Well, last post for tonight, but I wanted to raise the idea of a chicken/poultry themed holiday swap. I was going to call it a Christmas swap but maybe some of us celebrate Hanukkah or other holidays. So I'm trying to be all-inclusive here. Maybe it could be destined for New Year's Day? Although some cultures celebrate New Year's on a different day. Well, you can't please all the people all the time I guess.
Anyhow, my idea is that everybody who would like to participate in a chicken or poultry themed swap would send me their name and address. I will then do a random matching of people. Just because person A sends to person B, does not mean B also sends to A. B would send to C, and C would send to A. etc. This can absolutely be international, so all countries invited to join.
I would like to set a limit on the item(s) of $20.
Some thoughts of items could be:
kitchen decor themed with chickens or other poultry, like tea towels, etc.
poultry books of interest
an incubator thermo/hygro
chicken or poultry art items
chicken or poultry jewelry items
fun socks or mittens with poultry on them
Poultry stuff, like waterers or leg bands or blue kote, etc.
No birds or eggs to be included. This isn't fair for international participants and besides it's not a good time of year for that.
I wanted to start thinking about it early so that if we have enough participants to do it, that gives people plenty of time to shop and think about their partner.
What do you all think? I will be happy to do the organizing and send out the names.
I didn't want to post this in the regular swap forum because it's not a plant related swap and many of us poultry folks don't necessarily go to that forum much.
Let me know if you'd be interested!
Claire
Chicken or Poultry Themed Secret Holiday Swap?
I'm in:0)
ooh opph! me too!
guess I'm a sucker for swaps! lol!
I'm In Great Idea, Mox!
count me in
don't forget me. i'm addicted to swaps
I think it would be fun!
I love gift givng!
I am in.. BUT.. would like to point out with the cost of shipping.. a minimuim of $8ish dollars..
Are tastefully homemade items permisable.. ie, I sew.. so I might do a few chicken saddles.. (don't hold me to that) or maybe some beautiful decorated handpainted fake eggs.. you get my point.. not with a $20 limit, but to me as a reciever, priceless..
I am only asking because many us us are out here struggling.. along with the rest of the country..
With that said.. what fun.. I can hardly wait!!!
Frans, I want to be your swap buddy, I love homemade stuff I think the 20 dollars is a max amount. There is no price to put on homemade things.
Mine will most likely be homemade also.
I would be happy with tastefully homemade items.
Sheila
can i send homemade apple butter? gonna make some soon
that sounds awesome. I think homemade things are great! especially if you can eat them!
Sheila
YES YES YES pick me I love apple butter
i make it every year. am late making it this year, with all my chicks hatching
i bet so, you have been very busy with new babies
lol.. maybe it should be a homemade swap... just kidding claire... for you.. a new pair og mucking boots... your gonna need em with all those kids!
lol yea she will.
Do not want to limit it to homemade as some might not want to or have the time to. but leave it an option for those who want to.
I'm sorry but i'm very craft challenged and i would end up sewing my ear to something i can build a coop but i can just see the mail truck pulling up with that tied on the back of it.
Bird House?
lmao how funny.
All the rules are open to modification. I just suggested 20 as a max value on any gift so that nobody went out and bought $50 items and made others feel cheap. I think homemade items are wonderful and their value is in the time that went into them. I had not included shipping in the $20 in my original estimate. It is a good reason to think creatively - lightweight mailing!
Luvs - you can't be everybody's swap partner! LOL!
Bird house is a lovely idea, but possibly heavy to mail?
I leave mailing fees up to everyone else. Mail something you can afford to mail!
come on Claire I want to give to everybody.
Small bird house?
Mosquito house?
Tick House?^_^
I Really am craft challenged
all those who want to know.. next years challange at my house..
I am inviting bats to live here!! OMG.. the misqwitoes.. (lol) are so bad right now.. even though it is chilly.. you cannot hardly walk outside.
Yep, chickens,milk goats, fiber goats, mealworms & bats and a few veggies to boot!
Santy Claus can i have a Brinsea incu i been real good all year.
oh yea... I have more of a chance with my bats..LOL.. I been good, but not that good.. I can't even pretend that good. LOL
well now, looks like I might get me one for my Christmas present.
Last time I checked, Brinsea 'bators aren't in the $20 max....
But if you can find one at that price, BUY IT!!!
lol yea really I always have to buy my own Christmas and birthday present and tell him what I got myself, so heck why not go the extreme.
LMAO!!! Fran!! can't even pretend!!LOL
I too love the idea of homemade gifts... and definitely want to be Kathys buddy! lol! I will attempt apple butter someday...my gramma used to make it... I'm just not that brave yet, and DH needs to re-do my kitchen efore I attempt any more canning excursions! LOL!
please keep in mind tho that some of us live in the city :( and although I would love to have roos, I'm just not allowed :( so saddles wouldnt do me any good...well, not tile I move out of the city :)
also no incubator here -I'm pushing the city rules with the 4 hens I have now! LOL!
I did see a wonderful poultry themed gift at the store today...tho it was on the way top shelf :(
will have to go back with my ladder (DSS is 6'9") and check it out better :)
I see alot of things in our local tractor supply would waterers or feeders make a good gift?
What do goats use?
Chick light's or feeders maybe a book of poultry.
Would a subscription to a goat or chicken magazine be good?
I know what about gift certificte's to tractor supply.
Hey Harmony - what a great idea! A magazine subscription! A gift for many months! Gift certificates to TSC is also a great idea. We probably all have a Tractor Supply around.
It looks like there is enough interest to actually do a swap, so I will get an official tally going this week and post more official "rules" and dates and stuff. I will also put some of the ideas from here on there, and also ask people to say if there are things they really do or really don't want from the suggestion list, i.e. if they have no TSC store, a gift certificate there is no good to them. Probably gift certificates to online vendors, such as Randall Burkey or similar, would be good for anybody.
I'm just whupped tonight. We spent all day working outside on expanding chicken quarters. I am scratched to heck by roosters, I have a huge hip bruise from bumping into a cart hitch, I can't count the bruises on the rest of my legs and arms, and on top of that I got liberally splattered with Blue-Kote when treating a hen whose head was cut open by our new rooster. So I was splattered with purple and had to scrub so hard in the shower I look like a lobster.
I'm having a glass of wine and contemplating what I have gotten myself into.
Oh Claire!
I feel your pain. I was frantically pulling as much sod as I could, by hand, to fill up a trailer my FIL came to pick up about an hour ago. I went to the fridge for that sooooo deserved beer and my fridge was dry. I think I may send DH, handicapped or not, to the local market. HA! He can hop with a 6-pack bagged and hanging off a crutch right??? ;-)
I'm interested, too. I had to wait because I had concerns about the costs of shipping as well.
I'd also be happy to help, if you can figure out a way to delegate. I'm a data analyst by trade and would be happy to compile a spreadsheet or something.
Kristin
PS. I do have to give Lacey some credit. She ate about 45 worms yesterday and about another 25 worms today. She was "helping" as I pulled the sod. HA!
Boy i feel lazy i took the day off and now i wish i had of cleaned out my garden Oh POO...........
lol Harmony I'm with you.... I DID order my DSS to pull up some sod in the front yard.... but all I physically did today was tie a vine to a trellis :) oh, and I fed all my animals! LOL!
The rest of the day was spent on my duff on the couch :) some days are just couch potatoe days! LOL!
Tomorrow will NOT be one of them :)
as for shipping, you can ship flat rate priority for $9.80 or 12.95 anywhere in US and weight doesnt matter...as long as it fits in their box. Also have an envelope for $4.80 flat rate.
The more costly shipping would be outside US, but I would absolutely love to trade with someone outside US....just so they or I can get something not readily avail here :)
I'm late.. but wanna be in.
I worked my fingers to the bone today... but my chicken palace now has a ROOF.. completely done.. I'm just thrilled.. my knuckles are draging the ground.. but i'm happy.
I'm crafty... very creative.. but have no clue what I'd end up with. Great suggestions here already!
I actually thought of making some legbands out of memory wire with beads! Don't know if it would work.. but I thought that would really be unique..
gotta get some sleep for my weary bones..
Well sound like everybody had a busy day!. I picked up rocks for 8 hours. THAT STINKS!!!! Daddy is dozing off some new ground to plant in Alfalfa and needed the rocks picked up. Felt a great sense of accomplishment, until he said that he would re-disc it tommorrow and if we wanted to come over, there would probably be that many rocks again. Does this stuff ever end.
Sheila
lol I have a saying here, I will pick up sticks and rocks and 2 more GROW!!!!!
Where i want to put my veggy garden next year is full of rocks and boulders. But I have 2 young men that need after school chores so that will be their job. Then hopefully DH can get it tilled up and I will put some leaves and newspaper down.
Sheila - you can build a rock wall now!