Hand made nals for nål binding both from cherry wood. One on the left has been used, one on the right has not.
I made myself a new nal for nålbinding; a little longer and with two holes so I can work with longer lengths of yarn. I thought it was interesting that the previous nal darkened so much after just two projects. I made them both from cherry wood, both from scraps from the same plank.
Hollowed out eyes, to better allow yarn to pass through the work
I saw another crafter with a nal that had been hollowed out behind the eyes. I like that this helps the yarn pass through the loops better, so I used a small gouge to do that to my nals as well.
Yes. I took the pictures on my calico. She was handy.
We had 13 coop residents in the morning. A rather large toad was sitting in the chicken foot bath. The chickens were all leaving it alone, which I thought was interesting, since chickens eat some reptiles and amphibians. Now I have found maybe this same toad in the coop before (or maybe a similar one, there are lots), and have relocated it (them?) out of the coop several times. I thought I had a fairly tight run with all the hardware cloth we put up, but there is a spot somewhere we he gets in. Hmm. The concerning thing is that if he can get in, so can snakes. Hmm.
The chickens are still a little overwhelming for my youngest, and sitting on one of the benches inside is still too much. So I started to think about a way to make her a bench so she could sit outside the runs and watch the chickens. (We are all about little steps.)
The size of the bench was determined by the size of my scrap. I measured out everything and cut it (I recommend cutting the cross pieces on the legs after assembling everything else; the dimensions changed after I screwed it together). I then used 2 1/2” self-tapping screws to join the pieces, checking square for each leg piece.
I marked opposite corners for screws
I used opposite corners for each piece as I assembled so I wouldn’t accidentally run one screw into another. I also used more scrap to support the leg pieces as I assembled.
Assembled seat
After the seat was assembled, I sanded surfaces and the edges.
Completed seat ready for chicken watching
I quite like the little seat, and where it is sitting. I think surrounding it with mint plants might be in the future. I already have one chocolate mint plant out there. Sight and smell therapy.
The chickens are 113 days old, or 3 months and 22 days. We did a health check because the weather was cool which is better for handling. Everyone is still putting on weight, which is good; and starting to molt, which is normal but may mean it will be months until they lay their first egg. Since that will put us into winter, we may not get eggs this year. A bit of a bummer, but we’re in for the long haul, so it will be what it will be.
My eldest holding a chicken with the head tucked into the crook of her arm
We did discover a calmer technique for holding the chickens for well checks. My eldest held the chickens under the chest, with the chicken’s head tucked in the crook of her arm. Even Taco (pictured above) calmed down for the toe nail clip, band check, foot pad check, and mite check (in the triangle of skin between the wing and the body). We also weighed and checked vents.
Who knew? Probably anyone who has seen this video (link goes to Facebook and a Homestead Survival Post), or has ducks or chickens. I didn’t know, but after seeing the video I had to try it.
I already have small “pools” as chicken foot baths that I bought at the hardware store marketed as plant coasters. Each bath holds about a gallon of water. I bought rosy red minnows at the pet store, which they sell as feeder fish. I started with just 4 minnows just in case the chickens didn’t get it. It gets hot and the foot baths get gross (I change out the water several times a day, and invariably as soon as the water is clean, there is a chicken in it), so I didn’t want fish lingering. The chickens can be picky about new treats too, so there was possibily of lingering. I didn’t need to worry. The chickens knew just what to do and finished off the fish in less than three minutes! I’ve posted the video on my You Tube channel.
