Lost Flockers, Worms, Weed Killer -- Got them all!

It finally happened-- the Foster Flockers are now settled into their new home in the country with their Feather Father and this Foster Mama Clucker is learning how to learn to live life without them. As I predicted I did shed a few tears when I got them into their carrier, but their new Feather Father had no clue that I cried right before I pulled into the drive of their new home and after I was out of site of the house on the way home. Then, because I'm a sensitive Mama Clucker, I cried again the evening of their departure when I saw the empty Clucker Crate that I cleaned up quickly of stray bedding and insurmountable dust.

Fostering the Flockers was a difficult thing to do and I'm now just letting myself have a few days of hiding out and staying away from people for a little bit. I'm trying not to bother their Feather Father too much with checking in on the little birds and I'm trying not to worry when storms blow through and I think of them outside, huddled in their new digs. It's more dangerous in their new home too, lots of things wanting a free chicken dinner at any opportunity; foxes, coyotes, and hawks to just name a few of the things on the constant prowl. I hope that their Feather Father takes his new parenting duties seriously and the little birds thrive. The country, ultimately, is where they are the happiest and I raised them to be good little country Flockers.

Sadness of sending the Flockers home has given way to other distractions this past week, namely that now my house has pupa! Oh yes, you read that correctly-- I Have Pupa!

Mealworms



Pupa

Anyone who has read the "I Got Worms" blog entry, has learned about my attempt at wanting to grow mealworms on my own so that I could feed my adult Cluckers homegrown treats. You can read the blog entry here if you haven't already. Shock of all shocks, the mealworms that I purchased from the pet store have turned from the yucky brown squirmy maggot-looking creatures to the even more grotesque, Sigorney Weaver "Alien" pupa. Talk about gross! The pupa are white, small, and don't eat or drink. What makes them even more creepy is that they jerk when they move.

I've read that I need to remove these pupa from around their relative brown worm siblings because I guess once these "pupa" turn into the Darkling Beetle they turn Hannibal Lecter and cannibalize each other. 

It's amazing what you can find out from YouTube at 2AM when insomnia decides to show up.

 I'm not exactly a fan of touching insects-- the exception being catching fireflies on a summer evening to watch them flash for a few seconds before they unfold their cape-like black wings and fly off again. So, you can imagine my dislike at having to reach into the quick oats bedding and remove each little white, wiggling, pupa to put it into another oat bedding container for them to finish their morphing. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

I guess it'll take a few weeks before I start seeing the beetles so I have time to steel myself up for dealing with those things next!



Before Homemade Weed Killer



After Homemade Weed Killer

The other thing that happened this past week was that I discovered the best weed killer ever! The Cluckers have caused me to be a lot more conscious about what I put in and on my lawn and I searched the web looking for a homemade, natural, remedy that wouldn't hurt dog, cat, or bird and one that actually worked! I came across this video on YouTube (insomnia again a few nights ago) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdIuw_Gt58A and after I watched the woman test it out-- I had to try it for myself.

It actually works! Super easy, super simple and I don't have to worry about any critter making its way across newly sprayed, unwanted, weeds and it harming them. Who knew that 32 oz. of white vinegar, 1/4 cup of salt and a touch of Dawn could be so powerful?! Awesomesauce! If the rain ever stops around here, I'll have to spray the weeds that I missed and finally eradicate them from my patio-- but in the meantime, I like looking at the places where the unwanted plants were and realizing I was able to provide a solution that is only harmful to the thing that I'm spraying. Yay me!

It's been a busy, emotional week for sure and I'm still working on building the Koop 2.0 for the, one day, soon to arrive Lavender Orpingtons.

Several people have asked me if I ever slow down or ever take a break. Oh, I do, occasionally, but the fun isn't found in sitting on the sofa-- watching other people. I'm happiest working around and in the yard until the sun goes down and I can hardly see; the Cluckers happily cooing around my feet and my pups sitting quietly on the back porch.

This I love, if only it would warm up and warm up soon!