Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

One other thing to always consider before you get any kind of LGD is how much room they will have and how close your neighbors are. I agree with HEChicken to research before you buy. It's wise to talk to people who have had a particular breed as long as you keep in mind that all dogs in all breeds aren't alike. Do some real research and learn about the actual personality and working attitude they have as a whole. Then look for someone who has dogs who are doing the work you want them for. I had dog kennels for several years and was kind of a pedigree snob. But when it comes to LGDs forget the papers and concentrate on how the dogs work.
If you consider it and you have really close neighbors it might be wise to let them know you are getting a LGD and exactly what your plans are for it. People adjust much better when they understand what is going on.
Yeah unfortunately so many people buy an LGD cause they are pretty and make a house pet of it. Those are most likely dogs you wouldn't want puppies from. I took a chance when I got Precious. She came from a LGD breeder in Oklahoma that gets big $$ for his dogs. But the people who bought her did so cause they thought she was just Precious. (Thus her name, Precious, which I would NEVER give a LGD). She was a house dog, housed with a small terrior. She had never done any work at all before I got her at 11 months old. I kept her kenneled where she could get used to and watch the other dogs work for two weeks, then let her out. After she realized she could actually go further than just the yard around the house she started working by natural instinct and the guidance of my other dogs. As it is, she is the best LGD I have. Very driven and focused.
I wouldn't however, advise anyone to do that. I met the dog and watched her reactions even though she had never worked before. I could tell that she had good instinct and she has proven it. A lot of people wouldn't know how to judge that. I only knew that myself from a few years of watching my best dogs.
Dogs are like chickens. We end up all having our favorites and forming opinions about them.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

I asked for everyone's opinion, but this is still probably 18 months out. I'm on a half acre now, but looking for a much bigger property. Thanks for all the advice
Chad

 

[chicken danz]

Hey we're good about opinions!!! You ask you receive.

 

[HEChicken]

Hey we're good about opinions!!! You ask you receive.

For sure! I agree with Danz on selecting from pups raised by working parents. Forget AKC when it comes to LGDs.

Also, one of the reasons you will find such differing opinions is that everyone's set up is different. For example.....I don't need my LGDs to protect my poultry. I have two farm dogs who have been doing a superb job of that for the last 4 years. What I needed LGDs for, was to protect my sheep and goats, as we lost several lambs to coyotes who dug under the fence and killed them. So, my LGDs are confined to the pasture and barn with the sheep and goats and do not have full run of the property where the poultry are free-ranging (except occasionally when we let the sheep and goats up front to graze around the house). And we're not asking them to bond to the poultry - only to tolerate the birds jumping into the pasture occasionally to forage. Danz on the other hand has only poultry so her needs and set up are totally different to mine.

Well, my little turkey is still going, It is now up and walking - albeit slowly and stumbling often. It sleeps a lot. It is drinking water on its own (when I hold it and put the water bowl in front of it) but takes long pauses between sips. I put some game bird starter crumbles in the incubator and don't see them any more but they may just have been kicked around and not necessarily eaten. I scrambled an egg and force fed it a few pieces but it has gotten very good at spitting the pieces back out so it seems fairly determined not to take in any food. I still don't know if its going to make it. On the one hand it is doing better but on the other hand, if it doesn't start gobbling down food very soon, it isn't going to last much longer. I am leaving it in the incubator overnight and tomorrow I'm going to try putting it back with the others for a short while and see if that stimulates it to follow them around and copy them when they eat.

I have a pregnant ewe who has almost completely lost her ligaments so doesn't have too much longer to go before she delivers. I'm excited for her lamb(s) to be born!

 

[sharol]

Gigi (the chi foster) is doing great. My vet did a wonderful job with the stitches so the pups wouldn't mess with them. We were worried that the pups might not have enough milk since Gigi hadn't eaten since Saturday, but I supplemented a little yesterday and then weighed them this morning, and they had actually gained an ounce or two a piece overnight (except for one put who had held steady). When you are 5 oz, .2 oz is quite a bit. I'm monitoring their weight pretty carefully, but they seem to be doing fine.

Gigi is making up for lost time on the food and water today, too. Hopefully she will defecate soon so I can relax. I suppose a 60 hour fast will slow down the digestive system considerably.

My barred rock hatched her single egg (that I almost threw away 2 weeks ago when its mom abandoned it for the pleasures of the run). I tucked it under her, and not it has hatched. Dad was obviously the Breda roo. I moved them to the pen on the floor last night and opened the zip door this morning for them. Later in the morning, she had it out in the run IN THE RAIN. Sheesh.

When I went to the other coop, my white English Orp Snowflake's eggs are hatching, and a fuzzy little yellow chick was peeking out from under her. I have to go check and be sure it hasn't fallen out of the nest. Makes me wonder when the other 4 will hatch. Of course I set up the incubator in case any eggs get abandoned (can't stand the thought of the little things dying when they are almost ready to hatch).

I really don't need any more chicks.

I will have Breda chicks if my Araucana sits tight for another couple of weeks, and there are 15 more orp eggs waiting to hatch in the big coop.

I think I'll go to bed. LOL

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

Good morning, all! I'll be taking my iPad in to get the settings fixed after I take my son to the movies today. My photos haven't been "sharing" between my devices for a couple weeks for some reason. All that to say that I'll post some status pics of my coop build this evening.
Can't wait for the ground to dry out so I can get some stuff done! Have a great day everyone!
Chad

 

[Trish44]

Good morning, all! I'll be taking my iPad in to get the settings fixed after I take my son to the movies today. My photos haven't been "sharing" between my devices for a couple weeks for some reason. All that to say that I'll post some status pics of my coop build this evening.
Can't wait for the ground to dry out so I can get some stuff done! Have a great day everyone!
Chad

We would love to see your pics when you can post them. It seems like there is always something with electronic things. We had to have our receiver replaced from the wireless company we get internet from yesterday. My feeling is that it may have been zapped by some lightening we had recently that struck awfully close. It was so close we heard a crackle before it actually hit. So far things are much better with the internet connection, yay!

I have guinea keets hatching this morning a day early & one chick as well so far. Tomorrow is supposed to be hatch day but I always seem to have some early birds, pun intended.

I am so sick of the rain at this point & slogging around in the mud, I need some sun. The forecast is showing several days of fairly certain rain next week, ugh. I have had the ewe & her lamb out in the barn where we normally keep the hay just to keep the baby out of the darned mud. I'm going to have to let her out today to graze some so hopefully I can get her to go back in this evening with the promise of grain. That baby is so tiny & petite, much different than the ram lambs that were born earlier in the year. She seems healthy so far, just small.

 

[HEChicken]

Well, my ewe had no lambs this morning but about 11:30 I looked out to see her by herself in the pasture and from a distance it looked like something hanging out her rear end. I didn't want the LGD pups to try to assist and hurt the lamb so I hastily ran out and put the dogs up, then ran out to the pasture where the ewe was. By then she was laying down and the lamb was half out. I arrived just in time to see the other half slip out and then the ewe stood up and started cleaning. We have a new little ram lamb!!! Pictures to follow. Its astonishing how fast they get to their feet. Within minutes he was trying and on his third attempt he was on his feet - not easy when Mum is still licking vigorously

Within minutes of getting on his feet, he was already trying to do some little lamb hops and leaps - quite successfully. As I write, he has not yet nursed. He is seeking the teat and looking in the right place but just hasn't quite managed to latch on. I find it amazing that he is nimble enough on his feet to skip before even tasting his first swallow of colostrum - he's going to be a feisty one.

I got the ewe moved to the barn and locked in with a couple flakes of hay, so that I could let the dogs back out. There is a roller door on the section of the barn where she is staying so the dogs immediately went around to the gate that covers the (open at the moment) roller door, so they could meet the new arrival. They are fascinated, lying outside the gate and watching the new baby. I'm not going to let them together with her for at least 24 hours. I want her to have delivered the placenta and be completely cleaned up before letting them be directly in together again. They've been great in the past and this ewe is very docile and used to the dogs but still.....they are young and I don't want to take any chances or give them the opportunity to make mistakes.

The lamb looks tiny. My youngest other lambs are 3 months old now so next to them he is tiny. But I was surprised when I weighed him to find he is 11 pounds - a VERY decent size for a newborn lamb.

 

[chicken danz]

For sure! I agree with Danz on selecting from pups raised by working parents. Forget AKC when it comes to LGDs.

Also, one of the reasons you will find such differing opinions is that everyone's set up is different. For example.....I don't need my LGDs to protect my poultry. I have two farm dogs who have been doing a superb job of that for the last 4 years. What I needed LGDs for, was to protect my sheep and goats, as we lost several lambs to coyotes who dug under the fence and killed them. So, my LGDs are confined to the pasture and barn with the sheep and goats and do not have full run of the property where the poultry are free-ranging (except occasionally when we let the sheep and goats up front to graze around the house). And we're not asking them to bond to the poultry - only to tolerate the birds jumping into the pasture occasionally to forage. Danz on the other hand has only poultry so her needs and set up are totally different to mine.

Well, my little turkey is still going, It is now up and walking - albeit slowly and stumbling often. It sleeps a lot. It is drinking water on its own (when I hold it and put the water bowl in front of it) but takes long pauses between sips. I put some game bird starter crumbles in the incubator and don't see them any more but they may just have been kicked around and not necessarily eaten. I scrambled an egg and force fed it a few pieces but it has gotten very good at spitting the pieces back out so it seems fairly determined not to take in any food. I still don't know if its going to make it. On the one hand it is doing better but on the other hand, if it doesn't start gobbling down food very soon, it isn't going to last much longer. I am leaving it in the incubator overnight and tomorrow I'm going to try putting it back with the others for a short while and see if that stimulates it to follow them around and copy them when they eat.

I have a pregnant ewe who has almost completely lost her ligaments so doesn't have too much longer to go before she delivers. I'm excited for her lamb(s) to be born!

Very well said HEChicken.
And congrats on your new lamb.
Sharol I'm glad Gigi is doing well as well. Today is the first day that Precious has spent more than a quick minute out of the kennel since she had her pups. She is really hungry today so I'm assuming that all is well there. Pups are getting fat.
It's been a busy day but I haven't gotten much done as far as chores. Some days it just seems it takes me forever to get them done.
I have an incubator full of new hatches and really no place to put them. I guess that should be next on my list.
I am so so sick of rain. It's getting me all depressed and I hate that.

 

[sharol]

Sharol I'm glad Gigi is doing well as well. Today is the first day that Precious has spent more than a quick minute out of the kennel since she had her pups. She is really hungry today so I'm assuming that all is well there. Pups are getting fat.

LOL I expect your pups will soon be as big as Gigi. Her largest puppy is weighing in at just over 7 ounces. They are all gaining, and she is eating me out of house and home. YEAH!!! Glad your pups are doing well. You must have gotten all the girls. Gigi has 4 boys.