When Times Get Tough...

Set Eggs!

I had kind of a hard time this weekend. 

Not sure why but everything just seemed to catch up to me.

So, I set 7 more MFC eggs in my incubator!

I get so much pleasure just watching my chicks and it gives me something to look forward to. 

I almost couldn't  even do this because I couldn't get the 'bator up to 99.5 degrees.  It wouldn't go past 98.7 and that's not warm enough to hatch the eggs!  I was about to give up and just accept that my house is too cold (50 degrees) for my incubator to maintain the correct temperature, when 'Doc' suggested that I put a light next to the bator.  The lightbulb, next to the bator didn't give off enough heat but it  gave me the idea to do this:

I put the incubator IN a box (with the top left open) with a lamp with a 75 watt bulb above the box.

I even taped aluminum foil over the top opening of the lamp shade and raised the flaps on the box to trap as much warm air as possible. 

It worked!  The temp IN the box is 66 degrees and the incubator is holding steady at a perfect 99.5 degrees farenheit!  We'll have chicks in 20 days...

DREAM says...

"Be Still my Heart!!!"

Knock it off, Dreamer...

What's LUCK Got To Do With It...

Mom didn't win the random drawing for the nest box give away at the Life On A Southern Farm Blog.

The "winners" of the drawing for the free Hen Pals Nestboxes were  Chickenboys and  Donna, of Schoonover Farm .   They're names were  drawn from hundreds of entries from people longing to own one of those awesome, hand-crafted nest boxes made by the  "FarmMan" in Georgia.  They were LUCKY.

Typically, Mom doesn't have a lot of "luck".  In fact, she's not a big believer in luck.  Mom thinks she has to MAKE good things happen.  That is why she campaigned SO hard ~ heck, she even recruited ME to help out with her campaign ~ to win one of the nest boxes.   She asked friends that read her blogs to "vote" for her to win a nest box ~ and they DID!  Her daughters both voted for her and asked their friends to do so as well.  Mom probably had more entries in that drawing than anyone!  But her name still wasn't drawn.  So much for Luck.

Fortunatley, there are other factors that effect the outcome of events.  Factors like generous and caring Farmers/busnessmen who can relate to people who are struggling to make ends meet.  People like the FarmMan and his wife who didn't sell over 400 nest boxes this year because they were "lucky", but because they worked hard and created and marketed an excellent product!

No, Mom didn't 'get lucky'.  But the FarmMan and Pam were so impressed by her efforts to win one of their fabulous nest boxes and so appreciated Mom's abiltity to get the word out there about their awesome products  that they decided to GIVE her one, anyway!  Not the single-hole, standard size nest boxes that were being given away in the drawing either.  No  sireee!  They are giving Mom the three-hole BANTAM nest box that she has been drooling over for months!

Mom may not have the best of "Luck", but she's sure got great friends and wonderful kids!

She's got this beautiful 'farm' in the Bluff Country and Me and all my friends.  And she's got those stupid chickens with their really cool nest boxes!

Good Job, Mom!

Lucky chickens....

Well said, Dreamer!  I do want to thank Dream and everyone else who "campaigned" for me to win one of these fantastic nest boxes.  My wonderful daughters ~ who even posted on their Facebook pages! ~ and my loyal blog readers who 'voted' for me on the Southern Farm  Blog.  Thank You from the bottom of my heart!   And of course, I want to thank the FarmMan and his lovely wife, Pam for their generosity and all the hard work that they do to make quality products for our feathered friends.

Happy Holidays!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Except, I'm not Dreaming!

We got over 17 inches of snow last night and today it's blowing like crazy.

This was the view out my dining area window ~ looking out to the chicken barn in my back yard, this morning.  If you look closely, you can see the huge overhang of snow hanging off the roof out  the top windows. 

The window in my bathroom looks out over the back pasture.  The snow was plastered against that side of the house.  I truly felt "snowed in".

Bella was a little nervous about the snow piled higher than the door knob on the door to the back yard from the garage!

As I walked out to check on the sheep, it looked like they were pretty well snowed in as well!

The reality was there is a big drift in front of their barn but the snow was all blown away by the door and around the right side of the building.  Lucky sheep!

I only trudged out to Zorro's breeding group because Dream and her friends were all in the Big Barn and had plenty of hay for another day.

And it's REALLY cold out there!

The breeding group is still getting GRASS CLIPPINGS  that I saved from last summer.  They LOVE them!

Dilemma says...

"Uh-huh.  Yup.  That's right, we DO!"

I hope that everyone is safe and warm, where ever you are!

Tomorrow ~ DREAM in the snow...

Have Pity On Mom's Chickens...

"I'm only agreeing to do this post today because Mom says we're going to get a Blizzard and that there will be lots of 'Sheep In The Snow' pictures tomorrow!

Not that I'm a big fan of those feathery fur balls but if the chickens have got to take over MY barn the very least that Mom could do is provide them with a REAL Chicken Nest Box like the classy ones they make at "Life on a Southern Farm".   Mom's had her eye on one of these "Three hole Bantam Nest Boxes"  for a while but the whole 'job thing' kind of put a damper on that idea...Maybe she'll WIN one! You could even win one! Just follow the link to the Southern Farm and leave a comment and you might be the winner. (they're giving away TWO so Mom could still win one as well).                  :-)

If you don't need a nest box, leave a comment anyway and tell them that you'd like MOM (Nancy K.) to have the next box if your name is drawn. Now wouldn't than make you feel good?

Can you imagine the humiliation that Mom's poor chickens must feel, having to lay their eggs in a Cat Litter Box?!  How degrading!

These are supposed to be some kind of Super-Duper, World-Class chickens (at least to Mom!) and they have to use CAT  LITTER  BOXES ???

That is just so sad...

Then again, that's the LUCKY chickens!

The other ones get this:

or even THIS:

How Pathetic!  Those poor girls are on the FLOOR!!

How would you like to have your babies on the floor?

In a BARN???

Wait a minute!  I had MY babies on the floor ~ in the Barn! 

Next time, I'm campaigning for a  Luxury Motel!!!

In the meantime, please visit The Southern Farm and vote for Mom to get a nest box.  Or register to win one for YOUR chickens!"

OK, Mom,  you OWE me..."

I'm coming, Dreamer.  Just let me fill my pockets up with COOKIES...

I SO Have No Control Over My Life...

And sometimes that's OK.

This is what I found when I went out to feed the chickens and pet the sheep yesterday:

Did naughty Zorro break out of his pen and get in by the ewes?  You might ask.

No, No, NO!

That would be way too predictable!  No, naughty DAZZLE broke into Zorro's Pen!

Since the deed had already been done (literally as well as figuratively!) I decided I may as well make up a breeding group.  Alice had been standing outside the gate to Zorro's pen, making goo-goo-eyes at him again so I let her in.  And Dilemma.  And Chance.

I might be persuaded to add Destiny and Angel to the mix if either of them shows interest.And if Zorro doesn't have a heart attack trying to breed Alice!  (I've got photos!  It's hysterical!!) 

This is NOT what I had planned!

It's all Dazzle's fault!

BAD  Dazzle!

"But, he told me he LOVES   me!!!"

Aparently, there will be lambs in the Bluff Country next year, after all...

;-)

*********************

And CHICKENS! 
There will be chickens.
And they'll need NEST Boxes!!
Check out the Nest Box Give-away at
Life at a Southern Farm!
(but I'm gonna WIN!  I've got this under control...)