FAQ Friday, episode 3

Welcome to the third episode of FAQ Friday, where I'll answer the questions you've posed this week and try to convince some of you that I haven't lost my mind and that giving chickens pedicures is a perfectly normal thing to do.

The week started with what I thought to be a sane and sensible way to identify my chickens.

From kkk:
Q. Have you considered colored leg bands like they use on wild birds for identification? The nail polish is cute but the leg bands would last longer!
A. I did consider the leg bands, but they came in packs of 25 and I didn't want to get 22 more chickens. The nail polish is wearing surprisingly well after six days, though the girls do have appointments for a touch-up on Sunday.

From June:
Q. I have to believe you did this just for blogging purposes?
A. No, I would have painted their nails even if I didn't have a blog (whether I would have taken pictures of their colorful toes remains to be seen). It's great to be able to tell them apart! I've learned that Peach is the most independent, Clara loves tortillas, and Lorena's hobby is rock-climbing.

From A New England Life, gtyyup, and Oregontribal1:
Q. Is life becoming a little too mundane on the ranch?
Q. Maybe you've been on the ranch a lil' too long?
Q. You might need to take breather from all the "farm life" and go to town and have a pedicure yourself? Just talk to someone without so many whiskers, feathers, or hooves maybe?
A. I can't imagine what makes you think I need to get a life. (I love it when my blogging friends tease me and I can throw it right back at them, and everyone knows we're just kidding here, right?)

From C in WI:
Q. What kind of equipment/lenses do you use most of the time?
A. Almost all the photos you've seen on this blog since July 2008 were taken with a Nikon D80 and the lens it came with - a Nikkor 18-135mm zoom. For indoor and other low-light conditions, I use a Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens.

From Penni:
Q. Did the upside down tomato planter make tomatoes – were you satisfied with it? I want tomatoes, but the baddogs do not (apparently). So, I was contemplating the "above their heads approach."
A. I did get tomatoes from my upside-down planter...teeeny, tiny tomatoes. Granted, I started out with a cherry tomato plant, but the tomatoes ended up being the size of peas. I'm not sure if that was a function of the planter or my water.

From Tina and Morning Bray Farm:
Q. When will we get the many faces of Alan version?
A. I sense a theme coming on. Smooch and George have had their turns - it's only fair to work on down the line. Look for Alan's soon.

From Pat in East TN:
Q. I can't believe the problems with your locoweed, and being as I don't remember it being mentioned much before, what caused it to suddenly take over the 7MSN?
A. All the snow and rain I whined about from December through March brought out the locoweed, as well as every other weed, wildflower, and plant that was dormant during our many dry years. Bubba, the herbicide guy, was here yesterday, spraying the pastures to get rid of the crazy stuff. When it falls over and dies and the surrounding grass grows a few inches, I'll be able to let the boys back into the pasture - I'm thinking that should be around the beginning of July.

I'll leave you with this parting shot that didn't find its way into any other post this week. Have a great weekend, everybody.