baymule
Garden Master
October has started with more than the usual amount of crazy that goes on in our lives. BJ is scheduled for hip replacement October 14 and is counting down. He is in pain, lurching around and very unhappy at being sidelined. The good news is that the doctor said that his recovery won't be near what it was for knee and shoulder replacement. That is good news, he will be able to get back in the swing of things sooner.
I had 45 Cornish Cross chickens, 15 were two weeks older. Slaughter date was NOW for the older CCX. I had 7 old laying hens to slaughter to make way for the 9 new pullets. So I called Neighbor Ron, offered him the laying hens for the freezer if he would come help slaughter them. He was happy to do so and we got them on their way to freezer camp at his house. I had given him 5 of the Cornish Cross chicks to raise and promised to help him slaughter them, so we did them next. I did this to teach him how to raise his own meat, he and his wife are both on disability.
I had also promised Neighbor Russell 10 CCX in trade for him keeping and feeding the steer we bought from him until the pigs went to slaughter. So Ron said he would help slaughter 5 of those too. We got'er done! I had 5 to do for Neighbor Robert and still 5 to do for Russell. When Robert was supposed to come over to help butcher his, workmen showed up to do a job he had waited for weeks to get done, so BJ and I did it, plus 1 more of Russell's. Then yesterday we did the last 4 of Russell's and got them delivered to their freezer. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I picked 280 jalapenos from 6 plants. My pig customer wanted canned jalapeno slices plus 5 dozen fresh for poppers, so I canned 7 quarts of jalapeno slices and picked out 6 dozen for poppers, delivered the same day. Plus I did 4 loads of laundry, I was on a roll. BJ asked where I was getting all that energy and I told him I thought I was just so happy it wasn't slaughtering chickens! Whew! I can take a breather now.
October 7, BJ goes for pre-registration, then a lunch that they provide, followed by a class on joint replacement. That sounds like an all day long appointment.
October 9, we meet DD halfway to pick up the 3 grand daughters, then meet again October 12 to return them. BJ gets a day to recover before going to surgery. Doctor says that he will be up and on his feet just hours after surgery and can go home the next day.
About the time he goes to surgery is when I need to butcher the remaining CCX. I may be a week or two late on that.......
Yesterday, I caught Sheba and Sentry chasing and mauling the 9 pullets. I got to them before they killed any, but 2 of the pullets were laying still in shock. I held them and revived the poor things. In the meantime, I locked Sheba and Sentry in the coop and the wrath of Hades descended upon them. I rolled up a paper feed sack and beat the crap out of both of them. Between my screaming, cussing and more screaming and their yelping like I poured hot boiling oil over them, we made quite a noise. I locked them both in a small pen after that and fed them there too. They usually come in the house every evening to eat, their privileges have been revoked. They are on lockdown and will attend the Class Of Non-Chicken Chasing until I am satisfied they have learned better and mended their evil ways.
We went through a pack upheaval several months ago, the recipients of all that was the guineas. The dogs whittled them down to 1, plus Robert's that flew over here to escape a snake. Boy, that was a dumb move! I never could catch the dogs killing the guineas, I did catch then chasing a few times and all were soundly scolded. Well THAT didn't do any good. Sentry was always curiously absent when I found yet another dead guinea. Sneaky little bastard. Sheba would chase and was a clueless dummy when scolded. So yesterday, catching them both in the act was a good thing. I did catch Trip with 2 in the same day and went ballistic on him, like I never have. He spent 3 weeks locked up in the back yard and came out, deciding killing guineas wasn't so much fun after all.
Sentry is the little kid that convinces all the other neighbor kids to throw eggs at cars, then hightails it home before the cops show up, leaving his cohorts in crime to take the heat. Catching him yesterday was vastly satisfying. Haha, gotcha' NOW!
I need to get outside, do chores, and turn the sheep in the garden for fall clean up.
I had 45 Cornish Cross chickens, 15 were two weeks older. Slaughter date was NOW for the older CCX. I had 7 old laying hens to slaughter to make way for the 9 new pullets. So I called Neighbor Ron, offered him the laying hens for the freezer if he would come help slaughter them. He was happy to do so and we got them on their way to freezer camp at his house. I had given him 5 of the Cornish Cross chicks to raise and promised to help him slaughter them, so we did them next. I did this to teach him how to raise his own meat, he and his wife are both on disability.
I had also promised Neighbor Russell 10 CCX in trade for him keeping and feeding the steer we bought from him until the pigs went to slaughter. So Ron said he would help slaughter 5 of those too. We got'er done! I had 5 to do for Neighbor Robert and still 5 to do for Russell. When Robert was supposed to come over to help butcher his, workmen showed up to do a job he had waited for weeks to get done, so BJ and I did it, plus 1 more of Russell's. Then yesterday we did the last 4 of Russell's and got them delivered to their freezer. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I picked 280 jalapenos from 6 plants. My pig customer wanted canned jalapeno slices plus 5 dozen fresh for poppers, so I canned 7 quarts of jalapeno slices and picked out 6 dozen for poppers, delivered the same day. Plus I did 4 loads of laundry, I was on a roll. BJ asked where I was getting all that energy and I told him I thought I was just so happy it wasn't slaughtering chickens! Whew! I can take a breather now.
October 7, BJ goes for pre-registration, then a lunch that they provide, followed by a class on joint replacement. That sounds like an all day long appointment.
October 9, we meet DD halfway to pick up the 3 grand daughters, then meet again October 12 to return them. BJ gets a day to recover before going to surgery. Doctor says that he will be up and on his feet just hours after surgery and can go home the next day.
About the time he goes to surgery is when I need to butcher the remaining CCX. I may be a week or two late on that.......
Yesterday, I caught Sheba and Sentry chasing and mauling the 9 pullets. I got to them before they killed any, but 2 of the pullets were laying still in shock. I held them and revived the poor things. In the meantime, I locked Sheba and Sentry in the coop and the wrath of Hades descended upon them. I rolled up a paper feed sack and beat the crap out of both of them. Between my screaming, cussing and more screaming and their yelping like I poured hot boiling oil over them, we made quite a noise. I locked them both in a small pen after that and fed them there too. They usually come in the house every evening to eat, their privileges have been revoked. They are on lockdown and will attend the Class Of Non-Chicken Chasing until I am satisfied they have learned better and mended their evil ways.
We went through a pack upheaval several months ago, the recipients of all that was the guineas. The dogs whittled them down to 1, plus Robert's that flew over here to escape a snake. Boy, that was a dumb move! I never could catch the dogs killing the guineas, I did catch then chasing a few times and all were soundly scolded. Well THAT didn't do any good. Sentry was always curiously absent when I found yet another dead guinea. Sneaky little bastard. Sheba would chase and was a clueless dummy when scolded. So yesterday, catching them both in the act was a good thing. I did catch Trip with 2 in the same day and went ballistic on him, like I never have. He spent 3 weeks locked up in the back yard and came out, deciding killing guineas wasn't so much fun after all.
Sentry is the little kid that convinces all the other neighbor kids to throw eggs at cars, then hightails it home before the cops show up, leaving his cohorts in crime to take the heat. Catching him yesterday was vastly satisfying. Haha, gotcha' NOW!
I need to get outside, do chores, and turn the sheep in the garden for fall clean up.
