Author: Caryn

Molting is hard work

On By CarynIn chickens

I’ve been putting off a full chicken check for awhile. I’ve been spot checking under wings for mites, spot checking feet, and monitoring fluffy bums, but I heard that it hurts when they go through a molt, so didn’t want to pick them up and handle them much. Turns out I haven’t done weights since we lost Navi, Pooh, and Sunrise. Molting is lasting forever.

Well, the weather has been spectacular, with highs in the 80s and we had a morning of 70s when my eldest volunteered to help with chicken checks. We weighed all nine, checked under the wings for mites, checked vent condition, and checked their feet. Most of them needed a nail clip, some had bumbles, but only a few needed to be wrapped. I’ve suspected that they may have scaly leg mites, so put some natural healing ointment with tea tree and other essential oils in their legs. Taco was the only one where I was sure she has leg mites, as the scales on her legs were visibly lifted. We’ll treat her again with the ointment tomorrow. All of the chickens have lost weight. I hope it is just the molting and they will start packing on the ounces when they fully feather.

Ointment I used on the chickens’ legs

Jade has the flock beauty award in the bag. Her beard is glorious and her new feathers are crisp and lay beautifully. I think she is the one laying again too. We had a week of no eggs after Sunrise choked on a kernel and of grain and suffocated, but now we are getting an egg about every other day. Good thing I had some in the freezer.

Jade showing off her beautiful beard and new feathers

Texas sage

On By CarynIn Flora
Spectacular blooms on a Texas sage bush (not mine)

The Texas sage are in full glorious bloom! But not in our yard. We planted a bush shortly after we moved in, and it is growing well now, but it has one bloom. One lonely little bloom. While the neighbors’ and the bushes in town are in dazzling display. Maybe next year our bush will join the exhibition.

101 things to do with a box

On By CarynIn dog, games
Keen participant

I love clicker training! I did a refresher with Karen Pryor’s Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs book. Little Missy has added “down” and the beginnings of “come” to her repertoire (which previously consisted of “sit”). I like the idea of shaping behavior rather than struggling over perfection at the start. I also like short training sessions. There was something in the book called “101 Things to do with a Box” that I hadn’t remembered. We had to try it with little smarty pants. We separated the dogs and had yummy training treats, and clicked and gave a treat every time Missy touched the box. By the end of the first session she was climbing all the way into her box to get her click! And you could practically see her little gears whirling in her head as she tried to figure out how to make me click. We switched dogs, and Griffin is my best dog, but not as keen on the box or the treats. For him, I hid the treat under the box and he got a click for snuffling the box. All in all a fun training game!

Missy in a box

Uh, I’ll check back later

On By CarynIn Wildlife
Praying mantis on the water diverter

That is the biggest praying mantis I’ve ever seen in the wild. Rather than water my plants now and put my hand anywhere near her, maybe I’ll just come back later. Yes. Later. Good hunting.

Mask frames DIY

On By CarynIn Craft

Good ol’ hot glue. The corner stone of the insta-crafter. After failing at attempts with other materials to make a mask frame, I turned back to this tried and true basic crafting staple. It works. If you didn’t see my previous post, I’m making mask frames to give a pocket of air inside a homemade mask with the idea that it will be easier to breathe without the fabric pressed against the nose and mouth.

First I tested the adherence qualities of my all temperature hot glue by applying it to aluminum foil, masking tape, and wax paper. Once cool, the hot glue would not come off the aluminum foil, tore off strips of wax paper, but removed cleanly from the masking tape.

Testing how easy hot glue is to remove from aluminum foil, masking tape, and wax paper

To make a mold, I fit a chenille stick around my daughter’s nose and mouth, then sculpted aluminum foil around the chenille stick to form a dome. I then covered it with three layers of masking tape. With the hot glue I made small connected circles over the entire mold. I used all temperature hot glue with a low temp glue gun.

Hot glue mask frame on mold

I put the finished frame in the refrigerator for a few hours (it probably doesn’t take this long, I just got distracted and forgot about it). While it was still cool, I was able to cleanly pull the frame from the mold!

Hot glue mask released cleanly from the mold

The frame is flexible, but sturdy enough to hold its shape. When smashed or inverted, it returns to shape. It will be stable at room temperature and should be OK up to 120 degrees F (50 degrees C), although I will still wash it in cold water. It could be used now by sliding it into the pocket of a mask, but I want to investigate sewing it into a neck gaiter type mask. That post to come later!