Coopin and Cleanin

Unfinished Chicken Coop 7/10/11

After last nights findings, I decided to re-steam clean all the carpets today... I'm hoping it works! If not, I may need to rip up the carpet and lay new padding. What a hassle!

So Nick and I spent a long morning coop building. He laid all the siding, and I worked on ripping up the linoleum in the greenhouse to re-use for the chicken coop, since I'm planning on ripping it up anyways. My childhood friend, Molly, showed up to say hi and we quickly put a hammer in her hand. The two of us shingled the roof, something neither of us had done before. Surprisingly it was a lot easier than I had expected! The coop is now "mostly" build. It doesnt yet have functioning doors, a finished roof or insulation, but the ladies are spending their first night in there. We havent yet done any of the outdoor area either, but we will get there. For now it will be a much bigger place for them to grow.

We attempted to make the coop out of  all recycled materials. It has old deck boards for the siding, used cabinets and doors for their access points and all the random bits of old materials we could find around the house. Unfortunately we did have to buy plywood (which by the way I never knew was so expensive) and 4X4s as well as screws/nails.

Growing up

 The Chickens are growing big!! Our coops is still a floor with no walls and the chickens are getting excited to go outside soon, so we need to get crackin! I was told to keep them indoors for the first 60 days, but these girls are getting HUGE! They have giant dinosaur feet and they have just figured out that wings are for flapping and flying. I have two barred rock chicks, and 2 black Australorps. Both are cold weather hearty, and dual purpose. This means they can be used for both meat and eggs. But as you know me.... they will be egg chickens and when they get too old for laying I will give them to a nice family and tell myself that they will continue to be pets. My Nana and I have given them beautiful chicken names. They are: Penelope, Daphne, Millie and Agnes. Im still hoping they are all girls. You can never be too sure, as in the beginning one was a quite bigger than the others, but it looks as though the rest are catching up. Fingers crossed for all girls!!

Cat Pee

The very handy Rug Doctor... $40

Prepare to be a little grossed out!!!

Black light to locate cat urine

Now that it has warmed up the house has brought another new surprise... the carpet smells a bit like cat pee. YUCK! I must have a sensitive nose because Nick hasnt been able to smell anything. Or maybe its just because he's a boy and is used to bad smells. Im not quite sure. In either case I rented a rug doctor with pet odor shampoo and spent ALL day shampooing the carpet. I was relieved to be done and check my work when I realized the smell was still there in the upstairs hallway! I began my search for home remedies for animal urine in carpets. One site suggested locating the stains by using a black light. Luckily,,, when black lights were popular in high-school (oh, only 9 years ago) my sister bought me one. And due to its limited use... the bulb and everything still worked! I was amazed at what I saw when I turned it on. Nick and I were beyond grossed out. I suggest anyone who is looking to buy a home, buy a blacklight and check the carpets first! This poor animal (im pretty sure it was a cat) must have had incontinence, or so I would like to think. The owners must have 1) never let it outside and 2) never have cleaned up after it!!! So I made a solution of dish soap, vinegar, and the spray urine remover and spent my Saturday night on my knee with a blacklight in hand, scrubbing someone's cat pee. Ill let you know how it turns out! Ill do another shampoo in the morning before returning the rug doctor.

Chicken House

I attended a great class the other day about raising chickens. Chickens are great for many different things... fresh healthy eggs, creating great compost, and as overall great pets. I was hoping mid-summer to start raising 2 or 3 for fresh eggs. After the class I visited our local feed store in Reno to find out a little more about their hatches. When I arrived I was greeted by 8 day old chicks in a box by the door. I asked the young girl working there what breeds they generally had, and how often they had them. She informed me that these would be the last 8 of the season and that someone was coming in to look at them. I broke down and bought 4 right then and there, and picked them up the next morning with my Nana. Looks like my first big project at the house ended up being a chicken cook. Luckily I have an amazing roommate, Nick, who loves to build!

Home sweet Home

Home Sweet Home Truckee

Well, as many of you know... I have finally upgraded my living conditions! From a teeny-tiny itsy bitsy cabin to a big home with lots of work to be done! My new house is in Truckee, California not far from where I grew up in Lake Tahoe. It has lots nearby including lakes, fishing, biking, hiking, and of course Canaan and my favorite... SKIING. I like to joke that my new home is a 30 year project, but while I like to think this is a joke, i sometimes worry it may be true! The previous owner must have had ADHD, because everything is half-done, and the things that are done need to be re-done because he was in such a hurry. This house has been quite full of surprises as well. When bought it was covered in about 15 feet of snow, and now that it has finally all melted I have found that I actually have a driveway behind my house, that the front yard is filled with lava rock and not grass as I had expected, and the house needs a lot more outside work! I would like to think I am pretty handy... I did take 2 years of wood-shop in highschool, but this house will be full of adventures (lets hope with good endings)!!