Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

Update on Scout. She isn't able to balance on the leg, and it is still pretty limp. I'm going to take her in to my vet early this morning. I don't really have a lot of options with her. I have to leave Thursday a.m. early, and my DH (who is a saint) is not going to want to nurse her in the house (especially if there isn't much hope for the leg). I can't have a house chicken (not going to happen, even with a diaper, even Scout). I suppose if the vet says there is permanent damage, I'll have to have her euthanized. What a hard call. I was hoping I would wake up to improvement, but it just didn't happen. Maybe Dr. Mendoza will have a suggestion.

Sigh. It had to be Scout.

oh no, I hope she does improve!

HAWKS, I wish they would move on with their migration, there was one on most every power pole yesterday, on irrigation sprinklers and fence posts, it is time for them to head south! We had one in our drive way eating a big dove, until my dogs discovered it. The big rooster won't let the hens go out in the corrals now, he keeps them up close to the barn on in the coop. The turkeys just stop in their tracks and look up at the hawks, they don't head for shelter or stay up against the barn like the chickens.

Beautiful day here yesterday, and looks like another pretty day today.

Clay pigeons are fun! I'm sure you already know clay pigeon pieces are toxic to pigs.

We don't bury coyotes, we also drag them off, they stink something terrible, dead or alive. I ruined a nice pair of leather gloves dragging one, could never get the smell out.

Yeah, I'm sick of the hawks and owls here. The hawks are especially bad here! They keep checking out my birds and it's making me nervous! Didn't know clay pigeons are toxic to pigs! I don't have any pigs, but had the thought in the back of my mind to keep one for butcher some time. That is too bad about your gloves. We use the tractor scoop-- I've never touched a coyote. When one dies, I just scoop it up in my bucket on the tractor and lift it over the fence line and release it into the tree line. They do smell!

Hawkeye, congrats on the blacks - I know how much you've been wanting true blacks so glad you were finally able to acquire a top-notch pair.

Not much is going on around here - I feel very boring at the moment. My ducks have really taken to the air lately, enjoying quite long flights in circles around the property. This morning we were drinking coffee and three huge birds buzzed past our kitchen window on their way to altitude. Their accuracy is improving though and after a high, long flight, they can land on the top rail of the fence, or even the peak of the coop. They enjoy lording it over everyone for awhile before flying down into the yard to resume foraging with everyone else. Kind of fun that they could leave any time they want to now, but choose to stay in the chicken yard 99% of the time.

I hatched several batches of chicks this Fall with some trepidation because I've heard from Danz and also read elsewhere, that they tend to hatch more cockerels in the Fall. I really don't need more boys and wanted to hatch some girls to raise over the winter so by Spring they'd be ready to join the laying flock. My first hatch, 9 out of 10 eggs hatched, so I hoped that the 50/50 rule would give me 5 girls, 4 boys, but figured the opposite would be true. There were several who seemed to pink up early and I thought I had a bunch of little cockerels on my hands. But one by one, as they've grown bigger, the "boys" started looking more girly. They are now 10 weeks old and I can't hardly believe my luck. I have 1 cockerel and 8 pullets!!!

So....remember the discussion several weeks ago about whether it is the rooster or the hen that determines gender? If it is the rooster, I have another reason to want to keep Cyrus - he seems to throw a lot more girls than boys.

Thanks, HeChicken! Yeah, I've contacted several people in the last few weeks trying to hunt down a pair of blacks. But no one had any that I'd want. They were bad culls, nothing nice and in one case--- VERY pricey-- more so than what I paid on these. And one lady nicely told me she never sells to the public... I wonder what she does with all her extra roosters and culls??? I'm not going to be like that. I'm not going to be one of those people you can't get birds from or charge an arm and a leg from. I know what I paid for my pair, but still, I don't see myself charging that much for someone else--- most people don't have a few hundred to drop on birds, and it makes it harder to obtain. My goal is to breed full black on black and never cross into any other color with them. But I want to make my culls accessible and affordable, too.

I lean towards the "rooster MUST have more say in gender" thought, too. I really can't imagine that all the sex genes are in the egg... no other species is like that... right? Perhaps I'm wrong, it just seems extreme, and if you have a rooster working out for you and throwing you more girls than boys, I don't think that is coincidence.

I gave her a vitamin e capsule (just the liquid dripped on her beak) and all her favorite food (which she isn't eating). She is a bit more mobile but her leg is pretty limp. We will see. She will get all the chance she needs to heal.

Sharol

So sorry-- I sure hope she will come out of it.

I don't know who determines sex. I don't know if chickens have the equivalent of XY chromosomes or not.It does seem like the cockerels are the stronger of the two to hatch in adverse conditions though.
Yeah I did the cough cough thing on the eggs too, but that really isn't so far out of line for rare breed eggs. I've seen eggs go for up to $25 each. Not in my budget though. I only bought these eggs cause I was trying to help the breeder out cause she has been wonderful to deal with. I am coughing a lot harder with the lousy fertility though! I guess I'll wait and see if I get any viable chicks out of the others. I do have one pipped.
I've invested so much money this year in eggs and I hope it all pays off next year.
If it doesn't I will be one very sad and very broke chicken lady! I still have more eggs to hatch in the incubator from a couple other purchases. It's about time to quit though. I don't think my children would appreciate getting chickens for Christmas!!

LOL I'd be okay with chickens for xmas!! hehehe!

KarenS is doing that. She is breeding her Aloha chicks. Someday she will be a well known producer of her own stock and be filthy rich!

Many of these birds are found in remote areas and then shipped to the U.S. I am sure it is quite expensive to do so and I am sure there are multitudes of losses while they are being shipped and then quarantined. Lots of them are centuries old and just found in a few rare places with limited numbers.
In example, the Breda fowl I am trying to get a start of, are a very old breed believed to be the start of many modern day birds. There were some in the U.S. back in the late 1800s. However they were either bred out or eliminated because they are slow growers. And they were never accepted into the standard of perfection because they were referred to by different names. They are awesome birds though and so unique it is a real shame. There is a trend in animals to go back to heritage breeds these days because we are finding that many good traits have been bred out by cross breeding. Any bird/animal that grows slower is going to produce better meat and the hens will lay longer than a fast growing breed. Also some of the newer breeds are less hardy.
I want to be a part of the people who help some of these breeds recover again. Plus I've always loved having anything that wasn't common place. I used to grow some very rare flowers for the same reason. Paying a fortune for seeds and then waiting years for a plant to bloom for the first time.
I guess that is why I am so broke today!!!

I think that's neat that people are going back to heritage and rare breeds. They are the original birds we crossed into to begin with, they should not disappear. You should keep in contact with Jen (RevolutionMamaRanch) she is doing the same thing. I follow her on facebook. I enjoy reading about her heritage and rare pursuits. But my only question is.... because they are so rare, are people still breeding them to SOP (standard of perfection) or is the breed slipping on Type? When you have so few to work with, how hard do you cull to maintain standard???

mommahen- Yes, thank you! I have been asking lots of questions. These diapers were always washed in cloth diaper detergent and line dried. The owners even made sure to school me on proper cloth diaper laundering before they would let me take them! They area in really nice shape. I found a lot on Ebay and was so excited but they had been washed in fabric softener and I am not even going to risk it. I am sure maybe they could be salvaged but I don't want to run the risk of having leaky diapers. I watched a bunch of you tube videos on different types of cloth diapers and how to put them on. I came downstairs one evening and DH was watching the videos. Now he likes to go around the house giving cloth diapering advice like "Be sure the cloth diaper is tucked under the edge of the diaper cover to avoid leaks." Cracks me up. The girl in the videos is quite serious but they were well done.
Hawkeye- Your culls are awesome! I have heard of Birds of Paradise, she has stunning birds. I can be pretty lousy at keeping up with laundry so I figured if I had a stash of these they could be good overflow. The plan is to have 25-30 AIOs and then use the motherease for back up if I get behind on laundry. I have my eye on a lot of covers on ebay that are really cheap and there are a few bumgenius AIOs in there too. I am getting ten from a gal in Overland Park too. So we are well on our way. A lot of people try out cloth and don't want to deal with it so there are a lot of nice cloth diapers out there for sale that have been hardly used!


Phew! I need to get my butt in gear and get outside and do some stuff. I am so tired from working yesterday and my nose is not happy with all this dry air and come to think of it I think that was a pregnancy symptom too. So I guess I get a double whammy this winter. We are working on a house in Towanda right now. It is old but kinda cool in my humble opinion. We are trying to figure out what a reasonable offer is because it is priced kinda high so the realtor is getting us some info. There are some discrepancies about the foundation structure so we shall see. We also would have to put in a shelter for the horses and horse fencing. There is a large metal barn that can be converted for chickens though which would be nice. I am really hoping because it has nice old hard wood floors and a wood stove. I hate newer homes that are wall to wall carpet. It just isn't my thing. Plus this place has almost 10 acres and only one neighbor on the mile of road! So quiet, I love quiet.

Sounds like you're having a great time hunting down diapers! So fun! I'm not a big fan of AIO's. Just because they take soooooo long to dry. I LOVE pocket diapers-- they are the BEST!! They dry in half the time. Plus, you can add extra inserts to double them for night time and naps or long car rides. I love older homes-- they have so much more charm than the new cookie-cutter homes. Listen to me... what am I living in?!?! LOL We built our own "cookie cutter home" in 2000. But we also put in hardwood floors through out the entire place. You can't have kids and carpet... that just does not mix! ick! I'm so excited for you, I hope you get the house! Get those comps from your realtor so you can figure out a fair price and have her go in to bat and TELL them why you picked your number and you are not trying to screw them, but play fair. A good realtor should be able to explain it and talk them into being more accepting of your offer.

This duck ran between the bucket and the extended handle, effectively attaching the bucket to her side. She ran around a bit before she finally figured out that she needed to back up to get out of her predicament. It was so funny watching her trying to figure out why this thing had "grabbed" her.

FUNNY!!!

Well, I'm feeling a little disappointed. I finally got the Victor mouse trap set up at the barn in the feed room this past weekend. I baited it with peanut butter and oatmeal, like Danz suggested, and set it against a wall, in an area that is clearly frequented by mice judging by the amount of droppings around there. It was there two nights and I went back to see how many mice would be crammed in there to find it....completely empty

Well, hopefully once they get used to it being there, they'll start to run through it and get trapped.

I sure hope it will tempt them sooner rather than later! Good luck in your mouse hunt!

I've looked everywhere and there isn't even feathers to indicate where she went. I suppose the owl has a sibling or we had some hawks make it in.

Dang it Heather. That's a shame. Maybe throw in something else with the peanut butter to get some attention. Cat food? Cheese? leftover meat?
I've got to get moving. It's so cold out today. I've got to box up some chicks and do some shopping too.

Oh no!! I'm so sorry!!

I would be really sad about that too.

 

[Hawkeye95]

OH! btw, I created a facebook page just for my silkie pursuits! So if you want to follow me there-- it will only be chicken related, it's at:
http://www.facebook.com/HawkeyeSilkies?ref=hl Just "Like" me and if you want to follow me, I think you have to hover your mouse over the "Like" button and then click on "follow in your feed" or something like that. Otherwise, you won't see any updates, I don't think. FB keeps changing things and making it harder to just follow, etc. now.

 

[Hawkeye95]

OH!! I almost forgot-- here is Josie, named after Josie! LOL And her coop card that says #1!

(pictures are clickable to enlarge them)

 

[mstng67]

But they do hear. They know the sound of their mother  and father's voice. If you listen to a certain kind of music when you are pregnant that is the music that will calm them after they are born.

My wife became pregnant with our oldest daughter shortly after we moved to Kansas for graduate work at KU in the 1990s (both of us were working on doctoral music degrees in organ performance). The baby would kick ferociously whenever Liz played Bach. We thought she loved it. She would start crying anytime she heard liz practicing Bach after she was born. She still dislikes organ music to this day, and has only gone to recitals when there is a boy she likes attending.

 

[Hawkeye95]

My wife became pregnant with our oldest daughter shortly after we moved to Kansas for graduate work at KU in the 1990s (both of us were working on doctoral music degrees in organ performance). The baby would kick ferociously whenever Liz played Bach. We thought she loved it. She would start crying anytime she heard liz practicing Bach after she was born. She still dislikes organ music to this day, and has only gone to recitals when there is a boy she likes attending.

that's hilarious! And WELCOME to the Kansas thread! Where at in Kansas are you? What kinds of birds do you have?

 

[mommahen10]

Chickies-duckies, our chickens won't eat any of the hot peppers. We lived in Emporia for a long time, which vet clinic is Dr. Mendoza with?

Josie, I'm not up on all of the diaper names, I've heard of the names but I don't know what's what. I used the flat diapers you have to fold, sometimes pre-folded and diaper pins. I changed how I folded it to fit the baby. Anyway, some of the diapers now are sold by certain name brands but different people make them, as a stay at home mom job kind of thing. I know one lady who makes cloth diapers and sells them on eBay, they're adorable and I love this lady, she's so sweet but I have to warn too. She and I were talking about sewing and we gathered supplies to make diapers for another lady, I got most of the stuff and she put them together. Anyway, she generally uses cheap shower curtain for her waterproof layer which I don't think will hold up to heavy use.

The talk about the baby hearing the noise is funny. When I was pg with my 8 yo I was doing uphostery work on some chairs and using an electric staple gun and it was so loud and right against me and every time I popped that thing she would jump. Well, this summer when we were using that staple gun she skipped through the kitchen and said I don't know why but I like that sound and just that fast she skipped right back out. I started cracking up. I'm sure your baby will do fine with the sounds.

LOL!!! That's so funny Lizzy. Bet you wish you had your camera.

I'm sorry Danz. So now what? Now you're going to be on the lookout again for another predator, that STINKS!

 

[sharol]

When I was pregnant with our daughter in 1995, we went to a fourth of july celebration. (she was due in late October/early November) Everytime there was an explosion, she kicked so hard we had to leave. My DH thought it was hilarious, but he wasn't the one getting kicked in the bladder and diaphram. To this day she hates loud fireworks.

My wife became pregnant with our oldest daughter shortly after we moved to Kansas for graduate work at KU in the 1990s (both of us were working on doctoral music degrees in organ performance). The baby would kick ferociously whenever Liz played Bach. We thought she loved it. She would start crying anytime she heard liz practicing Bach after she was born. She still dislikes organ music to this day, and has only gone to recitals when there is a boy she likes attending.

 

[sharol]

Dr. Mendoza is at Emporia Vet (the one across the street, down the street a little north of Bluestem.

Sharol

Chickies-duckies, our chickens won't eat any of the hot peppers. We lived in Emporia for a long time, which vet clinic is Dr. Mendoza with?

 

[HEChicken]

My wife became pregnant with our oldest daughter shortly after we moved to Kansas for graduate work at KU in the 1990s (both of us were working on doctoral music degrees in organ performance). The baby would kick ferociously whenever Liz played Bach. We thought she loved it. She would start crying anytime she heard liz practicing Bach after she was born. She still dislikes organ music to this day, and has only gone to recitals when there is a boy she likes attending.

Chickies-duckies, our chickens won't eat any of the hot peppers.

That's really weird. I've always heard that chickens don't have receptors in their mouths to detect heat, so no matter how hot the pepper is, it just tastes like a bell pepper to them. DH and I eat tons of hot peppers - the hotter the better. When cutting the pepper, I scoop out the seeds and throw them, along with the tops to the birds, and they gobble them right down with no indication they are feeling the heat.

When I was pregnant with our daughter in 1995 ....

Our DD's are pretty much the same age then! Mine was born Aug '95.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Hi all! I'm 38 posts behind so thought I would say hey before I start reading. I've been crafting, doing some scrapbook layouts in preparation for selling (to help finance my chicken addiction). I'm probably going to be busy until Christmas but will stop in once a day to catch up. I miss you guys! Hope I finish my crafting sooner than I think.

I haven't heard from my "oldest daughter" who is a chiropractor in Connecticutt. She's a smart young woman so I know she's fine, I will just feel better once I've heard from her. She isn't really our daughter but lived with us for 2.5 years while she was doing pre-med at WSU. Oh! She's coming home for Thanksgiving -- so excited to see her!