The baby chicks are 1 week old

Yes, they have gotten almost double in size. So the brooder that made them look so small is now not large enough.

How did we figure that out? One chick flapped her little wings so much she was on the top rim looking around. Buddy, Ali, Bogart and I started running and barking. Buddy and I weren't really barking but yelling and flapping our arms to try to catch her before the ground.
We had thought 2 weeks before a full size brooder would be needed. Just like children, They proved us wrong :.)


So Buddy built the new larger brooder



Now the babies are flapping across the entire length. Crawling up the multi level roost. Of course they don't realize that they should sleep on the roost. Wonder how Buddy will teach them that lesson? Any suggestions???

Spring and the Baby Chicks are here!

I LOVE Spring!! The sunshine, the warm weather and such happy thoughts. What else can cheer you up in the springtime?


Baby Chicks

The Baby Chicks are tiny. Of course, what can we expect at 3 days old?
We had to go to the post office and pick them up.
I walked in and explained that they called at 6am to pick up our delivery. I and everyone in the lobby could hear them. haha

This is the box that 20 babies came in.



We ordered 5 Buff Orphintons pullets
5 Black Sex Links pullets
5 Golden Comet pullets
and 5 Cinnamon Queen pullets

The Golden Comets have the blue dots on their foreheads
The Cinnamon Queens have the green dots on the foreheads
The Buff orphanigton are not marked
And the Black Sexlinks are black


You have to teach baby chicks where to drink and eat
You dip their beaks into the water (around 98 degrees)and then set them in their brooder. You can see in the picture that my husband Buddy is prepping the babies.

The first week of life you put paper towels down with a little feed so they will start eating starter pellets instead of shavings etc that will later be placed on the floor of the brooder


Sprin makes me feel alive, hopeful and excited for the future. Baby chicks make me feel the same !!

Am I ready for another foot of snow?

The news just said possible foot of snow this weekend. Does that mean we have to run to the grocery store and hope something is left from the other "it's going to snow" shoppers? No, I am sitting here and writing this to help you be prepared for the next snow storm, other natural diaster, financial situations or I am sick and don't want to go to the store.I want to share with you how to be prepared aka "think ahead"!

Are you already coming up with the excuses that you can't be prepared? Takes a lot of money - NO you actually SAVE money . Takes a Lot of time- No, you save time too. You don't know how? That is why I am here my friend!

Being prepared: (Take out a notebook and start your current and back up lists)
To prepare for winter in the western North Carolina Mountains, I must keep keep 2 "sets" of every food we use.By this I mean I keep the current staples and a backup!I always replace current used items with backup. (I never have to worry about back up use by dates :.)

Your staples might be different but I am showing you my list as a southern mountain mom of grown kids, grandchildren and a very hungry husband!My husband and I are the only full time eaters plus our doggie kids:.)

No I did not go out one day and buy double everything. Every week, I would buy several things for my back up list and use coupons when possible (that is another survival tips). Before we knew it ,we were set.



Staples:
All purpose flour 20 lb bags
grits 5 lb bag
sugar 25 lb bag
rice 20 lb bag
powdered sugar
various noodles
coffee
baking powder
baking soda
coconut
chocolate chips
bread flour
powdered milk
evaporated milk
condensed milk
water- large containers for cooking and drinking


Refrigerated and frozen items on current and backup plan:
butter 5 lb total
bacon
sausage
all meats
mayo
mustard
ketchup
canned OJ (for emergencies)

Vegetables canned or frozen from garden:
corn- cream, whole kernel and on the cob
greasey and butter beans
dried various beans
garden peas
potatoes
sweet potatoes
onions
squash-butternut
tomatoes
various berries

There are some things that need to be replaced on a current basis. Milk,fruits etc.


As you can tell I cook mostly from scratch. This enables me to have more control over the nutritional numbers of our meals but also makes it easier to prepare anything we want even on a whim and I save a LOT of money!. And If I see a recipe I want to try I usually have the items. If not, it will be placed on my "current and Backup "lists or preserved. So my lists are constantly be updated but not alot..
Do you think cooking from scratch takes more time? Oh you are mistaken! I work full time and then some. Don't worry , we will tackle time saving tips too. :.)

I hope this explains the number one system that enables me to hear " a foot of snow tomorrow night" and not panic! Of course we need more than food to survive. I will post my (non-food) survival list soon!
Please leave your tips and questions in the comments.
Thanks so much your comments and questions open my eyes to other survival needs and tips!! Thanks for sharing!