Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[glenn kangiser]

... or maybe she was just eggsausted....

[considerations]

Glenn, sometimes a tiny egg is a first egg.  Got any young hens out there?

[glenn kangiser]

No, considerations,  these hens have been laying for a couple years but a couple months ago they stopped laying due to short days I guess, so I put a light on a timer to come on at 4:30AM and then at least 4 of the 5 started laying again after a couple weeks. 

It is possible that she is the last one to start laying again. 

[waggin]

You know how the Federal Reserve claims they are not increasing the money supply, therefore devaluing the dollar and causing tangible things to be more expensive?  Through the theory of hedonics, they claim that today's much smaller egg is superior to yesterday's full-sized egg.  Coincidentally, the proportionate decrease in size equals the hedonic adjustment in improvement of the egg.  Therefore, you are getting the same benefit out of that smaller egg.  Happy now?

[EPriesing]

Yep Glenn you sure got some strange animals......

Your wee egg is probably tied to a molt and the winter.  Did they all loose a lot of feathers when they stopped laying?  We have had that happen during those times.  Although once in a while I would get a yolk egg....  all yolk no white and shell.  I have had a few that had two and three yolks....very big eggs....very loud chicken that day!  Our chickens lay green and blue eggs.

All our chickens went down to WV to stay with my brother-in-law, except for 1 who was still molting.  So she is still in the backyard by her lonesome.... She has layed only a few eggs since Nov, but I haven't put a light in the coop....  letting her concerve energy for heat over the winter.    Its pretty cold here in NH.
Interestingly,  the land we bought in WV has a an old coop on it...with an outhouse.   Getting ready for us?  We didn't know it was there.

Betsy

[glenn kangiser]

You know how the Federal Reserve claims they are not increasing the money supply, therefore devaluing the dollar and causing tangible things to be more expensive?  Through the theory of hedonics, they claim that today's much smaller egg is superior to yesterday's full-sized egg.  Coincidentally, the proportionate decrease in size equals the hedonic adjustment in improvement of the egg.  Therefore, you are getting the same benefit out of that smaller egg.  Happy now?

I have such a hard time buying into modern economic theories and mental steering by the fed, big business and the government.... I think I will try to refrain from being overly eggsited about that explanation...

[glenn kangiser]

Yep Glenn you sure got some strange animals......

Your wee egg is probably tied to a molt and the winter.  Did they all loose a lot of feathers when they stopped laying?  We have had that happen during those times.  Although once in a while I would get a yolk egg....  all yolk no white and shell.  I have had a few that had two and three yolks....very big eggs....very loud chicken that day!  Our chickens lay green and blue eggs.

All our chickens went down to WV to stay with my brother-in-law, except for 1 who was still molting.  So she is still in the backyard by her lonesome.... She has layed only a few eggs since Nov, but I haven't put a light in the coop....  letting her concerve energy for heat over the winter.    Its pretty cold here in NH.
Interestingly,  the land we bought in WV has a an old coop on it...with an outhouse.   Getting ready for us?  We didn't know it was there.

Betsy

I had expected them to molt heavily this year, Betsy, but they didn't lose many feathers like they sometimes do.  I had also started using the EM which I think has put them in much better condition.  They are looking good right now... if a chicken can look good.         hmm  Possibly to another chicken.... [idea]

I would guess that you have Araucanas then?  We had some but it seems they didn't lay as reliably as the Barred Rocks or Rhode Island Reds.  We had one feather eater in the bunch though that kept the others looking terrible all of the time.

Sounds like you have a good start with a coop and a dumper.... We started out here with an outhouse with walls only as high as the seat.  It was a pretty primitive place.  I put the walls on it after I mooned Sassy and in about 30 seconds the old timer California Overnite delivery driver walked up with a set of job plans for my work.... never heard him coming....

I don't think he caught my little indiscretion or likely he would have been running... but you never know... he may have been the strong silent type...

[waggin]

You know how the Federal Reserve claims they are not increasing the money supply, therefore devaluing the dollar and causing tangible things to be more expensive?  Through the theory of hedonics, they claim that today's much smaller egg is superior to yesterday's full-sized egg.  Coincidentally, the proportionate decrease in size equals the hedonic adjustment in improvement of the egg.  Therefore, you are getting the same benefit out of that smaller egg.  Happy now?

I have such a hard time buying into modern economic theories and mental steering by the fed, big business and the government.... I think I will try to refrain from being overly eggsited about that explanation...

It truly is a sick yolk that's being played on all of us. 

[Redoverfarm]

Yep Glenn you sure got some strange animals......

Your wee egg is probably tied to a molt and the winter.  Did they all loose a lot of feathers when they stopped laying?  We have had that happen during those times.  Although once in a while I would get a yolk egg....  all yolk no white and shell.  I have had a few that had two and three yolks....very big eggs....very loud chicken that day!  Our chickens lay green and blue eggs.

All our chickens went down to WV to stay with my brother-in-law, except for 1 who was still molting.  So she is still in the backyard by her lonesome.... She has layed only a few eggs since Nov, but I haven't put a light in the coop....  letting her concerve energy for heat over the winter.    Its pretty cold here in NH.
Interestingly,  the land we bought in WV has a an old coop on it...with an outhouse.   Getting ready for us?  We didn't know it was there.

Betsy

Betsy how far down in the Wild and Wonderful did you buy?

[ben2go]

Maybe the hen got half way through the egg making process and then gave up. 

[glenn kangiser]

The others may have stopped egging her on at that crucial moment.....

[EPriesing]

Glenn           Yes but they are the bastered version "Americauna's"...      I pretty sure one was a cross with the chocolate egg layer, very interesting color.  Most came out looking a camo green except for a blue one.  The other 5 are Barred Rock.  They picked up the slack.  But the Americauna's weren't far behind and I consistently had large eggs from them, but the pure breed only lays meds.
Here is a photo about 3 months into egg production in 2007....I seem not to have taken any other photos.....just ate them....   you can see alittle guy there...just starting to lay.


Redover    We bought a wee bit over 13 acres in two plots (4.2;9) in Augusta on a nice dirt road with a Alpaca Farm down a bit from it, Oh and by my brother-in-law and his horses.

Betsy

[Redoverfarm]

EPriesing know it well.  Hampshire County on Route 50 between Romney & Capon Bridge.  I lived at Greenspring/Springfield for a period of time.

[glenn kangiser]

Cool eggs, Betsy....and thanks for telling me what the Americaunas are.  I was wondering as there were chicks at the feed store and I never did find out what the difference was..... eggciting.....

[glenn kangiser]

Woke up to 7 1/2 inches of the nasty white stuff this morning.... went out to feed the cows - not there.  hmm

I started mooing for them and soon the first steer was making his way to the corral along the lower tree terrace, followed shortly by the bull and Beefsteak.....

Now .... where was Bossy Cow?    

I started mooing for her in my best imitation of cow talk and soon she answered back...

Still over on the other side of the property past the chicken pen.... and on the wrong side of the hot wire.  I made my way down the hill through the snow and dropped the hot wire to the ground where she promptly crossed then went up the hill the wrong way looking for the others.  The language barrier made my communications come out a little garbled so I headed up the hill to turn her around.   She was up on the other side of this tree....



I removed a snow covered limb from the hot wire and soon she was headed back in the right direction and talking to the boys in the corral.  No way I would beat her back there now so I didn't even try.

The old car was trying to stay warm in the garage with it's insulation of snow, while the other one shivered in the lower level.



Snow covered everything around the place so I took a few more pictures, threw a bit more hay and grain to the cows then headed up to clean the snow off of the solar panels.



Today must have been the day I was thinking about when I put the snow stops between the panels to prevent sliding snow from ripping the wires off of the panels and to give me a place to stand so I didn't slide off of the roof while cleaning the snow off of them.  Few worries about sliding off of the roof with the snow stops there.

Other than that, snow is kind of nice because it looks like I have cleaned the whole place up.  Even the artifacts have a nice clean look to them.




Now my turn to eat.. My parents were here last weekend and brought us some Russet potatoes from Klamath Falls, Oregon, so I fried a couple of fresh eggs, sliced two big potatoes into french fries, poured a bunch more grease in the pan and fried them to a crisp golden brown.  

Nothing left to do but smother them in salt and Ketchup and I was ready to get started on a good artery blockage... yummy.  

[PEG688]

Glenn you do more before 0700 than most folks do all day!

Nice photo's , those live Oaks look nice in the snow! 

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks, PEG, but I still feel pretty lazy... [ouch]

It is kind of nice for a bit to have snow... as long as it doesn't overstay it's welcome..

[Shawn B]

Would it be prudent to run the p.v. wires in conduit, so they won't get damaged by weather, and boots from misplaced footsteps? How about making a long handled brush so you can stand on the ground and not have to climb up there in slick conditions?

I'll take a framed signed print of that snow covered tree.

[glenn kangiser]

The wiring could be done a bit better Shawn, but as long as the snow is stopped from sliding there, they will not get damaged.  The only time I go up there is to install more panels and remove snow.  Other than where the snow stops are, all wires are under the panels.

It is about 14 feet to the top of the panels and about another 12 -14 feet to the ground on the low side, so it is a long way to the top from the ground.  Currently a ladder gets me right to the top of the panels but if I put the north side half of the roof on I will need to enter from my rooftop strawberry patch - guess I better make a ladder walk of sorts on that side if I do it too now that we mentioned it.

Sent you a high res copy of the tree pix in your e-mail.

[Texas Tornado]

Me too Glenn!!!
I Love trees 

[glenn kangiser]

It will be on it's way in a few seconds, TT.

[Shawn B]

Thanks for the high-res pic!


I forgot how high that roof was. But then I remembered the pics of you using the boom truck to set the panels.

[ben2go]

If I woke up to that,I'd go make love to my pillow (nap) until at least noon.

[glenn kangiser]

My pleasure, Shawn.   I had to get the roof high to clear my forklift, boom truck when down and to get the panels up enough that I did not need to cut trees down.   

Don't let it smother you, Ben..

[EPriesing]

Wow Glenn, glad we didn't get anymore snow this morning.   Your tree pic is a beauty!

John yep that road is pretty interesting to drive.  The area reminds me alot of the NH, but warmer.  I love mountain views.

Betsy