Thursday, August 12, 2010

Will the chickens earn their keep? Even a little?

We shall find out!


I had fun painting the sign. To be honest I love having the chickens so much I don't mind if we don't sell a single egg, but even now with just half of them laying and giving eggs away we still have lots, so when all of them are laying we'll have a total glut!
There are, however, some downsides of having chickens, I think I found the biggest one this morning! There I was happily cleaning the chicken house. I thought there was a rather unpleasant dead smell around the place but hadn't been able to find anything. I put new bedding in some of the unused nesting boxes, then I thought I would nail some wood up to make the entrances a bit narrower ( they were too high!) To do this I had to move the grandpa feeder. WELL! Under it was the most huge (dead) rat I have ever seen. I am not good with dead things, rats and mice. A dead rat is one of my worst nightmares, a stinky, dead rat probably is my worst nightmare. I am surprised Lloyd didn't hear me scream in Kaitaia ( 1 hour drive away) ew! it was totally horrible. I had to get a fork ( couldn't find a spade) and then fling it over into the paddock, I had this rather hysterical giggly moment as I imagined it coming off the fork the wrong way and landing on my head.  Is this too much information?
This was on top of already finding 2 of the chickens in the veggie garden this morning because the tree they roost on is so tall they flew over the fence! I decided I better prune it, so 2 hours later, chicken poo all over me and in my hair, on my face and even perhaps a little in my eye ( it was stingy!)  it was done. Then I only had the branches to clear up. 
 I have had 2 showers this morning.
Welcome to my world
 

12 comments:

  1. oh sorry Laura, couldn't help but smile at the image this brings! Tomorrow will be better?!
    PS you are lucky there are no snakes.... you should have seen me when I opened the nesting box lid to find a b i g carpet python curled up in there!! with a chook in its belly! yuk yuk yuk

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  2. I forgot to say ... good luck with the eggs! I'm sure they will sell well.

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  3. Oh Wendy!! ew ew ew ew ew! That may have ended me!

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  4. Haha! Don't you just love the country life?

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  5. Anonymous1:43 pm

    The sign is great. I hope you sell lots of eggs. Dead rat - oh my.

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  6. Better dead and stinky than running over your gumboot? Urrgh.

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  7. Ew, Ew, Ew!!! I totally *shuddered* when you said "RAT!" EEEEEeeeek!! I would have been running into the house to have the hubby come get rid of it!! LOL!

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  8. Ahhh yes, the joy of Country living!

    Love your blog. Your house transformation is a wonder.
    ~Carolyne

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  9. Anonymous3:45 pm

    Gotta love those chickens a whole lot to put up with dead rats and poultry poop, LOL!

    Liz

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  10. I'd like two dozen please, here's $11.

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  11. Alan and Penny8:13 pm

    As ever, very many thanks for all your e-mails and 'photos--they really do brighten up our day! And, poor you finding a rat; that's the only downside to poultry-keeping--vermin! Ugh!! I cannot imagine for what purpose they were created!

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I love it when you leave me comments, it lets me know there are folk out there reading my ramblings! Thank you, I appreciate them loads and loads
Laura x