Consolidated Kansas

[Kansas Prairie]

WOuldn't it be awesome to have pecan and walnut trees in your yard to go harvest nuts from?? That would save soooo much money!!

That would be wonderful! I paid $10.50 a pound last weekend for fresh pecans, halves and same price for pieces. I'd shell them for that price!!

 

[sharol]

I agree. You can make a house a home over time. We certainly have. My DH does the mowing, thank goodness. It was funny, though. My DH's insurance agent wouldn't even talk to us about home insurance because of the earth roof (needs a standard roof, he said). I called my State Farm agent and he came out and looked at it and said, "Wow, not much to replace in a hail storm, is there? Sure we can insure it." He was able to write the insurance to reflect the durability of the roof and construction so it was actually cheaper. We do have earthquake insurance, though. ($40 a year or so)

Sharol

We mowed at a friend's mother's berm house while she was trying to sell it. Mowing over the top of a house takes some getting used to! It was out of our price range or we'd have bought it ourselves. Like you, we didn't find the house attractive at all, but the efficiency and the property appealed to us very much. You'll do things that make the place your own and then you'll love it as much as you love the idea of its efficiency.

 

[mommahen10]

Holy Cow!!!! Danz!!!! That's crazy! I know Americus Road well, I can't believe you drove so fast on it and lived to tell. That's terrifying. UGH!!!!

 

[Marty1876]

Wow, Chicken Danz, you poor thing. I have conceiled carry, but as a kid I just carried my grandpas 22. I'm absolutely sure that gone saved my life 2x. I lived out on a rural road near beto junction growing up, and I had to drive everywhere. I would get flats pretty often (umm, there were nails everywhere at our place) and be stuck waiting for somebody I knew. When someone pulled up I didn't know, I'd grab that 22 and just tell them I didn't know them, and I'd just wait without them, thanks. One guy didn't believe me, but when I shot between his feet, he got back in his truck and left.

I carry a smaller now, but my pug is still a .22 magnum.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, that is a really scary story - and yours too Hawkeye. Thankfully, I don't have one to compare.

Karen, I started to ferment some feed today and I think I overestimated the amount of feed it would take. I knew the pellets would swell and take up the water and thought I added enough water to counter that but went to check on it a few hours later and it was mound of damp feed but no visible water. I added more water - hope that was appropriate. Please tell me there was a learning curve for you, as well, so I don't feel so bad. I also realized that what I thought was a conservative amount of feed is probably more than they will eat in a day so....I guess it is okay to leave some fermenting until the next day, right? Just add a little more feed and water and ACV? I can already smell that it is fermenting though - it is a lovely aroma.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Could it be a Marsh Hawk (called a Hen Harrier in England)? http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/id We had some of them wintering around Emporia/Admire all winter. In spite of their English name, they didn't bother the chickens. Only our resident red-tail harassed them.

Sharol

I looked up a picture of the Gryfalcons-- PRETTY!!! These hawks (or whatever they are) aren't white on top-- just on the bottom. But pure white!! When they open their wings, they are all white and they are much bigger than the hawks we had earlier. I'm hoping they move on, they are scary looking! If I didn't know better, I'd think we had a couple of Eagles out here! They really look like an eagle. They are hanging out together.

I don't know, but that picture you linked to looks a lot closer. They are snowy white under them with a band along the outstretched wings-- very similar to this one. I wish I had my camera with me a while ago, I was washing chickens and came out to grab another bird and there they were!! Both of them making lazy circles around my pen. Hmmm... I'll keep a watch out and see if I can get a picture! As often as they show up, hopefully, I can get a good one. Or at least close enough to identify them.

Hawkeye- Too bad you werent ready for a turkey yet, I still have one available.
I have 3 pecan trees in my front yard, they produce very well. I always tell people if they want some bring a bag and help yourself.

HEChicken- My boys display all day. They are very talkative all day long. They alert me to people pulling up the drive or anything out of place in the yard which is great. They gobble at ANY loud sound, like ,me calling the dogs in or hollaring across the yard to the kids lol they are a riot.
This is my black spanish/royal palm mix "Tiki" he is a sweetheart and gives us "turkey love" lol. We hug him and he stands there and waits for us to be done and my daughter calls it turkey love.

And my narragansett "Camo" He is a love bug too but since he is a big boy now he no one can be watching lol

ok last one sorry for all the pics, here is Tiki displaying I love the 2 palm tail feathers, he has palm spotting all over too.

LOVE these pictures!!!! I especially love the one of your DD hugging that turkey! That one needs to be framed and put on the wall! Beautiful!! And that is such a clean and fun shot, it really should be shared! Beautiful turkey, I love them soooooooooo much! But no pen right now would equal a dead turkey. Sigh.

Hawkeye, that's the scariest story ever. WSU scares me anyway because of the location, it's like the only place I was strongly discouraging my dd to go to because campus is fine but then it's like the campus is surrounded by a not so good area.

Hi PrairieChickens! I'm from SE Kansas too; Humboldt.

Yeah, what were they thinking when they built it right in the middle of the worst part of town? Hmmm.... lets see, people being shot and killed and murders running around and homes and businesses being broke into here... Yep, lets build a great big University right in the middle of this chaos!! Sheesh. I like WSU, it's a great college and is a state college, which means credits transfer easily to anywhere (if you're getting a masters or doctorates else where). But what a dumb place to put it. I will never use a lot across the street again. And after that, even though I parked in the main lots, if I felt uncomfortable or odd about anything, I used the campus phones to call a WU cop to escort me to my car. It's a service they will happily do at night. I got in the habit of using them after my experience because I was so freaked out! It is actually pretty safe during the day.

It is quite efficient. I agree about electric heat. Not only is it expensive, but there is no where to get really warm -- nothing to "back up to" so's to speak. Otherwise, the electric is fine. We got an HE hot water heater when we were renovating (the old one was the original), and I do all my clothes in cold water, so that isn't an issue. The dishwasher doesn't do the "dry" cycle, and my HE washer cuts down the time for drying clothes when I can't put them out on the line. In the summer, the heat pump does a fine job keeping us relatively cool.

We love our little Earth Stove (now Lennox). We bought it when the model was discontinued in 2005. Now I'm replacing the "fire bricks" inside it, but otherwise it hasn't required any maintenance. That little stove keeps the whole house (1500 sq feet of it at least) warm all winter. We burn hedge, and I can put a hedge log in about 9 and engage the catalyst and shut down the damper, and it will chug away all night.

When I first saw the house, my reaction was, "I can't live in that house, it is just to ugly." However, my DH and I fell in love with the idea of the efficiency and we could see the possibilities. Our contractor told us (when he came out to look at the house before we bought it), "buy it!! This is going to be fun." When I get home, I'll post before/after pictures of it. They are on another computer.

"Wow, your house sounds really neat and very energy efficient! I would want to run gas or a wood stove in there, though. I can't imagine having electric everything, but it still sounds like it's pretty efficient despite that! "

Very neat, that stove sounds really great! I would love to see pictures, I find it very fascinating! I would love to have one of those stoves, that sounds very efficient.

I had an unrelated scary thing happen to me several years back. This was when I was driving back and forth every day from Wolf Creek to my house in Council Grove. I was on one of the back paved roads, Americus Road on my way home late one night. I came up on a pickup who was driving slow. He started speeding up and then putting on his brakes and back and forth. I finally got disgusted and passed him. As soon as I did he rushed up on my bumper, then the faster I would go the faster he would go and pull out and try to force my car into the ditch. This went on for several miles. Americus road is a hilly rough narrow stretch. (I am sure that Sharol, chickies, duckies, or Marty are familiar with it. I was going 85 miles an hour trying to get away from this maniac and he was still trying to ram the side of my car to force me off the road. I was so scared. I got up to the Bushong RR crossing and a train was coming. I was going to have to stop for sure or be hit by the train. All I could think is that if I stopped this maniac was going to kill me. So I gunned the car as hard as I could and flew across the tracks. I thought there was no way he could make it since I was doubting I would, but he followed right behind me. I made it to 56 highway and headed west and was up to over 90 mph at this point. Pretty frightening in those hills. Finally I saw an oncoming car and I started flashing my lights as fast as I could and slowing down. I figured a witness might save my life. The guy in the pickup turned on the first road when he saw what I was doing. I reported it to the sheriff but I didn't have anything but a vehicle description, so they never caught him. Just a few weeks later I heard some people talking about a guy in a pickup trying to force lone women off the road on Americus road. Then later I heard that one had been brutally beaten and raped. This was over 20 years ago but I still refuse to go on Americus road at night.
I also took my service revolver out of lock up and had it in my car seat beside me for at least the next 5 years. I always thought to myself rather than taking a chance with my life with that train, if I had my gun I would have shot him right through my driver's side window if he came for me.
I had nightmares about that night for years.

Yikes, that is scary! I would not have wanted to be forced to drive that fast. Sounds like a really crazy person, and you were really lucky you weren't hurt! My parents have conceal/carry and my mom was notorious for carrying a gun looooong before you could actually do it! LOL But anyway, I'd have nightmares, too! I did about my slashed tires. I kept dreaming that he got my door open. Oh and I got the door locked right when I opened it because I could feel him almost on me! I was running as fast as I could by that time and hit unlock with my fob and then hit lock as soon as I pulled the door open and just jumped in and slammed the door behind me. I screamed when he pulled my door handle up, I was worried I didn't lock it in time. I was definitely on my game-- fear can really make you think clearly! That sounds odd, but I become calm and sort out the next few steps in mid panic very well! LOL

I agree. You can make a house a home over time. We certainly have. My DH does the mowing, thank goodness. It was funny, though. My DH's insurance agent wouldn't even talk to us about home insurance because of the earth roof (needs a standard roof, he said). I called my State Farm agent and he came out and looked at it and said, "Wow, not much to replace in a hail storm, is there? Sure we can insure it." He was able to write the insurance to reflect the durability of the roof and construction so it was actually cheaper. We do have earthquake insurance, though. ($40 a year or so)

Sharol

We mowed at a friend's mother's berm house while she was trying to sell it. Mowing over the top of a house takes some getting used to! It was out of our price range or we'd have bought it ourselves. Like you, we didn't find the house attractive at all, but the efficiency and the property appealed to us very much. You'll do things that make the place your own and then you'll love it as much as you love the idea of its efficiency.

That is so funny!!! Yeah, I never even though about insurance on it!! Wow!

We mowed at a friend's mother's berm house while she was trying to sell it. Mowing over the top of a house takes some getting used to! It was out of our price range or we'd have bought it ourselves. Like you, we didn't find the house attractive at all, but the efficiency and the property appealed to us very much. You'll do things that make the place your own and then you'll love it as much as you love the idea of its efficiency.

That really would be so odd!!

Danz, that is a really scary story - and yours too Hawkeye. Thankfully, I don't have one to compare.

Karen, I started to ferment some feed today and I think I overestimated the amount of feed it would take. I knew the pellets would swell and take up the water and thought I added enough water to counter that but went to check on it a few hours later and it was mound of damp feed but no visible water. I added more water - hope that was appropriate. Please tell me there was a learning curve for you, as well, so I don't feel so bad. I also realized that what I thought was a conservative amount of feed is probably more than they will eat in a day so....I guess it is okay to leave some fermenting until the next day, right? Just add a little more feed and water and ACV? I can already smell that it is fermenting though - it is a lovely aroma.

Yeah, that feed thing is confusing me. Let me know if you get a good system going.


OKay, been washing chickens hoping to get ready for the Kansas Classic. I need to wash more tomorrow, but I'm happy with what I got done today. I got some laundry done and got my son's Showmanship jacket all sorted out. He had gotten a bad mustard stain on it from Nationals where he was messy with a hotdog. Yeah... ate in his white coat. Sigh. Ah well, it's all out now.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Maidenwolf

Great pictures thanks for sharing. Looks like your turkey is more of a pet than mine are. Cute girl! Mine will come to me, keep an eye everything I do, but they don't want touched. If I need to do something with them I wait until they are roosting. They have better eyes in the dark than my chickens.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Hawkeye-- Kansas prairie- Thanks I love that pic, it did come out good. I am planning on running it off to put up. My turkeys are big babies, well except one and he doesnt want touched but will follow me around and display back and forth even if the other turkeys are off doing something else. they are all spoiled and I spend time and make sure they all get touched everyday even if they dont want to at the time. I want to make sure that I can catch them anytime I need to for treatment. Like today I have a buff columbian duccle that the bad turkey attacked in teh same manner that he did to my welsummer roo. I had to go over to him and shake him while holding his head still because he had the duccles comb and it was bleeding and I thought it was partially torn off. But once he let go the little roo ran and ran and ran and I couldnt get him, I had to get him in the coop because he was so scared he was hiding, I wrapped him in my jacket and took him in to dr him up. It was a bad sight, lots of blood. There is a laceration running down from top to bottom of the back of his comb on both sides and it is torn under neath alittle. If I had not been out there he would have killed that roo and I would have turkey in the freezer whether anyone like it or not. I have to get him out of here fast.

 

[chicken danz]

I just got back in the house which I never even started cleaning like I planned. First I cooked a huge pot of cut up round steak and rice for the dogs and mixed pumpkin in it. Of course I was in here and the rice scorched on the bottom of the pan so now I have a major clean up to do. Anyway got that done and served the dogs. They ate what they wanted and the chickens worked on the leftovers all day.
I got the birds fed and watered then got busy.
I got the monster tiller out. I really would rather use the one on the tractor but of course I'm not strong enough to change implements. I picked up a tons of stuff and tilled an area where we used to have an above ground pool. It was lower than the other ground and it became a spot where all the junk got thrown. My pens and brooder are too close to install a larger above ground pool that was supposed to go there. So I beat myself up with the tiller and tried to get it all loose so the chickens could level it for me. I still have to move a step thing that is mounted in the ground and move a cement slab but I'll probably try to use the tractor to do that. I just got tired of walking around it and seeing the eye sore. I'd love to have the pool set up but I really don't have a place to put it now.
After that, I started taking down and dragging dog kennel panels to the other side of the yard. I had to tear up some edging and dig up some flowers. I used to have a flower bed there before the chickens destroyed it. Then I got the panels set up and put netting on top of the pen. That took the remainder of my day.
As far as a gun goes I had moved to Kansas just a year or so before this incident happened. I was a police officer and used to carry my gun with me where ever I went. I had just stopped doing it. At that time it was unlawful to conceal and carry a weapon, but if you had a weapon in plain sight it was legal. So I just sat it on the seat beside me when I was on the road. I don't carry a gun any more, but I would if I were traveling across the country by myself. Since I had my wrist and thumb fused on my right hand I don't have enough strength to pull the trigger. My left hand is retarded and I don't know if I could even aim a gun with it.
I don't think they ever caught the guy. It was kind of hush hush because they were trying to catch him without him know they were on to him. My husband at the time was the police chief so he learned what was going on with it. I just figured this up; based on the fact that my late husband was still with me. It would have been 26 years ago. Time flies. It still sends a chill down my back to think of how scared I was.

 

[HEChicken]

Maidenwolf

Great pictures thanks for sharing. Looks like your turkey is more of a pet than mine are. Cute girl! Mine will come to me, keep an eye everything I do, but they don't want touched. If I need to do something with them I wait until they are roosting. They have better eyes in the dark than my chickens.

This describes mine exactly. Madge is always underfoot and talks to me constantly but if I reach for her she does that neat little dance that keeps them just out of touching distance. Ned, who started out much wilder, is in some ways tamer now. He goes to sleep every night on the chunnel and every night I pick him up and carry him in and set him on the roost. He used to fight it but has become used to the routine so doesn't even try to jump down now when he sees me coming. I've occasionally been able to pick him up other times and set him on my knee for a bit. I wish I could say he relaxes after awhile but honestly, he spends the whole time planning his escape, I think.

Maidenwolf, I picked dandelion flowers today and we had them as a little snack before lunch - they were very good. I did find it a bit fiddly though, first to be bent over for so long gathering what didn't amount to a lot of flowers, and then to have to pick the stem off each and then mix up a batter and dip and get in the pan. I think next time I might just heat the oil and throw them in the pan to saute them and see how they turn out like that.