Tammy's Bird Brain » chickens

farm update, running update & egg whoppers

Tammy — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:41:34 +0000

Happy Spring to everyone. It is so nice to see green poking out of the ground and to be outside in a t-shirt! Eva loves to be outside and lately we go out and she plays while I turn my compost pile. She loves to chase the ducks and chickens. By the way I have chickens again. Our neighbor wanted some so they asked if we would share the property. I also got 8 more baby chicks which are growing in my basement. One has died but it was sick. I am still trying to redeem myself from my last chicken fiasco. Remember those Silkie chickens I had? Well I only got 2 of those this time. I learned that Silkies are popular in Asia. Silkies have black meat and black bones. Their bones are ground up into a powder for medicinal purposes. Obviously I will not be using my Silkies in this way but who wants to eat black meat anyways?

My compost is looking and smelling great if anyone cares. Remember my leaves anyone? Well now they are one big pile and I turn it daily. I get ridiculously excited about my compost and how great it looks. As I was turning it yesterday I saw the steam coming out of the center and if you know compost that is a good thing because it means the middle is getting hot and things are working and that’s why you have to turn it. I know, i know, it is weird to be this excited and it is weird for me to actually be typing this out but this is my first time composting and it is actually working. I also get really excited because the chickens love my compost pile and they go scratching around in it and poop all over it and poultry poop is good for composting. Woo hoo!!!

I will get some pictures so that you all can see how amazing it is.

I am so happy that the time has changed with daylight savings and now I can spend more time outside and I have time to run after work. Over the weekend I ran in a race in Moab, Utah. Moab is one of the most beautiful places in Utah and I love running there. I have been there for the past four years during this race. Moab hosts a half marathon and a 5 mile. I have always ran the half but this year I decided to listen to my body and run the 5 mile instead. I was sad and it was hard for me to switch but running a race when you are not ready is miserable. Last time I ran a half when I wasn’t ready my knee gave out and I wasn’t about to do that again and I promised myself I wouldn’t. So I kept my promise and ran the 5 mile. Usually we run this race with a lot of friends but this year it was just me and Clint. It was lonely at the start without someone to hang out with and it was cold. It took 3 miles for my feet to warm back up and then I only had 2 miles left. I finished and thought “That was way too short!”. I realize 5 miles is a long way but this time it was like a blink of an eye. I pushed myself and did it in 43 minutes which is actually good because the first mile was a 10 minute mile. So I was running an 8:45 minute mile. Not bad for not much training.

I did learn something really important this weekend and I am so grateful for it. I learned that I really love running. I have ran for years and a lot of the time I have wondered why I do it. It is a battle for me to keep at it and I find more reasons not to run then to run but this weekend I realized I really do enjoy it. I was so sad not to be able to run the half; I missed the signs counting down the miles, the stops at the water stations, the goo (energy pack), being motivated by the runners around me, getting choked up by the runners around me, and most of all I missed pushing myself to the finish line and being sweaty and tired and sore. I missed all of that and it made me sad though I am happy to know that I really love it.

At the moment I am very sick. I have a headache and a stomach ache and my tongue hurts. All from those egg whoppers that are in stores now for Easter. I love those things and I can’t stop eating them. I CAN”T STOP!!!! Really I can’t! They are so good.

deep snow on the farm

Tammy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:47:58 +0000

Have I mentioned that I love where I live right now? I live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom cottage that is surrounded by a huge yard that has about 8 huge, old trees on it and then behind the house is 2 more acres with a barn. The driveway wraps around behind the house which I love and the garage is not connected to the house; it sits back and to the side of the house. The trees are so old that one is perfect for a tree house and I am trying to convince my father-in-law, who is an engineer and whose engineering company I work for, to engineer me one.

Anyways, I have big plans for my little farm. I have already added ducks and geese. I have plotted out my garden (in my mind) and have been getting the leaves ready for it. We are thinking about raising a cow and we are definately getting more chickens come spring. (Did you catch the farm talk I just typed?) Ya, so I am a small time farmer but I love my farm cottage so much it makes me smile when I think about it.

Today when I got home from work I pulled in and hopped out of the car and immediately called for my two cats (see I am totally a farmer). The thing that is disappointing with my cats is that they are not really farm cats and they aren’t mousers. They don’t even kill spiders for me. Anyways, I called for my two cats and the long legged one immediately bolted through the door but my little butter ball Grey I could barely make out beyond the fence in the back yard. I forgot to mention it snowed a lot today and there was about a foot of snow on the ground. I called to Grey and she called back but wasn’t moving. The snow was too deep and she had given up trying when she saw me and decided to just cry for help. I went out to her and picked her up. Her whole underbelly was covered in snow. It made me smile and she seemed grateful. I am totally a farmer and I just saved one of my animals from certain doom.

On a sort of related note; my mom and step-father are going on a church mission to Johannesburg, South Africa so I am watching their two cats while they are gone. These cats ARE farm cats and I look forward to the many gifts of half eaten animals they will bring me (not really). These cats are professional mousers and I am so glad not to have to worry about mice getting in my cottage.

So now I am snuggling up on my couch with the lights on my dead Christmas tree casting a happy glow and the snow outside silently falling. This is when I love snow. When I am cozy and warm in my house and the snow is softly falling around me.

Tomorrow morning I will feel differently.

And then there was one or Mother nature’s a bitch

Tammy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:16:46 +0000

I have one chicken left.
If you recall I started with six.

The first death occurred about four days in when a stray cat ate the top half of one of the chicks. I went outside just in time to find the bottom half and the other five cowering in a group watching their friend die.

The second one didn’t die immediately but got hurt when the temporary pen blew over in a storm and landed on it breaking its hip or back. His fate will come soon.

The third got eaten by, I believe, the same stray cat. I found its wings and feathers in our hay pile.

The fourth and fifth I found dead in my yard as I was returning home from work. They were shaken to death by a dog.

The chicken that got hurt hobbled around for a while until it couldn’t hobble any more and then it just sat around and it was so sad. Teresa came over to assess the situation since she has a lot more experience than me with chickens. She delivered me the suspected news that the chicken was in bad shape and would not get better. She helped me gas him and that is all the details I will give. It was so sad but I am so glad he is not in pain anymore.
Thank you so much Teresa, seriously I don’t know what I would have done.
Well, I probably would have had my father-in-law kill him and it would not have been that gentle.
It is great to have a friend who will cry with you over chickens.

I buried all of them under a tree in my yard.

And then today Teresa and I ate at Chick-Fil-A together.
Do you think that is wrong?
Chick-Fil-A is just so good!
Seriously.

I am still looking for the owner of the dog. I know which dog it is because I caught him hanging out in my shade one day. I will go tell that owner that they can’t let their dog run around wild. I realize that the dog was just being a dog but dogs can’t just run wild.

Now I have one lone chicken who is very lonely and I will have to find him a friend.

My dad always says,”Mother Nature is sure a bitch isn’t she?”

One time I tried to save a Killdeer chick that the mother had left behind and I called my dad and he told me to put it back where I found it because it wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t teach it how to be a Killdeer. I put it back and I heard it peeping the whole day and the next day it was gone. Probably killed by a cat. It was so hard to not rescue that chick. My dad repeated that famous line to me and I have to say I do agree.
She is a bitch.

I just proof read this post. It is a little pathetic and funny. It is ok if you laugh at it. I know my chickens are happy and healthy in heaven they won’t care.

Egoism At Its Finest

Tammy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:31:00 +0000

I was tagged and I can’t resist discussing myself. You should try it sometime.

What is your current obsession? chickens

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love? Coldplay (check out the old post about it)

What are you wearing today?

What’s for dinner? Homemade Salsa

What would you eat for your last meal? Most likely I couldn’t decide on one so my captures would either decide for me or not give me one. But in the event that I actually did decide…..today I will say a strawberry nutella crepe sprinkled with powdered sugar and then a brownie with ice cream for desert covered in butter sauce.

What’s the last thing you bought? Air Supply tickets for Friday night!!!!! Don’t be jealous you can come.

What are you listening to right now? the A/C

What do you think of the person that tagged you? She let’s me know that I am a self absorbed idiot and rude to all the people around me. So basically……she completes me. Love you Teresa.

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? This is funny but it really is Moorea which is French Polynesia……all right it is Tahiti OK!!!! Yes, I am that cliche but I have been there twice and that is the only place I have been that if I could have I would have never come back.

What is one of your hobbies? running in races

What is one way you don’t want to die? Being eaten by a wild animal

What are 3 things that annoy you most?

Only 3 things!!!????? I need more time to make a list and decide which are the top three!!!! OK, off the top of my head………

People who are turning right and won’t get over on to the shoulder of the road and they take their sweet time and you can’t pass them and you just have to wait for their sorry asses to turn!!!!!

People who think because they have a degree that means they are smarter than everyone else and have an excuse to make they feel stupid.

People who enunciate every letter in every word. I don’t know if this is an attempt to try to get rid of their accent but I do think it is an attempt to teach all those around them that they are all saying everything incorrectly. Just because the word gratuity has two T’s does not mean I have to take the time to pronounce both of them. It sounds stupid.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe? my 6 small, men’s, v-neck Hanes t-shirts. No hugging, just comfort.

What is your dream job? blogging for a living

Describe your personal style. classic

What are you going to do after this? attempt to work but probably take a vacation day.

What is your favorite “happy hour” at Sonic? Ocean water

What inspires you? good movies

Who was the last person you kissed? Eva or Clint

What are you currently reading? Life of Pi

What delighted you most today? waking up to the sound of Eva playing in her crib

By what criteria do you judge a person? If they get my sense of humor. If they don’t then I usually don’t hang around for long. If you don’t get me I have the opinion that you are really missing out. 99% of the time I am sarcastic so if you are ever wondering about my tone default to that.

What is the stupidest movie ever made? it has to be Freddy Got Fingered but I haven’t see that so one I’ve seen…..Knocked Up………Ghosts of Girlfriends Past…………..Made of Honor………I could go on and on.

I tag … Everyone who reads my blog. Hey, remember, it is a free post idea.

The rules: 1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.

By The Way……

Tammy — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:18:00 +0000

My armpits are still hairy.

I haven’t showered in ages (Sunday night) but I had a wet wipe bath this morning.

Now my legs are now hairy too.

I haven’t been on time to work at all this week.

I haven’t been training for the MARATHON I am running in October.

I haven’t eaten breakfast in who knows how long so my immune system is weakened and I am getting sick.

A stray cat killed a baby chicken so I built a chicken wire/PVC pipe shelter for them and they are doing swimmingly well.

Yes, I am whining.

Wo, wo, wo is me.

Chickens and Bull Shit

Tammy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:29:00 +0000

I got some chickens. I am so urban chic……aren’t I?

I actually don’t know what that means but it sounds cool so whatever.

Here they are…….

They are Silkies and will someday look like this…

(photos by josh)

If that is not urban chic than I don’t want any part of it.

We have a billion box elder bugs that are everywhere so we got these cute things to help us. I don’t like pesticide so was excited to find out chickens could do all the work. Plus my little cottage will look so cute with chickens wondering around pecking at the ground. Now all I will need is some mice which I will make clothes for and some birds who will bathe me.

very far side note: when I see resumes with “B.S. in blah blah blah”…… I think B.S. stands for Bull Shit and I have to remind myself it stands for something else. When I do resumes for the company I work for I type out “Bachelor of Science” so we aren’t associated with Bull Shit.

Though I think some degrees are bull shit but I will let you decide which ones.

Love, love, love. It’s easy…..dum, dee, dum………..dum, dee, dum.

All you need is love.