Consolidated Kansas

[JosieChick]

We are using prefold diapers for the newborn stage. We have some Indian Prefolds, some Thirsties Hemp, BabyKicks Hemp, and some Diaper Rite Prefolds on our list. For covers, we've got two Thirsties Duo Wrap covers and two Flip One Size Diaper covers on our list.

We have opened the wound up twice now. The first time, we did out best to cut out the infected stuff. The second time, we tried, but didn't see anything that looked obviously infected. Do you think we should do it again?

Any suggestions on treatment for my gander?

You can do anything while wearing a baby! Believe me, I think I have done a lot of it. Feed the birds and horses, eat dinner, watch tv, go for a walk, shopping, run to the bathroom, do laundry, you name it! I would never get anything done if I didn't wear her and she loves it on top of that. At first you will feel like you are carrying around priceless china on the front of you but once you get used to wrapping and baby wearing it becomes second nature. You will feel naked without a baby hanging from you! I have a baby hanging in a ring sling in my lap right now.

I just tell people it works for us and our baby when I get criticism and you will because it isn't "mainstream." I finally found a group on FB for attachment parenting (big proponents of baby wearing) and love to just go there to be around people who are like minded because it gets hard feeling like you are the odd one out that wears your baby to the grocery store instead of plunking them in a cart strapped into their handy, dandy infant car seat. We are cloth diapering, co sleeping, baby wearing parents and its a tight spot to be in sometimes. Just stick to your guns and do what works for you and your family.

You are actually the first person that has thought that NOT getting an infant carrier is a good idea... Thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate it! My biggest concern is during church and when eating out afterwards. Can you eat while wearing Baby in a Moby?

 

[sharol]

You can do anything while wearing a baby! Believe me, I think I have done a lot of it. Feed the birds and horses, eat dinner, watch tv, go for a walk, shopping, run to the bathroom, do laundry, you name it! I would never get anything done if I didn't wear her and she loves it on top of that. At first you will feel like you are carrying around priceless china on the front of you but once you get used to wrapping and baby wearing it becomes second nature. You will feel naked without a baby hanging from you! I have a baby hanging in a ring sling in my lap right now.

I just tell people it works for us and our baby when I get criticism and you will because it isn't "mainstream." I finally found a group on FB for attachment parenting (big proponents of baby wearing) and love to just go there to be around people who are like minded because it gets hard feeling like you are the odd one out that wears your baby to the grocery store instead of plunking them in a cart strapped into their handy, dandy infant car seat. We are cloth diapering, co sleeping, baby wearing parents and its a tight spot to be in sometimes. Just stick to your guns and do what works for you and your family.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Is the duck running around outside or caged? Wondering if maybe it wasn't quite healed and it got it wet or muddy again? Waterfowl are so hard to get healed up just due to their nature of liking to play in muddy water.

Remind me on the gander? I am a bit behind, he is on amoxi? Is that for the bumblefoot?

The duck is not caged and is free ranging during the day, same as the gander, but I have taken away all the places that they can swim. Mud is a bit difficult to avoid.

The duck and the gander are both on amoxi for bumblefoot and have been for about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks (we have enough for a total of 20 days of amoxi for each of them). The amoxi started helping both of them, but I have stopped seeing improvement. The duck's swollen spot almost completely disappeared but has returned recently, and the duck was on amoxi the whole time. For the gander, the amoxi has helped enough that he is no longer refusing to use the foot, but he still seems to be gimping a bit, and there is a LOT of swelling left. The gander's bumblefoot was on the pad of the foot, right where the three toes join, so the swollen area is on the pad of the foot, as well as in the webbing close to the pad, and is at the beginning of each toe. My DH has been complaining about how much $$ we've put into these birds, but I really don't know what else to do. I'd really like to get this taken care of. I first noticed the duck's bumblefoot well over a month ago when she was sharing the kiddie pool with our 100+ lb chocolate lab. I first noticed the gander's bumblefoot when he started limping just under 2 weeks ago. The Baytril had helped the duck but was really expensive, which is why I switched. The amoxi doesn't seem to be helping as much. We have been wrapping the gander's foot once a day and have stopped wrapping the duck's foot because the scab is completely gone. When we wrap, we wash the foot with soapy water, then apply a small amount of alcohol and iodine. Then we spray some gauze with Vetericyn, put the gauze on the wound, and wrap with vet wrap. Suggestions on how I should treat them would be greatly appreciated!

You are going to be a hardcore cloth diaper lady!! My mom would love this, she gives me a hard time for cheating and using pocket diapers!!!

Don't get too excited! I'm only planning on doing the prefolds for the newborn stage. I've gotten a few prefolds that are big enough I should be able to use them after the baby grows out of the newborn stuff, but I plan to mostly use pocket diapers once the baby is big enough for them.

 

[chicken danz]

Lizzy, I honestly would encourage you to consider continuing cloth diapers if you possibly can. I know that disposables might be convenient but I sure wouldn't want to wear paper underwear. Yuk! I came from the old school too and all my kids wore cloth diapers... the old kind you had to fold and pin. My sitters hated it but I know I saved so much money that way. And I never had to worry about diaper rash or any problems like that. No chemicals, plastics, or adhesives.
I'm with Sharol on all these things. I appreciate the trend to get things back to what they used to be especially with modern improvements. I used to do everything with a baby on my hip or in one arm. Then when I had my boys I got a pouch thing and like Josie I did everything with a kid hanging on me.
Of course those are things you have to decide and know what works best with your lifestyle. I am so envious of how things have evolved so mothers and fathers can work from home. Just the idea if your child gets sick, you don't have to miss a day from work or leave a sick child.
It's really humid outside today. My dehumidifier has been running off and on since morning. I got the birds all watered and now have to go feed them. They lacked their normal attention yesterday so I need to do a good job with them today.
I'm also pumping the Mandarin pond again. I hope after this week and a bunch fewer ducks I won't have to do that very often.

 

[Trish44]

I had to go out today & take some pics for some people wanting some of birds they were interested in, so I took a few others. Here are some of my favorite birds, my Blue Laced Barnevelders:


Here is one of just the rooster:


Here are the little Peafowl chicks:


And this one is for you HEChicken, Bandaid & Essie were doing the mating dance & Bandaid was showing off for her. This is actually the first time I have really seen him displaying.


And lastly here are the last 4 Swedish Flower Hen chicks I hatched for this year. Does anybody want some, they're for sale?

 

[ChickieWickies]

I only had that "nesting" feeling with one of my four kids--thankfully!! I had pulled EVERYTHING out of the kids' room so I could steam clean the carpet before the baby came. He was born the next day--almost 2 weeks early. My husband hurried home to put the toddler bed back in the room, but our poor daughter thought we'd given away all her toys and clothes! He had to show her that all her stuff was safe in the laundry room, but she still wasn't convinced until we got everything back in the room (ahh, the mind of a four-year-old!)

Co-sleeping is great, especially if you're nursing. And Danz is right, those gowns were our FAVORITE!! I give them at every baby shower. My husband didn't like to change the diapers when they were in the sleepers, but he was always game when they were in the gowns--he was always afraid he'd bend their legs too much. Also, our kids had such long legs that they didn't fit in footed jammies anyway. We used Spencer gowns from Kmart because they were a little baggier and they could wear them longer.

If you aren't using an infant carrier, you might want to get one of those head-neck rolls that go from ear to top of head to other ear. Otherwise you'll have to roll up ALOT of blankets to hold baby's head up. They used to be about $10.

Josie, I wish you had LF. My daughter wants some of your bantams, but I'm afraid if they interbred it could kill the little ladies. I'd NEVER forgive myself if something happened to one of them!


Anyone have a favorite shade screen idea that's fairly cheap and 20x20ish for a pen?

When and where is the sale in Wichita this Saturday?

 

[Trish44]

I only had that "nesting" feeling with one of my four kids--thankfully!! I had pulled EVERYTHING out of the kids' room so I could steam clean the carpet before the baby came. He was born the next day--almost 2 weeks early. My husband hurried home to put the toddler bed back in the room, but our poor daughter thought we'd given away all her toys and clothes! He had to show her that all her stuff was safe in the laundry room, but she still wasn't convinced until we got everything back in the room (ahh, the mind of a four-year-old!)

Co-sleeping is great, especially if you're nursing. And Danz is right, those gowns were our FAVORITE!! I give them at every baby shower. My husband didn't like to change the diapers when they were in the sleepers, but he was always game when they were in the gowns--he was always afraid he'd bend their legs too much. Also, our kids had such long legs that they didn't fit in footed jammies anyway. We used Spencer gowns from Kmart because they were a little baggier and they could wear them longer.

If you aren't using an infant carrier, you might want to get one of those head-neck rolls that go from ear to top of head to other ear. Otherwise you'll have to roll up ALOT of blankets to hold baby's head up. They used to be about $10.

Josie, I wish you had LF. My daughter wants some of your bantams, but I'm afraid if they interbred it could kill the little ladies. I'd NEVER forgive myself if something happened to one of them!


Anyone have a favorite shade screen idea that's fairly cheap and 20x20ish for a pen?

When and where is the sale in Wichita this Saturday?

SEPTEMBER 14th. SWAP MEET/FARMER'S MARKET at Tractor Supply Co. EAST Wichita 8am-12pm

Those sheets of lattice are fairly cheap, I haven't tried them, I use tarps, but it seems like that would make a fairly inexpensive form of shade if you have a top on the pen, if not then I know some people use old bed sheets, but you would have to sew some together. I also have read about people going to army/navy stores & finding old parachutes & using them or finding old sign material on Craigslist. Sometimes you have to get creative.

 

[HEChicken]

I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, but I've never seen a hornworm. What do you do about them? Are they like the potato bugs that infest my eggplant, where you just keep picking them off until eventually you get them all?

I just give the plants a thorough going over every evening now that I know they're there. Last night I only found one but I'm sure there are some I'm missing. I look for an area where the leaves have been stripped from the stalk as usually that is a sign that something is eating them. They are the same color as the plant so they blend in really well but you just have to look for a stalk that is thicker than it should be. I'll try to remember to take my camera next time and snap some pics. The one I found last night was a monster but....it was turkey food this morning.

Does anyone have any experience with, say, 15 chickens in the space for 12? Can we make this work?

You've seen my set-up. The coop part of my coop building is 10x10 and at one point this year I had close to 100 birds housed in it. The recommendations of 4 sq ft per bird are based, I think, on set ups where the total space they have is limited - i.e., that the coop opens onto a smallish run. In my case, since they have the run of 10 acres by day, I figure they only go into the coop a) to sleep at night (in which case they are up on the roosts taking up only about 12 linear inches apiece, and I have TONS of roost space in my coop), b) to eat - and only a few birds at a time are eating, or c) to lay their eggs. As long as they can get into a nest box, they're happy.

Of the space in my coop, I agree with Danz that the roosts are additional space. I have ducks who sleep on the floor, while the chickens and turkeys are up on the roosts, essentially doubling some of the space. My silkie also sleeps on the floor and juveniles sometimes do too, until they feel confident being up on the roosts with the older birds.

With this set up I've had no issues no matter how many birds I've added. There is a little bickering at night as they all vie for the best roost spots, but once they've all figured out where they're sleeping, the bickering stops and they just go to sleep. I heard just as much bickering when I only had 5 hens.

I see no way around having to sell this one peacock.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match.....Let's see. Trish has an extra peacock, Danz thinks she can find an extra peahen and Tweety WANTS peafowl....

Heather- Love your turkeys, wish I had more time as I would love to have them again but alas I am still cutting back!

Sorry to everyone with allergies! I think we are in the same boat, baby and I have both been coughing and sneezing. At first I thought we caught something but I don't "feel" sick and I don't think she is either. DH has terrible allergies right now.

I might try going to the TSC swap in East Wichita this Saturday with a bunch of broody hatched chicks. I have got to crack down on these cochin girls setting!

I really like my turkeys. If they laid throughout the year like chickens do, I'd be tempted to have more turkeys than chickens.

I haven't had allergies since we moved here last summer but they're hitting me just a little at the moment - it must just be a bad year for them.

I also wore my babies, but in Australia I think perhaps that is more common as I don't remember thinking twice about it or ever having anyone even comment on it. I mowed the lawn and cooked dinner and walked to the store and did just about everything with a baby strapped either to the front of me while they were little or on my back when they were bigger. The babies were calmer and less bored that way, as they could look around and see what I was doing. Though my son was a little twit when he was about 10 months old and I tried to decorate DD's birthday cake and he discovered that his arms were *just* long enough to reach over my shoulder (he was on my back) and scoop up little bits of frosting *just* as I got it perfect.....

Here are the little Peafowl chicks:


And this one is for you HEChicken, Bandaid & Essie were doing the mating dance & Bandaid was showing off for her. This is actually the first time I have really seen him displaying.

Awwww....so fun to see Bandaid and Essie and the peachicks!

Anyone have a favorite shade screen idea that's fairly cheap and 20x20ish for a pen?

When and where is the sale in Wichita this Saturday?

I bought some shade cloth on eBay that was too pricey. I don't remember either the price or the dimensions but it came with grommets already sewn in so it was ready to hang. I had been shopping online for awhile and found some sellers on eBay who were much cheaper than any other merchant. Shade cloth comes in lots of different grades and you want to look at the shade percentage. You can get some that only provides about 30% shade, while others go up to 80-90%. Naturally its more expensive the better shade it provides. I think what I got is around 70% shade. I actually bought two sections of it and hung one so the sheep would have additional shade and one in front of DH's office, and he reported an immediate difference in how hot it was in his office.

There is a sale in Gardner that I believe is this Sturday. I'd love to go but can't justify the drive since I'm not looking for anything in particular. There is also a Farmer's Market and mini swap at the Tractor Supply on East Kellogg.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Lizzy, I honestly would encourage you to consider continuing cloth diapers if you possibly can. I know that disposables might be convenient but I sure wouldn't want to wear paper underwear. Yuk! I came from the old school too and all my kids wore cloth diapers... the old kind you had to fold and pin. My sitters hated it but I know I saved so much money that way. And I never had to worry about diaper rash or any problems like that. No chemicals, plastics, or adhesives.
I'm with Sharol on all these things. I appreciate the trend to get things back to what they used to be especially with modern improvements. I used to do everything with a baby on my hip or in one arm. Then when I had my boys I got a pouch thing and like Josie I did everything with a kid hanging on me.

It sounds like my comment was more confusing than intended... When baby grows out of the prefolds, I plan on switching to cloth pocket diapers. I don't plan to use disposables any time except when Baby will be in someone else's care (like in the nursery at church).

It is starting to thunder A LOT here, and we just had the wind pick up considerably from the south, and the wind is nice and cool! The radar says we should be getting rain real soon! Happy dance time!!! So, I started writing a couple hours ago and lost internet because of the RAIN! That's right! Northwest KS go RAIN!!! Time for a happy dance!!! Goodland's NWS office reported 0.73", which is the highest one-day total since June 16th. We got 0.59" and it is still sprinkling!

 

[Aliaslucyvp]

Lizzy - I am a pretty much Earth-mother type and so I use natural stuff as often as possible.

I use Grapefruit seed extract for everything (google its uses - I even have a book about it somewhere around here.) Anyway, it is quaternary antibiotic - it kills bacteria and some viruses - it is safe to administer as an internal medicine or topical. I put it on all injuries, bug bites and fungus (athlete's foot, etc.) and I even brush my teeth with it - yeah, takes nasty. But it does really work. Buy it in health food stores, or like I do, online. I buy it at Vitacost online, I use Nutribiotic, but there are others. It is kind of pricey, but it only takes a drop or two then rub into a wound. I use maybe two bottles in 18 months, and I use it on everything. I read somewhere that tests indicated it causes cataracts in dogs, so they don't get any...but I tend to think that may be off. Why would it do that just to dogs? I grew up in the 60's I Question Authority.

I hope you don't mind "hippie" advice, I like natural better! Hope your guys get better - it is sad not to be able to help your animals when they need it.