Good days....whew

Yesterday I responded to my friend Tammie from our local homesteading group, and went there to get 2 3x3 foot skylights she got from freecyle. While we were talking, she mentioned that she wanted me to take one of her doe rabbits. She ended up with one buck and 3 does, and it was a bit much for her. I gladly took the doe and the skylights and she pointed out the fencing she had taken down, and the shed that will soon be gone. (sold) She's not going to get goats again, so the whole area can be opened up again, and a new coop built on top of her hill. I asked what she wanted to do with the fencing, and she told me to just take it. It took 2 trips to get everything home, but luckily she's just 5 minutes away. On the last trip, I put together a box of tools that she might need since she's taken to woodworking and left them at the back door. I hate just taking things and giving nothing in return.

The fencing will be more than enough to cover the frame I made from the remnants of the storm-destroyed carport. It's going to be 15 feet long, 8 feet wide, and around 4 or 5 feet tall to the top of the round top of the frame. I wouldnt mind the 3 foot height it is now with no legs, but Lisa wants to be able to get in and see the girls, lol. It's a good idea for cleanout anyway, so it will be taller. I'll have a door at one end, and the other end will attach to the coop, which the skylights were for. My plan is to put one of the skylights in the roof of the coop. It will let light in earlier in the day, but since its dark tinted/smoked, it wont be too much heat. I may use both in the roof, depending on how it all lays out. Besides, it will save on materials that I have to buy, which is important right now with the layoff. Since the poles and fittings are just slip-fit, I'll be putting in self-tapping sheet metal screws at each joint. That way its a bit stronger, and won't want to come apart when I move it into place. The forecast calls for mid 50's tomorrow and through the weekend, so I plan on doing as much as I can on the whole thing.

On Sunday, the group recived an email from Marissa, (who has the rescue/shelter I got the roosters from), and she had 6 more young roosters. I emailed her on Monday and picked them up yesterday. I should have taken care of them yesterday as soon as I got home, but it was just too cold. I really didn't want to be out there with wet chickens for a few hours in 25 degree weather. I put them in the garage in cages, gave them feed and water, and let them go till today. I waited till just after noon to get started since the front of the garage area where I work at was in full sun. Surprisingly, it got pretty warm as I was butchering them. Things went a bit better than the last 5 did lol I was wayyyyy out of practice in cleaning birds. It's been over 15 years since I've cleaned a pheasant, and at least 7 or 8 since I've dealt with waterfowl, but things fell into place more with each bird. By the time I got to the last one, time seemed to fly and I was carrying in a cooler of 4 cleaned birds for Lisa to wash, wrap, and get in the freezer. So, that makes 9 I have cleaned in the past 2 weeks. 2 went to Farmergeek and Divahick, 1 was dinner while they were here that same day, and 6 are in the freezer....not bad for free eh????

I almost forgot about the doe, oops. Tammie had told me she thought they had all bred already, but as soon as I got her home, I put her in with my buck. He took right to her, YAY! I was seriously beginning to think I had the worlds first gay rabbit, lol. MAYBE now that he's had a bit of *ahem* "experience", I'll put the first doe in with him and see what happens. If it's nothing, I may keep her for a possible future buck, but that all depends on how the first litter goes from doe #2. No lol I still haven't named them, maybe I'll come up with something soon....but I've been saying that since I first got them. I'm tryin to think of good metalhead kinda names, lol....maybe Biff, Wendy O, and Leather. Only from me, the headbanging urban homesteader, hahahahaha.