Yesterday was an interesting day... but maybe I should back up a few first. This past weekend I was up north for a wedding and thankfully our neighbor took care of the chickens. Last week it started raining, twice real hard to the point that my swale filled up to the top. When I got back from the wedding, the ground was wet and the swale was once again filled up... my response: "Cool, it's working!"
Monday, it rained again. I went out and put down straw in the chicken tractor to help them stay dry. Yesterday, it rained again... at this point, there was hardly a spot in the yard I could do without stepping in an inch or two of standing water = PROBLEM! (We have gotten over 2.6inches of rain in the past week! - according to the weather underground)
Chickens internal body temperature is higher than humans... somewhere in the 107-8°F range. Therefore, getting wet can get them sick! Last night Amanda helped me move the chicken tractor to a dry spot... involving her in the tractor motivating the chickens to move, so I don't run them over, will they got to the dry spot. We then added a tarp over the entire tractor and put down more straw. All of which was done in the pouring rain...
Thanks babe, we both know I couldn't have done it without you!
Before all of the chicken drama took place, however, I had to run to Tractor Supply to pick up another bag of chicken feed...
As an aside, the 700lbs I first purchased is gone and my spare 50lb of Purina is also gone, as of this morning. Friday I have a neighbor taking me out to get feed from a local Amish guy, so hopefully my bag from yesterday will hold me over till then!
So I bought my bag of feed and some oyster shells (those chickens go crazy when I throw egg shells in the tractor, so I figure some extra calcium might do them good) and then checked their price on T-posts to steak up the fruit tree's I just ordered... but none were out where they normally were... so I paid for the feed and shells and took them out to my truck. Out in the parking lot I noticed bundles of T-posts! I checked the price and headed back in to pay for ten of them... these things have thousands of uses... it's hard to imagine having too many!
As I paid for them, the cashier asked the manager to help me load them... "That's weird, I can do it myself just fine" I thought to myself... "Hmm, maybe they don't trust me?"
So I picked up the two bundles and tossed them effortlessly into the truck (sarcasm?) while the manager watched. He then asked if I wanted clips, which I graciously accepted. So off he went to get them, giving me time to think... that's dangerous!
After he brought them back I asked him about all the plants that disappeared, as I was hoping to buy another blueberry bush from him. He had a phone call coming in so he quickly told me that anything on the pallets on the side were going to be thrown out and I could take whatever I wanted... SCORE!
I came home with 1 very alive blueberry (and 3 pretty sure they are dead ones), 3-4 different grape vines, a Magnolia bush for my babe, and at least four fruit tree's including a quite alive plum, a torn up apple tree and two trees that probably won't make it, but I grabbed them as it was worth a shot to save them!
Needless to say, I've got a lot of plants to plant... what a terrible problem!
Once again, thank you babe for your help... I love you :-)
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