Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

So I think we're in "get this house ready to list" mode. I went looking at granite yesterday at Lowes. I think we'll save that for last and do it right the minute before listing... "just in case". But the plan is to rip out the laminate counter tops and put in the granite over the existing cabinets (which are in great condition) and put up a new backsplash and a new under-mount sink. I think that will make the kitchen look fantastic and we'll be good to go. In the meantime, we are putting up lighting and switching things out and going to be doing some "honey-do" things that need to get done. Sigh. And worst case... we get to enjoy it all for ourselves if we don't move!

Hawkeye, something you might want to consider if you do have to list the house & want to do the countertops is this: I saw on one of the DIY network shows that Granite Transformations can just cover your existing countertops with a thinner granite for about half the cost of full granite tops & it looks just as nice because they custom make it for your situation. I would love to do that here, we still have the old countertops in this house too. But I really would like to find a way to make our kitchen bigger too, it's a dinky kitchen for the size of this house. I don't honestly think these people cooked who built this house. Anyway, it's something you might check into.

HEChicken, If you have stiffer panels you're really going to have problems if you build the frame first for the hoop coop & then try to bend the panels to fit in there. I can tell you from making mine & I have the livestock panels as you know. I found out about it before I built it by reading about others who built one first. It's much easier to hook the panels onto the side boards with fencing nails first & then have your end boards laying in place & push the side panel towards the end one until you can get it close enough to screw them together. Do one side & then the other & it would be much, much easier if you have someone to help you hold the side in place while you put the screws in. I had to do it by myself the last time & it's not fun trying to hold & put screws in at the same time.

We didn't get home last night from Missouri until 10:30. I had to practically push my DH out the door at 3:00 in the afternoon since he had to be at work early this morning. Then we wasted an hour of travel because I left my purse at his brother's house & we had a 30 minute drive back to get it, I was so aggravated about that since I had wanted to get home earlier. I just hate these trips down there because we have to make flying trips down there & the same back, 5 hours each way. I couldn't tell you that his mother really knew who was there yesterday either or who wasn't, she really was disconnected altogether & really wasn't that aware of what was going on. She seems to be slipping further & further away at a faster pace. Of course she is 91 years old too, but the Alzheimer's is really kicking in now.

I'm really tired today from all of the traveling, but I have to get some things done today anyway, I sure hope it warms up some.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Thanks guys those little ones are so beautiful. I will post a picof the 4th one. She is smaller and no white patches just the tan and black and you can see she is starting to get tiny spots.

Yes when it gets warmer I think it would be great to pet on a get together. I want to do it pot luck so that if anyone ( like myself) who doesnt have the money to go to dinner can easily throw something in the oven or stovetop and come and visit

 

[chicken danz]

My hoop coop is going to be 8' wide by 20+ feet long. I am using 5 panels. I realize this is going to be big but I am figuring at least 3-4 feet of it will actually be chicken house in there. The panels themselves were like $106 but all the lumber ( I am using pressure treated) and stuff add up. I plan to just cover the rest with netting. I don't think they could get out (The holes in the utility panel I got are about 4" X 6".) I have some smaller breed birds that might be able to get out of that for now though. I plan to make a solid back wall and a partially enclosed front for the coop part. I've read and studied the plans and come up with the way I think it will work the best. And this is going to be a "me by myself" build so I hope I can handle it all.
I bought fencing staples but I also bought plumbers tape. I think I will try securing the panels with plumbers tape instead of staples cause it will be less likely to tear out. I guarantee the wind won't be picking this sucker up and taking off with it!!
Karen part of that expense was lumber to build another raised hut and little pen to use for breeder birds that DH has planned. I am hoping he will divide it into two side by side huts and pens so I can make the best use of the space. I'd have rather had the effort put in setting the trailer but I guess if this is how I can get space I'll take advantage of it.
Karen you are welcome to this little d'ulandsk I have here if you want. Maybe you could do a breeding project to get more spots in your Seramas. They did turn out as cute as buttons. Even though they were error I could easily create more of them. My little roo Olandsk is rowdy and would be tickled to make some more.

Yesterday was a bust for me. I went to church then went to see my Dad. He was not doing well and the meds they have him on had him all wound up. I hated to leave him at all. So it was mid-afternoon before I got home. Then I got busy prepping and moving chicks again. I moved my older chicks out to the brooder house. Makes me really nervous when they are so expensive. And I finally moved the older trio of Olandsk out to the brooder as well. They don't need a brooder but they have been in the house in a kennel for months.And I still don't have a dedicated house for them. I built a roost inside one of the sections because they spend more time on a roost than on the floor. That didn't take too long, and sure enough when I carried them out they all immediately jumped up to the roost. I've gotten so used to talking to them every morning I missed them this morning. They sing for breakfast. Of course I often gave them a little bit of leftover soft cat food as a treat in the morning too. They'll be missing that for sure.
That wind was insane and totally wore me out and slowed me down. It was dark before I was all done watering and feeding.
I need to go out and find some self tapping screws and put some hardware cloth on the door to my greenhouse. That is for my back up plan. If I get that done I will have a place to hold the birds if the weather keeps me from getting my hoop house done. I couldn't wait to get that thing moved here from the old house but I haven't used it as a greenhouse since then. I need a better base to set it on and I need to do some repairs. I had it on a concrete pad at my old house and set where I could walk out the back door and go right to it. It is sitting near my driveway here and I don't have electricity to it.
I used to grow bananas when I lived in OKC, OK. I had some roots and I would plant them outside every summer. They would get as tall as 12' tall in a year. Then in fall I would dig them up and bring them in and store the roots in my crawl space. Then plant them the next year again. They made the yard look so tropical. I wish I still had the roots. I honestly think I must have left them there when I moved. I don't remember.
I don't know if it will be warm enough to work on the hoop coop today or not. A lot depends on how hard that stupid wind is blowing. I was honestly thinking I would build the frame first then add the hoops. I have a couple of ideas I want to experiment with before I decide. The area I was thinking of building my coop is really uneven. I don't know if I can make it work or not. I might have to spend a day just either digging in or trying to build it up so I have a place to set it. That would out me behind on my project. It's always something.

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye I forgot to mention. I really am sorry you are going through this. Your optimism is the key to getting to stay. I hope something happens in the right direction soon.
Isn't it amazing how fast time creeps up on you? I would only move again if I were moving to my dream house in a better climate. I never had intentions of retiring in Kansas but it's not so bad. I really don't like this house but it is home now so it will have to do. You do have an advantage over 99% of us. You have kept up with your purging so moving would be a so much easier for you. You're still in my prayers.
Maidenwolf is the last chick all d'uccle? Sounds like it.

 

[michelleml]

Hechicken can you post pictures of how you'll do your pens

Can someone tell me if this is a fertile egg? My incubator will be here in a few days and i want to do some trail before i buy hatching eggs. Its not the best picture

 

[chicken danz]

That appears to be fertile from what I can see. See the bullseye in the Middle?

 

[Hawkeye95]

That's a great idea - I will take the camera out when I/we get started. Unfortunately we didn't get started at all yesterday. We had to go to the lumber yard to get the lumber, but DH had a shopping list of his own too, so by the time we got done looking at everything on our lists, we didn't get home until late afternoon. Then DH wanted to up in our attic and work on some wiring there so he could feel like he accomplished something this weekend. We talked about the hoop houses again this morning and I'm going to try to make a start on my own today. He said he could duck out and help me for a bit but I don't like to call him away from work for too long on a weekday.

I love your chandelier - that looks really nice, and it will be nice to have these things done WHEN you get to stay here with us

Oh, I don't think I would say that he loves my birds - left to his own devices he would have zero pets/animals, since he is of the feeling that they complicate our lives (for example ability to travel) more than they add. But he accepts that this is who I am, and knows I would not be near as happy without my animals, so its more that he supports me, than that he loves the birds himself. I think he lives by the adage "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" LOL.



I'm sorry about your pens but I can see why he would want to hold off until you know what the immediate future holds. It will be difficult to take them with you so it would be a lot of expense to put them up, only to have to leave them for someone else who at best would get good use out of them at your expense and at worst would tear them done because they have other ideas for the space. Hold onto those ideas and you will be able to use them if you do have to move, or if you get to stay.

I'm sorry to hear your mare can't load now - that certainly does make it harder to get her treatment. Can the vet come to you?

Great! Looking forward to pictures! I hope I get to enjoy it all and stay! I'm just getting worried. My DH would be happy with no animals at all-- well, except for his shih tzu, which he loves. If we had to move, I can't see a big chicken lover coming in here and thinking-- WOW love all the pens! New people would probably rip everything down. And yes, I know of two vets that can come to me and have a mobile xray machine. I don't know if she really needs xrayed-- that was my farriers idea. I already know what her problems are and that she has arthritis really badly and that her joints are becoming less and less moveable. Right now, I'm thinking pain management or maybe special shoeing.

So I think we're in "get this house ready to list" mode. I went looking at granite yesterday at Lowes. I think we'll save that for last and do it right the minute before listing... "just in case". But the plan is to rip out the laminate counter tops and put in the granite over the existing cabinets (which are in great condition) and put up a new backsplash and a new under-mount sink. I think that will make the kitchen look fantastic and we'll be good to go. In the meantime, we are putting up lighting and switching things out and going to be doing some "honey-do" things that need to get done. Sigh. And worst case... we get to enjoy it all for ourselves if we don't move!

Hawkeye, something you might want to consider if you do have to list the house & want to do the countertops is this: I saw on one of the DIY network shows that Granite Transformations can just cover your existing countertops with a thinner granite for about half the cost of full granite tops & it looks just as nice because they custom make it for your situation. I would love to do that here, we still have the old countertops in this house too. But I really would like to find a way to make our kitchen bigger too, it's a dinky kitchen for the size of this house. I don't honestly think these people cooked who built this house. Anyway, it's something you might check into.

HEChicken, If you have stiffer panels you're really going to have problems if you build the frame first for the hoop coop & then try to bend the panels to fit in there. I can tell you from making mine & I have the livestock panels as you know. I found out about it before I built it by reading about others who built one first. It's much easier to hook the panels onto the side boards with fencing nails first & then have your end boards laying in place & push the side panel towards the end one until you can get it close enough to screw them together. Do one side & then the other & it would be much, much easier if you have someone to help you hold the side in place while you put the screws in. I had to do it by myself the last time & it's not fun trying to hold & put screws in at the same time.

We didn't get home last night from Missouri until 10:30. I had to practically push my DH out the door at 3:00 in the afternoon since he had to be at work early this morning. Then we wasted an hour of travel because I left my purse at his brother's house & we had a 30 minute drive back to get it, I was so aggravated about that since I had wanted to get home earlier. I just hate these trips down there because we have to make flying trips down there & the same back, 5 hours each way. I couldn't tell you that his mother really knew who was there yesterday either or who wasn't, she really was disconnected altogether & really wasn't that aware of what was going on. She seems to be slipping further & further away at a faster pace. Of course she is 91 years old too, but the Alzheimer's is really kicking in now.

I'm really tired today from all of the traveling, but I have to get some things done today anyway, I sure hope it warms up some.

Thank you for the idea! I don't think we ever really considered that idea of the skimming granite over our existing counters... so that is an idea if we decide that we don't want to do a full on rip-out type of job. Or perhaps just don't want to spend the money. It would look much nicer to have something other than laminate in here. I think people looking at the house would see everything else updated and then be really disappointed in the kitchen. What a bummer about having to go back for your purse. I just did that about 3 weeks ago. My friend and I went over to another friend's house and I left my purse there and it was already 11:30 at night and she called us when we were 30 mins away... so an hour later, we were right at the spot she had called us at. I was sooooo tired and hated having to go back for the purse. She lives waaaay out of town out east. I'm sorry your DH's mom is not doing any better than she is. I'm sure that was really hard for him to see.

My hoop coop is going to be 8' wide by 20+ feet long. I am using 5 panels. I realize this is going to be big but I am figuring at least 3-4 feet of it will actually be chicken house in there. The panels themselves were like $106 but all the lumber ( I am using pressure treated) and stuff add up. I plan to just cover the rest with netting. I don't think they could get out (The holes in the utility panel I got are about 4" X 6".) I have some smaller breed birds that might be able to get out of that for now though. I plan to make a solid back wall and a partially enclosed front for the coop part. I've read and studied the plans and come up with the way I think it will work the best. And this is going to be a "me by myself" build so I hope I can handle it all.
I bought fencing staples but I also bought plumbers tape. I think I will try securing the panels with plumbers tape instead of staples cause it will be less likely to tear out. I guarantee the wind won't be picking this sucker up and taking off with it!!
Karen part of that expense was lumber to build another raised hut and little pen to use for breeder birds that DH has planned. I am hoping he will divide it into two side by side huts and pens so I can make the best use of the space. I'd have rather had the effort put in setting the trailer but I guess if this is how I can get space I'll take advantage of it.
Karen you are welcome to this little d'ulandsk I have here if you want. Maybe you could do a breeding project to get more spots in your Seramas. They did turn out as cute as buttons. Even though they were error I could easily create more of them. My little roo Olandsk is rowdy and would be tickled to make some more.

Yesterday was a bust for me. I went to church then went to see my Dad. He was not doing well and the meds they have him on had him all wound up. I hated to leave him at all. So it was mid-afternoon before I got home. Then I got busy prepping and moving chicks again. I moved my older chicks out to the brooder house. Makes me really nervous when they are so expensive. And I finally moved the older trio of Olandsk out to the brooder as well. They don't need a brooder but they have been in the house in a kennel for months.And I still don't have a dedicated house for them. I built a roost inside one of the sections because they spend more time on a roost than on the floor. That didn't take too long, and sure enough when I carried them out they all immediately jumped up to the roost. I've gotten so used to talking to them every morning I missed them this morning. They sing for breakfast. Of course I often gave them a little bit of leftover soft cat food as a treat in the morning too. They'll be missing that for sure.
That wind was insane and totally wore me out and slowed me down. It was dark before I was all done watering and feeding.
I need to go out and find some self tapping screws and put some hardware cloth on the door to my greenhouse. That is for my back up plan. If I get that done I will have a place to hold the birds if the weather keeps me from getting my hoop house done. I couldn't wait to get that thing moved here from the old house but I haven't used it as a greenhouse since then. I need a better base to set it on and I need to do some repairs. I had it on a concrete pad at my old house and set where I could walk out the back door and go right to it. It is sitting near my driveway here and I don't have electricity to it.
I used to grow bananas when I lived in OKC, OK. I had some roots and I would plant them outside every summer. They would get as tall as 12' tall in a year. Then in fall I would dig them up and bring them in and store the roots in my crawl space. Then plant them the next year again. They made the yard look so tropical. I wish I still had the roots. I honestly think I must have left them there when I moved. I don't remember.
I don't know if it will be warm enough to work on the hoop coop today or not. A lot depends on how hard that stupid wind is blowing. I was honestly thinking I would build the frame first then add the hoops. I have a couple of ideas I want to experiment with before I decide. The area I was thinking of building my coop is really uneven. I don't know if I can make it work or not. I might have to spend a day just either digging in or trying to build it up so I have a place to set it. That would out me behind on my project. It's always something.

That's going to be a big hoop house! Cool! You'll have to post pics! I am really thinking of building something like that (where ever we are) because it would be cheaper than doing another big coop. I'm sorry about your Dad, I hope he'll have a chance to settle down back into a good spot and won't be keyed up on meds. I'm really curious about the banana tree! Did you cut the tree down and then just keep the roots?? I never would have guessed you could cut it down and do that!? That is really interesting! Something I might think about in the future. I would love to have a greenhouse!

Hawkeye I forgot to mention. I really am sorry you are going through this. Your optimism is the key to getting to stay. I hope something happens in the right direction soon.
Isn't it amazing how fast time creeps up on you? I would only move again if I were moving to my dream house in a better climate. I never had intentions of retiring in Kansas but it's not so bad. I really don't like this house but it is home now so it will have to do. You do have an advantage over 99% of us. You have kept up with your purging so moving would be a so much easier for you. You're still in my prayers.
Maidenwolf is the last chick all d'uccle? Sounds like it.

Thank you Danz! I can use all the prayers for sure! I think I'm staying mostly upbeat about everything, but it really throws things off when you can't continue to plan because you don't know if you'll be there. So that part is the worst. The plans go further than 'what shall we build'.. but even into not committing to things later on this summer when I just don't know if we'll be tied up in trying to move or something. And yeah, the house will be easy to move-- it's the barn that will be scary! LOL We accumulated a lot of crap from my DH's dad that likes to show up and store things out there. Honestly, if we move, we're going to have that junk company come out and load it up and take it all to the dump. I'm not keeping anyone's stuff. There are old bicycles, a table or two and even a large cabinet. It all needs to go Adios!

Hechicken can you post pictures of how you'll do your pens

Can someone tell me if this is a fertile egg? My incubator will be here in a few days and i want to do some trail before i buy hatching eggs. Its not the best picture

If that were MY egg-- I would say no, it's not fertile--but perhaps it could be. Mine have a BIG donut in the middle and it's really, really obvious. The donut part is just really thick. You have a thinner ring which for me, means no babies. So perhaps your eggs just look different than mine???

Here's a good one that shows the difference:

 

[maidenwolfx80]

The egg looks fertile to me too.
Danz here is the 4th baby. I want to say that she is all duccle. she is half the size of the other 3 and was alittle slower growing than they so she will catch up for sure. What did you think of the updated pics of the other 3? Beautiful huh? I have people asking to buy them from me lol

 

[Hawkeye95]

That appears to be fertile from what I can see. See the bullseye in the Middle?

Well then! I must be really bad at knowing what is fertile. I just remember I had some that looked similar to this one and they were not. I had a turkey egg last year-- I'll post it. But the ring showed up better on some than others. It just so happened this one was not the best example, but hers were not fertile.

Some of them had better rings around them. My silkie eggs that I check-- they get big fat donuts on them, not thin lines. Soooo.... the thin lines?? Those are fertile???

 

[tazcat70]

That's a great idea - I will take the camera out when I/we get started. Unfortunately we didn't get started at all yesterday. We had to go to the lumber yard to get the lumber, but DH had a shopping list of his own too, so by the time we got done looking at everything on our lists, we didn't get home until late afternoon. Then DH wanted to up in our attic and work on some wiring there so he could feel like he accomplished something this weekend. We talked about the hoop houses again this morning and I'm going to try to make a start on my own today. He said he could duck out and help me for a bit but I don't like to call him away from work for too long on a weekday.

I was getting ready to ask you to document it too! Thanks!