Saturday on the Homestead - Covered in Shit
**This post contains images of an injured animal**
Yesterday was a very busy day on our new homestead. I got done working early on Friday night so I was able to catch up on some sleep, which was great! I woke up on Saturday refreshed, ready to conquer the day. I made a coffee and two bottles and headed outside to keep the baby goats. I had so much planned. I was going to work on unpacking some of these boxes from our move, work on the fence..and so much more! During morning runs we noticed one of the ducklings had blood on her wing. I examined her and realized she must have broken a flight feather. Flight feathers have blood vessels in them and if broken, sometimes can cause quite a mess. I did not think this was a big deal. So, off to find something around the house to stop the bleeding. I ended up using corn starch which worked wonderfully and immediately. Then we noticed that this was not a localized injury; under her wing was pecked raw. She had been attacked. Since the coop is built so well, we knew that nothing could get in...so this was now a game of clue. Who attacked the duck, in the coop, with their beak? I knew with the blood everywhere I needed to clean up the duck and treat the raw skin and make sure no blood was visible because the other birds would be attracted to her. Then we noticed another duck had also been attacked - but worse. So, now I am worried and feeling upset. I don't like for these things to happen as much as I know it's partially out of my control.
I figure we need to clean this coop today because I want them to heal inside a clean coop as to not risk infection. DH and I run to the feed store and get more bedding, and raw honey because of course I used the last of it to make elderberry syrup. When we came back, I made an easy raw honey essential oil mix and applied it generously to the birds and then begin to clean the coops. This is where my day went to shit. Literally.
I could have just added new bedding on top of the old bedding. I had planned on trying the deep litter method anyways. The deep litter method is where you use a thick floor of bedding and leave it. It eventually turns to compose and then you can use it in your garden the following year. But no. I decided I wanted to change out all the bedding just to be sure my birds didn't get an infection. I could have just changed out the bedding. But no. I decided since the bedding was already all cleaned out, I mise well just spray it out and clean it really good. I gather the hose and realize it does not reach. It was short by about 6 feet maybe. So DH offers the pressure washer. GREAT IDEA! This will clean it better and faster! I have actually never used a pressure washer before.
So I start from the back corner and work my way forward. This thing is blasting all the dirt and shit off the floor like Mr. Clean on steroids, this is awesome! The coop is coming clean very well. The coop is a bit uneven, so some of the water pooled in the front corner. This pressure washer works so well, I thought to myself, I bet I can blast the water out of the door!!! WONDERFUL IDEA! So I turn, adjust the hose so the water moves over to the door....and spray the corner of the coop where the water pooled up. WORST IDEA OF MY LIFE! Suddenly the jet stream of water hit the corner and all of that damn puddle of SHIT sprayed back on me. I closed my eyes and mouth as quick as I could but the damage was done. DH yells in laughing that I don't know what I am doing. OB-V-IOUS-LY! Then I remembered he said move the nozzle closer and it will spray back less. So what do I do? I tried to move the nozzle closer thinking maybe it wouldn't spray me. WRONG! AGAIN! This time I jumped back forgetting to let go of the pressure washer handle and the shit is up the walls and on my face and all over my hair and clothes and I am wondering how I got myself into this mess. I stop and just stand there...I don't know what I am thinking at this point other than what a literal shit show this has become. All I wanted was my birds to have a clean place to sleep and heal!
This whole homesteading, chicken, goat thing is all new to me. Every thing I am doing I am learning as I go. So I decide ...can't learn if you don't trial and error right? So, I take a shovel and decide if I get some of this water out, I can definitely spray it out with no crappy consequences. So I sweep some of the water out and because now the walls are covered in shit, I need to spray it again. I back up and slowly spray the walls down. All is good until I hit that damn corner again and for a THIRD TIME get sprayed with shit! At this point I am not even pissed off anymore...I am feeling downright stupid!
Needless to say...I did end up getting it most of the way cleaned up but after being sprayed with that crap three times I ended up saying screw it and did the best I could without expecting good results. So much for trying to be a good bird mom, right? I ended up finishing the coop and goat shed bedding covered in duck and chicken shit.
A day later...I am not feeling stupid and can laugh about the mishaps of yesterday. I am sure I will always remember the first time I decided to power clean the chicken coop. As for Daisy and Sunny the ducks - they are doing quite well today. Their wounds are healing and they are acting themselves.
Yesterday was a very busy day on our new homestead. I got done working early on Friday night so I was able to catch up on some sleep, which was great! I woke up on Saturday refreshed, ready to conquer the day. I made a coffee and two bottles and headed outside to keep the baby goats. I had so much planned. I was going to work on unpacking some of these boxes from our move, work on the fence..and so much more! During morning runs we noticed one of the ducklings had blood on her wing. I examined her and realized she must have broken a flight feather. Flight feathers have blood vessels in them and if broken, sometimes can cause quite a mess. I did not think this was a big deal. So, off to find something around the house to stop the bleeding. I ended up using corn starch which worked wonderfully and immediately. Then we noticed that this was not a localized injury; under her wing was pecked raw. She had been attacked. Since the coop is built so well, we knew that nothing could get in...so this was now a game of clue. Who attacked the duck, in the coop, with their beak? I knew with the blood everywhere I needed to clean up the duck and treat the raw skin and make sure no blood was visible because the other birds would be attracted to her. Then we noticed another duck had also been attacked - but worse. So, now I am worried and feeling upset. I don't like for these things to happen as much as I know it's partially out of my control.
 |
| Daisy's Wing |
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| Sunny's wing |
I figure we need to clean this coop today because I want them to heal inside a clean coop as to not risk infection. DH and I run to the feed store and get more bedding, and raw honey because of course I used the last of it to make elderberry syrup. When we came back, I made an easy raw honey essential oil mix and applied it generously to the birds and then begin to clean the coops. This is where my day went to shit. Literally.I could have just added new bedding on top of the old bedding. I had planned on trying the deep litter method anyways. The deep litter method is where you use a thick floor of bedding and leave it. It eventually turns to compose and then you can use it in your garden the following year. But no. I decided I wanted to change out all the bedding just to be sure my birds didn't get an infection. I could have just changed out the bedding. But no. I decided since the bedding was already all cleaned out, I mise well just spray it out and clean it really good. I gather the hose and realize it does not reach. It was short by about 6 feet maybe. So DH offers the pressure washer. GREAT IDEA! This will clean it better and faster! I have actually never used a pressure washer before.
So I start from the back corner and work my way forward. This thing is blasting all the dirt and shit off the floor like Mr. Clean on steroids, this is awesome! The coop is coming clean very well. The coop is a bit uneven, so some of the water pooled in the front corner. This pressure washer works so well, I thought to myself, I bet I can blast the water out of the door!!! WONDERFUL IDEA! So I turn, adjust the hose so the water moves over to the door....and spray the corner of the coop where the water pooled up. WORST IDEA OF MY LIFE! Suddenly the jet stream of water hit the corner and all of that damn puddle of SHIT sprayed back on me. I closed my eyes and mouth as quick as I could but the damage was done. DH yells in laughing that I don't know what I am doing. OB-V-IOUS-LY! Then I remembered he said move the nozzle closer and it will spray back less. So what do I do? I tried to move the nozzle closer thinking maybe it wouldn't spray me. WRONG! AGAIN! This time I jumped back forgetting to let go of the pressure washer handle and the shit is up the walls and on my face and all over my hair and clothes and I am wondering how I got myself into this mess. I stop and just stand there...I don't know what I am thinking at this point other than what a literal shit show this has become. All I wanted was my birds to have a clean place to sleep and heal!
This whole homesteading, chicken, goat thing is all new to me. Every thing I am doing I am learning as I go. So I decide ...can't learn if you don't trial and error right? So, I take a shovel and decide if I get some of this water out, I can definitely spray it out with no crappy consequences. So I sweep some of the water out and because now the walls are covered in shit, I need to spray it again. I back up and slowly spray the walls down. All is good until I hit that damn corner again and for a THIRD TIME get sprayed with shit! At this point I am not even pissed off anymore...I am feeling downright stupid!
Needless to say...I did end up getting it most of the way cleaned up but after being sprayed with that crap three times I ended up saying screw it and did the best I could without expecting good results. So much for trying to be a good bird mom, right? I ended up finishing the coop and goat shed bedding covered in duck and chicken shit.
A day later...I am not feeling stupid and can laugh about the mishaps of yesterday. I am sure I will always remember the first time I decided to power clean the chicken coop. As for Daisy and Sunny the ducks - they are doing quite well today. Their wounds are healing and they are acting themselves.
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| Elly, Chicken coop inspector |
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| Penelope and Elly |
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