Sometimes there just is no substitute for having guests to make you realize how badly you have let things go. We had a flock of baby ducks and two very sweet little girls came to see them. Even the donkeys and the llama seem to take a back seat when we have babies. Watching them looking at the babies convinced me that the nursery was overdue for a cleaning.
I am not nearly as conscientious as Sally when it comes to keeping things orderly and clean. For the past couple months, however, she gave me a ready made excuse. She had surgery and I stayed very close and inside the house most of the time. The day before yesterday she was released by her physical therapist. Yesterday we had visitors. I guess my excuse is shot. Back to work.
The middle of this is boring according to Sally. If you don't like redneck engineering skip to the last picture. If you enjoy learning from others mistakes (experience), don't skip.
I am not nearly as conscientious as Sally when it comes to keeping things orderly and clean. For the past couple months, however, she gave me a ready made excuse. She had surgery and I stayed very close and inside the house most of the time. The day before yesterday she was released by her physical therapist. Yesterday we had visitors. I guess my excuse is shot. Back to work.
The middle of this is boring according to Sally. If you don't like redneck engineering skip to the last picture. If you enjoy learning from others mistakes (experience), don't skip.
The first thing you have to do if you have ducks (if you have a porch) is to wash the porch every morning. The mess you develop when you have an operating nursery is bigger than that.
We use a garden hose with a pressure nozzle every morning. It does a reasonable job but I am going to have to seal the wood if I ever intend for it to last.
We use a garden hose with a pressure nozzle every morning. It does a reasonable job but I am going to have to seal the wood if I ever intend for it to last.
The babies certainly contribute to the mess. It's even worse when mama is in the cage. I started the day with the intent to evict Mama Duck. Mama Duck started the day with different intentions.
When she is in the cage she is paranoid that you are after her babies. She gets excited which stirs up the babies. When she leaves you can get them to calm down. If you work at it they will bond with you. With the last flock I sold a few, cut it down to five babies, and had the most success. This time we started with seven so my odds are good.
Mama was too excited and I am tired of getting scratched. Will wait and see.
When she is in the cage she is paranoid that you are after her babies. She gets excited which stirs up the babies. When she leaves you can get them to calm down. If you work at it they will bond with you. With the last flock I sold a few, cut it down to five babies, and had the most success. This time we started with seven so my odds are good.
Mama was too excited and I am tired of getting scratched. Will wait and see.
This unassuming little blue thing was in my plans today. Harbor Freight and Northern Tool both carry them with similar capabilities. It is an electric pressure washer. This 1500 pounds per square inch pressure washer came from northerntool.com and it is the AR Blue Cleaner, Item Number AR118. When I bought it the item was on special for $100. Today the price is $99. So much for my special. If you go by their Conroe store they will probably order it for you and let you skip the shipping charges.
All you need to get pretty good results with this is a water hose and a regular 110v outlet. The garden hose connection was junk so I cut a piece of hose, bought two female connectors and I was in business. There is a secret to improving things even more..
All you need to get pretty good results with this is a water hose and a regular 110v outlet. The garden hose connection was junk so I cut a piece of hose, bought two female connectors and I was in business. There is a secret to improving things even more..
This is the secret weapon. Probably about $15 at Walmart and loaded with about a dollars worth of the cheapest non-diluted bleach. Pressure wash first. Let partially dry and then spray the bleach. If you spray before you wash it will be blotchy because of all the dirt. Some dirt doesn’t get penetrated and it becomes really uneven. Clean with the pressure washer, let it be wet without standing water, and spray on the bleach Let it set for 2-3 minutes and wash again.
In my opinion this gives the best results even with the dilution.
In my opinion this gives the best results even with the dilution.
I'm never very happy with pressure washed wood when it's wet. It's going to be streaky and it still will be after just 1-2 washes. When you get it where you want it you can do things to keep it that way.
It comes out looking like this. Some of the areas have removed the grime so much that it looks like new wood. If I repeat the process about 2-3 weeks in a row it will start looking very new and ready for staining.
This wood has been exposed to everything for over 12 years. I did power wash it once but well over 2 months ago. I think that this is the second time. The washer, using a fan spray, gets some pretty good results. Years ago I had an even more powerful electric one and used it in my company. We were chimney sweeps and the bricks of the house always needed cleaning in Houston. The Chimney always had the dirtiest bricks.
Thompsons water sealer can be applied using the same sprayer that you used for bleach. Just clean the sprayer with soap and water afterwards.
When used after pressure cleaning it helps to maintain everything. I believe they now have Thompsons with stain. If you have ducks and chickens nothing is quite enough. However, it should make the water bead and resist things soaking in. Easier cleaning. Thompsons with no stain does not alter the appearance at all once dry.
Thompsons water sealer can be applied using the same sprayer that you used for bleach. Just clean the sprayer with soap and water afterwards.
When used after pressure cleaning it helps to maintain everything. I believe they now have Thompsons with stain. If you have ducks and chickens nothing is quite enough. However, it should make the water bead and resist things soaking in. Easier cleaning. Thompsons with no stain does not alter the appearance at all once dry.
While all this was going on Mama Duck got herself distracted and evicted. I had noticed that she was getting separation from the babies in the cage. When she started paying attention to ducks outside the cage I just swept her out with my arm.
They still have their baby waterer in the cage but you are witnessing a very momentous event in their lives . This is their first big boy/girl drink and they are excited.
I expect to see Mama Duck a little bit more but mostly I expect to see her join up again with that homewrecking "Tall Dark Stranger".
They still have their baby waterer in the cage but you are witnessing a very momentous event in their lives . This is their first big boy/girl drink and they are excited.
I expect to see Mama Duck a little bit more but mostly I expect to see her join up again with that homewrecking "Tall Dark Stranger".
