Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

Back in grade school, my sister and I had albino rats (both males). My 4th grade teacher raised them, and subsequently had way too many.

The only time I've ever seen a chipmunk (or maybe it was a ground squirrel???) was when we visited Yellowstone a couple years ago. It was adorable and quite entertaining to watch. I got a couple decent pictures of it before it scampered away:

These are beautiful shots! You must have a nice camera. I love mine, I have a really nice one, too. This looks like it should be in National Geographic.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Hawkeye-- So glad you and your kids are ok. How scary. Time to take it easy and recover.

 

[HEChicken]

Hawkeye - what an awful story. Do, do take it easy. A whiplash injury is nothing to take lightly. Rest, take ibuprofen, rest, let your DH take care of the kids while you rest some more, and did I mention, REST? Truly. If you do too much now, you will pay for it later.

Hopefully the driver of the other vehicle got a citation since he lied to the Sheriff, and I especially hope he has insurance coverage.

Lizzy, I agree, those are terrific pictures. We loved the ground squirrels up in Yellowstone too - very entertaining to watch. When my kids were little I took them on a camping trip. We were camped in the Rocky Mountains, in a tent, and built a small fire so we could make hot dogs and s'mores. A chipmunk jumped up on the table and stole DS's hotdog - we saw it happen. I always thought it funny but if you mention it to him even today, he will tell you how mad he still is at that chipmunk - and he was only 5 years old at the time. I don't know what's funnier - that the chipmunk stole the hot dog or that DS continues to wager this war on all chipmunks because of it.

KarenS, how is Tookie this morning? She is in my thoughts and I'm hoping you'll check in to give us good news soon. Ned Kelly seems to be doing better this morning. I went down before the auto door opened and carried both turkeys to put in one of my dog runs, so I could offer them gamebird feed and probiotics. I saw them both eat and drink but after that they spent the entire time pacing the front of the pen looking for a way out. No more sitting down and sleeping for NK. I finally took pity on them and let them out a little while ago and they both ran, wings flapping wildly, to where I had just thrown out some apple pieces. After eating some apple, Madge came and stood under me and gave me an eyeful that clearly said "I don't know what you're thinking, penning us up like that lady. We're Free Range Turkeys now, you know".

I had a little scare this morning. Each morning I walk the perimeters of our property with the dogs. I enjoy the time walking, and it keeps me in tune with what is happening on the property. I usually pick up a few hedge apples to throw to my neighbor's horses, and if any trash has blown in, it gives me a chance to see it and pick it up. This morning, while on the far side, I came across a big pile of reddish feathers - like what you'd find on a Production Red. Big feathers - not from some little flying, wild bird. Although my flock is mostly contained, I've been letting them out for the last hour of each day and had the horrible thought that perhaps last night one of them didn't make it back in before the auto door closed. I don't particularly like my red hen - she's a broody raised hen so isn't friendly to me and is a bully to the rest of the flock. But - she is one of the few still laying since so many are molting, so I was upset at the thought of losing one of my precious few layers. Speeding up a little, I made a beeline for the coop and was pleased to see my red hen even from a distance. I did a head count and everyone is accounted for, so sadly, this chicken must be one that belonged to one of my neighbors that keeps chickens.

 

[checoukan]

Oh, Hawkeye~~~~how scary, I am so glad you are ok! So glad you are a mom that keeps the kids in their seats. I see so many moms that allow the kids to "free-roam" in the cars. I was an EMT when I lived in OK panhandle. That was before the really started to enforce car seats. Well, some of those accident scenes are so deeply embedded in my brain, I can close my eyes, and I can be right there again. I hope that trucker got a bunch of tickets, and glad your BIL was there to verify what happenes. Better go get out side.

 

[chicken danz]

Oh Hawkeye I am so sorry. I do hope the cops understood the truth and could tell the guy was lying. I assume witnessed it all and set it straight. What a lying jerk that guy was! I hope the officers really slapped some tickets on him in addition because he lied. I had whiplash before from an accident, and you might have some terrible headaches. It would be good if your doctor subscribed some PT for some traction or something for you.. or even some electro therapy to help the muscles relax. I am so glad your kiddos are okay.
My Dad cancelled on going to church this morning. He wasn't feeling good. I was running late anyway so I just stayed home. I feel guilty but I hate being late anywhere.
I also just got a message from the guy that I was supposed to get some Breda eggs from this week. He said his hens quit laying. That is twice lately that has happened to me. Makes me a bit unhappy. Surely the chickens don't all just quit at once. Mine slow down one by one. I still am supposed to get white orpington eggs from Hinksjc so I hope those come. I was on a waiting list for those in the first place.
I've got to get my act together and start selling my Lemax Christmas items on Ebay. It takes so much time and I rarely make anything on them. But at least I get my own items at cost that way. Shipping has gotten so expensive it takes all the profit out.
Lizzy those are great pictures. And that would be a chipmunk. Ground squirrels don't have face stripes.

 

[JosieChick]

Well, I had an interesting evening. I had a pretty bad car wreck around 5pm yesterday. I was driving down the highway after taking the kids to the pumpkin patch and we were headed home. I was on 103rd St (highway). My brother in law was driving behind me with his family (we went to the pumpkin patch together). I was behind a big truck (I was driving my 2008 minivan). Well, the truck in front of me slows down and using NO turn signals starts to turn off the highway to our right onto a dirt road. I had slowed down because I was behind him and when he got onto the dirt road, I was about to speed up again to go on, and all of a sudden, he wheels around and flips a U turn and shoots across right in front of me! I T-boned his truck, I had no time to stop, and then did a "Dukes of Hazzard" fly into a ditch on the opposite side nearly hitting a telephone pole, but I was stretched over the air bags trying to see out my window so I could swing the car back down into the ditch as it was trying to pop up out of the ditch. I can't even believe I had the sense to do that!! I'm a little in awe of my own reflexes on driving and trying to steer around an inflated airbag.

I got the van stopped, I had to kick my door out, and then pulled all 3 of my kids out. I thought my car was on fire, because the smoke was so bad and I was choking and coughing. Got the kids out and then started to pull out the carseats when my Brother in law ran up and started helping me get everything out of the van. I kept telling him the car was on fire, and kept telling me "no it's not--it's the airbags". Lots more to the story-- especially about the idiot I hit trying to lie to the Sherrif that he didnt make a U turn-- he said he was going straight and I was trying to pass him on the highway??, but anyway EMS got there and took me to the hospital, I thought i had broke my wrist and my legs and neck hurt, and I have burns on my arms. A few x-rays later, nothing is broken, but they did wrap up my wrist since the bruising goes all the way around and told me not to lift anything. My spine is fine, but I got whiplash. Of course. I got a cut on my right thigh, I don't even know how. I hit my left knee and it's bruised and sore, and the burns on my forearms from the airbags. I'm kind of a mess, but alive and the kids were fine!

The van... oh, the poor van. The airbags broke the windshield-- looks like two heads went thru it on the passenger and the drivers side, but it was just the airbags that caused the perfect spiral "head" shape breaks on either side. The van doors-- none of them want to open. I must have been on an adrenaline high because I was able to rip them open just fine and get the kids out. I had shut the doors and when the Fire got there-- they couldn't open the doors again! It took them a while to get the sliders open again so they could lay me down flat in the back for a while until EMS got there. I probably could have lift the entire van at that point! LOL It was so odd, things just went flying in the van-- I think I got hit with something flying from the back. But the upside is that the kids were all in their harnesses and they fared MUCH better than I did. They didn't go to the hospital, but EMS did check them out. I didn't see any of it, they had me all strapped down by then.

Anyway, I'm really tired and they have me kind of drugged up. I'm home now again, so I'm fine, but I'll be walking a bit slower for a couple of days, I think. I didn't mean to ignore everyone, but just can't remember everything I read.

HE-- I sure hope your turkey will be okay, and same goes for Karen. I sure do like Tookey and hope she'll pull thru. Danz, really enjoyed the pictures of the chipmunks. So far, no one here is sick, and I sure hope it stays that way. Better knock on wood.

Oh Hawkeye, this is awful. I am so glad you and the kids are ok, at least as ok as you can be! Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest!

Josie-- Thanks, I am not sure about what is the disease they are suffering from and am afraid of it being something that will spread or pop back up later. I am hoping someone helps I posted symptoms. If it is coryza or crd I need to suggest he cull them. Our properties join and we are close enough that our flock mingle thru the day so this is very concerning to me. He has asked for my help and if culling will be the only solution than I need to plan my attack because he paid money for these birds unfortunately.. For now I will treat with sulmet and give electrolytes and stress that everyone practice safe hygiene... Hope someone has some further info for me..

Turkeys are pretty fragile and subject to upper respiratory problems and when they are young they chill easily too. I would definitely try to come up with a way to separate your flocks. If your neighbor is in the practice of buying sick birds and letting them near his healthy birds who knows what your flock is being exposed to. I am really strict about even having visitors to our farm. When I sell birds I meet people off my property and when new birds come in they are quarantined for 2-3 weeks before being introduced to the flock. I just can't afford the heartache of losing my birds because I brought in an illness.

Josie, the above is how your whole post mulit-ed - who knows with this system sometimes! Anyway, what I was going to respond to was the location of your potential new house - we will be neighbors!!! I do hope that works out. It is an easy drive to Andover for your husband, and the school system there is wonderful - we've been really happy with it so far.

HEchicken, I will send you a PM with the address. We have a long ways to go and DH's parents potentially want to build a modular house on their property in Augusta for us to live in but that is kinda close for comfort for me. They said we could look around at houses for sale too and this one is just adorable.

Hawkeye - what an awful story. Do, do take it easy. A whiplash injury is nothing to take lightly. Rest, take ibuprofen, rest, let your DH take care of the kids while you rest some more, and did I mention, REST? Truly. If you do too much now, you will pay for it later.

Hopefully the driver of the other vehicle got a citation since he lied to the Sheriff, and I especially hope he has insurance coverage.


I had a little scare this morning. Each morning I walk the perimeters of our property with the dogs. I enjoy the time walking, and it keeps me in tune with what is happening on the property. I usually pick up a few hedge apples to throw to my neighbor's horses, and if any trash has blown in, it gives me a chance to see it and pick it up. This morning, while on the far side, I came across a big pile of reddish feathers - like what you'd find on a Production Red. Big feathers - not from some little flying, wild bird. Although my flock is mostly contained, I've been letting them out for the last hour of each day and had the horrible thought that perhaps last night one of them didn't make it back in before the auto door closed. I don't particularly like my red hen - she's a broody raised hen so isn't friendly to me and is a bully to the rest of the flock. But - she is one of the few still laying since so many are molting, so I was upset at the thought of losing one of my precious few layers. Speeding up a little, I made a beeline for the coop and was pleased to see my red hen even from a distance. I did a head count and everyone is accounted for, so sadly, this chicken must be one that belonged to one of my neighbors that keeps chickens.

Scary, my heart would have been in my throat!!!


Danz- So glad your little cockerel is doing better. I am not the hugest fan of moving because I love this house and our property but at the same time I don't want to go into labor and have my DH two hours away. How stressful!! I also don't want to get up all night by myself and worry that if I can't get outside to take care of critters like they need to be there is nobody here to help me. I am sad to move and leave this place. We are still in the very early stages and DH's parents are going to help us out so we are kind of at their mercy as far as what kind of move we make but we shall see!

 

[HEChicken]

I've got to get my act together and start selling my Lemax Christmas items on Ebay. It takes so much time and I rarely make anything on them. But at least I get my own items at cost that way. Shipping has gotten so expensive it takes all the profit out.

Say what now? What are Lemax items?

 

[HEChicken]

I went out and took some pictures of the chick who is crowing. Here he is in all his cuteness (he is a Cochin/Silkie X and they really are just adorable):


Among the chicks I got from Josie were two blues and their size difference is so noticeable that I call them.....wait for it.....Big Blue and Little Blue (bet you didn't see that coming). Here is a pic of BB and LB together:


And last, for a true size comparison, here is a pic of Little Blue alongside a Silkie that is - help me Hawkeye - 4 months old? You can also see a little Serama in the background:


So anyway, hearing that little crow come out of this little guy still has me giggling.

 

[checoukan]

HeChicken, items made by lemax are decorative items. Have you ever seen these little Christmas villages with houses, people, different store fronts trees all kinds of different things. Usually they are all early type 1900's style. I have a large set, I love it, but I have not set it up in a couple of years.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Josie-- They are seperated far from the others and were from the start, I made sure of it. I told him from now on if he wants me to go with him to make sure the birds he is getting are halthy I will. Something got into the pen and took off with 2 of them last night, and I convinced him to end the last 2's suffering. I also told him if he waits till spring I will make him a deal on poults when I hatch in the spring. Hopefully he waits that way it is not outside birds coming in. It is very scary and I also am careful about others coming around my birds. I care for my birds and couldnt handle having to put them all down..