Consolidated Kansas

[adamsheather123]

OK I'm working on my run today. Woohoo...finally! But I have an unknown plant currently growing there. Can anyone identify it and tell me if its poisonous to my chickens and ducks. I will leave it for a treat since no matter how we mow it it still comes back but if its bad I'll dig up the root systems and burn off the remaining.

 

[cherwill]

I have had the best birthday so far. Came to town to get stuff for the chicken coop and duck enclosure. Got free pallets and was told I can have as many as I want no worries. Sweeeet! Then got 100 ft of 1/2" hardware cloth for $150. Should have cost $2.49 a foot but they couldn't find the SKU and their system said they didn't even carry it. So ready to see what else I can get for free or half off.

I'm glad you had such a great birthday!

I've got a couple of funny stories that I think ya'll will enjoy!

My injured goose seems to be doing better, though she may still have a bit of a limp.... she's back to her clumsy old self as is evidenced by what she did the other day. I walked up to the flock and was getting ready to herd them to their pen for the evening. The goose got up and turned to head towards the pen and promptly tripped over my drake.

There was a branch in the way that the birds tripped over as well. It was quite entertaining to see them tripping over themselves to get back to their pen!

This morning, I went out and played with my project horse for a few minutes before letting both horses out to pasture. I've been trying to teach him to ask permission before going through a gate. So, this morning, I opened the gate and then gave him permission to go through. When he was through the gate, he came to me, and I took the halter off of him. I began coiling the rope as I walked away from him...until I hit the end of the rope, that is... I turned around to see what the rope was caught on and discovered him standing squarely on my rope, looking at me.

Typically, he runs off as soon as I take the halter off of him. He decided to play a trick on me today instead. Silly, silly horse! He didn't run off until after I asked him to step off of my rope.

Those are funny stories. I get a kick out of watching my chickens in the yard, and they're not even clumsy. When I watch my SIL's ducks, it really cracks me up.

Cont'd from previous....
Can't imagine with the male legbar crowns would look like. They are trying to get a few drops of water from the spigot, because walking back to the coop would be way too hard....

Who knew they could be so lazy, right?!

Worst birthday ever!! Forgot to ask my crush out, didn't get asked to dance( all just looked and was like should it?) forgot to do some homework. And the list goes on.

I'm ready for bed!

I'm sorry you didn't have a good day. On the bright side, it can only get better from here. There will be another dance, and this will give you time to get together with your crush in a less stressful way. And you'll be more careful about your homework from now on, right?

When I was in school, about half the people at a dance got out and danced. Most of the ones who did were already going out together. My niece, who is in high school, says almost no one dances at school dances these days. A few who are dating do, and sometimes an entire group of girls will go out and dance together. So I don't think I'd feel too bad if no one asked you to dance. If a guy really liked you, asking you and risking rejection in such a public venue would be very intimidating.

Several years ago I read a discussion between two poultry judges who between them had been raising poultry over 100 years. It was interesting the difference in opinions between two people, both of who had a ton of experience. One would never bring another bird onto his property. Period. He had been burned in the early days by birds bringing in disease and despite strict quarantine, he'd lost a lot of his own birds. So he had formed a policy of never bringing in new birds. He would hatch eggs as a way to add to his flock instead.

The other did not quarantine and brought in new birds on a regular basis. He said he'd never quarantined and never had an issue.

With my set up, quarantine is not easy. I don't have separate areas to effectively keep birds for even a few days, let alone several weeks. So I have never quarantined and have never had an issue. That said, I increasingly am not bringing in new birds either. Last year I got a few turkeys from Danz and in the fall was asked to take 7 older hens from an acquaintance who had fallen on hard times and was unable to buy feed for them. Both times I put the new birds in a small 5x5 pen within the chicken yard for a few days until they knew this was their new home, then let them out with the flock and they integrated just fine. This year I've not added any new birds and have no plans to.

If you have an easy way to quarantine, it can't hurt anything to do it though.

Sternrose, sorry you had such an awful birthday. Did you really "forget" to ask your crush or did you just lose your nerve? Maybe without the stress of the dance, it will be easier to ask him out. Perhaps you can go and get a soda together and it will be more casual and relaxed.

Adamsheather, glad you had a great birthday. Time and materials when you need them are priceless.

Danz, sorry about your dental issues. I know Tweety said she gets on her kids about brushing but over the years I've developed a theory about dental care, which is that it is largely genetics. When I was a kid, I was terrible about brushing and would only do it when nagged by our mother. Meanwhile my sister was religious about brushing morning and night. I have yet to have a single cavity, while she needed at least one new filling every time we had a checkup. Skip forward a few years and with my own kids I also have one of each. And the one who brushes without being reminded is the only one to have ever needed a filling. So its not that I don't think dental hygiene is important - I've been bowled over by halitosis on more than one occasion and wanted to scream to the person to consider brushing more often - and now that I'm an adult, I religiously brush at least twice a day because I never want to BE that person. But how strong our teeth are I think is largely pre-determined, so needing to have dental work is not a sign that you are not trying to take good care of your teeth, but that your parents did not pass on good genetics to you.

So the last frost date for my area this year was May 1st. I guess Mother Nature has a sense of humor because she waited until May 2nd to give me a frost. I could cry. I lost my zucchini that were planted outside and doing beautifully, and my potatoes, which had sprouted and were looking fantastic, are now looking sad and wilty and black. I can only hope that since the actual potatoes are below the surface, the greenery above struggling doesn't affect them too much. Fortunately, the rest of my seedlings survived the freeze okay so my losses were minimal but it was a bit disheartening after all the other setbacks I've already experienced this year.

Sharol - too cute about those chicks. I am having to get my mother hens to bring their chicks to the coop much earlier than usual this year. One hen in particular was very insistent about leaving her pen during the day by the time her chicks were 4 days old. I was a little concerned about her ability to keep them safe in the chicken yard but I shouldn't have worried. She took great care of them. At night I opened the door of the pen and she called them back in for the night. But on day 6 I was out late and couldn't let her back in at dusk, so I went out with a flashlight to look for her and found that she had solved her problem herself. She taught them how to go through the pop door of the chicken coop, and though the roosts were out of reach of the chicks at only 6 days of age, she somehow got them up into one of the nest boxes, and was snuggled up in there with both chicks under her. Since then she has slept in the coop with her chicks every night. I am really glad to have her integrated to the coop so early, and last night booted out another mama hen with her 7 day old chick, to become part of the clock as well. Hopefully tonight she will get the chick to go in, but I will be there to oversee and make sure.

Once again, you and I have a lot of thoughts in common!

We kinda sorta quarantine. When the chicks are very young, we've kept them separated, but that's usually because they're in the house at that point. We have nowhere to put a separate pen, so when it's time for the chicks to go outside, we run a length of wire fence IN the pen to make a separate area for the young 'uns. It allows all the chickens to get used to each other, while protecting the younger ones from being picked on by the older ones. We've had such a small number of chickens that you couldn't call it scientific, but I'll say the only chickens who've died were the three we got from a friend. They all died in the same way and no other bird got sick, so we've decided it was something genetic.

I also believe most of our health/body issues are genetic. Yes, there are some things we can do to try to mitigate it, but in general, our incidence of heart disease, cancer, cavities, etc., will be a function of heredity. Add to that the fact that medical "science" is dictated as much by belief and conjecture as by proof of causation. Especially our knowledge of nutrition, which has also been dictated by acts of Congress at times.

If I had a family history of lung cancer, odds are I'd one day get lung cancer whether I smoked or not, but I'd still not smoke because why increase the risk when I know my system is probably already compromised? Mostly, though, I stand by my theory that most things in moderation -- whether it's food, exercise, medicine, or supplements -- will give you the best quality of life.



Some of the potatoes and some of the few beans that were up got a touch of frostbite the other night. Most look like they're in good enough shape to pull out of it. We planted some more beans yesterday, and my aunt planted her cucumbers. She's afraid it's a bit too early, but she was sure they'd die soon if she didn't get them in the ground because they were getting so leggy. Everything is coming up with varying degrees of success at this point, except the carrots. I think the ground is still not warm enough for the carrots to germinate.

Looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day today! I hope everyone is able to enjoy it.

 

[Trish44]

OK I'm working on my run today. Woohoo...finally! But I have an unknown plant currently growing there. Can anyone identify it and tell me if its poisonous to my chickens and ducks. I will leave it for a treat since no matter how we mow it it still comes back but if its bad I'll dig up the root systems and burn off the remaining.

Those look like daylilies to me & I looked at two different sources & they aren't poisonous to chickens. I have had a lot of them around for years & my chickens have never even bothered them. That's one of the few things they won't bother. Congrats on working on your run.

I about did myself in yesterday getting my new goat pen put up & all finished. I worked on it all day yesterday & finally got it done just before dark last night & put the goats in there. I decided to use the new pen for the goats instead of moving the little ram lamb. I will need to build some type of shelter for the goats, but they won't need too much other than something to keep the rain off for now. I also got a whole truckload of free straw yesterday from someone so I need to go out & unload that. It's all loose, but it's still great for animal pens & chicken nests. It doesn't look like it's been out very long. They used it to protect plants from frost.

HEChicken I'm sorry you have had so many setbacks on your garden, it's just been a really weird spring.

Enjoy the day everyone!

 

[adamsheather123]

[COLOR=0000FF]Those look like daylilies to me & I looked at two different sources & they aren't poisonous to chickens. I have had a lot of them around for years & my chickens have never even bothered them. That's one of the few things they won't bother. Congrats on working on your run.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000FF]I about did myself in yesterday getting my new goat pen put up & all finished. I worked on it all day yesterday & finally got it done just before dark last night & put the goats in there. I decided to use the new pen for the goats instead of moving the little ram lamb. I will need to build some type of shelter for the goats, but they won't need too much other than something to keep the rain off for now. I also got a whole truckload of free straw yesterday from someone so I need to go out & unload that. It's all loose, but it's still great for animal pens & chicken nests. It doesn't look like it's been out very long. They used it to protect plants from frost.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000FF]HEChicken I'm sorry you have had so many setbacks on your garden, it's just been a really weird spring.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000FF]Enjoy the day everyone![/COLOR]

Yeah that's what my mom thought. They have never bloomed so I was Leary they might be something else.

Wish my hubs would let me get a goat. So sweet! Maybe some day.

 

[HEChicken]

Once again, you and I have a lot of thoughts in common!

We kinda sorta quarantine. When the chicks are very young, we've kept them separated, but that's usually because they're in the house at that point. We have nowhere to put a separate pen, so when it's time for the chicks to go outside, we run a length of wire fence IN the pen to make a separate area for the young 'uns. It allows all the chickens to get used to each other, while protecting the younger ones from being picked on by the older ones. We've had such a small number of chickens that you couldn't call it scientific, but I'll say the only chickens who've died were the three we got from a friend. They all died in the same way and no other bird got sick, so we've decided it was something genetic.

I also believe most of our health/body issues are genetic. Yes, there are some things we can do to try to mitigate it, but in general, our incidence of heart disease, cancer, cavities, etc., will be a function of heredity. Add to that the fact that medical "science" is dictated as much by belief and conjecture as by proof of causation. Especially our knowledge of nutrition, which has also been dictated by acts of Congress at times.

If I had a family history of lung cancer, odds are I'd one day get lung cancer whether I smoked or not, but I'd still not smoke because why increase the risk when I know my system is probably already compromised? Mostly, though, I stand by my theory that most things in moderation -- whether it's food, exercise, medicine, or supplements -- will give you the best quality of life.

Some of the potatoes and some of the few beans that were up got a touch of frostbite the other night. Most look like they're in good enough shape to pull out of it. We planted some more beans yesterday, and my aunt planted her cucumbers. She's afraid it's a bit too early, but she was sure they'd die soon if she didn't get them in the ground because they were getting so leggy. Everything is coming up with varying degrees of success at this point, except the carrots. I think the ground is still not warm enough for the carrots to germinate.

Wow you're not kidding - we really do think alike!

I'm glad to know about the carrots. Mine haven't germinated yet either and I thought it was because the seeds were kind of old. Maybe I should give them a little more time and especially with the weather getting so warm this weekend maybe the ground will warm up enough to spur some of those old seeds into action.

You are so right about medicine and nutrition and where the recommendations stem from. I also believe everything in moderation and live by that. I don't go to doctors because for the most part I don't trust that they won't just get out their prescription pad in order to get me out of the office as quickly as possible so they can move onto the next patient and bill more to insurance or medicare that way. I also think diet and lifestyle are at the root of the majority of health issues, whether it is poor nutrition in general or the wrong nutrition for our bodies.

I have seen so many dietary fads come and go over the years. Right now the trend is to eliminate grains from the diet out of some misguided belief that they are some kind of "poison". Books like "Wheat Belly" and "Grain Brain" don't help. Mother Earth News did a really good review of those books a few issues back and the conclusion they drew was that both authors had stated as fact a lot of things that have not been scientifically proven but which sound enough like they make sense that I think most people who read the books are scared into believing they are true. Meanwhile, only a tiny fraction of the population is actually wheat-sensitive and will benefit from eliminating it. The rest of the people who eliminate it actually run the risk of causing their body to become insensitive to it, so that they will thereafter have to avoid it. Its crazy!!!

Adamsheather, birds for the most part seem to know what is good for them to eat and what they need to avoid (styrofoam excluded). So I wouldn't worry too much about whether they are poisonous or not - if they are, the birds won't touch them.

 

[lizzyGSR]

That's what I love about geese. They are so clumsy! They remind me of myself!

LOL!

Maybe that's why I like them so much!!!!!

I just got home a little while ago from garage sale-ing. My little one had outgrown almost all the clothes I had for him, and we were in desperate need of something larger. After getting up early and spending all morning at garage sales, I now have LOTS of little stickers to remove and LOTS of laundry to do! I think we got some really good deals, though!

 

[chicken danz]

OK I'm working on my run today. Woohoo...finally! But I have an unknown plant currently growing there. Can anyone identify it and tell me if its poisonous to my chickens and ducks. I will leave it for a treat since no matter how we mow it it still comes back but if its bad I'll dig up the root systems and burn off the remaining.
Quote:
I was going to say those were daylilies. I notice they are near a foundation. Day lilies need full sun. If they are in the shade there they won't bloom. They are not poisonous and the chickens don't bother them. In fact I just ordered a couple hundred dollars worth of them. I lost most of mine during the drought. Since they are unattractive to the birds and attractive to me they get to live here!
HEChicken, my family has good healthy teeth in general. My mom was one of those that insisted we brush regularly. Dentistry is what has hurt my teeth the worst. The ones I have had to have pulled were drilled or ground on by the dentist. The ones they've left alone are doing great.
I am so totally exhausted. Hard physical labor yesterday and going through box after box of things at my Parent's home and dealing again with garage sale to eliminate their estate is exhausting. It is enough to certainly make me want to get rid of my excess stuff. My poor children. I have to live long enough to move get some things sold. I can't do this to my family if I would die.
Tomorrow I have a customer coming then have to go back and help some more.

 

[22qZoo]

Uhh, STUFF ! Wasn't that one of George Carlins jokes "we get bigger houses so we can have more stuff". My fantasy is that DH and the kids will leave for about 5 days and I could just pitch stuff with out any body saying " hey, why are you throwing that away?"

On another note; We have more peeps! YAY!! Sorry these are just iPhone pics and the lighting wasn't great. So far the little yellow one is brahma looking, one of the black ones is BCM&LB and the other black one looks BR not sure if dad is brahma or EE but no fethered feet,and one little lavender/EE cros (I think) DANZ- That's the BCM I got from you last year, she's such a good girl.

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That last one just thought I needed help in the flower garden ..roll eyes.

 

[22qZoo]

Oops...

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[22qZoo]

And.