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westtxamber
Power Conserver
lol You guys are great 
Just thought I'd update a bit, the girls are doing great! They are still awful scared, but it's only been 3 days since I brought them home. I try to hold them just a couple minutes each a few times a day. I've got a question posted on BYC and maybe you guys could help. I'm going to the store today and I was thinking about picking up meal worms, but are they too young for that? Also what about crickets? I've been reading BYC a lot and it sounds like the best way to win over a chicken is with food, so I'm just wondering what is the best way. Also should I use live or the packaged worms? By the way, I just called the feed store to double check age and they were born the 1st, so they are actually 2 weeks old. Wonder if that makes much difference? lol
Edit: Decided to go ahead and add some things
So my journey to SS starts with getting the property clean, so I have somewhere to start with. My bf and I sort of inherited (not literally) a mess of a property. It's great because there are four lots and we're on the west side of town where most people have goats, sheep, chickens, and horses. Means me and my new chickens fit right in. I don't speak to many neighbors out here unfortunately, it's predominately a hispanic area and there is a language barrier. It doesn't seem to stop all communication though, we have a sweet little old Mexican man that comes around and takes our soda cans (my boyfriend arranged this) so he can turn them in for a scrap fee and make a little money. We don't drive at the moment, so this saves us from arranging a ride to recycle the cans but we know they still are being recycled. It's a bit selfish but it makes me feel good too, I like helping out the neighbor. Back to the property. There are 4 lots and 4 houses, all with decent enough backyards. They are city lots, but I couldn't tell you how big. I've been a city girl my whole life and I think like a city girl, so not in acres but blocks
Here in Texas blocks are big (I lived in Minnesota a lot of my life, blocks are normal there lulz) and we have from the corner to the alley. The bad news is the house right next to the alley is about to fall over on the house I live in. The house on the other side of me is in alright condition, but having a mother-in-law who is a self admitted hoarder has turned that house into a storage facility. The house next to that, the one on the corner, is not livable and it too is being used for storage. Outside the property, in front of the house falling down, was used for dumping trash. We were under an almost permanent burn ban and the city had a waiting list for dumpsters Nothing we could do, we don't have regular trash removal out here. So for a while the property was building up trash (this was even before I moved onto the property). Now we have a dumpster finally! Never been so happy about trash. Yesterday we filled it up, and it is a pretty large dumpster, but I feel accomplished. Once we get it totally cleaned up, which really shouldn't take too long as they come once a week to empty it, I can really get started. I have plans for a garden, though it keeps getting bigger every time I see a seed display at the store. lol Also we have to get the coop put up in the next couple weeks. I thought I would have enough wood on the property to get it built but turns out I don't, so payday coop supplies are on the list. Also seeds. I don't want to go too big too fast, I'm a beginner at a lot of this stuff, gardening included. It's important to me though. to do the SS thing, and live off what we grow. I know that's not possible right off the bat but I want to get as close to that as possible. I'm also pretty interested in herbs. The list goes on...lol Well today I'm planning housework, a trip to the store (hopefully to get meal worms ) and chick care. With "Mamma Kitty" aka Ghostface, running around (the kittens are a week old born March 8th) she's in hunt mode. She seems to do that, this is her second litter, and both times once she started leaving her 'nest' she would hunt. We get a few mice that come in from time to time, and she seems to catch those little mice right up. So, I'm worried with her hunting so much, she may see my chicks as dinner D:< As a matter of fact I'm putting my enclosed brooder up so she can't get to them when I leave. She's more his cat than mine, she was a feral or runaway that adopted us. She came into the house and stole our hearts. But she just adores him. It's very cute as he is "not a cat person" his words. Him naming Keekee was just as cute being as he took convincing to even get them and said they are my responsibility totally, and then he said he wanted to name one. Awww! lol
Oh, whats that? Good ol' morning chores calling my name. I'll stop here, but I'd like to add an entry with my plans, what I want to accomplish, my goals, etc. Maybe later today. I really can't stress enough how much I'm still learning, so you guys reading and leaving comments is great! Thanks for that
Just thought I'd update a bit, the girls are doing great! They are still awful scared, but it's only been 3 days since I brought them home. I try to hold them just a couple minutes each a few times a day. I've got a question posted on BYC and maybe you guys could help. I'm going to the store today and I was thinking about picking up meal worms, but are they too young for that? Also what about crickets? I've been reading BYC a lot and it sounds like the best way to win over a chicken is with food, so I'm just wondering what is the best way. Also should I use live or the packaged worms? By the way, I just called the feed store to double check age and they were born the 1st, so they are actually 2 weeks old. Wonder if that makes much difference? lolEdit: Decided to go ahead and add some things
So my journey to SS starts with getting the property clean, so I have somewhere to start with. My bf and I sort of inherited (not literally) a mess of a property. It's great because there are four lots and we're on the west side of town where most people have goats, sheep, chickens, and horses. Means me and my new chickens fit right in. I don't speak to many neighbors out here unfortunately, it's predominately a hispanic area and there is a language barrier. It doesn't seem to stop all communication though, we have a sweet little old Mexican man that comes around and takes our soda cans (my boyfriend arranged this) so he can turn them in for a scrap fee and make a little money. We don't drive at the moment, so this saves us from arranging a ride to recycle the cans but we know they still are being recycled. It's a bit selfish but it makes me feel good too, I like helping out the neighbor. Back to the property. There are 4 lots and 4 houses, all with decent enough backyards. They are city lots, but I couldn't tell you how big. I've been a city girl my whole life and I think like a city girl, so not in acres but blocks
Here in Texas blocks are big (I lived in Minnesota a lot of my life, blocks are normal there lulz) and we have from the corner to the alley. The bad news is the house right next to the alley is about to fall over on the house I live in. The house on the other side of me is in alright condition, but having a mother-in-law who is a self admitted hoarder has turned that house into a storage facility. The house next to that, the one on the corner, is not livable and it too is being used for storage. Outside the property, in front of the house falling down, was used for dumping trash. We were under an almost permanent burn ban and the city had a waiting list for dumpsters Nothing we could do, we don't have regular trash removal out here. So for a while the property was building up trash (this was even before I moved onto the property). Now we have a dumpster finally! Never been so happy about trash. Yesterday we filled it up, and it is a pretty large dumpster, but I feel accomplished. Once we get it totally cleaned up, which really shouldn't take too long as they come once a week to empty it, I can really get started. I have plans for a garden, though it keeps getting bigger every time I see a seed display at the store. lol Also we have to get the coop put up in the next couple weeks. I thought I would have enough wood on the property to get it built but turns out I don't, so payday coop supplies are on the list. Also seeds. I don't want to go too big too fast, I'm a beginner at a lot of this stuff, gardening included. It's important to me though. to do the SS thing, and live off what we grow. I know that's not possible right off the bat but I want to get as close to that as possible. I'm also pretty interested in herbs. The list goes on...lol Well today I'm planning housework, a trip to the store (hopefully to get meal worms ) and chick care. With "Mamma Kitty" aka Ghostface, running around (the kittens are a week old born March 8th) she's in hunt mode. She seems to do that, this is her second litter, and both times once she started leaving her 'nest' she would hunt. We get a few mice that come in from time to time, and she seems to catch those little mice right up. So, I'm worried with her hunting so much, she may see my chicks as dinner D:< As a matter of fact I'm putting my enclosed brooder up so she can't get to them when I leave. She's more his cat than mine, she was a feral or runaway that adopted us. She came into the house and stole our hearts. But she just adores him. It's very cute as he is "not a cat person" his words. Him naming Keekee was just as cute being as he took convincing to even get them and said they are my responsibility totally, and then he said he wanted to name one. Awww! lol Oh, whats that? Good ol' morning chores calling my name. I'll stop here, but I'd like to add an entry with my plans, what I want to accomplish, my goals, etc. Maybe later today. I really can't stress enough how much I'm still learning, so you guys reading and leaving comments is great! Thanks for that
