Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

Mustang67, It's a ways from you but a while back there was talk about touring the salt mines at Hutch. It sounded interesting to me. In Lucas, Kansas there is the Garden of Eden. And then if they appreciate nature and plants there is Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine.
Canchaser if this was last year I would have definitely recommended Ivywoods, but she sold all of her birds except layers because she is moving. She lives outside of Hiawatha. I will have some chicks later but I am a couple hours away from you.
Hawkeye, It almost makes me want to butcher a chicken here now just to see if they still smell or if it is just that turkeys don't stink. Josie didn't you guys butcher your big boy? Did he smell like a chicken when you butchered him?
But alas I've moved all the roos I want to for now. I have my "it" feed buddy but until he he becomes a problem or starts breeding some thing he is going to stay.
I have a few young ones I could cull yet but I really want to see what sells for 4-H and what I want to keep for my breeding stock.
Speaking of that since I got rid of all my young birds that the one Pheonix hen had brooded I only had Mr. No Toes left. He was still sleeping in the green house by himself. I caught him today and put him in the ghetto pen. I hope he does okay with all those other birds. I just hated to see him so lonely. I am such a sucker for the birds with problems. I think I have to nurse them back to health.
Josie I wanted to ask you about something too. Mammahen had helped a neighbor with sick birds and was trying to help the lady medicate her birds to get them well. She said she got some Gentamicin and used it in a nebulizer or vaporizer and it cleared the respiratory infections. I guess they were using it in some form at the dog kennel her kids were helping at. I was wondering about this since it has never been mentioned here. The only thing I had ever used that for was for eye infections I had. Is there a liquid form one could use for birds? I ask because my stupid d'uccles have started sneezing again. I get them cleared up and they start over in time. I want to see if I can eliminate it all together. I haven't had any die from it so I could have a necropsy but I hate seeing them sneeze.

I went to Highschool in Belle Plaine-- and I can vouch for the Bartlett Arboretum! It is AWESOME! I think it's early April that they have "Tulip Time" which is a neat celebration the entire town gets behind with vendors down the middle of the streets, a carnival, parade, etc.. One of the original Dixie Chicks owns the gardens and she is continually fixing it up and making it beautiful. She also has weddings and "shows" there-- some she'll put on, or other people that want to do an afternoon/evening music event. It's really cool. One day I was there for a wedding and I got up to go sit up by her house under the pergola and use the porch swing and she came out and offered me tea and talked with me for about 40 minutes while we waited for pictures to be taken! She is super nice!

Musuem of World Treasure is also in Wichita-- that's a neat one. The Sedgwick County Zoo (in my opinion) is better than the zoo up in KC. Bigger enclosures, and the Rainforest is really neat. They have the new penguin exhibit that you can walk right up to and it's all exposed so there is nothing you can't see. You can see them diving down clear to the bottom, and the cool thing is that it's built up high enough that the penguins dive down at your feet.

And if they aren't from Kansas-- then you should REALLY try to take them to a rodeo! Those start up almost as soon as it's warm enough to do it. They are all over! I'm sure up in the KC area too--- I would guess. I just know that down here by me, Mulvane, Haysville, and other towns have rodeos that start up. You might be able to find a website that lists all the rodeos and their dates so you can find one nearby or on the dates you need.

Danz-- hope your Mr No-Toes will be okay out there! I have heard of gentamicin, but never used it and never would have thought of it for chickens. So that is really interesting! If that turns out to be something that really works, I want in on it! LOL You know me... I like to be prepared!

Oh yes, I also have a t-post pounder so you can borrow that too - makes short work of driving in the posts. The t-post wire tie tool really works great. It takes a moment to get the knack of it but once you do, you can put a wire around the t-post, and then with the tool, bend it to loop around in a couple of seconds. I'll put my name on it for you!

I didn't get anything done on my hoop house today. I had a friend come over for lunch and with preparing food for her and then visiting with her, it just seemed to take up the whole day. DD had a lesson I had to take her to, and we followed my friend down the driveway as she was leaving, and didn't get home until dark so it felt like the whole day got away from me with no progress. And the next couple of days are supposed to be too wintry to do a lot of work outside. I am so ready for it to be spring already.

I just got to thinking... I wonder if our T-post driver got mixed up with my parents things... It could be buried in a storage shed. Oh ugh. I'll have to double check with my DH. I hope it's hanging in our barn, but I seem to recall my dad having it at the last. (we shared all of our tools with my parents/vice versa-- they shared with us) I would rather have a day of fun with a girlfriend than be out working-- just saying! I'm sure that doesn't happen too often and I know any time I get to spend with my girls, I will drop most everything for them! I'm glad you had such a fun day with her! But I'm with you-- I'm ready for Spring too!!

Please don't laugh at me too much but I'm really freaking out about how much snow they are calling for. I'm from central texas and the most snow I've seen is maybe 2 inches. Should I put plastic on chicken run? to keep snow out of the run?

They'll be okay. Really! They can handle a bit of snow. Do they have ANY area that is covered, though? If they don't they do need an area that they can hang out in out of the snow (like under the coop or in the coop free-will). If they don't then I would tarp over a bit of it. But if they have a place to get out of it if they want to, they'll be okay and probably enjoy the snow! If the snow does get too high-- you'll want to shovel it out and give them room on the ground to be chickens. Anyway, they'll be okay!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So it's actually snowing here! Seems like it's been a long time. What is up with this drought? I haven't seen snow in forever. I sure hope we get rain this Spring, too! I'm tired of slowly becoming a desert out here.

 

[michelleml]

I wouldn't michlleml.  The weight of a serious accumulation could do some serious damage to your run.  I would just let it fall in - the chooks probably won't want to come out in it at first but eventually some might venture out and walk through it.  If they choose not to, it probably won't stick around long before it melts and then it will be back to business as usual.

thanks for letting me know[
ote name="chicken danz" url="/t/248925/consolidated-kansas/20760#post_10518529"]michelleml, you are in the area where there is going to be quite a lot. I've had drifts up to 3 feet high in my pens and the birds do fine. When they decide to get out they just walk on top of it. You are actually better to leave everything open because the snow is more likely to blow through rather accumulate and drift. And if you put plastic like on the north side it could cause the snow to whip around and drift higher in the pen. Chickens are tough. They are raised without heat in Alaska. They are raised in Sweden. I worry a whole lot more about heat than cold with them.
I understand your fear though. My daughter lives in Austin and if it gets 40 degrees she think she and her birds will freeze to death! She rarely even has any heat on in her house.
I stepped out the back door while ago to give the dogs the rest of the chicken and noodles I cooked for dinner last night. DH just doesn't like them much and I love them. I figured I might as well make the dogs happy any way. Man is it cold out there. I can't imagine another front moving in and making it worse. It's not going to be one of those days I enjoy feeding and watering for sure.
There won't be any building going on either. I can't handle that cold.
[/quote]

Dans I'm from a town just north of Austin we see very little to no snow all winter. I think as a kid I can remember maybe 2 Days of snow but tons of ice days. The most was when a lived in Germany 4 in. And it was to most beautiful thing

hawkeye the run is covered

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Danz- I am sorry your duccles are sick. My little ones are doing great out in the grow out coop and strong and healthy . The little one that is all duccle is so small but has buddied up with my duccle/sebrite and he is gorgeous. I will have to get some pics. I have 3 more younger chicks from those 2. They are making some really pretty birds. I know what you mean about feeling like you need to mommy the poor little deformed ones. I have a cross beak and one with only one eye and one with poor vision but they are thriving.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

LOL! I've got all my pens covered with plastic so I'll be out there with the kids sweeping off the tops. My pens also have plastic on 3 sides so it should get interesting. I didn't want all those pine shavings to get wet. We'll see how it goes.

Hawkeye, could you bring the 4 H forms with you this Sat? I called the Sedgwick Cty office and they just said to call the leader of the group. I so didn't believe we would get any snow because everything just parts around us but it has been snowing since around 8 this morning. I was just going to zip down there and pick up the forms but, now I'm thinking not.

Trish, Looking forward to those chicks! Keeping my fingers crossed for a good hatch. What color egg do your Black Splits lay? I've only gotten one egg, so far, but it was the oddest color I've ever seen. To be quite honest, it was rather unattractive. Is that normal? It's kind of a mix of beige, gray and green. Well, whatever the color, I wish this weather would cooperate long enough for the girls to all start laying regularly. This back and forth weather has sure messed with the number of eggs I'm getting.

 

[Hawkeye95]

LOL! I've got all my pens covered with plastic so I'll be out there with the kids sweeping off the tops. My pens also have plastic on 3 sides so it should get interesting. I didn't want all those pine shavings to get wet. We'll see how it goes.

Hawkeye, could you bring the 4 H forms with you this Sat? I called the Sedgwick Cty office and they just said to call the leader of the group. I so didn't believe we would get any snow because everything just parts around us but it has been snowing since around 8 this morning. I was just going to zip down there and pick up the forms but, now I'm thinking not.

Trish, Looking forward to those chicks! Keeping my fingers crossed for a good hatch. What color egg do your Black Splits lay? I've only gotten one egg, so far, but it was the oddest color I've ever seen. To be quite honest, it was rather unattractive. Is that normal? It's kind of a mix of beige, gray and green. Well, whatever the color, I wish this weather would cooperate long enough for the girls to all start laying regularly. This back and forth weather has sure messed with the number of eggs I'm getting.

Karen, I think I have only 4 or 5 forms on me at the moment... I'll have to double check! If I have the other notebook, then I have more.. And I can always get more. The leader of the 4-H club will be officially me on March 1st! But I've been helping our current leader for a few months now. She's been wanting to make the transition easy. I have a new family packet for you as well as a few other info sheets you can look over with the kids. But yeah, I can bring it this weekend. I SURE hope it's not going to be too miserable this weekend, I don't do extreme cold! I'll need to get you on the mailing list, as you'll want to get our newsletter each month.

Yeah, I hear you on wanting the girls to start laying FOR REAL. My silkies have been on strike for so long now! I get an egg a week... maybe two! I'm ready for them to all kick in so I can get serious about hatching! I'm ready to get them divided up and get started! Woohoo!! That reminds me... I think I really want to get a turner for my Brinsea, I got all cheap and didn't order one with the unit. It's easy to hand turn the entire machine-- which is why I love that machine so much! But if I go back to work, or am gone for a weekend, then I'll be in trouble.

 

[HEChicken]

Karen, I think I have only 4 or 5 forms on me at the moment... I'll have to double check! If I have the other notebook, then I have more.. And I can always get more. The leader of the 4-H club will be officially me on March 1st! But I've been helping our current leader for a few months now. She's been wanting to make the transition easy. I have a new family packet for you as well as a few other info sheets you can look over with the kids. But yeah, I can bring it this weekend. I SURE hope it's not going to be too miserable this weekend, I don't do extreme cold! I'll need to get you on the mailing list, as you'll want to get our newsletter each month.

Yeah, I hear you on wanting the girls to start laying FOR REAL. My silkies have been on strike for so long now! I get an egg a week... maybe two! I'm ready for them to all kick in so I can get serious about hatching! I'm ready to get them divided up and get started! Woohoo!! That reminds me... I think I really want to get a turner for my Brinsea, I got all cheap and didn't order one with the unit. It's easy to hand turn the entire machine-- which is why I love that machine so much! But if I go back to work, or am gone for a weekend, then I'll be in trouble.

I've been thinking the same lately about incubators, Hawkeye. I have two home-builts that work awesome but I have to hand-turn and they are not the right dimensions to add one of the after-market turners - I've looked. So I'm considering making the plunge and getting an fully automated incubator so that I can incubate without having to have that constant interaction with it for the whole 3 weeks.

Guess who is out in the snow today? The ducks, the turkeys and the silkies. That's it! The rest of the flock is hanging out in the coop but the silkies are out there wandering around looking like they haven't even noticed its snowing.

 

[Trish44]

LOL! I've got all my pens covered with plastic so I'll be out there with the kids sweeping off the tops. My pens also have plastic on 3 sides so it should get interesting. I didn't want all those pine shavings to get wet. We'll see how it goes.

Hawkeye, could you bring the 4 H forms with you this Sat? I called the Sedgwick Cty office and they just said to call the leader of the group. I so didn't believe we would get any snow because everything just parts around us but it has been snowing since around 8 this morning. I was just going to zip down there and pick up the forms but, now I'm thinking not.

Trish, Looking forward to those chicks! Keeping my fingers crossed for a good hatch. What color egg do your Black Splits lay? I've only gotten one egg, so far, but it was the oddest color I've ever seen. To be quite honest, it was rather unattractive. Is that normal? It's kind of a mix of beige, gray and green. Well, whatever the color, I wish this weather would cooperate long enough for the girls to all start laying regularly. This back and forth weather has sure messed with the number of eggs I'm getting.

Yeah, I'm watching them, but no activity as of yet. You'll be the first to know as soon as they hatch. The mothers of the Ameraucanas lay both a sky blue egg & a teal color, they're both pretty & I don't know which one lays which. If she only laid one egg, she was probably trying to get the paint gun going right & that's why it looked that way. It's kind of like the darker egg layers, sometimes their first one looks strange. My first Welsummer egg was like that. The tinted layers are kind of different in that way than the others. When the Welsummers lay, the "paint" is really wet & sticky right after they lay & it comes off. Yeah I hear you on the laying. Everybody is going nuts asking me for chicks & honestly all my breeders have totally stopped laying with this stupid weather. I sure hope this is our last blast for winter, I'm just sick to death of it.

HEChicken, Tanganyika Wildlife exhibit is right on the north edge of Wichita. We took the girls there last year & it's a really nice place, we all enjoyed it a lot. They have places you can go in with the animals & sit with them.

mstng67, I agree that the salt mines in Hutch are really interesting, we went there for the first time last year & really enjoyed it. It's also cool down there if it's hot outside. If you want something up in KC there is Union Station & there are lots of museums up there to see. Here is the web site for more info too for more ideas: http://www.travelks.com/.

It's snowing like crazy here. We were only supposed to get 1-3 inches, but it's really coming down. I had told my DH to get the oil changed on the truck last night as soon as he got home & he did take it into town to get that done. I figured he would want to drive it today & he didn't. Then he sent me a text saying her probably was going to wish he had, silly man. That was the reason I wanted him to get the truck in shape. I don't know if it drifts much if he will be able to get his car back in our driveway. For anybody who hasn't been here we live in the Flint Hills & our house is built into a hill. The driveway is uphill at both ends & not only that, but when you come into it you have to do a 90 degree turn & go up at the same time. The other end by the house is just a long steep hill. Why they made the darned thing like that is beyond me. We wanted to have a new one done when we got extra money to do things here, but with putting siding, windows, & new heating & air conditioning besides a roof we ran out of money. Those things were the priority & I'm really glad we got them done because it has helped a lot with the electric bills since we're all electric here. But now we still have to deal with the darned driveway, maybe some day. There are still more things that really need to be updated in this house, but they'll have to wait.

I'm really not looking forward to wading out there today to take care of birds, ugh I just hate this stuff & the cold. Here I was out there yesterday putting up the top on one of the pens with no jacket or coat at all & now look at today, it's crazy. I have the rest of the wire I need now to finish the tops of the pens after my trip to Orschelyn's yesterday afternoon. Now I need a decent day to do it. I have that to do, shoring up the chicken wire already on the two dog panels that have come loose, putting plastic over the front windows inside, litter on the floor, & that's pretty much it. I would have liked to have painted the walls in there before I put birds in, but I see with the weather it's not going to happen right now. I don't think it's going to be warm enough to paint at this point. The outside still will need to be painted later on too.

Well everybody stay warm today & safe!

 

[chicken danz]

I can't believe the difference in weather between you guys and myself. We have nothing but just extreme cold. The snow and ice is supposed to move in this evening. It does look really cloudy out there though.
Hawkeye and Karen I just ordered new Serum. Hopefully it will be here Tuesday or at the latest Wednesday. They would have shipped it out today but were afraid the snow storm would get it held up somewhere. I agree. Since this stuff has to be kept refrigerated I don't want it getting lost. That'd be a chunk of money to waste.
I also ordered Merek's vaccine. I plan to vaccinate everything when I get my pens divided. Just don't want to take any more chances. I try to make sure anyone who ships me eggs or birds vaccinates but you need to be sure.
I had a dozen little chicks hatch last night. I almost forgot to move them to the hatcher. They were starting to pip already when I did. They hatched really well though. Every egg that was fertile hatched. Most of them are Orpingtons. I have a couple that I am not sure about. Might be Swedish Flower hens but the eggs I had marked as Swedish still weren't fertile. I wish to heck they'd get with the program.
My eggs picked up this week but I'll bet this darned storm makes them stop laying again.
There's a guy coming about noon or so to pick up a puppy. Now with the storm I am sure that means more days of feeding before I sell more. Sure is going slow. For pups that sold themselves in the past this litter sure has been a mess.
Hawkeye I was just studying some information on chicken diseases. One thing that I just read was that for colds and bronchitis was to just put oxine in their water. I had considered that before but was afraid I would make them sick. I have used it in the vaporizer with good results. Maidenwolf, so far I just have some sneezing going on and no one seems stressed but I don't want it to get out of hand.
I need to get another heater of some kind out in the water for the boy geese I have in the PVC pen right now. I am pretty confused what to do on short notice. They have a big pan so they could get wet and if I use a heated dog water bowl they will probably just tip it over. I don't have any more heated buckets I'm not using. I thought I was well set up until these last 3 birds came.
Oh Josie I got another goosey egg yesterday!! I still haven't broken one but haven't set any either.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Wow guys no snow here at the ks mo state line. I am sure it isnt far away though,, ugh I can feel it in my knees..
Danz- I am so sorry your eggs are not hatching from those swedish yet. They are just taking their time.
I have some eggs due to hatch this weekend. Just barnyard mixes but they are selling.
I have a dozen buff orp boys that were sent as packing peanuts from Ideal and I was going to pump them up and butcher them. Can anyone give me tips on how to do so? I have only ever done cornish which grow out quick.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Oh. My. Stars.

You guys won't believe it. My pens are open on the East. So, which direction would our snow be coming from? The East, of course. I've already been out there and had to sweep off the tops of one the pen that's on the west side of the coop, twice! Both times there was about 2 inches of snow. I shudder to think what I'll do if it continues to snow tonight. LOL! Have mercy, ya'll. (A saying I picked up in OK) The snow is blowing right into their pens so I gathered up some junk to block the snow but there is already enough in there to worry me about soggy pine shavings. Those shavings aren't cheap. Anyhoo, I think I've got everyone all set for another hour, maybe, before I get back out there again. Still, it's not so much work that it wasn't fun. I was bundled up pretty well. Chopper wasn't shy about getting himself right back in the coop. He came out to see what I was up to. It would be interesting to know what's going on in his little ducky brain watching me sweep snow off the pen. It's going to be a real mess when it thaws but we sure needed the moisture.

DH isn't flying but he's stuck sitting at his desk. They used to just send them home on days like this. Oh well. The bankruptcy was finalized for Hawker Beechcraft and DH is happy to be working for Beechcraft again. He has worked for them his entire adult life and it was hard for him to get used to the various name changes they went through.

Speaking of things to take in, even though I've never been, I've heard that the Pretty Prairie rodeo is a really good one. Maybe I should take the kids -- they've never seen one. I always feel sorry for everyone, men and beasts, so I don't enjoy them too much. I went to Houston's huge rodeo when I lived down there. It was wild and pretty much everyone dressed alike with black jeans and light blue cowboy shirts with beading all over for women -- of course you had to wear boots. I bought a pair just for the rodeo. I skipped the chewing tobacco and nobody seemed to notice. Ha! I still have my beaded shirt. Such craziness but they had big name country singers, and all kinds of stuff to see and do. I'm more of a head-banger myself, but the guy that sang was pretty entertaining. I think his name was Jackson. Allen Jackson? I don't know.

Okay, rambling again. I better get something done.