Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

Finally. Real snow. After all the promises all winter, we are finally getting measurable precipitation. The chickens are NOT amused. I really got chewed out when I took them their breakfast. There was a snow drift from the east window onto the roost and the nest boxes. They weren't cold or wet, just ticked off that there was that nasty white stuff on the ramp.

I'm liking it. My 4 year old granddaughter is here and we too, a chance and bought a cheap sled at Bluestem yesterday (about $11 for a two person plastic sled), so we are all set.

 

[HEChicken]

Sunflower, I take it back. While in the shower I DID remember you giving me a link for the Rcom but when I checked it out, with shipping it was going to be almost $100 more than what you said you had paid, so I guess you must have tapped them on a sale or something. Anyway, I'm glad I waited because I wound up getting it for less in the end, and far more in the ballpark of what I was willing to pay

 

[HEChicken]

Finally. Real snow. After all the promises all winter, we are finally getting measurable precipitation. The chickens are NOT amused. I really got chewed out when I took them their breakfast. There was a snow drift from the east window onto the roost and the nest boxes. They weren't cold or wet, just ticked off that there was that nasty white stuff on the ramp.

I'm liking it. My 4 year old granddaughter is here and we too, a chance and bought a cheap sled at Bluestem yesterday (about $11 for a two person plastic sled), so we are all set.

Have fun! I have many happy memories of sledding with my kids when they were younger.

 

[chicken danz]

Oh goodness no! It was just my DH's way of describing how it had baked in the milk sauce. I think the other thing about it that was a little disappointing was that the sauce was sort of "blah". I expected with all that milk and butter, it would be really rich and it must have been but it didn't taste it. I don't think any of us ate the skin because it was so sort of rubbery, but I'm thinking we might have enjoyed it better if the skin had been off to allow the meat to absorb some flavor. I dunno. The funny thing is, remember how you said it looks awful but tastes yummy? Well, we all thought it looked delicious when it came out of the oven but then were disappointed that it didn't taste that good, so our experience was the opposite of yours!

I had to have told you something wrong. The "sauce looks like yellow lumpy almost curdled milk looking. It does take quite a bit of salt and pepper to give it that home cooked chicken gravy taste. And normally the flavor is blended throughout the meat and the gravy both. I wish I had some chicken here I'd make some and write down the process as I do it. That is the problem with many recipes I have. I just do them without thinking about them but to write them down outside of doing it is something else.

I just got a notification that my new incubator has shipped - that was FAST - I can't wait for it to get here and get it set up.

Okay, a question for those of you who get duck eggs: how do you store them? The muscovy eggs are so huge that they don't fit in a regular egg carton at all. Right now I do have them sitting in an egg carton but there is no way I can close the lid so it takes up twice as much space on the counter, leaving the egg carton open. Also, if you are saving some up to incubate and doing the "big end up in the carton, turn twice a day" thing, do you also mist duck eggs daily at that point or is that only after you start incubating?

That was fast.

Kudos to this!


Ok, I need to vent for a minute. Why is it every time I try to sell birds I get people who can't pick them up for x number of weeks, want to know what kind of deal I will make on already very low priced birds and I have to meet them at some set location?!

When I buy birds, I don't haggle the price, I don't ask if I can show up in two weeks and I sure don't TELL someone when and where they will meet me to sell me their birds! Shipping birds is starting to look a lot better, I can just drop them off at the PO and be done with it.

Sorry, thanks for listening to my rant.

I get very disgusted with the same thing. Try selling dogs!! It's even worse. I have hardly ever out of thousands of birds ever sold any where people don't try to jew me down. In fact I always offer discounts to those who buy a lot at a time and don't try to cut rate me.
I know I shoot myself in the foot but that has also brought me a lot of business. It's like cheap advertising. I have all kinds of people all and want me to bring birds to Topeka or even further. They want them but don't want to drive. So they want to buy 5 $2 chicks and expect me to bring them to them spending more for gas than I will get for the chicks. Another reason why I decided to go with more expensive birds. I got so I just give away any mixed chicks so I don't have to feed them. I was anyway!
However I know you've gone out of your way for me and I really really appreciate that. I sure hope you've never felt that way about any of the things we've done.
I keep saying I am going to close the farm to outsiders but that would mean me having to get in the car, load up birds and drive. Main reason for not doing so. I have gotten very picky about people not going in my coops though. I had this guy yesterday walking around and most birds were in the coops because of the weather. I would just open the door and if he looked like he was going to walk in I just shut the door and led on.
There doesn't seem to be a decent way to sell birds unless you do ship. Then you have to have some quality birds to sell them.
Posted by HEChicken
OH my happy memories is sledding when I was younger. It is a wonder we didn't drown sometimes. There was a railroad track that was up on a hill when I was a kid. You could slide down the hill and out across a pond on the ice and go for forever at top speed. And there was more than once I did break through the ice but only got wet and kept going. I was so much tougher back then. The entire neighborhood was always there. We had a lot more snow back then. We have these big sleds that I use to hold water for the ducks now. I have used them to pull across the yard with bags of feed when it is snowy or icy, and we have used them to haul firewood when we used to cut wood for our old shop. I begged DH to go sledding last year during the only big snow we had. He wouldn't do it. I just wanted to have fun like I did when I was young.
With my kids, the big thing was to play fox and geese or to make snow angels. I even had a dog once that would make snow angels with us. It was awesome. I sure wish we'd had video cameras back then. It would have made some awesome videos.
We had snow yesterday afternoon, through the night some, then we had thunder snow and sleet, and now it is just snowing crazy out there. I don't see any birds or dogs out in it right now. I have all of the watering containers outside because it keeps the houses dryer and much of the feed is outside. I sure hope the birds do okay. I suppose I'll have to go out whenever the snow lets up and freshen feed and try to find the water bowls in the snow. Oh what fun.
I really wish I could just stay inside all day, watch the snow and needle point. It isn't going to happen. I need to go out soon and make sure I still have power in the brooder house. I can't see the lights in there during the day time so it is making me a nervous wreck.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

My sinus stuff has gone to my chest. I could hardly get to sleep last night, coughing my silly head off. Ugh. I've lost my voice too. Then, something about the way the wind was blowing, our bedroom fireplace got really smoky and that sure didn't help the cough. I had to go downstairs while John put the silly thing out. Most of the time, we really enjoy that fireplace in the bedroom but last night was a huge exception. We also had that lightning and thunder snow storm. Reggie, one of our Maltese, is afraid of lightning so he barked and tried to get under the blankets on the bed. Silly doggy. He whines at me like "Can't you do something about that?" We got a lot of snow and we're not finished yet, just in the center of the system. I'm so glad we finally got some precipitation.

With this bronchitis, Josie, I don't feel like I should be out in the weather Saturday. I'm so sorry. I was really looking forward to it and I know it would be so helpful for my kids to help with the little ones. I just can't push it because I have a specialist appointment I really have to make on Monday. I already missed that appointment once from pure Freudian slip. I don't want to go so my feeble brain obliged me, so I forgot it. I almost forgot it again, while making plans for next week it completely slipped my mind I had that appointment on Monday. It's even written down in my planner!

My ducks are determined to get out and wander around, but the chickens aren't a bit interested in getting out and about. I don't blame them!

 

[HEChicken]

I'm so sorry you are feeling so poorly - I agree it is a good idea to stay inside and warm!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

This darn snow is the pits..... Shovel as I might it keeps regenerating

This happened before I could get the extension on the coop of course so everyone is not happy about being stuck together. lol.
Speaking of candling I candled mine and out of 40 I ony had to remove 7. Not bad... Lockdown is sat so hopefully the remaining all hatch.
Stay warm guys its nasty out there...

 

[chicken danz]

The snow stopped for a little bit. The dogs are out and I even saw a couple chickens stick their necks out. I'm not ready to go out yet though. I feel cold even though it is warm in the house. I'm afraid my hoses will be frozen regardless of draining them. Not looking forward to hauling buckets of water out.
I've been reading recipes. What about snowy weather makes me feel like cooking?
I'll bet my Brahmas from Georgia that were used to 70-80 degree temps are wondering what the heck is going on.

 

[checoukan]

Wow, just got back in the house. Chores are done. I was still warm in the ole barn, water was not even froze. Everybody seemed glad to see me. I guess stapling the feed sacks on the walls was a big help in holding the heat in the barn. Been sleeting here most of the morning, and some lite snow, but sad to say, it is raining now, and I am worried about that. The temp out side is like 29. Boy oh Boy when mother nature decides its time to let us have it look out!!.
Then too top everything off, the motor to the furnace, went whacky. DH pulled the squirel cage out, and 2 of the brackets that hold the motor in place, and likewise the motor holds the fan in place, had broken loose! Don't know why, and now gotta figure out how to fix the brackets to hold the motor and fan in place. Sad thing its all galvanized metal. The house is fairly warm, and if I have to, I can fire up the fireplace, but I hate having to cleam up the mess from that.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

I wish my camera was working. There are some really interesting snow drifts in an ally way between some builngs. I will have to shovel them to get to the geese and ducks. Some are out in their pen being lazy. I am glad I got the "independant' muscovies in a pen over the last couple of days. A small group of them had decided they were not going to stay with the flock and have been staying in the yard with no protection from predators. I finally got them into an empty dog pen, so this morning I know where they are and don't have to worry about them being under all that snow out there. Whew!!

I will have to shovel a path to the dog house the dog is in and get the door free of a snow drift. He acts like he will melt if he gets his feet in the snow.

This should help with the water we need so bad. Just lots of snow here, no ice. Right now, it has stopped snowing, but they are saying more to come.