Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Chickmama I gave my chickens the pulp and seeds left over from my juice and within minutes it was gone. Just a pile of clean scattered seeds left.
David that is fairly normal behavior for chickens to pick on a weak or sick one. I'd keep Miss Buffy separated until she is well.
As far as the other girls go I think normal behavior of picking is only a couple days. At least that is what I've seen here. Any chance you could let them out in your back yard for an afternoon and then close them back up at bedtime? Even if you had to construct a temporary fence to give them more room and then let them go roost together it might help.
It's sprinkling enough here that it's driving me nuts. Every time I start to do something here comes some more sprinkles. It's cold too. I really had things I wanted to get done out there today.

 

[prairie]

We got our pen done -- not beautiful but very serviceable! I'll bet pics tomorrow, right now we are headed the granddaughters ball game. They are 17 yrs old and play softball but the games don't start until 8:30 -- I would rather be in bed at that time tonight -- I am beat!

The pen works great in the chicken house and we set the dog carrier inside the pen and opened it up and the babies - 2 ducks and 3 guineas now have the carrier to sleep in and the pen gives them much more room to run in. Ivy and Danz -- you can't imagine how fast those guineas and ducks are growing. It's been so long since I had little ones that I have forgot! The baby guinea nearly has her feathers! Sure wish I had bought more and may have to make another trip to your house to get some more.

 

[Ivywoods]

Break time. I'd say, "It's Miller Time" but I don't do beer. Gonna put my feet up for a while, though.

I did get a lot done today, even considering the fact we had to run to Falls City, NE to get feed and tractor parts. I got most of what I needed to do to prepare to build my retaining wall, plus cleaned up a lot of stuff I wansn't planning on. There was a pile of stuff out back that has been there since we replaced all the siding on the back of the house after a bad windstorm. A number of snakes had to look for new homes today. I don't mind snakes. They eat mice and I hate mice. I sure don't want them in my chicken house, though.

The weather here was perfect for working outside, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was very happy I was able to get as much done as I did. My leg is getting stronger and stronger. Considering the fact that a lot of what I had to do today involved digging and shoveling, I was happy my legs held up as well as they did. I think my foot is starting to hurt less. I don't think I'm ready for 8-9 hours of standing on cement floors, but maybe it won't be too long. I will be 57 years old on the 8th and I'm still wishing I could do things like I used to when I was 30. What's kind of cool, though, is that when I'm at work I can work circles around many of the 20-30 year olds there. Kinda makes ya wonder.

Prairie-I'm so glad the little guinea is doing well. I was kind of worried about that one. I wasn't going to take it but when the other one broke it's leg I felt like I should. A friend and I tried to set the leg on the one that is broken, but we just couldn't get it set. It is still hobbling around out there. I feel so sorry for it. I need to gather the strength to put it out of it's misery. It's not an easy thing for me to do.

 

[chicken danz]

Come on down. I just keep hatching.
Well I feel like a brainiac. After my jelly fiasco I decided I'd better use the rest of that cherry juice and pulp. I just cooked it like I was making cherry pie filling. When it was done and cool enough I divided it into freezer bags.I got to thinking of all I can use it for. Put it on top of cakes or cheese cakes. Use it as a sauce over ice cream. It would taste just like cherry pie and ice cream. Put it on pancakes with some whipped cream and you'll think you are having an IHOP special. Make little tarts and fill them, or rolls filled with it with icing on top. Add it to a yellow cake mix to give it a flavor pizazz, Etc etc. The more I thought the more I could think of that it could be used for.
Did you ever have chicken breast stuffed with a cornmeal dressing filling and topped with cherry sauce? It's awesome.
So Rob, I can try to hatch that batch of Marans egg I picked up this afternoon for a picture. And I should be able to sex them cause they are auto sexing chicks. Let me know. You wouldn't have to take them all.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

KarenS- Heck, I might even be able to come visit you too since I will be in Park City.

Sounds good. You might want to remind me when it gets closer to your visit. I'm pretty dingy!

 

[Trish44]

I had a little Ameraucana chick hatch yesterday & I didn't think the poor little thing could make it. It couldn't stand & it couldn't even hold it's head up, it was totally off balance to one side. I started giving it vitamin E right off & then mixed up a little chick electrolytes & this morning it still wasn't doing all that well, but I kept giving it a little of the electrolytes in a syringe every so often & more vitamin E & by this evening it is almost looking like a normal chick. It's holding it's head up now & starting to walk around & peep, I'm so thrilled! I really thought I was going to lose this one, but it has pulled through. Maybe I need to keep this one, ha. I have 4 more eggs in the hatcher that are due this weekend & I have all of these plus the ones in the brooder sold I think to a former customer who is coming back for more. There aren't many people in this area that have Ameraucanas & I have had people emailing me for months before I even started incubating any looking for chicks. I can't wait until I can breed these I keep back to the others & get lavenders. That's pretty much what everyone wants, but these this year have all been black. In the next steps for my breeding program I will get lavenders & I can't wait to see them, that will be exciting.

I didn't get anywhere this afternoon, I ended up just staying here & doing my chores instead of going anywhere. I have to make a trip tomorrow for groceries & such, so I'll just do it all then. I just wasn't feeling like going anywhere today, I have days like that. I went out & got more feed for the young chicks in the new pen & just stood there watching them for quite awhile. I just love the feathers on the Salmon Faverolles feet. I'm surprised they've got so many feathers on them already. I just hate it that I lost that one pullet, she was the darker colored one of the bunch. These chicks are just growing like little weeds, it's amazing how fast they get feathers & start filling out, some of them are getting these big breast muscles.

IVY, do you remember me showing you the pics of the blue wheaten Ameraucana chicks & telling you that I was sure I had two pair? Well not only do I have two pair, but I'm thinking now that I have one pair of wheatens & one pair of blue wheatens. The eggs I bought said wheaten/blue wheaten Amerauacana on the description & I really think I have both. The two roos are really different looking now that they're getting bigger & their coloring couldn't be more different. The one I believe to be wheaten is much darker & the other one has a blue coloring. The pullets are different now too, one looks just like a wheaten pullet, but it hasn't gotten the black on the tail yet & the other has blue in the feathers like a blue wheaten would. I was amazed at getting two pairs, but now I'm just flabbergasted that I would hatch two different pairs of different colors. What were the chances that would happen? I will have to try to get pics when I can, it may not be easy because they can run to the back of the pen away from me, but I'll give it a try this weekend some time so you can see what I mean.

I can't wait to see how these Swedish Flower Hen chicks look when they feather out. They can be so many different colors & patterns, it should be interesting because the 4 I have are totally different looking. They're already starting to get tiny little wing feathers. I have less than a week now for my lavender orpingtons to hatch, I sure hope I get a few from that set. I haven't had great luck with shipped eggs so far, but really who does, it seems like they just have too much trauma. I want to get some eggs from Chooks too if we can find a time to meet up, she has some awesome lavender orp/isabella mixes.

 

[pikeman94]

Come on down. I just keep hatching.
Well I feel like a brainiac. After my jelly fiasco I decided I'd better use the rest of that cherry juice and pulp. I just cooked it like I was making cherry pie filling. When it was done and cool enough I divided it into freezer bags.I got to thinking of all I can use it for. Put it on top of cakes or cheese cakes. Use it as a sauce over ice cream. It would taste just like cherry pie and ice cream. Put it on pancakes with some whipped cream and you'll think you are having an IHOP special. Make little tarts and fill them, or rolls filled with it with icing on top. Add it to a yellow cake mix to give it a flavor pizazz, Etc etc. The more I thought the more I could think of that it could be used for.
Did you ever have chicken breast stuffed with a cornmeal dressing filling and topped with cherry sauce? It's awesome.
So Rob, I can try to hatch that batch of Marans egg I picked up this afternoon for a picture. And I should be able to sex them cause they are auto sexing chicks. Let me know. You wouldn't have to take them all.

I would say go for it. I am sure that if I can't get by that weekend I could bring the kiddos down very close to that weekend for a visit. I think I might be able to sneak out of work early one day or something to that effect.

 

[prairie]

Ivy so glad you are doing better! II don't know what happened to your foot but it is very frustrating not to be doing and going at the level we want to! p.s. you should see all the little feathers on the little one in just a week!

 

[Ivywoods]

Prairie-I'ts amazing how fast they grow and feather out. They look so goofy sometimes when they are in their adolescent feathers.

Trish-Wow! That's pretty good luck if you got 2 pair of 2 varieties. Hope they all do well. I just sold out of my wheatens. I had to limit my varieties. It was really hard to choose, but I decided to keep the black and lavender. I really hated to see my wheaten rooster go. He was my favorite. He was such a talker. I just didn't need 4 different varieties of ameraucanas. I had originally set out to have only the blacks and lavenders, but the silvers and wheatens were substitutes in my order so I ended up with 4 varieties.

I have also sold out of my lakenvelders. I really liked them, but I was mainly keeping them for eggs and I've got more than I need. Being off work it was hard to get to town to market enough of the eggs, and everyone wants my big leghorn eggs, so that is what I decided to keep for eggs. They are such effecient egg layers. I've got one black jersey giant hen. She is about 3 years old. I don't think she has laid an egg in over 6 months. I told my DH she should probably go in the stew pot, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I guess she will just get to live with the rest as a free loader.

Part of the reason I wanted to cut down on varieties is because I am getting some more bantams. I will be getting brown/red old english before long. I really like the bantams. They are fun to mess with and watch. The old english have such cute personalities. There really isn't as big of a demand for them, but they sure are fun.

 

[chicken danz]

The restaurant that buys my eggs is going to be closed for 10 days here in a couple weeks. I guess I'll have to go to the farmers market with eggs that week. I hate to sit and do nothing all afternoon to sell eggs. Most of the venders that go there have shade tents they set up. Not this girl. I'll be sitting in the sun! Too bad I couldn't convince one of the others to sell for me and save my time. People charge rediculous prices there for their goods. Maybe I'll sell out quickly cause I sure don't have any intent on raping anyone.
Rob your eggs will go in the bator today. I might even throw in a few extras just to be sure. I can always sell them elsewhere. I've got a ton of eggs that need to go in today anyway. I put some lemon cuckoo Orpington and lavendar Orpington eggs in yesterday. Shipped eggs so I am not counting my chickens before they are hatched for sure.
One of my little D'uccles that I hatched isn't fairing well. He hatched late and he can't get his feet underneath him. I try to give him drinks and he chokes regardless of how it goes in. Poor thing. I should just cull him but I keep hoping some miracle will happen. He is 2 days old and still can't sit or stand. I had a little white Serama chick hatch in the incubator early and it got spraddled. I vet wrapped his tiny little legs and after a couple failure I think I finally got it right. He seems to be doing pretty good-knock on wood. It is about 24 hours old and seems to be getting around well.
I need to get my skates on today and actually get something done besides making messes in the kitchen.
I noticed yesterday the rain has done a wonderful job of sprouting weeds and grass in the garden. I should go tackle it before it gets out of hand. But maybe not.