C minus zero - chicks arrive

Picked up what appear to be two rhode island red (RIR) and two "Ameraucana" chicks from Roach feed. The latter are almost certainly Easter Eggers (EE hereafter) but Ideal sells them as Ameraucanas anyhow. It's a common misnomer. Both EEs do appear to have muffs starting; only one has slate-colored legs. The other has flesh-colored legs.

The EEs are the stripey ones in the pic and the reds are the pale orangey ones. The EEs were first to find the feed bowl and seem to be a bit more active. The RIRs seem like normal, curious, exploring chicks.

In this pic I went to take the shot and the EE went slingshotting off to check out something terrifically interesting about 8" away.

They piled up a bit at 94F, so I cranked it to 96F and they are more evenly distributed now.

decent music on KXT 91.7FM

First website ad I've ever clicked on; it was for KXT 91.7FM.

Been listening a bit for the last week or so. The website says:

KERA's public music station features acoustic, alt-country, indie rock, alternative and world music.

It reminds me of the music used to play in the early 90s before they took my pledge money and dumped music the next freaking day. I don't have very good luck with this kind of thing. I pledged to KETR who promptly dumped Joe Frank and radio drama and went all freaking bluegrass the next week.

Podcasts are going to kill NPR, anyhow. I'd much rather pay $5/podcast/year to support a handful of public radio podcasts (Left Right and Center, Planet Money, It's all Politics, etc) and let the rest collapse under its own weight.

customer email lists done right

Got this email today:

BMW Motorcycles would like to send you our monthly BMW Motorrad USA email newsletter. This newsletter features video links and exclusive content showcasing our motorcycles, race events, and more!

We acquired your email address via a BMW Motorrad contest entry form or on-line BMW registration within the last 36 months. However, we value your privacy and are writing now to ask your permission before we add you to our e-list. Be assured that at any time you can easily remove yourself from the list via click links at the bottom of every email. Thanks in advance for your interest in BMW. Please click one of these two links:
Add me to the list No thanks, please remove me

Nicely handled, Bay-em-vay. I opted in.

fireflies, spring 2010

first firefly of the season out on our back porch tonite, all by his lonesome...

Earlier in the evening I strung up the sisal for the vertical produce to train on.

brooder dry run

Set up the brooder last night with the hardware and floor material in it. Stabilized at 94F the first try! (90-95F is the target).

planning for chicks

I have mentioned before my backburner thoughts about building a chicken tractor.
This weekend I mentioned it go my MIL; she liked the idea. I checked COR laws; legal as long as there is no noise or smell problems.

So then I went garage saling a few houses down and an older gentlemen was manning the garage.

Me: is this.... a chicken feeder?
He: Yes.
Me: (sensing a planetary realignment) How much do you want for it?
He: Oh, I dunno. 25 cents.
Me: Deal.

Gulp. All these pieces have been floating around in my head and now they all aligned and locked together like those falling shapes in Tetris. Memories of feeding chickens and cleaning the coop as a boy in east tx.

Armed with 25 cents worth of chicken feeder, I went back and fleshed out some of the research I started doing a couple of years ago: The City Chicken, Backyard Chickens forum, the chicken chooser, etc.

Hopped down to Roach Feed and Seed to get some supplies to get a brooder set up and temps predictable before the chicks start to arrive in a couple of weeks. Pictured are a feeder with mason jar threads, waterer with mason jar threads, some chick feed and watersoluable antibiotics for the chicks during their first few weeks. Not pictured: brooding heat lamp fixture and bulb, brooding container.

We are thinking a handful of chicks, maybe two Rhode Island Reds and a Barred Rock, or an Ameraucana or an Buff Orpington.

messing with the garden

This weekend I

• weeded
• harvested an onion to put in some green beans
• planted two more tomato plants that had been slow to sprout
• planted two bell pepper seedlings (scrounged)
• started more lettuce seedlings

I also am sprouting some beans since the ones I planted didn't show. :-( Will plant them after they sprout. Late start, but also sprouting squash and zukes.