Consolidated Kansas

[medawinks]

Josie! We would love to buy that little pullet!! We have been bitten by the silkie bug for sure!!

I will try to take another pic of the Cochin. It wants to be held when we go out so it is hard to get it standing.... It is 4 months old and hasn't crowed, but it had a bigger comb than any of the other breeds early on.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

HEChicken, Congrats!!!!!!!! My DH just felt like he had to say no to the GP, so I'm a big girl and can handle a no. Instead we went to work building my hardware cloth screen doors to go on the inside of the double doors to the hen house so that I can leave the doors open safely. I've also made sure to put all the birds that aren't inside the coop, in a breeder pen at night. So far, so good! I'm really happy with how the screen doors are turning out. He has one side done and just screwed into place until he gets the other finished and then both hung on hinges with latches to keep them closed. The right side door closes and locks into place separately from the left, so the left side is where he screwed the first door into place. I'm feeling so much better about their safety. DH is going to reinforce the breeder pens to make sure they will withstand a coyote or fox attach and to keep them from digging under. Will take pics as he finishes them.

Yay

On that note....DH met Tory this weekend and he is okay with keeping her!

Thanks Hawkeye! I'm not sleeping really well, yet, but with the new doors and the modifications to the breeder pens I think even if the do get through that fence, they won't be able to get to the birds. OH! DUH! I forgot to mention that I had hooked up one more section of fence than the specs said my charger could handle! My speed reading didn't do me any favors there. Anyway, so I took one section out and while I can't tell that much difference, I'm hoping a fox will be able to.

I've been reading your adventures in showing with interest. I'm thinking maybe next summer it would be fun for the kids to try showing. They have expressed an interest in it, so we'll see.

I'm so sorry your chicks got sick. That's just an awful feeling but I have read ahead and am glad the Duramycin worked so well.

Hey Karen, glad you've had no more attacks. I think trying one out would be great instead of just jumping in.


SO my chicks are sick!!! WTH?!? I don't know if they got sick on their own or from my adults that I brought back from the fair. The adults are fine, and they have been in another cage... but they are still within eye ball distance. So it's entirely possible. I don't know if I want to dive right into Baytril or not-- more shots... so many birds!! ACK!! So I went online and nearly had a heart attack at the price, but i bought some Denagard. But I have been reading about it everywhere lately and it sounds like it's just as good as Baytril and even one of the breeders I know uses it and recommened it. Sooooo.... does anyone else use this stuff?? Like it?? I bought it, so I don't have much choice now.
http://www.qcsupply.com/denagard-liquid-concentrate-novartis.html I have them on Duramycin, but since it binds to calcium and isn't as potent, I don't know how well it's going to work in the interim. I guess if no one has used it, I'll be the guinea pig and let you know how it works.

JosieChick, LOL! I have never heard of "sneaky broodies" who manage to conceal eggs until they contain big swimming embryos! You cracked me up! They sound like something a friend of mine calls a "fake dog". A "fake dog" is a clever dog that runs out into the street, limping pathetically so people won't run over it. As soon as it makes it to the other side, the limp disappears and they are happily on their way. This friend swears they've seen it time and again. LOL! I guess I just don't watch closely enough to spot any fake dogs. But I don't doubt that either sneaky broodies or fake dogs exist!

YOU don't have any sneaky broodies?? I have two. They "pretend" they are not broody when I am around and then race back to their hidden clutch of eggs. I had left a little a frame coop out in the run that I used to transition some chicks into the adult pen from and they laid a clutch of eggs in there and they were big swimming embryos by the time I discovered them. I can't pull them when they are that far along, I don't have the heart to kill them.

Welcome back,medawinks, if I haven't already said it! I love Danz's big bear dogs too! That big boy of her's just leans in when you pet him. Enjoyed your pics!

I love reading about all of the GP dogs doing their jobs. It is so true how different breeds are better suited for different situations. While we fell in love with Danz's polar bear dogs, city life is not a good place for a dog like that. I love having a big do to alert me to intruders, but mine have to be able to be happy just being walked and taken to a bark park
We are clueless on our silkies too. This red one is the one Danz gave Sera.
one
It looks very similar to our other two 4 month old silkies. But nothing like Bloom, who is our only laying chicken so far.

cherwill, congrats on your pretty EE egg! Love the pics of the eggs and the ducks! Silly ducks.

125 posts since I was here last?! Sorry, I can't do it! I skimmed a little (very little), so HELLO to the new people and my condolences to those of you who've been victims of fox attacks. I asked DH about how they did things when he was growing up and he said they didn't have foxes. They had coyotes those weren't able to get into the pens or coops. He said he's heard that foxes will tunnel under the fencing. He said most of the losses they had were from racoons.

My first EE egg! It's really tiny. Dorothy or New Sophia finally started laying, which means the other should also be laying soon. Blanche and Rose are a couple of months younger, so we have a while yet with them. We're starting to get a few more eggs a week from the older hens, too, so I actually used a few today to make zucchini muffins instead of saving them for weekend brunch!



And here's a picture of Stan and Doug, my niece's ducks. It was taken a couple of weeks ago, after she came back from camp and reclaimed them from me! They have a smaller wading pool in their duck yard. When my SIL emptied and cleaned last week, she moved it to a different spot a couple of feet away and they couldn't find it until she put them in it. The duck yard is pretty small; it shouldn't have been that confusing.

Trish44, sure wish the GP had worked out, but DH just couldn't get comfortable with the idea. Sigh. He sure has made up for it in providing some solutions for me though. Thanks so much for your time and your help.

 

[JosieChick]

Josie! We would love to buy that little pullet!! We have been bitten by the silkie bug for sure!!
I will try to take another pic of the Cochin. It wants to be held when we go out so it is hard to get it standing.... It is 4 months old and hasn't crowed, but it had a bigger comb than any of the other breeds early on.

Medawinks- I will give you that silkie pullet, I don't want anything for her. I am just glad she will go to a good home with a little girl to love her! I am so afraid she is going to get hurt here and I don't want to just sell her to someone that tells me they aren't going to try to breed her and lets the poor thing get killed by an overzealous roo! I am not sure where you guys live? If you are down near Danz I will be going down sometime this week hopefully to pick up some chicks to put under a poor broody whose eggs are duds.

Just let me know so we can coordinate a meetup.

I would love to see a full body shot of the cochin. I have a ton of cochins and they are way easier than silkies and usually pretty early on too! I am surprised at 4 months no crow if it is a boy but it also has a "soft" eye more like a pullet. Boys tend to get more serious, angled looking eyes and when you have a camera they tend to stare at the camera and your bird doesn't appear to be doing that. Seeing the rest of the body will help. It may not have crowed because there are no other boys around to show off to! I have a bunch of crowing and screeching fools out there.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

SAPPHIREBLU - yes, her name is Linda from Hutch. I need to call her back today and tell her I'm not going to come out tomorrow to see her pups. I'm really not going to get a dog; I've made my mind based on information and research and it just isn't something for me. Maybe down the line, I'll change my mind, but not now

 

[medawinks]

Pikeman, bear in mind that this is totally an uneducated guess, but only 2 of your Marans chicks look like my little roo did, from that photo. He had a large lighter spot on his head and lots of white barring. His belly was a silvery blue. He was super busy and pushed everyone else around from day one. The below pic is of him sleeping, since most of the others are blurry He is definitely all roo now, crowing and protecting his new flock at a friends house

I have 3 Black Copper pullets and they all were different sizes at the same age. Still are, but I am finally comfortable calling them pullets

 

[Ivywoods]

Here is the current pic of my Cuckoo Marans:



I suspect the one on the right is the lone pullet. The rest are double the size and all have bumps for spurs. I will try and post a better pic later.

I think you could be correct that the one on the right is a pullet. The one on the left, with the dark beak may also be a pullet. In my black copper marans, my pullets often had very dark (blackish) combs and the color extended onto the beaks just like that one. I don't know if that is always true, but it definitely is in my line of BCM's.

125 posts since I was here last?! Sorry, I can't do it! I skimmed a little (very little), so HELLO to the new people and my condolences to those of you who've been victims of fox attacks. I asked DH about how they did things when he was growing up and he said they didn't have foxes. They had coyotes those weren't able to get into the pens or coops. He said he's heard that foxes will tunnel under the fencing. He said most of the losses they had were from racoons.

My first EE egg! It's really tiny. Dorothy or New Sophia finally started laying, which means the other should also be laying soon. Blanche and Rose are a couple of months younger, so we have a while yet with them. We're starting to get a few more eggs a week from the older hens, too, so I actually used a few today to make zucchini muffins instead of saving them for weekend brunch!



And here's a picture of Stan and Doug, my niece's ducks. It was taken a couple of weeks ago, after she came back from camp and reclaimed them from me! They have a smaller wading pool in their duck yard. When my SIL emptied and cleaned last week, she moved it to a different spot a couple of feet away and they couldn't find it until she put them in it. The duck yard is pretty small; it shouldn't have been that confusing.

OMG! Great pictures. Congrats!

SAPPHIREBLU - yes, her name is Linda from Hutch. I need to call her back today and tell her I'm not going to come out tomorrow to see her pups. I'm really not going to get a dog; I've made my mind based on information and research and it just isn't something for me. Maybe down the line, I'll change my mind, but not now

My LGD's do an awesome job, but there was one time a coyote got in the pen with the goats. It was my guineas that saved the day. We were in bed, not quite awake when the guineas started making a BIG ruckus. Then the turkeys and chickens joined in. I got up and looked out the window and saw all of my husbands goats in a huddle with the babies in the middle. THEN I saw the coyote in the pen, looking right at the huddle about 20-30 feet from them, trying to figure out how to get a baby goat without the big goats raking him over. I got the rifle and eliminated the coyote. I have no idea where the dogs were that morning, but they must have been off chasing another coyote. They do travel quite a distance when after a predator.

ALSO, as I think I may have mentioned, one of the best protectors of your flock is a secure pen. Someone mentioned foxes will dig in. Other predators will, too, including raccoon and stray dogs. To prevent that, lay some woven or welded wire on the ground, adjacent to the wall of the pen, on the outside of the pen. Be sure it extends out at least a foot. The reason for this is that most predators will circle the pen, looking for an access point. When they start to dig, they dig right at the bottom edge of the wall. With the wire there, they are unable to dig into the pen, and they aren't smart enough to back up and aim from farther away.

Okay, folks. I worked all night. I'm tired. It's off to bed for this old bird.

 

[Hawkeye95]

So, funny story for anyone interested. We butchered a bunch of roos this weekend and I was bringing them up in a carrier and setting them in the shade and we would go and get each bird as we were ready to process it. I was on a roll plucking a bird and DH says I can get the last one out of the carrier. I said ok, just be careful because he is quick. He walks around the corner and I hear the carrier door open and a scream and flapping and then DH says a bad word. He comes around the corner with a sheepish look on his face and I can hear the roo running and screaming back to the backyard. He says "I'm really sorry, it got away from me." I laughed so hard and told him I guess that one was pardoned from being butchered today. It is a little tiny serama cochin cross (product of stealthy broody serama hens) and it had moved in with the big girls several days ago. When we went back he had run all the way back to the pens and jumped back in with the girls! I figured I don't have a roo in there with them right now so they can probably handle him!

Here he is:


Silkie/cochin pullets


What naughty LGD puppies do on their time off...



What? This bag of trash was already over here, I'm not chewing on garbage. No, no you misunderstand. I am just inspecting it for safety purposes....

So funny about the cochin/serama escaping! But what a beautiful boy he is!! Love the pictures of the cochin/silkie mix-- that is crazy looking! They look like regular feathered silkies with the crest. Intersting, but they are beautiful. Your "little" puppy is a baaaaaaaaad dog! LOL I'm sure she felt really bad she took the trash.... Although she kind of looks pretty happy with her bag of stolen goods.

Cool!!! More new eggs!!! I can't wait till mine start laying . Congrats everyone with new eggs!!!! ! Zucchini bread sounds like a great idea. We have some of Bloom's (our only laying bird- a silkie) eggs that I had been saving for an omelette. I may be a copycat and use some of our garden zucchini too
Thanks, Hawkeye! The little crackles and swollen shut eyes are what we had here. Just 2 got sick and they were chicks I brought home from Orschelens, but I hand fed them for almost 2 weeks and wasn't sure they would make it. One was the white silkie we have and the other was a salmon Favarolle pullet. The pullet didn't make it, but the silkie did. It is now almost 4 months old and I pray it is a pullet. I can't figure this Silkie gender thing out at all....
The sweet little red silkie us my Sera's buddy. She carries that bird everywhere. Danz thought she was a pullet. Our Bloom has a big reddish black comb, however and looks nothing like her or our other silkies. She is friendly to everyone, where as the others only like to be held on their own terms.... I want my splash to be a pullet too. I just love all the poofs it has... It is now getting a bit of a bulge on its comb but it is nothing like Bloom's.

The cochin is really a sweetie. If it does crow, I may try to cage it inside.... Don't know. It is too tiny to consider selling it to anyone to eat.
I guess we will know when they crow or lay that egg
On a side note, my Sera was amused with my taking pics of the chickens faces. Asked if they needed surgery too

If they did, she wants her "magic doctor" to help them. I have said that I think he has magic fingers

OH, I wasn't sure if you wanted all of your birds sexed. The splash is definitely looking like a pullet. The white one is the only one that could go either way. But it's looking awfully girlie right now. Great picture of your DD with the Dr! Oh, swollen eyes isn't good. You really lucked out that they made it through that. Or I guess only the one made it through that. Baytril is both a gram positive and negative antibiotic-- so it is a broader spectrum drug and just flat out works better. A lot of drugs are only one or the other and not both. That is why Baytril is prescription only. Even this Denagard is just a gram positive drug-- which is mainly respiratory gunk, the gram negative is usually problems in the intestinal tract. But if you have a full blown disease going on-- it could be effecting everything, which is why I still think that Baytril is the best in a very serious bird. But what a PITA to use- since it's injection only. Well... you can get Baytril pills, but I don't know how effective it would be to crush them and try to mix them with water. Probably a waste of time.

HEChicken, Congrats!!!!!!!! My DH just felt like he had to say no to the GP, so I'm a big girl and can handle a no. Instead we went to work building my hardware cloth screen doors to go on the inside of the double doors to the hen house so that I can leave the doors open safely. I've also made sure to put all the birds that aren't inside the coop, in a breeder pen at night. So far, so good! I'm really happy with how the screen doors are turning out. He has one side done and just screwed into place until he gets the other finished and then both hung on hinges with latches to keep them closed. The right side door closes and locks into place separately from the left, so the left side is where he screwed the first door into place. I'm feeling so much better about their safety. DH is going to reinforce the breeder pens to make sure they will withstand a coyote or fox attach and to keep them from digging under. Will take pics as he finishes them.

Thanks Hawkeye! I'm not sleeping really well, yet, but with the new doors and the modifications to the breeder pens I think even if the do get through that fence, they won't be able to get to the birds. OH! DUH! I forgot to mention that I had hooked up one more section of fence than the specs said my charger could handle! My speed reading didn't do me any favors there. Anyway, so I took one section out and while I can't tell that much difference, I'm hoping a fox will be able to.

I've been reading your adventures in showing with interest. I'm thinking maybe next summer it would be fun for the kids to try showing. They have expressed an interest in it, so we'll see.

I'm so sorry your chicks got sick. That's just an awful feeling but I have read ahead and am glad the Duramycin worked so well.

I think the screen doors sound like a perfect solution if you aren't going to get a dog. We'll never get a GP either, my DH doesn't like big dogs and I'm not a big fan either. I would be doing what you are doing and just beefing up the "compound". I think your kids would love doing the poultry projects in 4-H!



Weeeell, my birds faked me out last night. Half of them were still sneezing and crackly this morning. Sigh. They aren't over it. I sure hope that new drug gets here soon!!

 

[medawinks]

Josie, Here is my little Cochin. It doesn't stay still long, prefers to be right at my feet to be picked up It has belly bumped with my Favarolle pullet, but is def not at the top of the pecking order. My Orpington is my bravest, and Bloom is in charge of who roosts and eats where

Above pic is my Orpington checking out my friends pom, staying with us for a few days. She is my flock protector

We live in Topeka. I would be thrilled to meet you on your way to Danz if that crosses somewhere convenient. Thank you!!!!

 

[chicken danz]

I was so far behind on reading forgive me for whom I forget or if I direct to the wrong person.
Medawinks that cochin looks like a boy to me. There is way too much comb there for a girl. But I could be wrong. I've only had 3 bantam cochins so they may differ than the LF breed.
Every time you mention Sera I can't quit smiling. That little girl has won my heart. I do think the little silkie is a pullet. She is probably at least 5 months old or more by now, both of her parents were really tiny. I would think for sure she would crow if she were a he.
Her father had a big ruffly comb at an early age.
I was gone all afternoon. We went to Topeka to pick up lavender Orpington eggs and pick up a few items here and there. I made the mistake of taking my granddaughter to Kohl's. They don't have one near them in Colorado. I finally told her we had to leave the store because I couldn't afford to let her look any more. She wanted everything there. So a couple of dresses and earrings later I finally got her out the door. I just wanted to check for a pair of shorts for myself but never even got a chance to look much. Every time I take that kid some where I end up spending an extra $50 or so. Yesterday was worse. But we had a good time. She is going to have several new things to wear to school now. She's a silly kid. She wears dresses all the time. She just likes dresses and if she wears pants they are more like leggings under a dress. She did get some shorts to bring with her this time but she mostly wears them under a dress too. She did just wear a t-shirt with her shorts yesterday for the first time since she has been here.
Josie I cracked up at your post with the pup. Have you ever noticed how proud they are and how they trot with any of the treasures they manage to steal? I've just resigned myself to having trash everywhere for the next several months.If I take stuff away she finds more stuff to drag around.
Hawkeye So sorry about your chicks. I hope they all recover.
Tweety the soft egg is fairly common in pullets who are just starting to lay, birds who are ending a laying cycle, perhaps getting ready to molt, older birds, birds starting back up after a rest, etc. It just happens now and then. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a mineral deficiency,

 

[chicken danz]

Oh Rob, I forgot to mention.Those look like girls to me because of the dark coloring. The one in the corner and the one on the left with the larger white spot are the only ones I would think might be roos. As warm as it is I would think you could put them outside as long as they aren't with your big chickens. Just watch for temps that might drop below 70 degrees at night, which I think is pretty doubtful.