Mews flooring

[Joby]

That's probably your first hint that you need to find a new sponsor. Think what it'd be like if your bird was sick, or something like that, and your sponsor wasn't returning your calls. Not a good omen!
-Joby

[myck]

Ok! Hold on now! First off, I know he has a habit of not listening to his messages on his phone, and I know I can usually get a hold of him in the evening. He's not gonna dump me.

Second thing, I think you all may misunderstand the situation here. I live in Phoenix Arizona. We get less than two inches of rain water a year. The "dry well" is called that because its bone dry 360 days of the year. I also did some research and the "fungal growth" is actually called slime mold ( ) and is rather common in wood chips. Its harmless to people and animals (including birds). I will remove the wood chips from under were the mew will be located and replace it with some type of gravel so that there will be no chance that anything is growing down there.

I'm not making excuses, just making sure you all realize the situation. I thank you all for your concern and advice. I will talk with my sponsor about everything and see what he says tonight.

[Valkie]

just to make you feel a bit better myck, for the first year my sponsor never returned calls or contact me. only after i really showed tht i was keen did he start really helping me. i still speak to him, and ask his opinion on everything falconry related he asks. so hang in there, and just keep calling

[myck]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm not worried just yet. He's a very nice guy but very busy. I'm obviously not number one on his to do list. But I am on the list and that's all I care about. ;D

[gamble759]

i know mycks sponsor and i also know that he is one of the best in az..
a mstr with nearly 20 yrs experience. and he knows what hes doing. keep calling, or email. thats how i contact him.

myck, take it up with dave instead of asking others who are not there and therefore cannot decide what is the best for you to do. hes your sponsor.. so USE HIM.

[myck]

Will do! Thanks!

[kenbro77]

Aug 22, 2008 19:08:34 GMT -5 gamble759 said:

myck, take it up with dave instead of asking others who are not there and therefore cannot decide what is the best for you to do. hes your sponsor.. so USE HIM.

Very sound advice. That was why I was asking if you had a sponsor. At the end of the day what ever your sponsor says it what you do, if you don't agree....you get another sponsor. Some questions and statement made in a public forum are best left to your sponsor. You ask 10 falconers a question and you will get 12 answers,lol. I was just concerned you were building your mews with a health hazard before consulting your sponsor, as I did not know if you had one yet. I am sure if he notices a health problem he will advise you.

[Migisi]

Aug 22, 2008 14:32:38 GMT -5 myck said:

Ok!
We get less than two inches of rain water a year. The "dry well" is called that because its bone dry 360 days of the year.

Curious. With less than 2 inches of annual rainfall, why would your property need a 7ft. dry well in the first place? How can the slime mold exist in such an arid environment unless there's a constant source of moisture for it to proliferate. Where's the water coming from? Many home owners with septic systems here pipe their washing machine extract, rain run-off, and sump pump (water softener salt recycle) water into dry wells. As I said, just curious about the source.

I also did some research and the "fungal growth" is actually called slime mold ( ) and is rather common in wood chips. Its harmless to people and animals (including birds).

I did a little research too. "A plasmodium is also the macroscopic form of the protist known as a slime mould. ... Of the 200 known species of Plasmodium, at least 10 species infect humans. Other species infect other animals, including birds, reptiles and rodents." Source: Wikipedia. The form you see growing in the chips may indeed be harmless. But if slime mold can grow there, so can aspergillosis mold -- which IS deadly to raptors.

I'm not making excuses, just making sure you all realize the situation.

A mews is required to have good drainage. This means a dry environment. Not just dry IN the mews, but under and around the mews too.

I will talk with my sponsor about everything and see what he says tonight.

Good idea. I'm really glad you brought this up, because the location of a mews is as important as the structure itself. Thanks.

[myck]

Curious. With less than 2 inches of annual rainfall, why would your property need a 7ft. dry well in the first place? How can the slime mold exist in such an arid environment unless there's a constant source of moisture for it to proliferate. Where's the water coming from?

There's a 7ft dry well because my dad likes to overkill things. Actually, even when it rains, the water almost never gets to the dry well anyway. Yes, it is extremely dry here and the moister from any rain usually dries up within a day. Slime mold can actually pop up over night, and when the rare monsoon rolls in, thats when the mold shows up, but is usually dies shortly thereafter.

I did a little research too. "A plasmodium is also the macroscopic form of the protist known as a slime mould. ... Of the 200 known species of Plasmodium, at least 10 species infect humans. Other species infect other animals, including birds, reptiles and rodents." Source: Wikipedia. The form you see growing in the chips may indeed be harmless. But if slime mold can grow there, so can aspergillosis mold -- which IS deadly to raptors.

I did not know that, I stand corrected. I really need to get my sponsor over here to have a look. Until that happens, I'm not going to make any move towards construction.

A mews is required to have good drainage. This means a dry environment. Not just dry IN the mews, but under and around the mews too.

I know this and will do everything in my power to see that the location is dry and well drained. It may turn out that this spot (with several modifications) is the driest part of the yard. But as I stated before, I'm not going to do anything until I get word from my sponsor.

[dirthawker]

myck as I remember correctly your sponsor is on vacation at the present time. keep trying and he will get back with you as soon as he gets back. as for putting it over the well I wouldn't do it that or just fill in the well. I know Dave and he will get you all straitened around.

[myck]

Ahhhh! That would be the reason he hasn't returned any of my calls! ;D Thanks.

[snafu918]

myck, they haven't return my calls either so don't worry about it. When you do talk to them ask them why they don't call me back? Is it just because I don't live in az anymore ?

I had the worst drainage situation ever when I was in AZ and to be honest it really didn't matter that much. even with bad drainage it would dry out completely in a day or so thanks to the heat and lack of humidity.

[myck]

That's good to know. Thanks! Even when the flood gates of heaven break loos, that pit is bone dry within a day. I can see if I lived in a cooler, more humid climate how it could be a problem. But here, you can leave a bag of potato chips open for a week and they don't go bad.

As for the communication thing, I think its just them. I was at their house the other day and everything is fine.

[kathleen20703]

Are you in the Baton Rouge area? I see the LSU tag. I’m just starting out on my adventure and it would be nice to know there are people like me nearby.