from November to Mid February and avoid this cold, uncomfortable destructive season.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!


 

7 comments:

  1. That is excellent news about the new water line! What a relief, eh? Doesn't seem fair to have weather and chicken predator problems to offset it.

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    1. Leigh - I have been blessedly mostly chicken predator free for years and years now. Looks like that era has ended. :(

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  2. Good to hear PP!!!

    Hey - why not dispense with the incubator and do it right? I figure about a 1/2 dozen clucky bantams should be able to produce all the chicks you are willing to put up with... ;)

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    1. Filthie - Never been a big fan of bantams and free ranging but I may have to do away with free ranging now.

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  3. Bantams are excellent mothers indeed. Don't eat much either.

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    1. Michael - The real reason I like to let em range was for bug control I used to have an annual cricket migration that they would control very well.

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  4. PP, I have come to despise the early dark as well - not for the dark itself, but all I cannot get done.

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