Consolidated Kansas

[averytds]

I don't mind the warning. Like I said, I generally find them to be a waste of gas if I want birds. Easier and cheaper to just go through a breeder or hatchery and get exactly what I want. I could see grabbing a crate of roos from Yates center for eating, but price wise it's not really worth the drive for me. I'd probably do it if it was close. If Smith's is going to be there depending on all I want or need it can beat the shipping. POOPS is as much a BYC meet-up as it is a poultry swap. If we make it this year I would expect to have certain arrangements already made to look at specific birds.


You can always integrate with a few birds you plan to cull. New birds can also die from exposure to things in your existing flock. Hatching whenever possible is my preference.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Mike , I drove by your place today. Did you move rabbit pens around or are you keeping quail now? If you'd like some jumbo cort eggs I can hook you up, my girls are crank'in them out and I can only pickle so many.... There nuthin special, but pretty, friendly, run of the mill coturnix, average about 10 OZ at 8 weeks. These started laying 2 days before they were 5 weeks old. I have over a dozen eggs now that are less than 24 hrs old. Can have another dozen or so by monday if you got a bator. Bill

 

[weazel922]

Thanks for you input everyone. My Wife just wanted to try pullets so we would get eggs sooner, but maybe we'll go with chicks. Sounds like the safer way to go. She's worried that by the time chicks are ready to lay, winter will be coming, and they may wait until next spring to lay. Is that common? Of do you still think they'll start laying in the fall?

 

[Katy]

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If you get them early enough in the spring that they start before the shorter days and cold temps hit pullets will generally keep laying thru the winter.

 

[Katy]

I agree about the swaps and poultry auctions for the most part. I do sell my excess birds that don't fit into my breeding flocks at our local poultry auction and they are good birds with nothing wrong with them when they leave here.....BUT once they're there, they can be exposed to all manner of stuff. I've sold many birds there over the years but have never brought any home except for four guineas a long time ago. Even when I see something tempting I just remind myself of all the work, time and money I've got invested in my birds and that makes the urge to buy go away very quickly. I even disinfect the cages that I use when I get them home, and I've got my "auction" shoes that never go anywhere near my pens and coops.

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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Yes we have rabbits, we have 2 mini rex does.

 

[ChooksChick]

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You and I are waaaaaay too much alike, lady!! I have a spray bottle of Oxine in my trunk and have my feed store shoes...I have a pair of Patagonia shoes that have removable soles so if I have questionable contact, I can remove them!! I do sell my own birds, but I advocate safe biosecurity measures at all times.

I've said it again and again...I'm paranoid. I am generally overly biosecure...though I make occasional exceptions and let someone in my yard, generally I don't. I've only let one grown bird into my flock, and it came from a breeder who'd recently had all of her birds checked for everything via lab, including MS and MG...

Further, I advocate for sacrificial birds post-quarantine. This means that if a bird gets through 30 days and is still healthy looking, rather than toss it in with your flock, take a known healthy bird from your flock and put it in with the new bird- this is the only real way to know if it has a dormant disease that can affect your birds. If you aren't willing to do it with one of your birds, why do it with all of them?!?

 

[Katy]

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You and I are waaaaaay too much alike, lady!! I have a spray bottle of Oxine in my trunk and have my feed store shoes...I have a pair of Patagonia shoes that have removable soles so if I have questionable contact, I can remove them!! I do sell my own birds, but I advocate safe biosecurity measures at all times.

I've said it again and again...I'm paranoid. I am generally overly biosecure...though I make occasional exceptions and let someone in my yard, generally I don't. I've only let one grown bird into my flock, and it came from a breeder who'd recently had all of her birds checked for everything via lab, including MS and MG...

Further, I advocate for sacrificial birds post-quarantine. This means that if a bird gets through 30 days and is still healthy looking, rather than toss it in with your flock, take a known healthy bird from your flock and put it in with the new bird- this is the only real way to know if it has a dormant disease that can affect your birds. If you aren't willing to do it with one of your birds, why do it with all of them?!?

LOL...I thought it was great minds think alike!!

For the first time in many many years, about 18 months ago I bought (not at an auction or swap) a couple of trios of bantam SLWs since at that point in time I had had no luck finding hatching eggs for good ones. I kept them in quarentine in one of our barns far away from my pens for 4 months and then added a couple of my extra BLRW roos as sacrifice birds for another 2 months. Everyone came out of it in one piece and seemingly healthy, but I still worry about it sometimes! I too am very paranoid about it.

 

[revolutionmama]

AMEN SISTER!!! Everyone needs to be more educated about these dormant diseases so we ALL are safe and can eliminate this problem!

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[OzawkieBantams]

I was bored so I made this.
New bator