We just ordered new chickens! 7 female light Brahmas. Last year we had 6 lovely ladies, 3 Brahmas, and 3 Orpingtons. They had an adorable little pink chicken tractor (pink because the paint was a cheap return at walmart) that we would move around the yard so they could peck and scratch and get rid of all the grubs in the backyard.
Backyard chickens are awesome. First off they give you free eggs. The Brahma's were great layers, we always had plenty. Secondly they are better than a garbage desposal for leftover scraps. Have some potatoe peels? give them to the chickens! Have some apple cores? Chickens love them! Have some leftover spaghetti? Now you're just spoiling them. And the more good things the chickens got the better the eggs were. Our chickens were happy and healthy and adorable to watch.
Than one day Hans happened. In my early pregnancy stupidity I left the back door cracked. Hans (our male GSD) is a very smart boy who checks these things. He spent that evening methodically killing our animals one after the other. 6 baby ducks, 6 young rabbits, 6 chickens(at the time we also had 2 cornish), and 1 turkey. We were left with just 2 of our beautiful chickens left, both Brahmas. They weren't the same. They were afraid of us and scared every time they saw the dogs. We decided to move them to our friend's home with his chickens so they could feel safer and because we were hoping to move. We also found Hans a wonderful new home with a family who didn't want any other animals.
As it goes with everyone, stuff happened. Our Jetta just about kicked the bucket and we needed a new vehicle. We found one at a great price for only 2 years worth of payments but it made us decide to wait on moving until it is completely payed off. Now we want chickens again. We miss having them and with Jarrod trying to eat Paleo our trash is full of bits and scraps of fruits and veggies. We really think that chickens could help us reduce our trash by at least a bag a week. And greatly decrease the amount of vermin tearing it apart while we wait for the trash truck to do it's weekly pickup.
We decided to get all Brahmas because they are a great breed. They are cold hearty but do fine in the warm weather as well which is important where we live. We can have lots of snow and cold weather in the winter and then weeks at a 100 degrees in the summer. They are great egg producers. They are also much smarter than the orpingtons, there is a reason 2 Brahmas survived Hans getting in while we lost all our Orpingtons.
I can't wait to get our new girls and will be sure to post pictures when I do!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Baby Stuff is Overwhelming
I am currently experiencing mommy-to-be buyer overload. Yes I already have on baby but there is still so much I am going to need for the next baby. First off George is still in his bed, so baby 2 has no bed. Then the question is what bed do you get? Another crib, a bassinet, a moses basket, a cosleeper?!? How are we supposed to make these decisions!? I have narrowed it down to a arm's reach mini cosleeper or a Kolcraft contours bassinet. But then what? I can't believe that most items for just the first 4 months of a baby's life are over $100!!! Forget it if you want something adorable that matches your nursery. How are people with normal salaries supposed to afford this stuff?
My biggest issue with the bed thing is that George is going through a phase. The "I want to sleep with mommy or I won't sleep at all" phase. I love my little guy to pieces but I am not a mom who likes to sleep and cuddle with her baby. Especially one who is 2, hooked up to a monitor (the cords are annoying), and who likes to pull hair and smack faces when he isn't ready to sleep. I felt insanely proud when I came up with the idea to remove the front of his crib and push our queen size up to the bed so he could still grab my hand in the middle of the night when he is scared (my son has night terror's don't even get me started on that) and still give me a half a bed to be comfortable. Especially now when I wake up a few times a night to roll over or run to the bathroom. I then realized that new baby will be nursing and need to nurse multiple times a night. So where does George go? Do I just hook both babies to that side of the bed? Does my husband switch with me so I have side for newborn and side for George (who will probably throw a fit)?
So that is just the tip of the iceberg with my fears on sleeping setups. I still have to think about double strollers (George has spina bifida and can't walk yet), carriers(all of ours belong to our sister-in-law who is 3 days more pregnant then I am), nursing cover(dog ate old one), boppy (George has destroyed his) and who knows what else. And here I was thinking I was lucky that I had clothes, a swing and a car seat. And I have to tell you, good luck looking through reviews and ratings. No one seems to fully agree ever on what stuff is best. And usually if they do it has a price tag to match. But we can't all be movie stars with our pottery barn, professionally decorated nurseries.
You might be saying calm down crazy lady you have a baby, you know what you need, but George wasn't a normal baby. First off he was in the hospital until 2 months, then he slept for a whole year in his crib before starting the crying to get in bed with mom thing. He still to this day is not able to get around on his own. Our house is a baby proofing nightmare because my husband also uses it as a tool shed/workshop. In this room alone there are cords our, screw drivers, extension cords. Next to my sink is a chain saw sharpener! And it's never been a problem because George scoots very slowly and not very far. He reached what mommy lets him reach. The new baby is going to be a whole new world of things like crying and crawling and eating. It's a scary exciting world we will be entering in 4 months, now if I could just sort through the gear buying part of it!
My biggest issue with the bed thing is that George is going through a phase. The "I want to sleep with mommy or I won't sleep at all" phase. I love my little guy to pieces but I am not a mom who likes to sleep and cuddle with her baby. Especially one who is 2, hooked up to a monitor (the cords are annoying), and who likes to pull hair and smack faces when he isn't ready to sleep. I felt insanely proud when I came up with the idea to remove the front of his crib and push our queen size up to the bed so he could still grab my hand in the middle of the night when he is scared (my son has night terror's don't even get me started on that) and still give me a half a bed to be comfortable. Especially now when I wake up a few times a night to roll over or run to the bathroom. I then realized that new baby will be nursing and need to nurse multiple times a night. So where does George go? Do I just hook both babies to that side of the bed? Does my husband switch with me so I have side for newborn and side for George (who will probably throw a fit)?
So that is just the tip of the iceberg with my fears on sleeping setups. I still have to think about double strollers (George has spina bifida and can't walk yet), carriers(all of ours belong to our sister-in-law who is 3 days more pregnant then I am), nursing cover(dog ate old one), boppy (George has destroyed his) and who knows what else. And here I was thinking I was lucky that I had clothes, a swing and a car seat. And I have to tell you, good luck looking through reviews and ratings. No one seems to fully agree ever on what stuff is best. And usually if they do it has a price tag to match. But we can't all be movie stars with our pottery barn, professionally decorated nurseries.
You might be saying calm down crazy lady you have a baby, you know what you need, but George wasn't a normal baby. First off he was in the hospital until 2 months, then he slept for a whole year in his crib before starting the crying to get in bed with mom thing. He still to this day is not able to get around on his own. Our house is a baby proofing nightmare because my husband also uses it as a tool shed/workshop. In this room alone there are cords our, screw drivers, extension cords. Next to my sink is a chain saw sharpener! And it's never been a problem because George scoots very slowly and not very far. He reached what mommy lets him reach. The new baby is going to be a whole new world of things like crying and crawling and eating. It's a scary exciting world we will be entering in 4 months, now if I could just sort through the gear buying part of it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)