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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

How many times do I have to say it?

Some have pics on their side bar blog feeds, so I am posting this one to push the last one off.

Please read an entire post before you judge me. Or better yet,  if you really feel the need to pass judgement without actually reading an entire post, just leave.

I have said many times that I am not the romantic homesteader. I will tell you the truth. If you don't want to know the truth, please please go somewhere else. I don't write this to appease you or anyone but me. This is my life, this is real life, this is what happens on a homestead.

The bird was quickly dealt with so that she would not suffer. Pics were taken just as we were grabbing her to deal with the issue. 


Now I have placed a warning on my sidebar for all the new people that might come along.

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Handled that just wonderfully! Don't feel alone. I'm dealing with my own dose of nimrods. Actually - FaceBook caught my wrath this morning. I cut its head off. LOL j/k Well, no... I did shut down my FB account! Smile, Girlie! We're just finding out who's wired for reality and who's not. You just happened to care of one that's just... unable to find their top floor to the elevator.

Phelan said...

Oh the FB thing. LOL! That's ticking off so many people. I have been using that google+ for a bit now. Think I may like it better.

I figured I had best nip this in the bud before the emails start coming in about how horrible of a person I am, and that I too should suffer like the bird and that someone should kill me. I love those emails. Death threats are forwarded to the proper authorities by the bye.

But the sidebar warning should have come years ago, so that I wouldn't have to repeat myself so often. Maybe people will actually read it.

Heeding it however is probably another story. I have these weird stalkers that seem to only find all my mistakes, gun post, butchering posts, and a few meat related recipe posts just to attack me. Either by email or replies.

I guess I am just in a mood this morning.

Mamma Bear said...

No real homesteader is a "romantic". I can't think of too many days where I wake up to sunshine and roses. I deleted my blog an few months ago but decided there are days I just want to write and my blog was one way to do it so I started it back up again and I will not sugar coat our way of life.

In the past two months I have buried 5 chickens and one baby goat. Our flock of chickens are now practicing cannibalism and I can't find the ring leader. As soon as I do she will be going into a canning jar. It may be so bad I may have to start a new flock. One of our baby goats bloated and by the time I found her it was too late.

We've dealt with no rain, a poor garden, fruit trees that never have needed rain that now have to be watered weekly and the list goes on and on.... I finally this past month was able to get hay that wasn't $7.50 a bale. We really need to butcher some goats but Papa Bear is recovering from carpal tunnel surgery so that is off of a while. I don't think I can do that job alone.

Such is life and I really appreciate your down to earth accounts as to what really goes on.

Anonymous said...

Homesteading is real life. If you can't handle it, don't read it! Is there a way to block the idiots who stalk you?

Anonymous said...

Romantic & homestead just do not go in the same sentence!

HermitJim said...

No way around it...sometimes real life sucks!

Anytime animals or kids are involved, there will be some very nasty looking things happen. That's life!

I appreciate your dealing with it in a totally realistic fashion!

Thanks for the good work!

Phelan said...

Unfortunately there are a lot of popular homesteading blogs and websites out there that hide the bad things. People tend to get this idea that homesteading is not what it really is. Then they come here. I have had plenty of complaints about how I portray homesteading.

Mamma Bear, I hear you. I am sorry for all your losses. It's been a plenty around here as well. Good job on the hay!

Ruth, I wish, but then I would have to block anonymous posters, and I really don't want to do that. See comment below your's :D

Hi Jim, glad to see you. And thank you.

You know I debated heavily about posting that photo(s) but when it came down to it, I don't think I could have described the damage to a point that people would understand the true horror of it. All caused by a small cut in a fence.

Carolyn said...

I'm not sure what "Anonymous" thought you were supposed to do? Set up a morphine drip for the chicken before dispatching it? It's not like you posted these pics with the caption, "Hey, get a load of THIS funky looking thing!"

Some people are so out of touch with reality that it's sad.

Life sucks. On a daily basis. Thank you for showing us the REAL stuff though.

Oh, I DID almost vurp up my oatmeal when I saw that picture. And I'm the one who does all the shooting, killing, butchering etc., around here. But you know what? That horrible picture will stay with me for a while and the next time I find a "small" or insignificant hole in a fence, I'll be reminded of that picture and do something about the fence.

So thanks for makine me vurp up my oatmeal this morning! :)

Rae said...

I never understood why some people find it necessary to be nasty. The Internet definitely enables people to be anonymously unpleasant. If I come across a page or story that I don't like, I just move on. Not that I find that here. The chicken pic was definitely yicky, but now I find that I need to go check MY chicken run for hidden dangers (turkey pen especially... Goodness, those birds are stupid). The new warning blurb may warn away a few folks who are looking for the sunshine and roses type of blog, but unfortunately, most of the people who leave nasty comments seem to search for posts they can gripe about.

Farm life isn't always pretty. Stuff happens. You take care of it. My dog scalped a chick last spring. I looked to see the poor thing eating and drinking with its little head bare to the air. I killed the chick quickly, and set up the brooder so it couldn't happen again. Crap happens. You deal with it, learn from it, and share so others can learn too (ie, if you have a terrier/bird dog mix that is an inside dog, make sure the brooder lid is very very very secure).

Anyhoo, most people are hip to reality, so keep up the good work! :)

Phelan said...

I didn't mean to make you Vurp. And I did warn everyone that it was very graphic.

About the poster. I don't know. They are out of L.A. California, and have only had cookies enabled 5 times. So they have yet to see some of my nasty life photos and stories. And honestly, don't care. I don't deal with people that accuse me of BS like that. But I did want to bump that post for those with photos enabled on their sidebar.

The small break in the fence was never something I thought about, only time is when I think it is big enough for a predator to get through. I will never forget this myself.

Hey Rae, I have had dog issues myself, learned from those quickly. There just seems to be dangers for chickens every freakin' where.

Bob from Athens said...

I hang out on yahoo answers and these blogs a lot and it is amazing how many of these "yuppie experts" know everything you are gonna say after reading one or two lines. I guess they are just too busy to find out the total story or all the facts, or their opinion is way more important anyway. I been farming one way or nother for 60+ years and I discovered a long time ago, farm animals, all animals actually, are not human. They gonna get themselves into all kinda messes, and the farmers gonna have to deal with it.

sel said...

Phelan, do what you do and if anyone doesn't like it who gives a flying fig! Life isn't always pretty...people need to deal.

Judy said...

I like the fact you are keeping it real! Most Urbanites don't connect that there are unpleasant tasks to deal with when you take on any type of animal husbandry even if it is a few hens in the back yard.

Come to think of it, growing a garden is no picnic! You have to deal with what to do about bug control, disease, drought, heat, and whatnot, and then you may loose it all any way!

Phelan said...

I am starting to think people may confuse reality tv to real life.

Bob, you forget about my boys, they are just as likely to get into a situation as my chickens ;). 60 years? So you have all kinds of things to say to me to put me in my place. I like that. You should do it more often you know. I will take it from you. And you hang out here because I am a yuppie? or you are preparing to defend me?

But I think the poster took the Super duper part of my warning, skipped the words and went right for the photo. Hence the me finding it cute. blah. My warning still stands.

sel, dealing isn't something everyone is good at. And placing a WARNING sign is just like a red button that says do not push.

Judy, I remember a fellow blogger, she was an urban homesteader, but she had no idea what kind of damage a skunk could do to her chickens. She seemed not to believe that anything but a domestic dog would hurt her birds. And it isn't just the urban or suburban, it is people in general that haven't spent a decent amount of time doing this. They don't understand how bad things can really get.

Now in the posters defense, I too was appalled by what I saw. I hurt physically for the bird. I never like to see animals suffer, and I do make sure that they are taken well care of. But this was an accident. And I did indeed debate weather I should have posted it or not. I have spared you guys the dog massacre photos, but this one. . . this one I thought was a good warning best shown rather than merely told.

mmpaints said...

Dont sweat it Phelan, I got stalked by a couple of vegans after I posted my cow butchering pic and it wasn't even a close up shot! Tell em to piss off if they don't like real life. we dont raise farm animals as pets around here, we eat em.

Judy T said...

I think reality is too much for some people. Many of those, I think, are also the ones who don't think twice about eating food from factory farms. Out of sight, out of mind.
Thanks for keeping it real.
I'm going to double check my fence when I get home....
Judy

SkippyMom said...

I didn't read yesterday's post because you kindly put a VERY big warning on it and I knew better.

I don't why you let them get to you. As I always say about my blog "It's my rules." You are going to get detractors, but tough titties to them - death threats on the other hand - who the hell does that!

The disclaimer is up. This is your life and you are documenting it. Just leave them be. The less you engage them, the less they will want to come around. They are called trolls for a reason.

jenny said...

Poor chicken.. My girls got a rude awakening one day when a hen that was hiding and eluding us came out one day with 13 little chicks behind her, then the big old rooster started pecking at the babies and 3 died before we could stop the rooster. The girls were so upset, crying for the babies. My uncle said it was because the rooster was killing off his future competition. He grew up on a farm, so he would know, but I've often wondered about that. Does the rooster know which chicks are male?? The remaining chicks that grew up were all female but one. After that happened, we built a separate pen for mamas and their chicks to grow safely away from the rooster.

Gorges Smythe said...

I learned decades ago that the world is full of self-righteous jerks that have nothing to do but critisize others. Report those who bully and p_ss on the rest!

Judy said...

Jenny I didn't know that! But it makes sense.

Doom said...

Shabby-shiek and loverly is good for some. I don't necessarily want it both barrels and hard, I more need it. Not because I like it, but because I know it to be true. I will gladly hear the good, but if it is not good I don't want a lie.

I might only be able to send a quick prayer while I move on. I can't help in any other way. But as I consider a few goats, chickens, a serious garden, and maybe a horse, I would like to know what I am facing. I can read poetry anywhere, and would rather not. The poetry of life will suffice.

Oh, and I sure enjoy your family and farm. Quite vicariously at the moment. Maybe someday, health permitting, I'll have my own little slice of that life. Thanks for sharing the whole of it. Be well.

Mary Smith said...

Nothing is life is perfect and rosey! Your blog is awesome! Thanks for the info.

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