Chickens and all things fowl

[W.Lynn]

Some baby alpaca would probably be nice, I wonder what I could get for undyed yarn locally?

Had such a laugh at a town square event a long while back, my daughter actually found someone selling tiny versions of drop-spindles, and I could spin with them. The sellers were fascinated, they sold them as decor, and neither had ever seen one in use!

[hsehntr98]

Joyce and Lynn I have some roven from some sheep that belongs to one of the ladies in my fiber arts network group and I also have a spindle to try and spin the wool. I tried spinning it on a spinning wheel to see if I wanted to invest in a wheel, but I'm not sure yet. I'm also going to try weaving to see if I want to do one or the other.

[W.Lynn]

I have at least one entire fleece I haven't even touched yet, kind of makes me wonder if my current washer is big enough? My dad's new machine that agitates with just the basket, no central agitator post thingy, would be ideal.

[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

I have at least one entire fleece I haven't even touched yet, kind of makes me wonder if my current washer is big enough? My dad's new machine that agitates with just the basket, no central agitator post thingy, would be ideal.

That's exactly the type of washer I have. It's just a big ole stainless steel drum with no center post. It agitates from the outside in.

[redman2006]

Joyce, pm me your contact info. I have two big assed bags of llama fleece at my clinic. I need to ship them out to someone. it is either your or Kick. Since his dogs eat everything, he might not like that.

[W.Lynn]

But ... it's high fiber! Kick's dogs would be crapping felt for a month!

[kickstand]

At least the yard should be soft to walk on....

[redman2006]

If he could teach them to crap yarn, he would have an etsy business.

[Boston_Joe]

While looking in on a hen and come day old chicks in my brooder box I noticed something that didn't belong. Once I got it out I realized that it be long!
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It is as long as I am tall.
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[Joyce Hoffman-Gayley]

Well, that's interesting. Looks like a common rat snake to me. Probably wouldn't bother the chicken but might eat the chicks and any eggs you have in there. Won't hurt you though. We keep them out of the henhouse but don't kill them because they take care of any rodents in the area. BTW how the hell did it get wedged behind the hardware cloth???

[Boston_Joe]

It was a rat snake. I typically leave them alone but have a zero tolerance rule for any I find in the coop. I have chicks in the box just in front of where he was. Plus more chicks about 10 days old running around free range with a momma hen. Not to mention the nesting boxes are just below the brooder boxes. The brooder boxes are movable. Currently they are sitting on an elevated counter top and are pushed against the wall. It must have climbed up and found just enough room to get behind the box. I'm not sure if it was stuck behind there but I had to pull the box away from the wall to it out.

[redman2006]

I like the rat snakes around here. They also eat poisonous snakes. I keep finding sheds in my yard, but no snake yet. It should be about that size. If my wife finds it where it does not belog, it will look like yours.

We also have chick's. About 5 day old meat birds.

Lost over 1/2 of the layers and every damned guinea to some sort of predator. Everything is locked up again.

[Boston_Joe]

I haven't lost a bird to a predator in a while. Last was a hawk that took down one of my orpingtons. We've got an over abundance of roosters at the moment I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

We have crows stealing eggs. The hens like to lay in the area we keep the horse hay. The crows have access...

[redman2006]

I have a truly vicious rooster. It did not help one bit. One more attack on my legs, and his name is dumplings

[W.Lynn]

redman, if you have any other roosters at all (even a handful of half grown ones,) why wait? You want to let him pass on the stupidity that has him attacking the provider/protector?

Oh shit, your rooster is a far-left, stupidly violent, feel-the-bern, liberal!