Bruce's Journal

Bruce

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Chicks at 4 weeks
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We've twice found Arcadia thinking she should be up on the roosts. The first night there were none of the older hens anywhere near her so we put her in the brooder with the other kids so she would have someone to cuddle with. The next night there were other chickens on that part of the roost and she was wandering around. I had to get Nuit out of a nest box. She had been in the broody buster in the next stall/coop but wanted out so bad she had bloodied her comb and a toe so I had let her out for the day. Never had a bird want out that bad. There got to be too much commotion so again Arcadia was put in the brooder area with her "friends". Last night the entire group of 6 was in a pig pile on top of the brooder area in the corner. Perhaps they will all move up to the roosts en mass.

Al, my wood supplier who said he wasn't cutting after last year (he's pushing 70) talked to me this winter and said he got bored and cut some wood so I could get my 4 cords this year. BUT, on Monday night he called to say he had it stacked and it wasn't near the 10 cords he thought he would have. So now I'm back to getting my wood for the year by other means. This tree was free, it was in the bottom of the truck that brought my (court forced) cut down sugar maple from the other house. So I cut it up, here are a couple of "mid work" shots, I still need to split and stack it. BIG (at least to me) tree but it is likely only about 2 runs. Lotta tree for a 16" "homeowner model" chain saw, fortunately I won't be cutting anything near that big again.
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Ornamental cherry in front of the barn by the road, the driveway circles around it, the chickens love the cherries in the fall.
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DW and DD1 have been planting pansies. Apparently DW wanting some pansies didn't mean an entire flat. Oh well. They planted the tulips last fall, the daffodils and other plants came with the house.
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Bruce

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I have some oaks here that really need to come down...ya can have all ya wish for free....just come and get it....I'll even help ya cut it up....:)
Thanks @CntryBoy777 but I don't think I can carry enough in my Prius to make it worth while.

We have one puny sickly apple (red, don't know the variety) tree in the yard. There were 4 but 3 died over the winter a few years ago. And there are a couple at the edge of the woods that look like they were planted by someone going by on a tractor. I think when I cut I will daylight those 2 trees since they are good size. I would like to have pear, plum and peach trees.
 

Bruce

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Chicks 1 day shy of 5 weeks. They all slept in their pig pile on top of the brooder again last night.
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3rd chick is a Golden Campine, then Betty (Welsummer) and the head of a Campine, the Barnevelder, Vienna, Arcadia and the Campines. The last chick is Vienna. I didn't pick her up, she jumped in my hand when I put it near the ground.

The chicken auto door was only half open this morning. I figured that after 2.5 years the two 6V lantern batteries were shot. I've been expecting that for the last 1.5 years! So I taped together the ones I bought 1.5 years ago and connected them to the door. No go but the door's battery status light shows green. I reconnected the old ones just to see and yes, the light is red. Those batteries read just shy of 11V. I put the new ones back on and slowly forced the door closed. It sounded like a hot water heat system valve motor when you force it to open the valve. I'll open the motor box and look inside but I doubt it is anything I can fix. Will probably have to order a new motor.
 

RollingAcres

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In this disposable world we live in....things aren't made to last forever....especially in the extremes ya have it working in....;)
If you make them last forever than you won't get to make money. Instead of making something that works and lasts, most companies make half a** stuff, so you can keep buying them and they can keep making money. :mad:
 

Bruce

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Got the door fixed. As usual, didn't do anything that should have been useful. I took the cover off and connected the old batteries to the contacts on the motor. The closed door tried to move. Reversed the wires, door opened. Reversed the wires, door closed. Put the cover back on and the door has been working fine. :hu
 

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