How should I deal with my fear of firecrackers?
Firmly believe that one self exists irrespective of anything, whatever happens is the effect on body not on the presence, then understand that even the body can be taken care of properly. If required one simply has to remain away that's it so it can hardly harm one even by sound. Secondly after such practice fire a small cracker first, if others can do it safely so can you. Lastly if it doesn't help then don't be embarrassed in admitting the effect, it's the best way and start of simply being in character to strengthen it.
How long can backyard chickens be left without care?
Mr. James MacAllister asked:How long can backyard chickens be left without care?If they are free ranging chickens with a good supply of water, then indefinitely as long as they have a trees that are far enough off the ground to protect them from predators.But even with good natural roosting trees, you will loose some of the flock to such critters as cats and members of the weasel family at night. During the hours between dawn and dusk you’ll have predation by foxes, hawks and perhaps coyotes.If you have a hen house and an enclosed run, they will be fine for at least a week, assuming you provide a large enough supply of water and feed. Longer than a week, then you’ll probably need to find a friendly neighbor to fill the watering device and put fresh food in the grain dispenser.Without a chicken house with a laying box or two lined with wood shavings, you will be constantly hunting for where the hens are laying from day to day.This is a commercially available chicken waterer:And a home made chicken feed dispenser:It is better to raise both devices off the ground about six inches to keep them clear of chicken poop.My wife and I let our two laying hens range freely on our properties in Maine and Florida from a bit after sunrise to a bit before sunset. In both states we live in smaller rural cities where there are no restrictions on having a few hens, and thus we let them roam around our property during the day.Having a friendly dog or two helps keep away predators.Yes, we haul them up to Maine in the late spring and back to Florida in the fall :-)My wife drives her very squared off car and puts a medium sized dog cage in the back.I carry the luggage and our two dogs in my car.Our hens seem perfectly happy to give us two eggs per day while traveling at freeway speeds.Thank you Mr. MacAllister for requesting I answer this interesting question. All the best to you and yours for the new year.
What is the dirtiest you've ever been before a shower?
I have a group of my old daycare kids that are like family. Even in high school years they still hung out at my house. One day a family member invited me to go camping— spur of the moment. I invited the kids to go and they were already at my house. They asked their parents and it was a go.I popped out to Walmart to grab a tent and supplies. Handed the tent box to the kids with instructions. Go in the back yard and learn to pitch the tent. It will be pitch black when we get there. Mark each part with sharpie so you can see it by cell phone light.I adore those kids. While I packed up ‘stuff’ the tent was pitched,labeled and then packed away in the car. By the time I ushered the little kids out to their parents and my husband got home from work we were ready to go.Traffic and road work had us at the campsite well after 12 midnight. It was pitch black and dead quiet. We pulled the tent out and oriented it— top, bottom, left side, right side with the markings, cell phone light and whispered directions from the kids. We piled in and went to sleep. I was so proud of the kids!In the morning the family that invited us could hardly believe that we had pitched the tent so quietly and in the dark. We spent all day having fun but we were supposed to leave the next night—we had only brought one change of clothing. The kids BEGGED to stay. So with no more clothes, we stayed. And then unbelievably, we stayed the next day. It was glorious fun, we all played and laughed and had great campfire meals. We were SO muddy and dirty by day three, it was scary.None of us had ever been that dirty in our lives. At a point my husband said he was so dirty he didn’t want to eat. The kids just laughed. We threw socks away rather than packing them up to go home. During the ride home we fantasized out loud about shower gel, wash cloths, clean pajamas and beds without gravel in them.Best camping trip ever!
How much space do you need to raise chickens?
A common rule of thumb is that you need to provide each chicken with two square feet of space. However, this rule is dependent on a number of factors. For example, certain breeds of chickens are larger and need more space than others. You would therefore need to take the breed of your chicken into account. The gender of your chickens also play a pivotal role in deciding how much space you need. For example, if you have more than one rooster you need to double the amount of space needed for each chick. This is because when two males are around they will attempt to show dominance by fighting each other and marking off certain territories of their own. Give them as much space as possible to avoid this. Two roosters also means a lot more mating for the poor hens. When a rooster wants to mate with a hen he sticks his claws into her back to hold her in place. If a hen is used repeatedly by a rooster the scars will start to show. Therefore make sure that there are enough hens around to satisfy the roosters or make sure there is enough space for hens to run and hide when the rooster wants to mate too often.All in all, the space needed will depend on the context. If you want further information regarding spacing and coop building then I would suggest that you check out “The Perfect Chicken Coop” by Charlie Tucker. Best of luck!