Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Well I see you all are buried in snow. I know we needed the moisture badly, but not all at once! We didn't get as much as some of you north of here, but enough that we can only get our 4 wheel drive old truck out. My DH has made it to work driving it, but I'm stuck in here. I just have him bring whatever I need from the store when he comes back. We had some yummy potato soup last night, I haven't made that in a long time, but it really sounded good.

So far my chickens & other birds seem to be making it OK, but I can tell they're getting really bored staying in the coop & run. I open the door to the run & the come & look out & go no way.

All of the eggs that were going to hatch for this batch have hatched but one & it's still in the process. I'll get pics after while. I'm going to have to wade out to the garage to get a crate to put them in for now because I still have the two bigger chicks in the water trough in the house. I have about 6 more eggs still in the incubator that are due in the next few days. Actually one of them needs to go into lockdown today, but I want to get those messy chicks out of the hatcher & clean it out before I put any more eggs in there, they have made a big mess. Karen, I don't have as many yet as you were wanting, 4 of them stopped developing & one just didn't make it to hatch. We'll see what the rest of the ones in the incubator still do, hopefully I'll be able to come up with the number you're wanting. The hen has stopped laying again for now I think due to the weather, in fact none of my breeder hens are laying now, only my laying flock is.

Well I hope you all can stay warm today, it is actually way colder today than it was here yesterday. It's supposed to be back in the 40s for the weekend, not what I had hoped but I'll take it over the 16 degrees it is right now.

 

[checoukan]

Well all is well in my neck of the woods. We did not get the snow most of you got, we got sleet, bout 3 inches of it. The TV reported that the amount of sleet we recieved would be the same as most of you with the snow. Same amount of moisture in 3 inches of sleet as a foot of snow. I know the wateris everywhere out side. Course we did get some freezing rain.
Heard a baby goat cry, went out the the north goat barn, and behold not one baby but 3! Twins to one momma, a a single to anouther. All are doing well. I did not take them to the barn, they were up and nursing, took pictures on my phone, have to transfer to computer, I will post them later.

The heater guy is supposed to be here this after noon, we are about 60 in the house, my DH thinks he is freezing. Its a little cool, but up doing house work, I am staying about right.

I hope the guys show up to work on the barn, but I bet they don't, so it will be monday before work resumes out there. Course, we still have to run the electric, which I suppose we could start doing.

Dr. Garten with the USDA will be here Thursday to test my flock again. He is really super nice. The lady that helps him comes all the way from Topeka, and the Dr. Garten is somewhere north of Parsons. I will be glad to get that out of the way.

Well after the show at Pryor, I am going to go in to cull mode.

Its so hard to pull something out of the pen you have watched grow thru incubations, chick stage thru adult hood, and then, "Boom" they are gone. Some of them may not be that bad, and would be good 4H projects for a year, but then they want to breed, and trouble starts, and I just cannot let that happen. So......

Hope everyone takes it easy in the snow, and all birds are doing ok. Warmer days are ahead.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Well I see you all are buried in snow. I know we needed the moisture badly, but not all at once! We didn't get as much as some of you north of here, but enough that we can only get our 4 wheel drive old truck out. My DH has made it to work driving it, but I'm stuck in here. I just have him bring whatever I need from the store when he comes back. We had some yummy potato soup last night, I haven't made that in a long time, but it really sounded good.

So far my chickens & other birds seem to be making it OK, but I can tell they're getting really bored staying in the coop & run. I open the door to the run & the come & look out & go no way.

All of the eggs that were going to hatch for this batch have hatched but one & it's still in the process. I'll get pics after while. I'm going to have to wade out to the garage to get a crate to put them in for now because I still have the two bigger chicks in the water trough in the house. I have about 6 more eggs still in the incubator that are due in the next few days. Actually one of them needs to go into lockdown today, but I want to get those messy chicks out of the hatcher & clean it out before I put any more eggs in there, they have made a big mess. Karen, I don't have as many yet as you were wanting, 4 of them stopped developing & one just didn't make it to hatch. We'll see what the rest of the ones in the incubator still do, hopefully I'll be able to come up with the number you're wanting. The hen has stopped laying again for now I think due to the weather, in fact none of my breeder hens are laying now, only my laying flock is.

Well I hope you all can stay warm today, it is actually way colder today than it was here yesterday. It's supposed to be back in the 40s for the weekend, not what I had hoped but I'll take it over the 16 degrees it is right now.

Trish, don't worry as long as there are two of them, I'll be happy with however many you hatch. What's the current count? They are going into the craft room in a small brooder where I can enjoy them until they start dusting up the place. That will be fun.

So, yesterday, DH was buzzing around here with the snow blower, just having a blast. A neighbor took his tractor and blade to the roads which was totally awesome of him. We're in great shape, except... DH was sick all night with the stomach bug. WTH? I, in my ear plugs and face mask, slept through all the action and he didn't bother to wake me since I already have this congestion in my chest. Bummer, for sure. DD had a tiny little tummy bug a couple days ago -- this is what happens to old parents with lots of kids. Poor hubs.

 

[JosieChick]

Yup, lots of food on hand. Will work on getting out today, they finally plowed the road so that is good news. I wish we had a tractor to move the snow bank from the plow. Will have to work on it a bit at a time...I got my car stuck last night too!!! I was trying to get some tracks going in the snow so I was rocking it back and forth and got a little carried away because it was going so well and got stuck. Ooops.

Oh Josie-- that hilarious-- the way your rooster looked after spending the night outside! Well, that is exactly how Cocoa looked! It was like she was a frozen bird, but alive! I'm sure you were in disbelief that your bird made it through, like I was when I saw Cocoa. Poor birds! Sounds like you won't be getting out any time soon, I hope you have lots of food on hand! For now, we're stuck in again too. My DH tried to go to work this morning. He shoveled off the cement apron part of the driveway, but the gravel part of our driveway is too deep to drive through. We'll have to get out the tractor or do something about it today, or I don't know how we'll get out at all this weekend! Anyway, he tried to back out of our drive way, because there is a snow drift on the T part where you back out. So if you back out and then go forward, you get stuck. (we did it yesterday and spent and hour digging a car out) So he thought he'd be smart this morning and just back the whole way out of our driveway and skip the huge snow drift. But it still stopped him! LOL That snow is just sooo dang DEEP! It's insane out there! It's cool, though. I don't need groceries, so we're fine. But I know DH is chomping at the bit to get out of the house and get to work. He goes a little nuts stuck indoors.

Here is the car stuck... he didn't even get very far at all. hehehehe (look how deep that snow is!) He shoveled off the snow onto either side of the driveway, so the snow at the END of the driveway is just how deep it is, not where he shoveled extra snow off.




OH-- and just wanted to mention, that if someone came out to ride my horse and gave me a deposit, I would wait for them to get transport. But it's not the same thing when they just want to think about it and have you "hold" the horse for 2 weeks, when you could sell it to someone else. So yeah, I've done that, I've waited for someone to go get the trailer, even if it was waiting until the weekend. I've sold a lot of horses, but you can tell the difference between a serious customer and a "lookie-loo" -- one has cash in hand (or part of it) and the other doesn't.
Very true, I get tired of people calling and wanting me to hold birds and then never showing up. I held my pea chicks for a guy but it was only until the weekend and he gave me cash to hold them. I don't understand why people feel it is ok to waste someones time like that.

Very cute! I think the weather is going to be warmer by the time your chicks come, hope they all arrive in fine shape!

Just popping in to post a snow pic. Have never really noticed how "red" my coop was until all this snow.


Hope everyone has a good day. Another work snow day for me (2 in a row WTH).
New batch of chicks set to arrive in just under 2 weeks. Hoping that the weather is good when they get here. Have read that a number of people that had hatchery orders arrive this week had a LOT of loss upon arrival. Just way too cold I guess. Keeping my fingers crossed that things warm up a bit in the next 10 days.

Awesome! I will send you a PM.

I can probably come out & help for a little while on the 2nd. I'm on call that day (as I am most Saturdays), but if things are calm I may swing by. HEChicken gave me a general idea of where your place is at, but if you can PM me directions that would be great.

I definitely feel buried. It is frustrating because I am from Maine and this kind of snow is nothing where I lived most of my life but here it is just ridiculous. I feel like I am going to be stuck for days getting dug out.

Did you get any wheaten ameraucana eggs to hatch?

Well I see you all are buried in snow. I know we needed the moisture badly, but not all at once! We didn't get as much as some of you north of here, but enough that we can only get our 4 wheel drive old truck out. My DH has made it to work driving it, but I'm stuck in here. I just have him bring whatever I need from the store when he comes back. We had some yummy potato soup last night, I haven't made that in a long time, but it really sounded good.

So far my chickens & other birds seem to be making it OK, but I can tell they're getting really bored staying in the coop & run. I open the door to the run & the come & look out & go no way.

All of the eggs that were going to hatch for this batch have hatched but one & it's still in the process. I'll get pics after while. I'm going to have to wade out to the garage to get a crate to put them in for now because I still have the two bigger chicks in the water trough in the house. I have about 6 more eggs still in the incubator that are due in the next few days. Actually one of them needs to go into lockdown today, but I want to get those messy chicks out of the hatcher & clean it out before I put any more eggs in there, they have made a big mess. Karen, I don't have as many yet as you were wanting, 4 of them stopped developing & one just didn't make it to hatch. We'll see what the rest of the ones in the incubator still do, hopefully I'll be able to come up with the number you're wanting. The hen has stopped laying again for now I think due to the weather, in fact none of my breeder hens are laying now, only my laying flock is.

Well I hope you all can stay warm today, it is actually way colder today than it was here yesterday. It's supposed to be back in the 40s for the weekend, not what I had hoped but I'll take it over the 16 degrees it is right now.

Awwww to baby goats! Doens't it always seem like animals decide to give birth in the worst weather? I remember when we worked at a broodmare barn when I was a kid in 4-H the mares always foaled on the most terrible nights for weather. I wonder if there is some protective mechanism there, like less predators out hunting due to bad weather....

Well all is well in my neck of the woods. We did not get the snow most of you got, we got sleet, bout 3 inches of it. The TV reported that the amount of sleet we recieved would be the same as most of you with the snow. Same amount of moisture in 3 inches of sleet as a foot of snow. I know the wateris everywhere out side. Course we did get some freezing rain.
Heard a baby goat cry, went out the the north goat barn, and behold not one baby but 3! Twins to one momma, a a single to anouther. All are doing well. I did not take them to the barn, they were up and nursing, took pictures on my phone, have to transfer to computer, I will post them later.

The heater guy is supposed to be here this after noon, we are about 60 in the house, my DH thinks he is freezing. Its a little cool, but up doing house work, I am staying about right.

I hope the guys show up to work on the barn, but I bet they don't, so it will be monday before work resumes out there. Course, we still have to run the electric, which I suppose we could start doing.

Dr. Garten with the USDA will be here Thursday to test my flock again. He is really super nice. The lady that helps him comes all the way from Topeka, and the Dr. Garten is somewhere north of Parsons. I will be glad to get that out of the way.

Well after the show at Pryor, I am going to go in to cull mode.

Its so hard to pull something out of the pen you have watched grow thru incubations, chick stage thru adult hood, and then, "Boom" they are gone. Some of them may not be that bad, and would be good 4H projects for a year, but then they want to breed, and trouble starts, and I just cannot let that happen. So......
I have a terrible time with this. I end up with extra cochin roos in with my laying flock because they aren't good enough to breed but are usually such sweet boys that I can't butcher them and nobody wants to buy them. I need to find an auction to go to and just sell them and not worry so much about it. It is hard to see them grow from babies and then they aren't there anymore....

Hope everyone takes it easy in the snow, and all birds are doing ok. Warmer days are ahead.

Oh bummer. Poor DH. Maybe I need ear plugs and a face mask for snoring....

Trish, don't worry as long as there are two of them, I'll be happy with however many you hatch. What's the current count? They are going into the craft room in a small brooder where I can enjoy them until they start dusting up the place. That will be fun.

So, yesterday, DH was buzzing around here with the snow blower, just having a blast. A neighbor took his tractor and blade to the roads which was totally awesome of him. We're in great shape, except... DH was sick all night with the stomach bug. WTH? I, in my ear plugs and face mask, slept through all the action and he didn't bother to wake me since I already have this congestion in my chest. Bummer, for sure. DD had a tiny little tummy bug a couple days ago -- this is what happens to old parents with lots of kids. Poor hubs.

Well our road is plowed. Now I need to start slowly removing the snow bank so I can get out at some point. Sigh. Guess I will get a lot of painting done being trapped here. I had a rooster that wasn't feeling well yesterday so I brought him in the house in a crate and he must be better this morning because I got a wake up call at 6 AM! Ugh. Silly boy.

Hope everyone has a good day and gets out of their driveways! Be careful!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Josie, LOL! The face mask doesn't do anything for the snoring but it keeps me from seeing the disco light display he's liable to put on when he can't sleep (probably due to my snoring).

 

[Trish44]

Trish, don't worry as long as there are two of them, I'll be happy with however many you hatch. What's the current count? They are going into the craft room in a small brooder where I can enjoy them until they start dusting up the place. That will be fun.

So, yesterday, DH was buzzing around here with the snow blower, just having a blast. A neighbor took his tractor and blade to the roads which was totally awesome of him. We're in great shape, except... DH was sick all night with the stomach bug. WTH? I, in my ear plugs and face mask, slept through all the action and he didn't bother to wake me since I already have this congestion in my chest. Bummer, for sure. DD had a tiny little tummy bug a couple days ago -- this is what happens to old parents with lots of kids. Poor hubs.

Well we'll see what happens if you want to wait until all the eggs have hatched that are incubating or at least the next 4. There are 7 so far, I'm pretty sure that's what I counted & then there is one egg due Sunday & one Monday & one Weds. & one Thurs. Then the last two aren't due until the 4th of March, those were several days behind the others. I was going to go take pics, but they're all chilling right now under the Ecoglow. I should have taken a pic before I moved them, but I had to hurry & get them all moved after I got their crate set up because they were picking on the newest little Salmon Faverolle & I wanted to get the ornery little buggers out of there so it can rest & dry out. I'll try to move the Ecoglow later on & take some pics of them all. There just isn't anything cuter than a fluffy little chick!

I hope you DH feels better soon, that's a bummer you've both been sick.

Checoukan, I hope you get your furnace fixed quick, it's awfully cold today. Yeah this weather has put a damper on any building projects, ugh.

On a brighter note, my little goat Penny is doing very well, I will post a pic of her so you can see her, she is eating like a little pig & growing. I can't wait to get a pen & shelter built for her & bring her home. Then I have to find her a friend because I don't want her to be lonely.

 

[michelleml]

We got about 9-10 in snow. My birds are not happy plus I seem to have caught something stomach pain and my bones hurt so bad. Thank God my hubby is trying to keep things going. I hope everyone is warm and safe. If anyone has a remedy for ache bones please let me know

 

[chicken danz]

Sorry people who are sick again. Talk about one miserable day!!! I am trying to stay thankful we didn't get freezing rain but it's hard. DH got the tractor out and cleared the driveway but only until he slid off into the ditch. He did that the last time we had snow. That meant more time to be outside helping him on top of doing my chores. And of course after that it was time for his nap so I just had to do what I could.
The stupid hose was frozen where two of them hooked together so I had to wait for the second one to thaw before I could water. Just trying to walk in all that deep snow to feed and then later water everyone was all the strength I could come up with. It makes me that more determined to get a building built. This is ridiculous! It took me 3 and half hours to get done. I had to dig out gates and water bowls etc. I couldn't get in one of my pens cause the snow is drifted so high, and it only opens to the inside so I can't move the gate no matter what. I just had to run water from the outside and tell the chickens I was sorry I couldn't dump their old water. I still need to go back out and fill up the ff feed barrel again for tomorrow. I had just had enough and needed to warm up.
This stuff makes me feel grouchy.
The puppies are out running around in it having a ball. They are loving their freedom. It is so cute to watch them stop dead in their tracks and listen when the adults bark at something. Some of them even started barking along with them. I love this awesome breed.
My mail man hasn't made it yet today. I had eggs going out but looks like they may have to be brought back in. I waited until time for him to come before I took them out.
I am still dealing with these car dealerships. What part of I don't want to come take a test drive in the snow do they not understand. Now I'm wondering if I want to buy a new car or keep hoarding my money to buy a building. I need transportation. If I didn't have to have all wheel drive it would be easy and I could get by cheap.

 

[mommahen10]

Hi all. It's been 23 crazy days since I've been on here. I hope that everyone is well. Our Internet has been miserably slow and discourages me from checking in.

A few weeks ago my 11yo dd asked her dad to build her some dog kennels because she wants to raise and breed dogs. Of course, he had to tell her no but we told her that she could practice on chickens any breed she would like. Her 9yo sister wanted in on that one too. So my 11yo wants silkies and my 9yo would like Cochins.

The morning after this deal, my 11yo searched online and found both types nearby and we went right over and purchased chicks. It turned out that these chicks were very sick and its been a long rough ride to get them well and I still worry about relapses and if they could still pass it on to the other ones. These chicks have been well for a week now and are still isolated from others, we've had them for 3 weeks. About the same time, we got a call from a nearby lady who needed help with her dog kennel. She has over 100 breeders and is unable to leave for anything because she has no one to take care of things. We all know how that goes. So, for 4 weeks now the kids and I have been working there every morning. This will give my daughter the experience she is wanting without us having to take responsibility for it all. I'm using this as a school project in several subjects but boy are we all worn out. Wednesday we had our first trial run to manage the kennel on our own with her there if needed.today she was going to really be gone to deliver a dog to the airport. Well, she left but will be cutting her trip short.

I got a call from my oldest dd this morning and her water broke and its 3 weeks early. Roads are snow packed according to kdot going west so we booked a flight out of Tulsa. I'm so anxious and excited but also panicked about leaving my own kids. I have fancy eggs due to hatch this weekend and I hope everyone handles it well. I will head back home in 7-10 days I think, maybe, I guess we will have to see how it goes.

Considering how sick the chicks we just purchased we're, I would like to not breed them later. Does anyone have information about that? Should I be concerned about passing it down? I will be looking for a few silkies(chicks, chickens, or eggs) in splash or to make splash I have no idea what I'm doing. We will need Cochins too, preferably not black. Please pm me.

We have our brooder room pretty maxed out right now. Somehow we have crossed a line in this chicken thing. We have over 100 bigger ones and over 75 in the brooder. I have 32 in one pen that are white rock and new hamp red, mostly pullets. Another has 12 buff orp and 12 new hamp pullets. I have 5 fancy orps out there and another 12 from my hatch last time. How many is that? I lost count. I have 25 more black sex link and red sex link I already paid for but didn't pick up still. Plus the incubator.

My plan was to breed for sex links but now I'm rethinking because I'm not sure that I care what sex they are at hatch and I'm getting better at telling anyway. I'm just really loving the orpingtons and rocks and the reds just aren't as appealing to me for whatever reason.

Another thing I've been meaning to mention on here, I have a 15 passenger van that I really don't NEED anymore but I love it and would like to find a way to make it useful to keep it. If anyone would like to set up something so we could all go to a chicken event together I think that could be great fun. Well, I'm sure it won't fit all of us but you know what I mean. I also have a trailer of medium size we could use if we don't have enough room for transporting everything we need inside the van. Something just to keep in mind I guess.

Does anyone have any input about the illness that we experienced? They had runny noses and it stunk so badly and very swollen eyes, they weren't eating or drinking well. The kennel owner gave me some gentamycin, she called her vet to ask. We put 1 ml in 3ml of saline and used in the nebulizer which blew into a tiny shoe box sized tub. I did that for several days and then feared it wasn't working and dug through my people medicine cabinet and gave doxycycline in their water for a week, they were 100 mg capsules and I put about 1/3 into a pint of water and changed it 2x per day. That was enough for 6 chicks. The morning after starting doxycline they were improving, so I don't feel sure what made them get better. When the medicine ran out I started adding electrolytes and probiotics to replace their flora after the meds. Also, the lady I got them from checked on them every day, she offered to take them back too. She would either come by or call me. Two weeks ago, she called because she found mites on hers, this was my first experience with mites or illness in my chickens. I checked mine and they had them too. It was interesting though. At the time I had the 1 silkie in the house because her fuzzy head would get stuck to her beak and hinder her breathing more. She was by far the sickest. I had just bathed her to get rid of the stink and get her beak and face cleaned well. She had only a few mites. The others I hadn't bathed clearly had more. So I bathed them all, the next day at recheck all were mite free except for 1 that was very infested. I bathed them all again. As of 2 weeks later, mine did not get a recurrence of mites but I will have to have the kids keep checking for me now. Also, I applied olive oil under their wings where I found the most. I'm not sure what worked, but it does seem like a reasonable solution for not so many chicks. I did buy some duramycin in the powder from Orscheln's just in case it came back but so far so good. That about sums up all of the excitement around here. I think I will have more time to catch up on the last 23 days of posts that I haven't got to read yet.

 

[chicken danz]

I forgot to tell you via text.. congrats on the new grandbaby when it gets here! Have a very safe flight!