Consolidated Kansas

[JosieChick]

I won more Swedish Flower Hen eggs this afternoon on eBay, so we'll see if I can get a few more for variety. They sure are curious little things, they're not afraid like the other chicks. One of them is getting a crest, it's so cute! I'll have to get some new pics soon of them. I lost another lavender Orp yesterday, I hated that. I wonder if these variations in the breeds just get weaker as you dilute them? It sure seems like they're not as hardy.

Trish- Congrats on your swedish flowers, they are so pretty! I really think being shipped egg does some chicks in because I hatched a bunch of varieties of orps including lavender from Chooks and I picked the eggs up and they are extremely hardy little birds. I have had batches of chicks that were shipped though that hatch and look good and a few days later die unexpectedly. It is always sad to lose them.

The little blue wheaten roo is trying to figure out where he belongs, I put him in the pen with the chicks but one of the bantam boys was picking on him so he squeezed into the big roo pen and then he decided that wasn't a good idea so he squeezed back in and was hanging out with the turkey by the waterer. Poor fella, he is not sure who will be friends with him!

Karen- Welcome back!! It has been a bit lonely here for the last week or so. Seems like it has been pretty quiet compared to the usual chattiness.

Danz-How is your little gosling doing these days? I got a couple ducks this weekend that are closer to the cayugas age and put the whole gang together and he has fallen in love with one of them. They go off on little walks together, it is too funny. The whole gang hit it off right away, nothing like trying to merge a flock of chickens. They just quacked and bobbed and then off they went!!

Well we worked hard outside this weekend. Almost have a run in built for the pony and I spent all day weeding and digging up rocks in the front garden beds. I am dying to get these plants in the ground, I have all these plants in pots waiting to be planted and the watering is killing me!

Molly and Lucie are finally starting to figure out their invisible fence. The first few days were rough but they are getting braver. I think Molly thought everything might "bite" after the first day, poor girl!! DH is making me an icebox key lime pie and I can't wait for it to set up!!! They are the best and so is he!!!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Thanks JosieChick! Everybody's been really busy it looks like. It's an active bunch!

 

[medawinks]

Lime pie... Yum!!!

All this talk about canning and fruit trees has me looking up dwarf trees. I think I am going to buy a dwarf apricot and a dwarf cherry and put them in barrels so I can put them in my sun porch during the winter.... I don't have space for big trees. Someday though!

Danz, would you share your bread and butter jalepeno recipe? That sounds heavenly! I am from NM and jalepeno is a staple but I had never heard of bread and butter pickling of them.

The cute duck pics are so much fun! I know they have to be fun to watch in person. I saw a post about silkie pics, but I missed that somewhere. I love those pics too! It is neat to see other peoples birds

We put our chickens out in the backyard tonight and had fun watching them. I can't let them out all of the time because my big dogs think they are fun to chase.... Otherwise I would leave them free all the time

Karen, how old was your EE when she layed that pretty green egg? Has she given you more ?. My kids saw it and are excited to see what other colors we might get. They know to listen for Bloom singing her song and are eager to have more eggs to find. I am too Our oldest EEs are 16 weeks.

Also, before I go to Craig's or the FB page, does anyone here breed the wheaten ameracaunas? I think Ivy got rid of hers and we have all decided that our little pullet is our friendliest little bird. We would like another. Blue eggs are good too :-

 

[HEChicken]

Do you cook the beans and then can them, or do they cook in the jars? How do you do it? I like to cook them and freeze them, but I seem to be very good at putting off cooking them.

Well dang, I know I have the directions here somewhere but did a quick search and couldn't find them. I'll keep looking so I can let you know the exact quantities. It is important to measure the beans because they swell up so much that if you put too many in, it will end up too full for the jar. From memory, you put either 1/2 or 2/3 cup of beans in the jar, then fill it to the top with water and let it sit overnight. Next day you drain off the water, refill with fresh water, put the lid on and stick it in the canner. The canner cooks them just perfectly. Once cool I store in the pantry and when I need to use them, just pop the lid off and they're ready to go.

Hawkeye, with my pressure canner I have the option to either pressure can or do the water bath canning. I've never water bath canned although I suspect it is the easier of the two. But it is better for fruits and things like jam, and we are not just much of a jam-eating family, so most of the things I need to can need to be pressure canned. The Ball Blue Book of Canning is a great resource - it really helps walk you through both types of canning - when to use one over the other, what pressure to be at, for how long, etc. And it has a lot of recipes too.

I didn't get anything done today that I had planned, due to a baseball tournament that turned one game into three because the team kept winning their games.

Yesterday I got my nest boxes installed in the coop and I did take a photo but I'm still trying to track down my cable to download the photos from the camera. Not sure where it ended up in the move. I need to block them off though, as my younger set of chicks are very interested in sleeping in the nest boxes.

Tonight DD and I moved my layer flock here so finally ALL of my birds are here. It was not without incident as first one hen decided she didn't want to be caught back at the old house and despite being after 10pm and quite dark, led us on a merry chase in the backyard there until I was able to corner her in the coop. Then we got here and everyone in the family turned out to help carry them down to the new coop. The last person in...you guessed it...didn't close the coop door. Most of the hens were so stunned from the trip that when I took them out of their box and placed them on the roost, they just hunkered down and didn't move. But one - and of course it was a broody raised chick who is now a laying pullet but being broody raised, doesn't like human handling - made a beeline for the door and was out in the dark running around before I could yell "Close the door!" I was afraid we would never see her again but fortunately she got caught up in a stand of long grass and I was able to pin her and then pick her up and return her to the coop. Now I'm sitting here feeling relieved that at last my flock is all here. I still have finishing touches to do on the coop - including installing the auto door that is on order - but its mostly done. Its been a long haul but will be worth it.

 

[Trish44]

Medawinks, I will have some Wheatens later on, but I have to let mine mature first. They're only a couple months old, maybe going on 3 months. I think my roo is going to be really pretty. I have one wheaten & one blue wheaten pullet.

Josie, yeah I've been trying to arrange to get some eggs from chooks, it just hasn't worked out yet. It's like you say though these chicks look big & healthy one day & the next they're dead.

Well my DH worked all evening building the frame for the floor. Then we had to get it onto the back of the truck & it's really long. I had to go out & drive while he held up the back end. We managed to get it down there. I said I hoped he wasn't planning to do that with the walls & he said no. Thank goodness!

Does anybody know at what age a tom turkey gets his wattles? I have one that has a more red head & is starting to get something under his chin. I think I have at least one tom. They sure like to talk to me when I go out. I really like the sounds they make.

 

[HEChicken]

Yay for the progress on your coop! It is so fun watching it come together. And the more I hear about how everyone is enjoying their turkeys, the more I want to join you all

I have been getting a kick out of watching my silkie roos. They have reached an age where they are VERY interested in the ladies and are doing the little roo courtship dance all over the place. At first it was all for the benefit of my Minorca who is only about 18 weeks old and just starting to get red in the face but I think is still a couple of weeks out from laying. However she was the closest they had to a real woman so they danced for her constantly. She totally ignored them. Then I brought my Sultan Mama with her two chicks over this weekend, and set her up in her broody pen inside the coop. JB was immediately besotted with her and clumsily danced all the way down the 4' side of the broody pen, then turned around and did it all the way back. She was totally unimpressed and just wanted him to go away, so ran at the wire barrier repeatedly to get rid of him. Last night I brought my laying flock over and I'm sure this morning he's imagining himself quite the king with his increasing harem, but so that they wouldn't be so overwhelmed as they adjust to the new coop, I turned him outside for the day, where he's back to only having the Minorca to impress. I am so excited to start getting fertile eggs after years of living in the city, where every time I had a roo, I had to cull by the time he got to crowing age.

 

[Hawkeye95]

All this talk about canning and fruit trees has me looking up dwarf trees. I think I am going to buy a dwarf apricot and a dwarf cherry and put them in barrels so I can put them in my sun porch during the winter.... I don't have space for big trees. Someday though!

You have to get two trees for them to be cross pollinated and produce fruit. If you buy one tree, they will forever just be a tree. And even then, it's best to double check what varieties will pollinate each other, usually the same variety will do, but not always.

Well we worked hard outside this weekend. Almost have a run in built for the pony and I spent all day weeding and digging up rocks in the front garden beds. I am dying to get these plants in the ground, I have all these plants in pots waiting to be planted and the watering is killing me!

Molly and Lucie are finally starting to figure out their invisible fence. The first few days were rough but they are getting braver. I think Molly thought everything might "bite" after the first day, poor girl!! DH is making me an icebox key lime pie and I can't wait for it to set up!!! They are the best and so is he!!!

Yeah, they won't last long if they aren't put in the ground. Glad the dogs are figuring out the invisible fence, hopefully that will work out perfectly for them!

Hawkeye, with my pressure canner I have the option to either pressure can or do the water bath canning. I've never water bath canned although I suspect it is the easier of the two. But it is better for fruits and things like jam, and we are not just much of a jam-eating family, so most of the things I need to can need to be pressure canned. The Ball Blue Book of Canning is a great resource - it really helps walk you through both types of canning - when to use one over the other, what pressure to be at, for how long, etc. And it has a lot of recipes too.

Tonight DD and I moved my layer flock here so finally ALL of my birds are here. It was not without incident as first one hen decided she didn't want to be caught back at the old house and despite being after 10pm and quite dark, led us on a merry chase in the backyard there until I was able to corner her in the coop. Then we got here and everyone in the family turned out to help carry them down to the new coop. The last person in...you guessed it...didn't close the coop door. Most of the hens were so stunned from the trip that when I took them out of their box and placed them on the roost, they just hunkered down and didn't move. But one - and of course it was a broody raised chick who is now a laying pullet but being broody raised, doesn't like human handling - made a beeline for the door and was out in the dark running around before I could yell "Close the door!" I was afraid we would never see her again but fortunately she got caught up in a stand of long grass and I was able to pin her and then pick her up and return her to the coop. Now I'm sitting here feeling relieved that at last my flock is all here. I still have finishing touches to do on the coop - including installing the auto door that is on order - but its mostly done. Its been a long haul but will be worth it.

I'll have to check into this canning business next year. I want to be sure I don't get into something else if we're going to be moving. I need to sit on my hands, because I want to just dive into everything! And do it NOW! LOL What a disaster with your chickens last night! ha! Doesn't that just figure?? I'm glad it all turned out okay, though.

Well my DH worked all evening building the frame for the floor. Then we had to get it onto the back of the truck & it's really long. I had to go out & drive while he held up the back end. We managed to get it down there. I said I hoped he wasn't planning to do that with the walls & he said no. Thank goodness!
Does anybody know at what age a tom turkey gets his wattles? I have one that has a more red head & is starting to get something under his chin. I think I have at least one tom. They sure like to talk to me when I go out. I really like the sounds they make.

That's great news!! I'd love to see a picture of what it looks like now? Even though there isn't much there yet.

 

[chicken danz]

I have 4 bigger turkeys and I keep thinking I have two toms and two hens but then they all look the same again. They are 5 and 6 months old and I'm still not sure. A couple of them show a little more red but they all have the lap thing. They are Blue Slates.
I was reading if you put a mirror in front of a turkey and it drops it's wings and fluffs a little it is a tom. I haven't tried it. I just don't remember to carry a mirror when I go outside!

Trish I know how to sex the Wellsummers it just seems like the markings aren't distinct on this bunch like the ones I had before. The girls I had before looked like they were wearing eye makeup. That is why I'm kind of concerned I might have hatched a bunch of cockerels. It's early in the year but it has been hot so I guess it's entirely possible. I've had a few more hatch so I will check them again today. I really hate the idea of raising a bunch of cockerels.
Josie, her knee is still swollen but she has gotten more active. Putting these guys in the bigger pen sure has made a difference. They just crack me up. They come running to me me when I go out there wanting food or water. They don't want to be held. They throw a fit but they definitely know who feeds them. I love letting them out in the morning cause they do that run with their wings in the air. I call them my messy angels. That's what they look like to me. Yesterday Cloud got in their makeshift pen. She just walks over the top of the safety fence. It was hallarious they all started chasing her and squawking. She wasn't sure whether to run or hide. I had a couple of them get out of the safety fence yesterday. I'm not sure how that happened. But I just put a board on the fence so it was low and they went right back in.
We are getting ready to move the duck pens for the littles. I keep loosing babies cause they get in the muck. The slightly bigger ones can go through a 5 gallon waterer in about 5 minutes and they throw 4.5 gallons of it on the ground. I am thinking of spending another $100 or so and putting pavers down. I am so sick of the mess. I could at least hose those off every day or two.
I need to sex my pekins and get rid of my extra drakes. I really am not fond of these ducks yet. They aren't nearly as tame or social as the cayugas and the anconas. I keep hearing horror stories of them drowning their mates too. I only got them because they are popular for meat ducks. I did a duck trade so they didn't cost me anything.
I just found out this morning that DH took the week off. He keeps me so informed!!!
I'm thinking I may get him to go haul some lighter weight cattle panels home and I will build a hoop pen. I have so many things to get separated I'm not even sure what I will put in it. I just need to do some more dividing. Looks like it might be too hot to do much work in the trailer this week.
I've got to go get a load of feed today. It sure seems like it went fast.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I was reading if you put a mirror in front of a turkey and it drops it's wings and fluffs a little it is a tom. I haven't tried it. I just don't remember to carry a mirror when I go outside!

Trish I know how to sex the Wellsummers it just seems like the markings aren't distinct on this bunch like the ones I had before. The girls I had before looked like they were wearing eye makeup. That is why I'm kind of concerned I might have hatched a bunch of cockerels. It's early in the year but it has been hot so I guess it's entirely possible. I've had a few more hatch so I will check them again today. I really hate the idea of raising a bunch of cockerels.

I just found out this morning that DH took the week off. He keeps me so informed!!!
I'm thinking I may get him to go haul some lighter weight cattle panels home and I will build a hoop pen. I have so many things to get separated I'm not even sure what I will put in it. I just need to do some more dividing. Looks like it might be too hot to do much work in the trailer this week.
I've got to go get a load of feed today. It sure seems like it went fast.

Hey Danz, even though I've seen my little turkey do the "I'm a big turkey" thing with his wings, I'm going to try it with a mirror and see if I can get a picture. It is so darn cute! I'll have to find out how you make that hoop pen because I would like to have one for the meat birds.

Yay for the progress on your coop! It is so fun watching it come together. And the more I hear about how everyone is enjoying their turkeys, the more I want to join you all

JB was immediately besotted with her and clumsily danced all the way down the 4' side of the broody pen, then turned around and did it all the way back. She was totally unimpressed and just wanted him to go away, so ran at the wire barrier repeatedly to get rid of him. Last night I brought my laying flock over and I'm sure this morning he's imagining himself quite the king with his increasing harem, but so that they wouldn't be so overwhelmed as they adjust to the new coop, I turned him outside for the day, where he's back to only having the Minorca to impress. I am so excited to start getting fertile eggs after years of living in the city, where every time I had a roo, I had to cull by the time he got to crowing age.

X2. The turkeys are really something special. Hawkeye was right. If you can get them past the poult stage they are the best!

Your tale about JB cracked me up! Oh my gosh, I can just see it in my head. The roosters are annoying at first but they are such a hoot to watch strut around looking important and dancing like fools. Mine are settling down and are just fun to watch.

Lime pie... Yum!!!

Danz, would you share your bread and butter jalepeno recipe? That sounds heavenly! I am from NM and jalepeno is a staple but I had never heard of bread and butter pickling of them.

Karen, how old was your EE when she layed that pretty green egg? Has she given you more ?. My kids saw it and are excited to see what other colors we might get. They know to listen for Bloom singing her song and are eager to have more eggs to find. I am too Our oldest EEs are 16 weeks.

X2 on the lime pie and the b & b jalapeno recipe!

My EE was 16 weeks when she laid her first egg so it could happen any time now. She is still the only one of the whole crew laying and that includes the red stars! That's amazing! My EE's are 18 weeks now and two of the others look like they could start anyday now. The 4th one still looks a little immature so we'll have to wait on her. It's so exciting to get that blue-ish egg!


Hawkeye, we're holding our breath for the next salaried employees layoff this friday. There will be 320 laid off and another 300 after that so we're still waiting and wondering. It's the pits! I don't want to imagine leaving this place.

 

[Silkie Chick]

Hi All,
The baby chicks we ordered from McMurray came in today! We were rather worried because they got shipped on Friday (probably hatched Thursday), thus we got them about four days old. But, they all arrived safe and sound. Everyone was a little thirstier than when we usually get chicks in the mail, however they all seem to be doing fine. We are working at integrating four chicks under a broody hen, and she seems to have taken to them, but they haven't quite figured out that they have a 'mother'. She is a seasoned brooder, and all of the chicks that she has hatched previously have grown up with good manners. We were going to try to put some under the other broody hen that we have (she has only hatched one lot previously), but she rejected them. It isn't as though she has been known to be the best broody either so we aren't too surprised. The rest of them are in the indoor brooder and being cheerful and cute.
S.C.