Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogger friends! That is something I can be thankful for...now I have a blog so I also get blogger friends! :) (Even though most of you are already my friends..hahaha)
So, here it is my first Thanksgiving as a farmer's wife. I have almost been married a month!! I am absolutely loving it! I even VOLUNTEERED to help walk through the chickens last night! Ok, so I had some ulterior motives...(if I helped him do that, he would have more time inside sorting through things in his old bedroom so that Lauren and Stephen would soon have their own rooms here...which is what we are working towards!)....but still, I did volunteer to go pick up dead, stinky and sometimes squashed chickens! And do you know what....I did enjoy it, because I knew we were doing it together! I love working together here..on the farm!!
So...another thing you must know that I am thankful for this morning....the Knouse House Mouse has been caught!!! And guess what else...my wonderful new husband took him outside for me...another thing to be thankful for!!
This morning I got up to stuff the turkey and get it into the roaster...I had my alarm set for 4AM...what an awful time of day! And Rod had to get up to turn the water off at the chicken house because he will be vaccinating the chickens. It was nice to have someone down here with me that early in the morning. It seemed funny, but good all at the same time. God has blessed me greatly with Rod!!!
So, be thankful today...for everything. I have a hanging (that will eventually go back up on a wall, but because I got MARRIED, it is in a box at the moment) that says "there is always, always, always something to be thankful for"..and that is so true. Some years as I was going through my divorce, it was harder to try to be thankful, but when I saw that sign, it was like a 2x4 hitting me along side the head. I had a lot to be thankful for then, and I needed to remember that. But today, it is quite easy to be thankful...and I am so, so very thankful for my new husband...our kids...and even those stinky chickens! And so much more! God has gotten us through so much and brought us to where we are today...HE IS SO GOOD..then, now and forever!
In closing....HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone out there in blog land..and today I will say..eat more turkey, but tomorrow eat more chicken!! :)
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
The Knouse House Mouse
I am a Knouse.
I live in a house.
There is a mouse in my house.
It is the Knouse House Mouse!
Can I, Can I catch that mouse..Can I catch that mouse in my house?
No, no I can not catch that mouse...I can not catch the Knouse House Mouse!
Would I could I use a trap? Or perhaps give him a slap!
Would I could I use some cheese? Try with cheese..oh, yes please!
I did not, could not with a trap. Although it did go loudly WHAP!
It missed him, missed him so you see....he is still running, running FREE!!
I will try again tomorrow...and maybe there will be much less sorrow!
Patient..Patient I will be...I will catch him and you will see!
But for now you little mouse...I will just call you the Knouse House Mouse!
I live in a house.
There is a mouse in my house.
It is the Knouse House Mouse!
Can I, Can I catch that mouse..Can I catch that mouse in my house?
No, no I can not catch that mouse...I can not catch the Knouse House Mouse!
Would I could I use a trap? Or perhaps give him a slap!
Would I could I use some cheese? Try with cheese..oh, yes please!
I did not, could not with a trap. Although it did go loudly WHAP!
It missed him, missed him so you see....he is still running, running FREE!!
I will try again tomorrow...and maybe there will be much less sorrow!
Patient..Patient I will be...I will catch him and you will see!
But for now you little mouse...I will just call you the Knouse House Mouse!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
On My Own
Well, I did it! I walked through the chickens by myself this morning! I got up at 6:15 AM and was out at the chicken houses by 6:30....by 8:15 I was back in our house again. Not too, too bad I guess for the first time checking 4 floors.
So, I knocked on the first door...just like you are supposed to do to be polite..hahaha...no, really its to get the chickens to move away from the door. I walked in, took a deep breath to build up my courage. Big mistake!! These white peeps STINK! And the ground you walk on isn't quite the same as it was the first time that I helped to check the peeps! With 5 days of eating and pooping, why would I expect it to be? DUH! But I continued on...walking a zig-zag just like I was supposed to. Over the water line, over the feeders, over the other water line..tap the wall...and back to the middle. I felt like I really knew what I was doing. Only thing is, I think the white peeps have an attitude...they sure didn't want to move to much unless I was practically stepping on them...I was a bit shocked. They did move, just not like the last time. Boy oh boy how much difference a few days make in the life of a chicken.
On to the gray ones....I have determined I like them better at this point. They still ran away, they were smaller, the air was cooler down at their end, and they didn't stink as much! Yep, I liked the grey ones. they were still cute. And I like cute.
First building done. Now what do I do with the dead chickens? Rod took them out to the other end of the building the last time. So...do I let them sit in the buckets until he gets back..or should I be a good wife and take them out myself? Yep, you guessed it...I am a good wife. Well...you have to understand...I babysit for a living...I have an imagination...so I imagined what this was going to look like. I thought it was going to be this big smelly pit that I would throw the dead chickens into...they would be down in a hole and I wouldn't have to see them ever again. WRONG!! It is a pile of dead chickens in this little open shanty thing. All you do is throw the dead ones on top. Ok...not so big of deal, right? WRONG!...add a little dog who likes to eat dead chickens...he just follows you out. Next thing I know, he is running off somewhere with a dead chicken in his mouth...GROSS. Now I know why you don't have to feed him twice a day!
Now, on to the second building. These chickens are a week older than the others...ALL of them white chickens. Not so cute anymore. And in some places out there, your feet sort of sink into the "dirt." I think Rod usually adds sawdust to those places, but being new to this, I wasn't even sure if that is what he really does, nor did I even know where the sawdust was kept or what I would use to bring it in, so I just kept walking!
A few things I realized in this house....
1. If you can think and count at the same time, you can pray for a lot of people while you are checking chickens. I really don't think God minds if your prayers are interrupted for counting chickens as you pick up the next dead one.
2. Don't be too hasty to decide you might just actually like this job...because right after you think this, you might have to pick up a dead chicken whose head was smashed in the "dirt" and its leg was sort of squishy instead of hard or firm like the other dead ones you picked up prior to you thinking this.
3. While you are walking through chickens, don't wave your arms (with a bucket in your hand) up at your face if you walk through a spider web....it makes the chickens freak out! Thus causing them to try to fly...which only stirs up dust and feathers in your face!
4. While walking with a bucket in your hands in a chicken house...you are like God or Moses...by only raising your hand you can make the chickens run in all directions! Hahaha
Well, in closing, when all was said and done....I needed a good long shower, scrubbed my hair and skin until it was good and clean. But it took me all day to stop smelling the chicken house odor...it was in my nose from the dust of the spooked chickens...even after I blew my nose several times! Tomorrow I will wear a mask! Won't that be a pretty accessory to my lovely outfit?!?!?!?
Goodnight, my blogger friends...until next time...eat more chicken!
So, I knocked on the first door...just like you are supposed to do to be polite..hahaha...no, really its to get the chickens to move away from the door. I walked in, took a deep breath to build up my courage. Big mistake!! These white peeps STINK! And the ground you walk on isn't quite the same as it was the first time that I helped to check the peeps! With 5 days of eating and pooping, why would I expect it to be? DUH! But I continued on...walking a zig-zag just like I was supposed to. Over the water line, over the feeders, over the other water line..tap the wall...and back to the middle. I felt like I really knew what I was doing. Only thing is, I think the white peeps have an attitude...they sure didn't want to move to much unless I was practically stepping on them...I was a bit shocked. They did move, just not like the last time. Boy oh boy how much difference a few days make in the life of a chicken.
On to the gray ones....I have determined I like them better at this point. They still ran away, they were smaller, the air was cooler down at their end, and they didn't stink as much! Yep, I liked the grey ones. they were still cute. And I like cute.
First building done. Now what do I do with the dead chickens? Rod took them out to the other end of the building the last time. So...do I let them sit in the buckets until he gets back..or should I be a good wife and take them out myself? Yep, you guessed it...I am a good wife. Well...you have to understand...I babysit for a living...I have an imagination...so I imagined what this was going to look like. I thought it was going to be this big smelly pit that I would throw the dead chickens into...they would be down in a hole and I wouldn't have to see them ever again. WRONG!! It is a pile of dead chickens in this little open shanty thing. All you do is throw the dead ones on top. Ok...not so big of deal, right? WRONG!...add a little dog who likes to eat dead chickens...he just follows you out. Next thing I know, he is running off somewhere with a dead chicken in his mouth...GROSS. Now I know why you don't have to feed him twice a day!
Now, on to the second building. These chickens are a week older than the others...ALL of them white chickens. Not so cute anymore. And in some places out there, your feet sort of sink into the "dirt." I think Rod usually adds sawdust to those places, but being new to this, I wasn't even sure if that is what he really does, nor did I even know where the sawdust was kept or what I would use to bring it in, so I just kept walking!
A few things I realized in this house....
1. If you can think and count at the same time, you can pray for a lot of people while you are checking chickens. I really don't think God minds if your prayers are interrupted for counting chickens as you pick up the next dead one.
2. Don't be too hasty to decide you might just actually like this job...because right after you think this, you might have to pick up a dead chicken whose head was smashed in the "dirt" and its leg was sort of squishy instead of hard or firm like the other dead ones you picked up prior to you thinking this.
3. While you are walking through chickens, don't wave your arms (with a bucket in your hand) up at your face if you walk through a spider web....it makes the chickens freak out! Thus causing them to try to fly...which only stirs up dust and feathers in your face!
4. While walking with a bucket in your hands in a chicken house...you are like God or Moses...by only raising your hand you can make the chickens run in all directions! Hahaha
Well, in closing, when all was said and done....I needed a good long shower, scrubbed my hair and skin until it was good and clean. But it took me all day to stop smelling the chicken house odor...it was in my nose from the dust of the spooked chickens...even after I blew my nose several times! Tomorrow I will wear a mask! Won't that be a pretty accessory to my lovely outfit?!?!?!?
Goodnight, my blogger friends...until next time...eat more chicken!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Keeping Clean!!
Good morning! I haven't had much to do in the chicken houses the past couple of days....Rod takes care of it while I still have the kids here that I babysit. But guess what...I will be back in the chicken houses this weekend...so who knows what's in store for that!
Now....Keeping Clean! Awhile back, I was talking to a friend of mine...who has a farm of her own. We were talking about going on a (short) trip and sleeping in Wal-mart parking lots. (This is something on my bucket list, by the way.) She asked about showers, and I just said we could stop at a truck stop or camp ground and get a shower (but not to sleep at the camp ground), or we could just wash at the Wal-mart. She didn't like the second idea much at all. I thought it was funny because what was the big deal...we wouldn't have done much to get too dirty during the day except drive, so for one night we it wouldn't be too bad just to wash. But her mom said, it is just something in farming people...they shower often because of the farm dirt. I nodded my head..trying to understand. I could imagine, but truly, I didn't have that experience of getting that dirty that many times in a day. But I just left it at that.
Now, fast forward to this month. I UNDERSTAND!!! On Sunday, I got up and showered for church as usual. Then when we went out to walk through the peeps...well, lets just say, I smelled afterwards! And that was from only walking through peeps...not even the big chickens. So guess what...I got a second shower for the day and it wasn't even 3 o'clock yet! And a better example yet...I have seen (and smelled) my husband before and after he has checked the chickens...and he does a lot more out there with the feed stuff and all the equipment....and I am VERY thankful he takes a shower afterwards...I don't care how many times a day. I love to hug him...even when he smells like chicken house, but it sure is nicer after he has showered and put on clean clothes! I think I must have the cleanest husband around! :)
But that brings up my second point of keeping clean...LAUNDRY! Before, we had enough laundry at my house that I COULD do it everyday. But if i left it go a day (or two) it didn't really matter. No problem, I just had more to do in a day, and I could just close the laundry room door and no one else had to see it. However, here...I do not let it go. There would be quite the odor if I let his chicken clothes (and now mine mixed in too when I get to help) go for three days! We also have more towels and wash cloths being used to add to the amount of the laundry. And to multiply problem....the washer and dryer here are in the closed-in porch where everybody comes into the house. Imagine if you came here and smelled that before you came into my house every time...I am sure you would probably start using the front door! So...needless to say, I am doing laundry EVERYDAY! What a chicken farmer's wife I am becoming!! hahahahaha
So...until next time...keep it clean and eat more chicken!! :)
Now....Keeping Clean! Awhile back, I was talking to a friend of mine...who has a farm of her own. We were talking about going on a (short) trip and sleeping in Wal-mart parking lots. (This is something on my bucket list, by the way.) She asked about showers, and I just said we could stop at a truck stop or camp ground and get a shower (but not to sleep at the camp ground), or we could just wash at the Wal-mart. She didn't like the second idea much at all. I thought it was funny because what was the big deal...we wouldn't have done much to get too dirty during the day except drive, so for one night we it wouldn't be too bad just to wash. But her mom said, it is just something in farming people...they shower often because of the farm dirt. I nodded my head..trying to understand. I could imagine, but truly, I didn't have that experience of getting that dirty that many times in a day. But I just left it at that.
Now, fast forward to this month. I UNDERSTAND!!! On Sunday, I got up and showered for church as usual. Then when we went out to walk through the peeps...well, lets just say, I smelled afterwards! And that was from only walking through peeps...not even the big chickens. So guess what...I got a second shower for the day and it wasn't even 3 o'clock yet! And a better example yet...I have seen (and smelled) my husband before and after he has checked the chickens...and he does a lot more out there with the feed stuff and all the equipment....and I am VERY thankful he takes a shower afterwards...I don't care how many times a day. I love to hug him...even when he smells like chicken house, but it sure is nicer after he has showered and put on clean clothes! I think I must have the cleanest husband around! :)
But that brings up my second point of keeping clean...LAUNDRY! Before, we had enough laundry at my house that I COULD do it everyday. But if i left it go a day (or two) it didn't really matter. No problem, I just had more to do in a day, and I could just close the laundry room door and no one else had to see it. However, here...I do not let it go. There would be quite the odor if I let his chicken clothes (and now mine mixed in too when I get to help) go for three days! We also have more towels and wash cloths being used to add to the amount of the laundry. And to multiply problem....the washer and dryer here are in the closed-in porch where everybody comes into the house. Imagine if you came here and smelled that before you came into my house every time...I am sure you would probably start using the front door! So...needless to say, I am doing laundry EVERYDAY! What a chicken farmer's wife I am becoming!! hahahahaha
So...until next time...keep it clean and eat more chicken!! :)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
I'm Checking the Peeps...well, helping at least
Sorry I didn't get this in yesterday...two reasons..1. I never got more than 10 minutes on the computer at a time yesterday (and yes this takes me a lot more than that to do) and 2. I couldn't figure out how to get back into this! I had no idea my user name, or which e-mail account I used (I set up a new one for Rod, and google made me do one to get a blog, etc.) But after 20 minutes of pushing buttons to help figure that all out, I am on!
So...checking the peeps! What an experience....I can't say it was exactly like I expected, but I wasn't totally off either. I really wasn't sure how I would react to picking up the dead peeps. I really wasn't sure I would like this part of the job, but I was still excited to be doing it.
Side note for those who have just met me through this blog...I had asked Rod about helping before we were married, but he kept telling me, "Not yet." I think he was a genius....this only made me want to do it more!
Ok..back to the work. Rod had said he would teach me about checking the peeps just in case I ever needed to do it for him. I was again thrilled to have another job I could learn. You must remember..this is all new and exciting...to me its an adventure...I know to those of you who have done this practically all your life, I am crazy to be excited...but just try to remember the first time you got to do something that you have been wanting to do a LONG time!
So, Sunday after church and after lunch, Rod said, "Go get your chicken house clothes on." Oh, boy! here we go! First problem....what do I wear for my chicken house clothes? I knew it would be hot and dirty.
So I put on my tried and true tie-dyed Juniata t-shirt..the most comfortable one I have...and jeans. But what shoes? I asked Rod. He said I could wear my old sneakers, but I would have dirt (poop and sawdust) in them by the time we were done. So I asked about my boots. With a smile on his face, he said they would work and I could wash them off afterwards. So that is how I got to wear my black and white hounds-tooth boots that you see in my picture. Hahaha..quite the outfit, don't you think?
So, after getting my picture taken(because this was a momentous occasion you know!), we were off to check the chickens. I thought we would walk up straight through on one side, and then straight back through on the other side. I mean really...how hard is that. I knew we would pick up dead peeps along the way putting them into our bucket. Little did I know that you must zig-zag through on each side, stepping over the water line, then the feeders, and then another waterline. And back across the waterline, the feeder, and the other waterline. My legs are in for a good workout when I do this job! :) When you get to the wall, you just tap it a little bit to make the peeps (or chickens) move so you can see if there are any dead ones. You do this the whole way down the chicken house, and the whole way back! I figured I had to step over stuff at least 60 times per floor!! You don't want to trip over the waterlines or run into the cords holding them up...if you fall, you are falling into the sawdust and POOP! YUCK!
As you pick up the dead ones, you must count them. All is good until you get to the divider (which Rod made his size...not thinking that his wife would be shorter than him trying to get over it! When you cross the divider, you are now with another type (in this case color) of chicken, so you must remember both counts. I am so glad I like numbers and math!
How I did...and my reactions...well, I really didn't have a hard time picking up the dead ..little...peeps..by the legs. I felt bad for each one though. But some of the dead were actually flat! Trampled by the other peeps. They were sort of gross, but still, I could do that. (I had worked and gone to school to be a veterinary assistant, so I have seen and worked with dead animals before) The hardest, most nerve-wracking part....the little peeps who were almost dead, you knew they were dying! I didn't know what to do about them. So, I asked Rod...he said, "I'll take care of them." So, I kept going. Then I felt this thud in my bucket. He had taken care of that poor peep. Yes, you must kill them...then they don't need to suffer a long death I told myself. What I didn't think about....like all animals quickly killed....the body still flops! So, here in my bucket, was a poor, little, dead flopping peep!!!! Not an experience or feeling I will soon forget! Thankfully there were very, very few of them!
Checking chickens when they are peeps, I believe will be easier than when they are full grown. (That bucket of dead chickens will probably get heavy!), but Rod assures me there are less dead ones when they get older. I hope so!
I can't say I am really going to like this job. I am happy to know that I can, though. I was afraid I might get grossed out and want to gag, but I didn't. I wasn't sure I would like touching the dead peeps legs....it didn't bother me. And when I told my dad about the one Rod put in, and how I didn't like that, he said, "I guess you'll just have to toughen up!" hahaha...and my dad is one of the smartest men I know.
So...checking the peeps! What an experience....I can't say it was exactly like I expected, but I wasn't totally off either. I really wasn't sure how I would react to picking up the dead peeps. I really wasn't sure I would like this part of the job, but I was still excited to be doing it.
Side note for those who have just met me through this blog...I had asked Rod about helping before we were married, but he kept telling me, "Not yet." I think he was a genius....this only made me want to do it more!
Ok..back to the work. Rod had said he would teach me about checking the peeps just in case I ever needed to do it for him. I was again thrilled to have another job I could learn. You must remember..this is all new and exciting...to me its an adventure...I know to those of you who have done this practically all your life, I am crazy to be excited...but just try to remember the first time you got to do something that you have been wanting to do a LONG time!
So, Sunday after church and after lunch, Rod said, "Go get your chicken house clothes on." Oh, boy! here we go! First problem....what do I wear for my chicken house clothes? I knew it would be hot and dirty.
So I put on my tried and true tie-dyed Juniata t-shirt..the most comfortable one I have...and jeans. But what shoes? I asked Rod. He said I could wear my old sneakers, but I would have dirt (poop and sawdust) in them by the time we were done. So I asked about my boots. With a smile on his face, he said they would work and I could wash them off afterwards. So that is how I got to wear my black and white hounds-tooth boots that you see in my picture. Hahaha..quite the outfit, don't you think?
So, after getting my picture taken(because this was a momentous occasion you know!), we were off to check the chickens. I thought we would walk up straight through on one side, and then straight back through on the other side. I mean really...how hard is that. I knew we would pick up dead peeps along the way putting them into our bucket. Little did I know that you must zig-zag through on each side, stepping over the water line, then the feeders, and then another waterline. And back across the waterline, the feeder, and the other waterline. My legs are in for a good workout when I do this job! :) When you get to the wall, you just tap it a little bit to make the peeps (or chickens) move so you can see if there are any dead ones. You do this the whole way down the chicken house, and the whole way back! I figured I had to step over stuff at least 60 times per floor!! You don't want to trip over the waterlines or run into the cords holding them up...if you fall, you are falling into the sawdust and POOP! YUCK!
As you pick up the dead ones, you must count them. All is good until you get to the divider (which Rod made his size...not thinking that his wife would be shorter than him trying to get over it! When you cross the divider, you are now with another type (in this case color) of chicken, so you must remember both counts. I am so glad I like numbers and math!
How I did...and my reactions...well, I really didn't have a hard time picking up the dead ..little...peeps..by the legs. I felt bad for each one though. But some of the dead were actually flat! Trampled by the other peeps. They were sort of gross, but still, I could do that. (I had worked and gone to school to be a veterinary assistant, so I have seen and worked with dead animals before) The hardest, most nerve-wracking part....the little peeps who were almost dead, you knew they were dying! I didn't know what to do about them. So, I asked Rod...he said, "I'll take care of them." So, I kept going. Then I felt this thud in my bucket. He had taken care of that poor peep. Yes, you must kill them...then they don't need to suffer a long death I told myself. What I didn't think about....like all animals quickly killed....the body still flops! So, here in my bucket, was a poor, little, dead flopping peep!!!! Not an experience or feeling I will soon forget! Thankfully there were very, very few of them!
Checking chickens when they are peeps, I believe will be easier than when they are full grown. (That bucket of dead chickens will probably get heavy!), but Rod assures me there are less dead ones when they get older. I hope so!
I can't say I am really going to like this job. I am happy to know that I can, though. I was afraid I might get grossed out and want to gag, but I didn't. I wasn't sure I would like touching the dead peeps legs....it didn't bother me. And when I told my dad about the one Rod put in, and how I didn't like that, he said, "I guess you'll just have to toughen up!" hahaha...and my dad is one of the smartest men I know.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Here Come the Peeps!
After returning from our honeymoon on a Monday, we were to get peeps that Tuesday and Wednesday. I was like a kid at Christmas...waiting and waiting...it couldn't come soon enough. Excited for the peeps...I guess, but more so for the first real job as a chicken farmer's wife.....to help dump the peeps!
I walked out with Rod toward the chicken house that Tuesday...trying to keep at his pace so I wouldn't look too eager. I wanted to run out there to the chicken house....but trying to keep my pride, and also knowing my bones are not what they used to be...I just walked beside him. Proud to be his wife...and proud to be finally helping him. I was beaming! (No, it doesn't take much to make me happy)
So, the truck came and I was given instructions from Rod and also a friend of ours, who had helped to do this before. I tried to listen so that I could do it right. I wanted to make a good impression for my new husband.
Well...here is my take on it....1. You have to move fast...and keep the rhythm ...which I didn't do too well, but not totally horribly 2. You can't think about the peeps...ummm...that was hard 3. You don't gently dump...its grab the tray, kind of throw and dump at the same time, and get that tray back quickly so that you don't mess up the stacking, grab the next one and just keep going....not too good at this either.
My problems....I was slower than the other guy, so my rhythm and his were off....I did think about those poor baby peeps. They were just babies. And sometimes one would have its leg stuck in a hole...I couldn't just leave it there...I had to get it out. So I sort of kept messing up the stacking.
But I tried the best I could. Rod said I did good for the first time...only I was a little too gentle! :) oops!
Wednesday came, and I couldn't figure out why my back hurt..until I remembered what I had been doing the day before. I will say, on Wednesday, I tried not to think about the peeps...I tried to keep up with the other guys (we had more people there on Wednesday because we were getting more peeps)...and I tried not to let on to the others that I was tired by the end of it! I felt very accomplished, even though I still am not too good at it. We put in around 34,000 peeps! That is a lot of peeps!
Here are a few things I have learned about chickens over the last several years of dating Rod...1. Cocks or Cockerels are the boys. Pullets are the girls. I still have to think about this most of the time. For reasons I will not discuss on a public blog. Just ask me sometime when you see me. 2. White chickens are yellow peeps to start. Blacks and Grays are very similar in color...but the grays have white feathers mixed in with the black feathers. Makes sense! (We got grays this time, but they looked like black peeps to me). But Reds are my favorite of the colors...we didn't get any in this time though. 3. The peep is actually formed from the white of the egg....the yellow part stays inside the peep and is food for its body...yuck! Rod said if you would cut open a newborn peep, you could see this. Bigger Yuck! Why would you want to? 4. The Chinese don't eat the white chickens because they have blue eyes.
Ok...for now, I am done...tomorrow I will write about my experience of "walking through" or checking the chickens. Until then...eat more CHICKEN! hahaha
I walked out with Rod toward the chicken house that Tuesday...trying to keep at his pace so I wouldn't look too eager. I wanted to run out there to the chicken house....but trying to keep my pride, and also knowing my bones are not what they used to be...I just walked beside him. Proud to be his wife...and proud to be finally helping him. I was beaming! (No, it doesn't take much to make me happy)
So, the truck came and I was given instructions from Rod and also a friend of ours, who had helped to do this before. I tried to listen so that I could do it right. I wanted to make a good impression for my new husband.
Well...here is my take on it....1. You have to move fast...and keep the rhythm ...which I didn't do too well, but not totally horribly 2. You can't think about the peeps...ummm...that was hard 3. You don't gently dump...its grab the tray, kind of throw and dump at the same time, and get that tray back quickly so that you don't mess up the stacking, grab the next one and just keep going....not too good at this either.
My problems....I was slower than the other guy, so my rhythm and his were off....I did think about those poor baby peeps. They were just babies. And sometimes one would have its leg stuck in a hole...I couldn't just leave it there...I had to get it out. So I sort of kept messing up the stacking.
But I tried the best I could. Rod said I did good for the first time...only I was a little too gentle! :) oops!
Wednesday came, and I couldn't figure out why my back hurt..until I remembered what I had been doing the day before. I will say, on Wednesday, I tried not to think about the peeps...I tried to keep up with the other guys (we had more people there on Wednesday because we were getting more peeps)...and I tried not to let on to the others that I was tired by the end of it! I felt very accomplished, even though I still am not too good at it. We put in around 34,000 peeps! That is a lot of peeps!
Here are a few things I have learned about chickens over the last several years of dating Rod...1. Cocks or Cockerels are the boys. Pullets are the girls. I still have to think about this most of the time. For reasons I will not discuss on a public blog. Just ask me sometime when you see me. 2. White chickens are yellow peeps to start. Blacks and Grays are very similar in color...but the grays have white feathers mixed in with the black feathers. Makes sense! (We got grays this time, but they looked like black peeps to me). But Reds are my favorite of the colors...we didn't get any in this time though. 3. The peep is actually formed from the white of the egg....the yellow part stays inside the peep and is food for its body...yuck! Rod said if you would cut open a newborn peep, you could see this. Bigger Yuck! Why would you want to? 4. The Chinese don't eat the white chickens because they have blue eyes.
Ok...for now, I am done...tomorrow I will write about my experience of "walking through" or checking the chickens. Until then...eat more CHICKEN! hahaha
First Blog Post!!!...(Original, huh?)
Well, here it is...my first blog post. There are so many things in my head right now that I want to write about, but I think it would be best to first tell people about myself...a little bit, anyway. I don't know how to put this on the "about me" thing, so you are getting it in my first post.
Hmmm...where to start...well, I was born. (hahahaha....sorry, I am just excited to have a blog.) Seriously...I am a newlywed....yep, at 44 I am a newlywed. We just got married on Nov. 1, 2013! I love it! Together, my HUSBAND Rod and I have 6 kids...three girls and three boys...we are the Knouse Knot instead of the "Brady Bunch". I have always wanted to have 7 kids (actually I wanted them all to be boys, but I love my girls and wouldn't have it any other way now), but I only had three physically myself, and Rod had three, and I have a son-in-law! So at the moment, I have my 7 kids! And we live on a farm...a CHICKEN farm!There is a ton more stuff about me, but I hate writing that kind of stuff, so you will just have to learn about me as you read my blog posts.
A bit of back round for you that may be important later. I grew up in a very small town...but it was a town...I DID NOT grow up on a farm! And I have lived in a town with my kids. I am a town girl as a new neighbor has told me. :) So, this is a very new experience for me!
Since the time that I was a little girl and I went with my dad back to "the farm" to get our milk, I have wanted to live on a farm. I loved the entire idea...an old beautiful farmhouse, a big barn (and in my mind it would be filled with animals), a big yard, a garden, and my husband and I would be hardworking and have our seven boys running around..some in bare feet, but all in jeans that were dirty from all the playing in the farm yard. That was my dream.
However, that didn't come true until this month. No, I don't have a garden (yet), and I do have girls, and 4 of our six kids are college age or older, so really only one who runs around (the other one is a junior in high school and a girl so she doesn't run around the farm yard too much anymore either), and although we do have a barn, it is not filled with animals (again...yet! hehehe). But...we do have a beautiful farm house, we do have a barn, and my husband is very hardworking...besides raising chickens, he has a full-time job working at a local tinware place. (Being new to blogging, I don't know the rules on what businesses I can mention and all that...so for now...its a local tinware place). We do however have what I never dreamed of having...two chicken houses!! With thousands of chickens!
Now...this is why I am starting my blog....a small town girl is at age 44 going to learn to be a chicken farmer's wife...and I am beyond excited! For everything! Except snakes...not looking forward to those. I am looking forward to helping in the chicken houses, to knowing stuff about them..like controlling the temperatures, to learning to DRIVE A TRACTOR!!, and who knows what else this job of farmer's wife entails. This could be fun. So come along and learn with me! :) or more than likely...laugh at (and/or with) me!
Hmmm...where to start...well, I was born. (hahahaha....sorry, I am just excited to have a blog.) Seriously...I am a newlywed....yep, at 44 I am a newlywed. We just got married on Nov. 1, 2013! I love it! Together, my HUSBAND Rod and I have 6 kids...three girls and three boys...we are the Knouse Knot instead of the "Brady Bunch". I have always wanted to have 7 kids (actually I wanted them all to be boys, but I love my girls and wouldn't have it any other way now), but I only had three physically myself, and Rod had three, and I have a son-in-law! So at the moment, I have my 7 kids! And we live on a farm...a CHICKEN farm!There is a ton more stuff about me, but I hate writing that kind of stuff, so you will just have to learn about me as you read my blog posts.
A bit of back round for you that may be important later. I grew up in a very small town...but it was a town...I DID NOT grow up on a farm! And I have lived in a town with my kids. I am a town girl as a new neighbor has told me. :) So, this is a very new experience for me!
Since the time that I was a little girl and I went with my dad back to "the farm" to get our milk, I have wanted to live on a farm. I loved the entire idea...an old beautiful farmhouse, a big barn (and in my mind it would be filled with animals), a big yard, a garden, and my husband and I would be hardworking and have our seven boys running around..some in bare feet, but all in jeans that were dirty from all the playing in the farm yard. That was my dream.
However, that didn't come true until this month. No, I don't have a garden (yet), and I do have girls, and 4 of our six kids are college age or older, so really only one who runs around (the other one is a junior in high school and a girl so she doesn't run around the farm yard too much anymore either), and although we do have a barn, it is not filled with animals (again...yet! hehehe). But...we do have a beautiful farm house, we do have a barn, and my husband is very hardworking...besides raising chickens, he has a full-time job working at a local tinware place. (Being new to blogging, I don't know the rules on what businesses I can mention and all that...so for now...its a local tinware place). We do however have what I never dreamed of having...two chicken houses!! With thousands of chickens!
Now...this is why I am starting my blog....a small town girl is at age 44 going to learn to be a chicken farmer's wife...and I am beyond excited! For everything! Except snakes...not looking forward to those. I am looking forward to helping in the chicken houses, to knowing stuff about them..like controlling the temperatures, to learning to DRIVE A TRACTOR!!, and who knows what else this job of farmer's wife entails. This could be fun. So come along and learn with me! :) or more than likely...laugh at (and/or with) me!
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