Consolidated Kansas

[JosieChick]

Oops! Sorry for the confusion, none of the birds in the first pic are for sale. I snapped that one for the breeder of the cochin cockerel because she wanted to see how he was maturing. He was an expensive replacement for a hawk loss early this fall. He will go in with mille fleur cochin girls this spring but he grew up with those serama pullets so he thinks they are his little flock! I don't ever intentionally hatch from mixes, I have had a few broodies hide eggs and hatch some mutts but he has some ladies of his own once we move and his breeding pen is set up.

I did have some eggs for you but DH didn't realize what they were and cooked with them and then they stopped laying when I moved them outdoors!

Josie--- did you say Serama???? How much? Or are you just selling the roo there, which by the way is stunning. I still think the offspring from them would be adorable.

Michelleml-I thought I hit multi on your post but it didn't come through? The frizzled black serama hen sticking her head in the picture is one of the last girls from my beloved ginger serama hen. She was 3 years old this summer and died of heat exhaustion/possible illness. This group of girls was from the clutch of eggs she was sitting on and I was lucky that I got them in the bator and got them hatched despite the fact that she died and was off the nest for several hours. I loved that silly little chicken. She had some beautiful babies.

I need to get going this morning and get everyone fed and watered and squared away for the weekend. I need to get the house cleaned up too, it looks like a bomb went off in here and all the cabinet doors everywhere aren't helping!

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, my dad bought a concrete mixer like that when I was about 10 and he and I mixed tons of concrete together. His first three kids were girls so I guess he figured if he wanted an extra pair of hands to help around the place, he better just teach one of the girls to do stuff. I consider myself to be lucky to have been his right-hand-"man" all those years growing up as I learned a ton of stuff most girls are never taught. Back in those days he had me make ALL the concrete. It was for a project way at the back of our property and we didn't have power down there so we had to mix it in the front of the house, and he had to wheel it in a wheelbarrow down there and spread it where he needed it. We had a dump truck come and dump a load of sand, and a load of gravel in the driveway. Then we had bags of cement mix and buckets for water. He taught me the recipe and I loaded the 4 components in the machine and mixed it. By the time he was done spreading one load and had returned with the wheelbarrow, I was ready to dump the next load in for him. Good times...

Josie - beautiful birds!

David - I don't think I'll be hatching any more barnyard mixes. I have some pretty girls and enjoyed the small amount of hatching I did last year but I'm going to go a different direction this year. In fact, I may not need him here after awhile. He's too pretty to eat, so I will probably be looking to rehome him. He is a good boy - has never looked at me twice and is very respectful. So get yourself some land where you can have a rooster and he's all yours

 

[chicken danz]

Yep Hechicken, this old cement mixer would be one of the very last things I would ever consider getting rid of. Even I can shovel a few shovels of gravel and sand and make concrete without killing myself. I used to get my oldest son who was a body builder to shovel for me when he was in high school. I told him it would help build his muscles. So he fell for it and thought he was doing something for himself. I am sure he has thought that through years later and learned his mamma was a shrew.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, lol I'm sure we all have done a few things like that to our kids, I know I did.

 

[JosieChick]

Trish44- Can you tell me how to post an album to the facebook poultry or farm swap without it posting to my timeline/news feed for FB? Is that even possible? I have tried to change the settings but that doesn't seem to make a difference....One of these days I am just going to create a facebook page for the farm and chickens so they aren't all in one place. Thanks!

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, lol I'm sure we all have done a few things like that to our kids, I know I did.

Yep, me too. That is the same thing I told my DS last year when I needed him to pound t-posts for my chicken yard. I told him he'd start his new school all buff and toned. He didn't buy it for a second but he did pound the t-posts for me anyway

Well, happy Valentines Day to me!!! I got my first duck egg, after just complaining to Lizzy a day or so ago that I've had them since mid-May and they haven't laid a single egg yet. But Trish, you remember the little chocolate and chocolate/white ducks I got when I was with you that day? Well, based on size, I'd say they were about a month younger than my existing ducks and this egg was laid by the chocolate hen. (I only knew that because when I did my first round at the coop first thing this morning, she was sitting in the nest and a short time later there was a duck egg). The chocolate and white was in another nest but it has been occupied continuously since so I haven't had a chance to see if she also started laying. It is time for my older, black ducks to catch up with their younger flock mates.

In the same nest as the duck egg, was a pretty little pullet egg, unlike any I've seen before. It is a darker shade of brown but covered in white speckles. I've narrowed it down to a few possible pullets who could have laid that. My sultan laid her first egg since last fall. And, I did get to peek in the occupied nest box and count how many are in there while the Sultan was exiting, and I have already got 50% more eggs today than I've had in a single day all year so far, and they're still lined up to take their turn.

Call me a happy camper - Spring Is Here.

Even the turkeys know it is spring. I heard some strange sounds and went outside in time to see their courtship dance. Madge was displaying as well as Ned, and the two of them were dancing a tight circle around one another. At one point Ned even had one wing over her back like they were lovers going for a little stroll. It went on so long I ran up to the house to grab my camera. Trish do you remember when we got Ned and he was quite a bit smaller than Madge?











And then, just because he came out to see me while I was taking those pics, here is our big bear of a cat. He weighed about 25lb before he got sick but was never fat. During the time of his confinement, he had nothing much to do but eat, so he gained a LOT of weight. I'm hoping he will drop some of it off again now that he is back outside and getting a little more exercise. The only sign left of his illness is that he now holds his head cocked to the side - other than that he seems to be back to full coordination and is very happy again. He is more like a dog than a cat, often choosing to hang out with our dogs. Yesterday I commented to DH that our "three" dogs are all out enjoying the sun and when he looked out the window, there they all were, laid out in a pile soaking up the sun. (2 dogs, 1 large cat).

 

[lizzyGSR]

Well, happy Valentines Day to me!!! I got my first duck egg, after just complaining to Lizzy a day or so ago that I've had them since mid-May and they haven't laid a single egg yet.

Ha ha! That's funny! Congrats on the duck eggs! Beautiful turkeys! LOVE the black-and-white coloring!

 

[Trish44]

Trish44- Can you tell me how to post an album to the facebook poultry or farm swap without it posting to my timeline/news feed for FB? Is that even possible? I have tried to change the settings but that doesn't seem to make a difference....One of these days I am just going to create a facebook page for the farm and chickens so they aren't all in one place. Thanks!

Josie, no I haven't figured out how to do that either, the photos always show up on my news feed on FB. I'll let you know if I find out any other way. Yeah, I did tell one lady who was wanting to post a huge album that I would rather she just make a FB page for her chickens & then she could show them off there & link to it. She was just wanting to show them off mainly & maybe at times sell hatching eggs. She got tiffed at me for asking her to do that & I did take down her huge album. Gosh it was going to engulf the whole page & she wasn't really selling anything.

Yep, me too. That is the same thing I told my DS last year when I needed him to pound t-posts for my chicken yard. I told him he'd start his new school all buff and toned. He didn't buy it for a second but he did pound the t-posts for me anyway

Well, happy Valentines Day to me!!! I got my first duck egg, after just complaining to Lizzy a day or so ago that I've had them since mid-May and they haven't laid a single egg yet. But Trish, you remember the little chocolate and chocolate/white ducks I got when I was with you that day? Well, based on size, I'd say they were about a month younger than my existing ducks and this egg was laid by the chocolate hen. (I only knew that because when I did my first round at the coop first thing this morning, she was sitting in the nest and a short time later there was a duck egg). The chocolate and white was in another nest but it has been occupied continuously since so I haven't had a chance to see if she also started laying. It is time for my older, black ducks to catch up with their younger flock mates.

In the same nest as the duck egg, was a pretty little pullet egg, unlike any I've seen before. It is a darker shade of brown but covered in white speckles. I've narrowed it down to a few possible pullets who could have laid that. My sultan laid her first egg since last fall. And, I did get to peek in the occupied nest box and count how many are in there while the Sultan was exiting, and I have already got 50% more eggs today than I've had in a single day all year so far, and they're still lined up to take their turn.

Call me a happy camper - Spring Is Here.

Even the turkeys know it is spring. I heard some strange sounds and went outside in time to see their courtship dance. Madge was displaying as well as Ned, and the two of them were dancing a tight circle around one another. At one point Ned even had one wing over her back like they were lovers going for a little stroll. It went on so long I ran up to the house to grab my camera. Trish do you remember when we got Ned and he was quite a bit smaller than Madge?











And then, just because he came out to see me while I was taking those pics, here is our big bear of a cat. He weighed about 25lb before he got sick but was never fat. During the time of his confinement, he had nothing much to do but eat, so he gained a LOT of weight. I'm hoping he will drop some of it off again now that he is back outside and getting a little more exercise. The only sign left of his illness is that he now holds his head cocked to the side - other than that he seems to be back to full coordination and is very happy again. He is more like a dog than a cat, often choosing to hang out with our dogs. Yesterday I commented to DH that our "three" dogs are all out enjoying the sun and when he looked out the window, there they all were, laid out in a pile soaking up the sun. (2 dogs, 1 large cat).

Wow HEChicken Ned Kelly is looking good! That's so funny about the mating dance, I haven't seen mine really doing that yet. My Tom will puff all up & stomp his feet & all, but I haven't actually seen what you showed or described yet, maybe soon. That is one big white cat too!

Well this afternoon I went out & got all 4 gates cut to the right size & started putting the fencing on. I got one totally done & then started on another one & about 3/4 of the way through ran out of strapping & screws, so I'll have to get some more tomorrow. I cut the fencing for the third gate, just didn't have anything to hook it on with. So at least I'm making progress.

For those of you that don't know yet, I acquired two baby boer goatlings yesterday. I don't have them here yet because I told my friend who picked them up for me that I didn't have a place for them yet & she said she would keep them for awhile till I could get a pen & shelter made. These are one to one & a half week old doelings that are bottle babies. Yes, I may be crazy. I had told my friend that I was looking for some & I had no inkling she would call me the very next day & say she found some & was going to get them. I hadn't planned on getting any for at least a month. But this deal was just too good to pass up, the guy was selling out his whole herd & the price was just better than I could have imagined. My DH doesn't know yet & won't until they come home.

 

[tazcat70]

Josie, no I haven't figured out how to do that either, the photos always show up on my news feed on FB. I'll let you know if I find out any other way. Yeah, I did tell one lady who was wanting to post a huge album that I would rather she just make a FB page for her chickens & then she could show them off there & link to it. She was just wanting to show them off mainly & maybe at times sell hatching eggs. She got tiffed at me for asking her to do that & I did take down her huge album. Gosh it was going to engulf the whole page & she wasn't really selling anything.



Seriously Trish? I cannot believe you are talking about Katy like this. It was maybe 15 pictures, her chickens have JUST started laying, and it wasn't as if it would be in the news feed after they were posted. They would just sit in the background for her to direct people to, when she has eggs available. Her birds are an awesome quality.

 

[chicken danz]

Hechicken great pictures. Those are some really pretty turkeys. If I had my way I would have a lot more breeds of turkey. I love them.
I had to move my poor blind albino hen today. She had been in with the lavender orpingtons but all of a sudden the roosters started picking on her. I moved her to the lemon cuckoo pen cause I only have one rooster in there. If he picks on her I guess I'll put her out with the other turkeys. She is such a sweet girl. I wish I could make her a pair of turkey sunglasses so she could see better.
I have about a half dozen midget white turkey eggs so far. I'm going to put about three of them in the bator tomorrow. None of the other turkeys are laying and I think I only have one midget laying so far.
It was another busy day. I got the panels on the hoop house wired together some more so they should hold in place pretty well. And got the wood supports built on one end of the hoop coop. The at was a little more complicated than I thought it would be but I got it done. I cut the cross boards at different angles so I could brace them against the panels and also serve as a support for my back wall of the coop. I'm almost nervous about doing the door end.
Then I got DH to hook up the tiller to the back of the tractor!!!! Yay!!!

And I tilled the area where I wanted to set the coop so I could level it out. I am so happy about the tiller cause I can take one side of my garden fence down now and till the garden up. I might actually get potatoes and onions in on schedule.
Anyway of course he had to go back over it again when I got done but that's okay. Then he pulled the hoop coop over with the tractor and got it setting down on the ground. I can finish my building in place now. I was afraid if I continued to build where I was I'd never get it moved. Of course as the day went on it got colder. Tomorrow and the next day are going to be miserable.
I am liking this hoop coop so much that I am beginning to have second thoughts on what I want to put in there. It's going to be too nice for guineas.

Speaking of which I have one guinea in with the d'uccles. I had gathered eggs and marked these as d'uccle. But when I was putting them in the hatching tray I noticed the difference in shape. Of all the guineas I have the one young hen that has no rooster has laid 4 eggs so far. None of my others have laid. How crazy is that.
I got the gate hung in the d'uccle and Swedish Flower hen house up and divided the breeds today too! And the cornish cockerel I had in there is on his way to Hawkeye via Josie. I need to sell some extra d'uccle roosters, and figure out how I am going to divide porcelains and mille fleur. I hate to put them in cages.
Trish I hope you take some pictures of your goats. I am so excited for you!!!