My weather app said the feels like temperature in the afternoon was 122. 122. Are you kidding me?
My chickens were hot, but I think just at the first stage: panting. I put out iced foot baths, cold water melon, and filled the fan cooler with ice packs. They have discovered that the dirt on the side of the coop is the coolest, and spread themselves out there.
But seriously. 122? Not cool.
For the chickens. I know meal worms are high in protein, but I don’t personally want my salad to wriggle. The chickens loved it though! I chopped basil and oregano, then sprinkled the live meal worms on top. I used a strainer to get them out of the drawer, so some of the oatmeal came with them, which actually adds a nice touch to the look of the treat. Not that the chickens care about presentation as long as it is fast.
I saw a few posts about using an old tire to make a dust bath area for chickens, so when I had my vehicle at the shop, I asked if they had any old tires I could have. They did and gave me one!
I filled it with dirt, diatomaceous earth, wood ash, and sand, as recommended. It has been sitting at the end of the covered run for some time now. The chickens like to perch on it, but I have yet to catch one dust bathing in it. Next to it, yes, but not in it. Hmm.
Here is another apple wood spoon, but with an apple tree design wood burned into the handle. I’m really enjoying making these utensils!
I found a piece of flame maple at a woodworking store and made three utensils: two spoons and a spatula. The “flames” in the wood grain really shine once the utensils are finished!
For these I hollowed put the bowls of the spoons first, then used the bandsaw to cut out the rough shapes. Then on to the band sander to get to the final shape. I used 120 grit sandpaper to remove the sander marks by hand, then smoothed with 220, then 400 grit. I wetted the utensils and let them dry, then sanded again with 400 grit. I then used a pencil to draw in maple leaves on the spoons and a dragonfly on the handle of the spatula, which provided guidelines for wood burning the images. Finally, I finished with four applications of food-grade mineral oil. I did not use olive oil because I read that olive oil can go rancid and effect the taste and smell of the food.
The spoons were Mother’s Day gifts (yup, this was awhile ago), but I am keeping the spatula!
Critters and Craft 