Consolidated Kansas

[sunflowerparrot]

My incubator arrived this morning - I came home, plugged it in, filled the chamber with water and it is ready for eggs. I will wait until it has remained steady for 24 hours before putting the eggs in though. It didn't take but maybe 30 mins for the temperature and humidity to get where it needed. I have 19 eggs that will go in (Maybe 20 if I get another egg this evening or in the morning.) These are just barnyard mixes - nothing special.

 

[chickmama1662]

sunflower parrot, what kind of incubator did you get?

 

[Hawkeye95]

I am seriously jealous that you can have heaters. I bought one of those big heated dog bowls and plugged it in out back for the dogs - the next morning, the bowl was in the front of the house! Those dogs drag everything the can get a hold of into a pile - they don't destroy anything... they're just little hoarders!

I don't worry about frozen water overnight. I don't think the animals really get up to drink in this weather like they do in the summer. I get up early (about 4:45ish..) and put fresh water in all the bowls and then will just keep an eye on it during the day. I would prefer to have used the heated dog dishes though!

Great job on your little heaters

I'm usually trying to get kids to school in the morning and get my youngest to Preschool-- I don't have time to be filling waters all around the pens. So I fill water at night as usual and these founts last about 2 days for water (before I need to clean and refill). So nice not to have to change my routine! But yeah, if I had dogs that would eat them and drag them around, that would kind of rain on my parade!

CONGRATS on the incubator! I bet you'll love the R-Com!!! Take a pic when it's set up! I would LOVE one of those!!!

 

[sunflowerparrot]

sunflower parrot, what kind of incubator did you get?

I got an R-Com Max... I'm so anxious to get these eggs in it!

 

[chicken danz]

I haven't gotten a lot done today but mess around. I got every one fed and watered and cleaned out and put some fresh shavings in one of the larger bins in the brooder house. Too many birds in that group and their shavings keep getting wet. I wish I could figure out a way to run a fan on the floor to keep shavings dry without creating a draft. I finally got my purchases hauled in from the car from day before yesterday but managed to loose a receipt I needed for a rebate somewhere. Dang it I am always doing that. I should just pay full price and be done with it.
I guess I do ...I just get upset cause I think I have saved money before I loose something.
I got Cloud to go out and run a little bit. She seemed happy for a break but has been back with the pups non-stop since then. I need to wash the blanket she is laying on but I've sacrificed so many blankets and bedding for birds and dogs I don't know if I can find another one for her to use to keep the pups off the tile floor. At least there wasn't wind today and I was running around even without a coat for a little while. I need to go back out and blow out the water hoses so they don't freeze tonight and close the windows on the brooder house before dark.
My daughter called and said she had a hawk in her chicken house. I told her to SSS but she accidentally let it go. Or she said it was an accident. She was being empathetic. I told her when he came back and took out one of her birds her empathy would be gone.
I use my cookie tin heaters in the shavings. Not a problem and I have one with a 100 wt bulb in it. I did leave it outside last year and it did fine but it wasn't as cheap and thin as most of them these days. I don't think they are warm enough to heat a brooder but they would be good to heat the space a little.
I think as soon as all the holiday hub bub is over I am going to start building an incubator for my daughter. I want to build one that covers every single aspect so she doesn't have to tweek or change anything. Well I'd better get out there and get some things done. I have to make a run after while with some chicks and need to be ready.

 

[chicken danz]

My intenet has been crawling the last couple days and I haven't been able to get on. I don't know if no one has posted or if it isn't loading. I met Mammahen and her DH last night. It was so nice to meet you! As we've mentioned previously I have known her Dad for many many years.
It was a short trip to meet them to deliver Christmas chick gifts. The chicks I got for Christmas early are just the best gift I could ask for.
Speaking of which I had some colds in the house with the olandsk, d'uccle, and Swedish flower hens yesterday. Really worries me. There is a lot of money in that house. Not to mention some awesome sweet birds. I doped up both their water bowls rather strongly with vetRX. I also added some vodka to it for two purposes. To kill more germs and to help prevent freezing. I just read that on Mother earth news to use drinking alchohol in the chickens water like you would ACV for disease prevention but also to help it stay liquid. So I got on my ladder, dug out the dusty old bottle of Sky Vodka and gave them a shot or two!
With pups and chicks to worry about I may just have to use a little of that myself!

If any more of them are congested when I go out today I am hauling the vaporizer out there and treating them with oxine. Everyone was fine the day before so it had to be this darned weather change.
I guess being an old scrooge, I am not going to bother putting a tree up this year. It just doesn't make sense. I never though that would ever happen. I just can't see putting it up and taking it back down when no one will see it. I really love decorating but my heart isn't in it right now. I had an idea for a table scarf to make for holiday decorations but forgot to buy the fabric when I was out. Maybe I'll do it next year. I do have some presents I really really need to get wrapped. I have to have my Dad's and sisters for Christmas day. I have gotten very little for DH but I guess I should wrap his too if he decides he wants to open them after he gets home from work about 7:30 PM.
I am sure most everyone is busy bussling around this weekend doing last minute prep. You couldn't pay me enough to get out in the crowds this weekend. I was talking to one of my daughter in laws last night. She went to Topeka yesterday to pick up some pictures of my granddaughter. She said she grabbed the pictures and headed directly home. She said it was so crowded and the traffic was impossible. She wanted to get together this weekend but I told her I wasn't leaving the house.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I got the little chicks last night, Thank you mommahen for the transport of them safely to my house, they are adorable, tiny and perfect. My dd grabbed me and cried. She was so excited. I love being able to do good and really surprise them with something. The other 4 are so cute some look phoenix some look polish mix. I got a cute little duccle mix, he is so adorable. I will post pics soon. I have to take him out with the other chicks outside he isnt very nice to the tiny babies. Danz I cant thank you enough they are all perfect. I gave the mystery chicks to my son and that made him super happy. Thank you thank you.

 

[chicken danz]

Maidenwolf, I only have a polish rooster in that house that the mystery eggs came from. And the only two hens that lay white eggs in there to my knowledge is a polish and a pheonix. There is one mixed black hen that 'might" lay a white egg. So unless they had been fertilized before I moved them out there....which is doubtful, they would have to be mixed with polish. I was very confused when there weren't any top knots. I was honestly expecting some pure polish. You never know about these birds!!
I haven't tracked how many weeks they have been penned but it has been quite a while.
I am so glad that your daughter was happy with the d'uccles and that your son got his own. That is what it is all about. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
The half d'uccle is the one I promised you some time ago. He is over 2 months old and should do fine outside. I just kept him in the brooder so I could keep track of him. He is still so small. He should be about the same age as the older chicks you got from me.
I was going to grab the chicks from the Mamma hen but just couldn't. She is being such a good Mom to them. They are getting big and I think they'll be on their own in a few weeks. Then maybe I can move them without feeling guilty.
The hen I put the eggs under is still sitting tight. I took about 5 of them after a couple days that were outside of her fluff and fed them to the dogs. No sense risking the whole batch for a few eggs. Hopefully when she hatches them it will break her broodiness for a while.

 

[cherwill]

Well the grand total is 11 pups.

Poor dog -- that's a lot of pups! Your dogs like those big litters, don't they?!

Geese can get themselves into some real bad situations!! But Honk is ok. Honk is my canada cross goose that sometimes goes fly about. She obviously decided yesterday was a good day to fly. I found her impaled on a rebar fence post late afternoon. She obviously came down and the rebar went through her wing. She is tame and didn't fuss one bit as I lifted her up and off the post. She is big enough if she had struggled I don't know if I could have handled her, but like I said, except for a hole in her wing, she if fine. The wing should heal with no problems.

Oh my! I would have freaked out if I'd seen that. I'm glad she's OK, other than the punctured wing.

Speaking of which I had some colds in the house with the olandsk, d'uccle, and Swedish flower hens yesterday. Really worries me. There is a lot of money in that house. Not to mention some awesome sweet birds. I doped up both their water bowls rather strongly with vetRX. I also added some vodka to it for two purposes. To kill more germs and to help prevent freezing. I just read that on Mother earth news to use drinking alchohol in the chickens water like you would ACV for disease prevention but also to help it stay liquid. So I got on my ladder, dug out the dusty old bottle of Sky Vodka and gave them a shot or two!
With pups and chicks to worry about I may just have to use a little of that myself!

I think you should. Purely for medicinal reasons, of course ...

I am sure most everyone is busy bussling around this weekend doing last minute prep. You couldn't pay me enough to get out in the crowds this weekend. I was talking to one of my daughter in laws last night. She went to Topeka yesterday to pick up some pictures of my granddaughter. She said she grabbed the pictures and headed directly home. She said it was so crowded and the traffic was impossible. She wanted to get together this weekend but I told her I wasn't leaving the house.

I'm with you on that. I don't do any of the after holiday shopping or anything like that. If I can't find it on the internet, I'd rather pay more for it later than fight those crowds. If you're someone who doesn't mind crowds, I think this might be a great time to get a bargain. I heard that the retailers didn't do as well as they'd hoped (even though they started the shopping frenzy earlier than ever this year -- 8:00 on Thanksgiving for many of them) so they're really marking some stuff down just before Christmas.

 

[chicken danz]

Cherwill, I don't handle crowds at all. I literally get physically sick from stressing. When I lived in Okla city I did all of my shopping at 2 AM or so so I could push a cart down the isles without running into people. And I do every bit of my shopping on line that is at all possible. I also don't do black Fridays or day after Christmas sales. If it is something that has to be picked up after ordering on line I send DH to get it if I can.
I don't know if it a crowd phobia or the waiting that bothers me more. I can't stand just standing around or waiting.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to make a trip to the vet. This silly dog won't get up for me today.....Just like her Mom. They just won't leave their babies to eat or drink or pee so they end up getting very sick. Dang it. I figured I'd better get her a steroid shot now in case he was going to be gone for Christmas.
Not what I wanted to do today!!! Dumb dog! I can't lift her either so I'm in a pickle. At least I can give her the shot if I can get hold of the vet.
I tempted her with steak and she wouldn't budge.