Strange Days? Heck, Strange Week... Here at Hen House Media

Strange times call for drastic measures.... sometimes.

Strange times ALWAYS call for unique thinking.

This week at Hen House Media, we were "walloped" by multiple issues and each one was stranger than the previous. Perhaps we owe this to Halloween or the elections. But one thing is certain.... "ain't no Pumpkin Pie" and "ain't no politico in the Oval Office" gonna save Hen House from the "Forces of Strange"


PART ONE: Aye Captain, there be Gremlins in the works!

Okay, early this week, Johnny's desktop hard drive conked out. I believe it was file-structure corruption, but the result was horrendous. We lost access to the drive, and any saved Data on it.

Thankfully, a very decent program was able to "see" the unmountable drive and allow for an overnight data recovery.

This was an awsome piece of software to fix a hardware problem... but it took time. And thankfully , NONE of our client data was lost.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself "Hard drive failure is not strange..." No it isn't. But what is strange about this failure are as follows:

1. We are between 2 massive jobs. - Timing works to our advantage
2. We recovered needed data - But even if we couldn't, no client files were ever in jeopardy
3. This failure came as we were about to implement an entire system overhaul for redundancy purposes.
4. This failure actually exposed one extra vulnerability to point number 3... and that is now part of our implementational "roll-out"
5. We lost time, but nothing more.

As frustrating as this all is/was, no major harm (knock on wood).


PART TWO: Want to get Capone? Here is how you get Capone... use a Bat!

Small mouse dropping suddenly make you aware that you might have a small rodent problem. Right?

WRONG?

At Hen House Media, the video production company near Burlington, VT, we know that small rodent droppings indicate that you have a problem. It is up to you to determine the size of the problem. May not be small.

We noticed chocolate sprinkle sized mouse droppings on our window sill, right under our AC. The neat thing is, we were going to remove our AC for the winter anyway, so we knew that we could seal up the hole that may have helped the mouse gain access.

Now, we are two stories up, so this must have been one industrious mouse... right?

Hmmmm.

As we removed the AC, the thought became clear: Are we going to find a nest? Are there going to be babies? Are there going to be carcasses? Who knows, but we continued with the uninstall. We needed to remove acustom wooden frame that held the unit.

As we did so, the idea crossed our minds (collectively): Could this be a bat?

As we carefully opened the wooden frame, we found nothing. Nothing but a pile of those little chocolate sprinkles.... which indicated -- Home for a mouse.

As Johnny removed a beautiful cross piece of wood, we heard the noice... and it will haunt him forever.

He heard the sound of a small grunt. That grunt of a very disturbed little animal, or perhaps that of a small, but tough truck driver. Then he saw it.

The body of a well fed bat.

This bat was still sleeping, but not happily, and not for long.

We quickly called in ALL reinforcements from the business next store, and with a four person crew (three working, and me holding a rolled up magazine, ready to protect myself if need be) we replace the inner wood, knocked out the outer wood, and allowed the bat to seek new refuge without much fuss.

He left the Hen House with no further coaxing.

We felt disgusted, but also happy that Hen House Media had given safe harbor to a bat that was healthy, strong, and a dedicated member to the fly-control population.

In a time of Bat die-off in the North-East, we felt somewhat relieved to know this bat was doing well and all we now had to worry about was the Hantavirus we had been breathing in all summer long.

f

Hen House Media: Chicken's EVERYWHERE

What was once described by a client as a place with "...chickens everywhere," in reference to our offices has now become a description of my home life.

While in the midst of building a modest hen house for four chickens (and we only had two) this has suddenly become an insane venture to house six little cluckers, and all before time runs out. Why? because they are living in my house.

Oh, one turns out to be a rooster. ¿Did I mention that?
So, actually, I have six chickens, one hen, a partially built hen house and a house over run with these cute, but foul little fowl.

And now, the wife likes them to stretch their little scaled feet, so she lets them around the small, but functional house. And me, chasing them around with paper towel, oxy clean, and a nagging desire to get them back in their cage because "break time" is over birds... back to being birds.

Thankfully, my older child sees the madness and my younger child sees my panic as she explains that what they really need is little chicken diapers. That might solve everything.

Hen House - The construction, continues.

-B

Hen House: The Build

Hen House Media strives to "right the wrongs" of video production. By working with clients, we create a more synergistic approach to media, but enough of that. I am not here to pitch media and content creation.

I am here to show my exceptional skills as a Master Carpenter, Farmer, Blogger, and Chicken Owner. I figure, that if everyone is trying to be a video producer and post to the web, perhaps it is time I try to do everyone elses job.... Lets see how I make out.

Day 1 of the build:

I framed a nice chicken coop and plan to make a "chicken tractor" to move about my lawn. This will enable my birds to run with grass between their webbed toes. While I only have two at the moment, my wife plans to get two more.

Since I forget the type of chickens, I will have to report on them later... this is a crime and I am mildly embarrassed.



Dimensions:
So, I framed a 4' wide, by 3' deep structure, with the front 4' tall and the back 3' tall. Why? I dunno. I am the expert on this project, so I do what I feel like.


Actually, it made some sense at the time. A structure with four birds, a lamp for the coldest of days, a heated water tray for the same, a nesting box and a roosting bar. All tolled, I figure a base of 4x4 should be more than sufficient and the height is for safety of the lamp.

If anyone understands this, then you are probably more well versed than I am.

Specifics:

I want a sliding snap out tray for the bottom. This will hold newspaper. There will be chicken wire 2" above the "floor" so poop will fall through.

One side will have a sliding 1-1.5 foot door through which I will load food and water. It will slide and lock. Maybe plexi.... So the little buggers get light and I can see that they are not by the door trying to get out.... Thoughts anyone?

There will be ventilation screens at the top with flip down wood, covering. Can be propped open on warm days, shut on winter days.

Back will come completely off via snap latched. Why? Cleaning in the spring. That thing is gonna be way too dirty... will need to be hosed out I suspect. But then again, I have no real idea.

The back will also have a hinged backplate that accesses the nesting box. Eggs my friends, eggs


Ohhhhh, Bantams. I am raising Bantams and it just came to me. Small eggs, but good from what I gather.



Okay, looking down from the top. Front on the bottom. Here is the proposed layout.


Door is bottom center

Bottom left, water and food with slide door on the left wall to access

Straight back left to a little past center is nesting box. One big one. Behind that is a hinged door with clasp lock to access eggs.

The to right, against the wall, is the roosting bar.


Sound good?

More to Follow.

-B

Hen House: The build (Media)

Gonna Build me a Hen House (Media)

Hi All,

Looking for good, simple plans to keep a few chicken alive this winter.

I will post construction images when they occur.

Please keep in mind, small land size, lots of hills and lots of predators.

Thinking full frame of chicken wire and a smaller coop inside.

Frame of 1x3's? Then a small building within the frame of wire. Make sense?

-B

Jet Li, Make Way for Jet-licious

For this post, and complete understanding, we need Sam Elliott to narrate and Jeff Bridges to Star...

STRANGER

The Dude got out of his car at Exit 16 off I-89 in New Hampshire. He was one for fillin' up the gas tank, only after the needle got so low, you had to crawl under the dash to see where the little red hand pointed. But the Dude was also aware that while things needed a fillin', others needed the opposite of care.

DUDE
(Entering Exxon/Mobile talking to people at register)

Hey, you guys got White Russian Green Mountain Java? No? Damn. Allright, point me to the head if you'd be so kind.

STRANGER

Now, of course, the Dude would have no way of knowing his own destiny as he entered the restroom to take care of business. But upon completion, personal hygiene was about to give way to the discovery of a lifetime. So, after thoroughly washing his hands, the Dude reckoned that the little metallic push button on the side of the hand blower was as normal as normal gets.


DUDE
(Exiting Bathroom chuckling like a little girl)

MY SKIN -- IT RIPPLED (raising hand to face). It rippled like one of those space guys in a centrifuge... you know man? There cheeks get all ripply. That was me, only it was my hands. Whoa, where can I get me one of those hand blowers.




TRUST ME FOLKS, EXIT 16 BATHROOM OFF OF I-89 in NH. The Hand Dryer is worth it!!!!

We Love Space Chickens at Hen House Media

'Nuff Said!