Consolidated Kansas

[Ivywoods]

Chooks-Thanks for the idea on the marans eggs. I'll give that a try with the next ones I set.

DH isn't any better and I am thoroughly disgusted with the medical service around here. They have really dropped the ball several times in handling stuff for us, then they LIE about it and say it was already done. We've been trying to find out when his thallium treadmill test will be scheduled, and no one has called us back. He called the office. They said call the hospital. He called that dept. in the hospital. No answer. Machine just said "Leave a message." He left a message for them to call us back. No one has called. This kind of thing happens so often around here. I've never had to deal with these kinds of problems. Where I have lived before, Salina and Wichita we had EXCELLENT medical communities.

No, my DH's legs do not swell. That is the only symptom of CHF that he doesn't have. He is on some medication for his BP, however, that may keep them from swelling. Whatever is going on with him is getting steadily worse, and I want to get him taken care of ASAP.

 

[chicken danz]

I can't believe the poor medical service you are getting. That is one reason why I continue to doctor nearly 100 miles away from here. I go to Topeka for specialists. Maybe you should just make an appointment with a cadiologist and skip all the stuff in between. I know how hard it is to get a man to the doctor but you could make an appointment and make him keep it.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Greetings to our Neighbors Farther North (than we are). I received a response from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture regarding testing requirements for our chicken stock (sale and swap) in June of 2012.

Here’s the text of the response I just got from Michael Herrin, DVM. The rest of his credentials are at the bottom of his message.

Coral Hale,

There are no requirements to have a "swap meet" for poultry, hatching
eggs, or baby chicks. There is no permit or testing required.

Any birds or eggs that cross a state line would require pullorum/typhoid
testing and a certificate of veterinary inspection.


Thank you,


Michael Herrin, DVM
Assistant State Veterinarian
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry

Many of our Okie members are licensed testers. I will do my best to have at least one official tester at the event with testing supplies. I will also let people know that if they are bringing eggs or birds, and they are already part of the N.P.I.P. program, they should bring documents reflecting their current N.P.I.P. number.

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
I am definitely considering that. I just didn't want to drive too far, and with DH not working now things are going to be REALLY tight! I'm pretty sure I could contact an old friend in Salina and get a referrral to a cardiologist in Topeka. I'm going to try to get in touch with them at the hospital here again today and see what I find out. If I don't learn anything I will call the cardiologist I know in Salina. He was our neighbor and our kids grew up together. Our oldest two were on the same traveling soccer team. Super nice guy and a great doctor. I would go to him, but it is just so dang far now.

Checked the eggs I put in lockdown. No pips yet. I thought maybe the bantam egg might hatch early, but not yet. I am going to work down the basement today. I want to get a couple rooms finished so this place will be more saleable when the time comes. We have all the material to do it... it's just the time and ENERGY that is slowing us down. DH is really not able to do much right now. When my two boys were here over the holidays they helped a lot, and put in a pretty good supply of firewood. My stepson is hoping to come down later this month for a couple weeks. He is in the national guard. Maybe we can get more done while he is here. (Nothing like using your kids for slave labor, huh?) They are great kids anyway.

 

[chicken danz]

Quote:
Wow that is great! If I can work out coming down with some of these Kansas folks, I might be able to do all the Kansas testing if they are willing to pay the fees. The problem is it's many hours down there.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Chicken Danz - I understand about the long drive. That's the reason the NE Okies decided to meet closer to home. We had our last big Okie meeting in Fletcher, OK, which is 200+ miles (or 3 1/2 hours) from home. I have some good friends who weren't going to be able to make it because of car trouble, so I actually drove east to pick them up before driving west to Fletcher. That was one long day on the road, but it sure was fun meeting all my okie buddies to talk chicken. There's a simple yet satisfying feeling that comes when one is able to put a face with the online conversations. If you aren't able to get a group down for the NEOCS, I'll be sure you get the link for the event photos.

If you get to the point where you know you're attending, please send me a PM so I can reserve a space for you to set up cages. We have a grassy patch out back, but it's not covered, and I fear that's where the late-commers will have to put their birds.

 

[chicken danz]

I just goggled Muskogee. It is 4 and a half hours from here. I've driven that far before but that would be quite a drive for a swap meet. I'm loving the idea of going though. I think it would be a great way for chicken people to get together.
So to my Kansas friends, I am really disgusted. Just about the time I think these chicken colds are over a few more of them come up with them. I can't put tylan in their water because I need to sell eggs. I've gone through 3 bottles of VetRX after the first one lasting me well over 2 years. I just brought my SLW roo in and he isn't doing well at all. He's really struggling to breath. I only have a few hens so it's not a breed I've produced much out of but I'd hate to loose him.
I am really sick of having ill birds. I've always been so proud that my flock stayed healthy and looked great. I know the stupid wild birds brought these colds in and it makes me upset. I've always had bird feeders out and had some wonderful birds here but this year the place has been over run with starlings. I think they are the disease carriers.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Quote:
My husband surprised me with it for Christmas. Ordered it off of amazon.com. LOL! I really didn't have the idea at first to use the greenhouse, we were just trying to come up with ways to build a coop and it hit me that I already had a frame right there. Plus It would save a lot of space! With it getting so hot in the summer, I knew that I wouldn't be using the greenhouse all year around and since I actually like to garden (in the ground), I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share the space with the chicks! I will definitely post pics as I start the conversion process!

Squarefoot gardening is basically planting within specific square feet - as well as preparing a garden mix (pearlite/peatmoss/and 5 types of compost) - whereas you never have to till the garden again. The mix stays very soft and you just have to add more compost every fall. I'm excited to start using chick poops as another type of compost! You can read more about squarefoot gardening at http://www.squarefootgardening.org/ It's really easy and takes so much work out of tilling and weeding. (I almost never get weeds).

And chookschick.. sorry, but I wanna keep the greenhouse. LOL

 

[Trish44]

Danz, yes the Starlings are the disease carriers, that is what I was told by a local breeder. I hate those birds myself, we used to have a flock of them every year that made a nest in my clothesline poles in my backyard when I lived in Derby. I had an old fashioned type of clothesline there until I took it all out & those darned noisy things would get in the poles & nest & then dive at you when you came out there. Thank goodness we don't seem to have any here, knock on wood. We have lots of other birds, but not those. I don't know what other wild birds carry that respiratory stuff. I have feeders out in my front yard & mostly what I'm getting at them this year are finches, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, bluejays, & I can't remember the name of the other small bird. Then we have mockingbirds that stay all year round too.

IVY, you need to get your DH in to a Cardiologist PDQ, don't waste any more time on those idiots, just bypass them, he needs to get care right away. It would be worth the drive if you could get him in somewhere & don't let them put you off, stress to them how serious his condition is.

Well my DH actually helped me get the other dog run moved & put back up closer to the house today. I was surprised he helped me put it up. I had just asked that he help me move the panels because it's not a small one, it's 6 ft by 12 ft. I had disassembled it & set it aside because I knew that I was going to need to move it & it was too big to move without taking it apart. Fortunately it only involved taking a few brackets & bolts off to get it apart. I don't have a cover over it right now, but I did start on putting one on this evening. I ran out of wire though, so I'll have to run & get more tomorrow so I can put it on & get my tarp put over the top for shelter for the pups. I had the other run they were using all tarped over to keep the rain & wind out, but now have to do the other one. The pups went in the new dog house just like it was the same one they had been sleeping in, so they seemed happy. They're both igloo style dog houses & this one actually is a newer one than the one I have had for years, I found it recently on Craigslist. It was missing the vent piece & the flap door, but I was able to order those direct from the company, so that worked out fine. It was still cheaper than new even with ordering parts. I'm hoping to use this dog run for a chicken pen after the dogs don't have to be shut in at night any more. I will just have to put hardware cloth all the way around it to make it more secure when I use it for the chickens or maybe not if my pups are old enough to do their job.

My new Ameraucana rooster stood out there all day & crowed his head off & then this afternoon it sounded like he was growling for hours, he's still really mad about being put in that pen. I sure hope he settles down & accepts that he's going to have to live in there. I thought if I put his hens in with him that he would be happy, but that's not what his idea was I guess, it was to take over Big Red's whole flock & his position as alpha rooster. I'm sure he would have been a good rooster for the general laying flock, but I need him for a breeder. Big Red is so very happy to be back in charge of his flock again though & the other roosters are equally happy that Blackie isn't able to get to them now. They all are wearing battle wounds right now from the darned guy. I sure hope they all get healed up. Big Red got the worst of it all, his poor comb & wattles are just bloodied. I sprayed some of that blue stuff all over his wounds, so hopefully nobody would pick on him & they haven't seemed to. I noticed the BC Marans rooster & the Speckled Sussex rooster both have wounds on their combs also, just not to the extent that Red got it. I truly believe that if I had not separated them that Blackie would have killed Big Red, he was fighting to the death. Of course Big Red has that huge big red comb & wattles to get bloody & Blackie has the small comb that Ameraucanas have, so he didn't have something so big to grab & peck. Both of these roosters are young & full of themselves, so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised they went at it like they did, it was just upsetting to me to have them getting hurt like that. I don't know how long it will take for my hens to acclimate to being moved again & start laying once again. I guess when they finally do I can start incubating some of them. Probably by the time they get over all of this ruckus it will be time to start collecting eggs to incubate anyway. I just didn't want to hatch out anything until it was a little closer to warmer weather.

 

[Trish44]

tweety, that gardening site looks interesting, I'll have to read about it more. I have a raised bed garden, but I need to split it down into smaller areas, it gets away from me & I can't keep up with it. Last summer I didn't have a garden because for one thing it was too darned hot to grow anything without it burning up & for another I had a kidney stone surgery & then knee surgery, so my summer wasn't fun. I'm hoping to get my garden cleaned up & use all my good compost stuff from the coop this year, it should be good fertilizer. I just got rabbits too, so I'll have even more fertilizer.

Oh BTW IVY, I got a Lakenvelder egg today, yay! I was so surprised when I looked in the nest & there it was along with brown egg from one of my other hens, so at least one of them found the nests & used it. I'm so happy! I'm starting to get eggs from most of them now, I think even my young ones that I have raised from day old are getting ready to lay, I was looking at combs today & they're starting to redden up, so soon I should have some eggs from my Black Australorps & my Gold Laced Wyandotte. I also noticed Big Red going after the two Partridge Rocks today, so they should be laying soon also. I will have lots of eggs, yay! The only ones I know aren't laying as of yet for sure are the BC Marans, but I did notice them also starting to get attention from Big Red, so maybe soon.