I was pumping gas when the inspiration struck.
A KIDDIE POOL!
Yes, a kiddie pool would be perfect!
Yikes, did I just say that out loud? (I do that sometimes) I
looked around the gas station…no one was looking at me oddly. Phew…I guess I didn’t actually express my
weird and random thoughts to any total strangers. (for a change)
But, a
kiddie pool…yeah.
Great idea!
However, it would have to wait. I was on my way to the feed store and I
couldn’t have a pool in the back of the truck when I pulled up to the mill. (I’m
pretty sure they have their doubts about me at the feed store, anyway. No need to confirm any suspicions.) Besides, I should really check with the Boss…
My town trip being…well, a trip to town…I got focused on other things and completely forgot
about the kiddie pool… (and the somewhat unusual use I had in mind)
…until the next day…when I was doing something else
completely unrelated. And this time I
did say out loud, “A KIDDIE POOL! I meant to get a kiddie pool!”
By now you're probably wondering about me, too, so I guess I
better back this story up just a little bit.
Back in the winter, I sat down with a calendar and very
carefully calculated the dates for chick deliveries. I made the orders, marked the calendar and
received confirmations from the hatchery.
All was right with the world.
Except…
We always get the first batch from the farm store. Read about that adventure here. This method has worked for years as the farm
store got fairly large quantities at one time and they stayed warmer in transit, so
we would suffer no travel related fatalities.
(this is a very real problem, chicks must be kept WARM, WARM in the
early days of their life---winter time is a hard time to ship)
Since the farm store didn’t have chicks as early as they had
in the past, it threw all my calculations off.
But, this didn’t occur to us until we were in the midst of batch
#2. It was too late to re-schedule
delivery…we would just “wing it”. (and
that always goes so well…)
We ended up with a backlog of chickens. The broilers in the
field pen had to be processed before the broilers in the brooder could move out…and
the broilers in the brooder had to move because the Post Office lady would be
calling soon to tell me that the cheeping chicks were driving her mad. Yikes!
We scrambled around, processed broilers a few days early,
did a somewhat haphazard cleaning job on the brooder, and got the chicks out of
the box in the shop and into the brooder with fairly little difficulty.
All was right once more.
Until I got an email from the hatchery and realized that (OH
CRAP) it was going to happen again! We
were going to have another backlog of chicks.
The whole scenario was playing out again, except this time we didn’t
have the option of early processing.
I had been racking my brain for a week trying to come up
with a solution. The Boss really didn’t
want the chicks in the shop that long (they make a lot of dust, too). He needed to do some repair jobs and needed
the space. …and there’s always the concern about the errant barn kittie
visiting the shop…and I’m pretty sure the introductions between kitties and
chicks would be quite short…and tasty (for the cat). I felt like this was a problem of my own
making…So, what WAS I going to do?
Enter the pile of kiddie pools at the grocery store.
That would definitely do it! (I'm sure other folks have used this idea, so don't think that I think that I'm brilliant or anything like that. I really don't know why we haven't done it before.)
As I was sweltering away picking broccoli, I suddenly
remembered the kiddie pools. Maybe it was the heat that reminded me, I’m not
sure. At that point, all I could think
about was getting to town and getting a pool.
As it got hotter I could just envision a mass migration to the store to
buy kiddie pools. Surely all of Augusta County was thinking of cooling off on
this hot, humid day. Hold on there, masses! I need one for my chicks! I finally got to a stopping point, told the
Boss my plan, hopped in the farm truck and I was off…to get my “chickie pool”.
I was surprised to find a whole pile of pools. No great line of hot and weary customers
eager to buy them. Except for the rather
bewildered looking little old man who nearly collided with me and my
pool, I didn’t even see any other customers in the store. It was 87* with 50% humidity…I would have
thought EVERYONE would have been buying pools!
Back at the farm, we put the pool in the greenhouse that is currently standing idle. By
putting it underneath the propagation table, I had a place to hang the heatlamp
(not needing THAT today, let me tell you!). After I dumped some shavings, got the feed and
water set up…we were just waiting for that call from the Post Office.
ready for chicks |
The Post Office lady always seems so relieved when I walk
into the post office to relieve her of her tiny charges. Today was no exception.
Despite one transit fatality, the “pool
chickies” seem to have adapted well and are cheeping and scratching around
inside their little pool. It’s kind of cute and looks like it is going to work.
In a little over a week, they’ll move to the brooder and the “greenhouse-brooder”
can go back to being just a greenhouse...and the kiddie pool will find a new use or need a place to be stored.
I have checked the calendar (again)---we’re
back on track for the season! Woohoo!
…and once they finally move to the brooder…we can just add a lawn
chair to our pool and we’ll be set for the next hot spell.
Our local feed store does the same-we also use smaller kiddie pools, half way filled with ice, to put summer salads in during a party! Lots of uses besides plopping the kids in!
ReplyDeleteWhat a COOL idea! (pun intended) Thanks for sharing.
DeleteThe pic of those fat little yellow balls eating in the Chickie Pool is so darn CUTE! If we eat cute things, does it make us cute too? Just wondering.
ReplyDelete"If we eat cute things, does that make us cute, too?" hmmm
DeleteUnfortunately, broilers are no longer cute by the time they are eaten...so, WHERE does that leave us? LOL
As somebody said Barbara (can't remember who) 'Fortune favours the prepared mind.'
ReplyDeleteI like that!
DeleteI really enjoy reading all of your blogs. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete