Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

chickmama, you are so fortunate to find a vet that will do that. Mine says the only thing he knows about a chicken is how it taste when it goes in a pot.
You guys have been quiet today. Every one must be busy.
I have tried but just can't seem to get anything done. I think my adult ADD or whatever is kicking in today. I've just wandered from project to project and not really done anything.
DH is off tomorrow so maybe things will go smoother. Seems no matter what I want to work on I can't find what I need to complete it.

 

[Trish44]

It's so hot out I feel like a slug today, I don't want to do anything. I had to run into town briefly, but it was productive because I hired a critter sitter to care for my birds & animals when I go on vacation in November. That is a big load off my mind, she grew up on a farm so she knows about chickens, that's a plus. I also have someone coming to get my son's huge TV out of my garage finally. Yay, that will be so good to get that out of the way! When it cools off this fall maybe I can rearrange again & make more room. I have one more thing I need to move & it's a big old metal tool box on wheels from WWII that belonged to my late husband's dad. He used it at Boeing, he retired from there a couple years before he died. My late husband worked there too before he died.

I was really disappointed today, I candled the 3 cream legbar eggs & they all had detached air cells & no development. That was a big loss. I hope the other 4 that are coming do better.

 

[chicken danz]

I candled my orpington eggs today too. Many of the lavenders look good. But the lemon cuckoos don't look promising at all. Same problem, detached air cells, and some just weren't fertile. I had a few that showed a little development but not nearly as advanced as the lavenders that were put in the same day so I'm afraid it's a bust. I put a bid on some more from the same person to try again. I hate to just throw all that money away. We had corresponded a couple times about egg shipping so she knows better now how to wrap them to ship. She's new to shipping eggs.

 

[prairie]

Danz, The two little Ancona's I got from you are growing so fast and today I took them out of the separated pen and put them into the chicken house and out into the big run with all the chickens and the 2 adult male ducks. Still keeping the 3 little guineas (that I got the same day from Ivy) in the pen but the little ducks just were getting too big and they needed more room. The adult ducks pecked them a couple of times so I removed them to free range the rest of the day.

They look good and are eating fine but their legs seem to not be very strong. Is this common with ducklings? They are on a chick starter that says it is good for baby chicks, ducks, guineas. I read online somewhere that brewer's yeast (good source of niacin) was good for them if they had weak legs so will buy some of that tomorrow. Has anyone had any problems with their baby ducks?

 

[chicken danz]

I feed my baby ducks game bird starter. It is higher protein and has more niacin and other supplements that ducks need. Let them spend a little more time with the older ducks. Ducks tend to "taste"the new comers but if they see them out and about they'll eventually all get together. I've not had a weak leg problem so it might be a difference in the feed. I had a lame goose and just bought niacin and sprinkled it on top of the feed. Discovered later she has a bag knee and not a vitamin deficiency.
I've got baby guineas that are flying out of their pen already in the brooder. I need to sell some but haven't been home to put out an add.

 

[tntblake]

Hawkeye- The contact info for the family would be great! My kids would love it!

Tinychick- Welcome!

It was a hot one today! By the time I went and got groceries and unloaded them into the house I was sweating and tired! This heata makes me want to do nothing!

 

[Trish44]

tnt, I hear you there about the heat, I only went out when I absolutely had to. I felt sorry for the animals & birds out there today, I had to make sure they all had plenty of water, ugh.

The only good things about today were hiring that critter sitter for vacation & getting rid of that TV that weighed a TON that was in my garage. I sent my DH a text at work & told him it was gone, I know he sighed a sigh of relief that he didn't have to haul that somewhere, whew! I have a few more things in the garage to get rid of, but they're slowly dwindling. Yay!

Danz, I'm sorry your eggs were a bust too, it's so hard to get shipped eggs & have them make it. I feel so lucky that some of mine have made it to hatch. I have these little lavender Orp cuties that I just go out & stare at every day, they're so darned adorable! Josie is going to get one of them Thurs., the mottled one, but that still leaves me 5 lavenders to wait & see what sexes they are. I hope I don't get too many roos, I sure don't need those. There is one with a yellow spot on it's head do you know if there is a different marking of any kind on the roos? I have never had Orpingtons before let alone lavenders. I hope they end up being good layers.

My little Campine hen that I got at the swap is broody now & sitting on her nest on the front porch. I decided tonight since I'm done gathering Ameraucana eggs for the incubator to try giving her a couple of those eggs that I gathered today. I walked up to the front door & laid the eggs down beside her & she pecked & growled at me, so I took a stick & kind of pushed them closer to her. I opened the door & watched her slide the eggs under her, so that worked. I figured if she is going to sit there she might as well hatch something. I guess if the Marans hen is still sitting tomorrow I will give her some too. I just hate for her to take up a nest in the coop because I don't have enough as it is. I'm going to try to build some other nest boxes as soon as we get a cooler day. I will need more anyway in the fall when all my new hens start laying. I'm going to have to build more roosts too. They like the wider roosts now over the 2x2s that I had first built. I don't think any of the hens even use those now at all, so I'll just take those out & build better ones there. Then by the time the new chicks are big enough there will be more roost space. I hope to have my breeder coop built before then too. My DH said he is almost done with the foundation, so maybe next weekend we can go buy wood & start building, yay!

 

[medawinks]

Ivy, I so hope that your new home potential works out! We are in love with the blue wheaten ameracauna. She loves to be held and hops right up! My kids have really spoiled her with treats, but I think, if I were just going to have chickens for personality I would need more like her, Bloom and my d'uccles I hope you have a few left to sell. We would love more like her

Trish, I wish we lived in the country! We would snap that GP pup up! They are so sweet with kids and my crew would love a polar bear dog I hope she finds a good home!

Danz, I understand the ADD feeling of not feeling like you have accomplished much..... Extended school year teaching is kicking my butt... I have been coming home wiped out and my to do list just seems to get longer! I am glad Marshmallow is on the mend, too. I have to have a little guy fixed here soon. He just weighs 4 lbs and is a papipoo mix. He is quite odd looking, and has a heart murmur. I will be pacing then I know!

I was out tonight enjoying watching my birds attacking a plate of yogurt and realized that my two older copper Marans do not have a single copper feather..... What does that make them? I saw the eggs they hatched from and they were very dark..... Both are very shy.

Oh, and my good news!!! All of my birds were either on a roost or in the coop tonight when I went out to put them to bed ( except my 3 little ones who are in a wire cage out in the run). I was so tickled!!

 

[medawinks]

Oh, I hate replying by phone... I forget things ! Can't remember all that I have read either.... Sorry!

HEchicken, congrats on your move to the quiet country life!!! I am envious, but not envious of all the packing and un packing

 

[HEChicken]

Oh, I hate replying by phone... I forget things ! Can't remember all that I have read either.... Sorry!
HEchicken, congrats on your move to the quiet country life!!! I am envious, but not envious of all the packing and un packing

Heh-heh - yeah, I hear you on that. It seems like we've been doing it forever already. We closed on the house awhile back but wanted the kids to finish out the school year before we moved since one was in 8th-grade and it seemed a shame to make him change schools with only a couple months left of the school year. But because we had possession and I was building my coop here, every time I made a trip out here, I brought a load of stuff. DD was great yesterday though. She got out the label-maker, then went around the kitchen and labeled all the shelves with what she thought ought to go there, then started unpacking kitchen stuff and putting it all away. She did a great job and it all seems to really work and flow nicely so I am very appreciative that she did that.

I worked all day yesterday on the coop and it is near completion. I need to get some more pictures. The siding is all up, and now I just need to find some corner pieces to finish the four corners, and around the windows and doors. Then on my internal wall, I need to install the door and the chicken wire (the wall has OSB for the base so the birds can't kick bedding through, and that is already there, but I need to put chicken wire for the top of the wall. Right now the birds are roosting on the wall :-( ) Last, I still need to build nest boxes and roosts.

I have almost all of the birds moved out. Two nights ago, DD and I wrangled the keets and brought them over, along with the muscovies. They joined the 2 silkies and 10 other chicks of various ages that have been here a week and a half already. They had never all been together before as I had them in segregated areas at the old place but they all seem to be getting along great. The older chicks (10 weeks or so old) gave the keets a few pecks to let them know where they stand in the pecking order but other than that, there were no issues - yay! One of the chicks tried to do the same with a muscovy and it was really kind of funny. Typically the muscovies seem to be very calm, no-nonsense, don't-cause-any-problems kind of birds, and I've never seen them peck at each other or any other species. They like to just go about their business, eat, drink and sit and watch all the ruckus. But when that little roo pecked at the duck, it kind of raised itself up to its full height and just stared at the chick. The chick stared back for a minute then slunk off with a look on its face that said "Oh, my mistake, I thought you were someone else" and the duck went right back to eating. I don't think anyone has messed with any of the ducks ever since!

The only birds I have left to move are my laying flock (including my Sultan Mama and her two chicks). They are still at the old place because they are the most self-sufficient. I have a huge feeder and waterer for them and can leave them enough for about 5 days. I figured if it is a few more days before I move them, it won't be a problem. They'll keep right on doing what they do every day until then. Then, once I move them, I anticipate they'll stop laying until they acclimate to the new place. I need to get my fencing complete (ran out of fencing or we'd be done already - need to get more today) and then I can start opening the coop up during the day and letting them out. I did bring the silkies out for the day yesterday. They are so good at staying around, and while I was outside working all day and could keep an eye on them, it seemed like a good chance to give them a break from the coop. They seemed to have a great time!

Oh Hawkeye, to answer your question on the basement, we are doing something we have never done before, and making the whole basement an adult-only area. Now that the kids are older, and don't need to climb in bed with us in the middle of the night any more, we decided to let them have the upstairs and we will have the downstairs. My office is there already, and now we will have a large bed and bathroom, huge walk-in closet and a little "nook" that will be a kitchenette - microwave, small fridge, coffee maker. Then, in the mornings, we can make coffee without even having to go upstairs to the kitchen! In the summer/fall I like to drink coffee on the front porch anyway, but in the winter, it will be really cozy to be able to get up and make coffee and have it in bed without even having to go upstairs