Consolidated Kansas

[Deerfield Acres]

Oh, JosieChick, that's too cute and so funny!

 

[pikeman94]

Hahahaha! Glad you had a good laugh!! Here is a you tube video of that movie, it is the Aristocats and drunk Uncle Waldo!

Drinking with the chickens, hehehehehe!

Pikeman-I wish you had been around a few years ago when DH tried his hand at beer, it was awful. And even he refused to drink it but also refused to dump it out! I finally pitched all the beer while he was out of town for a business trip because it was horrid. He said when he got home he was glad it was gone because he couldn't drink it! We had a whole closet full of undrinkable beer....

Ouch! I have made a bad batch or two in my 20 years of brewing. The worst feeling is having to dump 12 gallons of beer. If he feels like trying it again let me know and I can offer assistance.

 

[HEChicken]

You guys! I have had quite the day, I was up at 5:00 a.m. and I ran from one thing to the next as fast as I could go and I was just getting ready to plant my posterior on the couch when my DH springs it on me that we need to go to our final Income Tax appointment, so I pull my coat back on when my darling son springs it on me as I'm walking out the door that he needs me to cut his hair tonight

and drive him to a competition in Kansas City tomorrow, excuse me?

DH is working tomorrow and I'm supposed to drive up there with a van full of kids, kick our heels for only 5 hours while he does his thing? and I'm supposed to do what with the kids? and it will cost us how many hundreds of dollars?

While DH takes over this latest catastrophe, I sat down to catch up on you guys.

OMGosh! As I read the conversation today I started to snicker, then I got started laughing and it just got funnier and funnier and I ended up laughing so hard I got tears in my eyes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You all are just too funny! Oh my stars! As it happens, it was a perfect time for me to start brewing beer!!! If anyone wants me I'll be out drinking with the chickens!

Pikeman, thank you for your generous and kind offer. I will probably take you up on it one day. I would like to do it once just to say I did and I'm still thinking an English brew!

Aaahhh. DH has tracked down and arranged for DS to ride up with one of the other boys tomorrow.

He's the man!!!

You do know how to have an exciting life! That's too funny about your son planting that on you hours before he has to leave. I can just see that happening here and then there will be the "But Mum, I TOLD you about this. You never listen to me!"

Pikeman-I wish you had been around a few years ago when DH tried his hand at beer, it was awful. And even he refused to drink it but also refused to dump it out! I finally pitched all the beer while he was out of town for a business trip because it was horrid. He said when he got home he was glad it was gone because he couldn't drink it! We had a whole closet full of undrinkable beer....

My last batch was pretty horrid too. I know what went wrong - but I was ready to just call it a learning experience and pitch the whole 5-gallons. DH, on the other hand, said "its not THAT bad" and said he would drink it. Well, it took him a year - all by himself - to go through that batch. He finally just drank the last one. I mean, this stuff was awful, but he apparently acquired a taste for it and insisted he liked it to the very end. He now keeps nagging me to brew another batch, and I really do need to get going with it. I bought 50lb of corn sugar one time and I have it nicely stored in an airtight tote but don't precisely know where we put it when we moved. As soon as I find the sugar, I'm good to go.....

Ouch! I have made a bad batch or two in my 20 years of brewing. The worst feeling is having to dump 12 gallons of beer. If he feels like trying it again let me know and I can offer assistance.

DS was looking at a Burgess catalog this morning and discovered they sell hops. He suggested we buy some hop plants and then we can more fully brew our own beer. So far I haven't delved into full grain brews, since the kits are really pretty easy, and when I read the instructions for full grain brewing it sounded too complex and time-consuming. Have you found a way to simplify it down so its doable for one person in a short amount of time, and if so, would you be willing to share? I really would like to learn more about it.

 

[mommahen10]

Hi all! I've been following along all week but haven't had time to post. My daughter had her baby, and he is just perfect. He weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and we 3 weeks early. He didn't have any trouble though.





Hawkeye, was it you that posted a link about infectious coryza? That sure does sound like what it was, now I have seemingly well chicks that really still shouldn't be around the others. On the link it talked about gram staining and I'm going to go ahead and get the supplies and put my microscope to use if it shows up again. Danz, is there conflicting information it being a tropical disease? I have a pic of the silkie when she was sick.




Of course this poor chick could be a boy for all I know but I tied the fuzz back with a pink doggie bow to keep if from sticking to it's beak and covering the nostrils. This chick doesn't look anything like this now either. You couldn't tell anything ever happened. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing my new chicks.

Hawkeye, I've been following along about cloth diapering and such. I didn't even think about being that particular about the laundry soap. I marked those links and my daughter and I were talking about cloth diapering. If you don't mind, I'd like to check out your Etsy shop. I was cracking up as you went from one subject to the next, praise team, coyotes, guns, cloth diapering, it was funny. Was it you that mentioned crocheting a fox hat that you got the pattern from Etsy? Check out my FB page, my daughter is wearing one. My sister made the hats the kids are wearing. It's not a great pic, but it's so typical of my kids at home. It came out so cute and it's her favorite hat. She is always wearing it.

Was it Karen that had a crazy kid day? Deerfield used to be Karen, right? I'm getting confused. That sounded really crazy to have that trip sprung on you at the last minute like that. Thank goodness your dh got that under control.

Danz, I really hope you find that car you need soon.

Mstng has an appraisal coming up, right? Good luck with that.

Josie, I can't believe you are still doing so much. I hope you don't work too hard this weekend, it's really time for things to start slowing down for you.

Trish, you sound busy as always.

Has anyone heard from Tweety?

I'm sure I forgot many, sorry.

I'm anxious to get home and hopefully fall back into some sort of normal routine, whatever that is.

 

[mstng67]

I saw tweety last week during the awful snow storms. Our neighborhood was practically impassible and they were trying to get back home through the snow. She finally made it with some help from neighbors. She was going into the hospital early the next morning for the pain pump. Hopefully that will help.

 

[chicken danz]

Mammahen so glad you are coming home. Congrats again.
Infectious Coryza has a lot written about it but you need to get into the technical stuff to really get a grip on it. Chances of it occurring here are possible but it would thrive only when conditions are warmer. It can be carried by other birds but effects chickens the most. So the infections are most likely coming from birds shipped from a warmer climate. My guess is that those birds had sinusitis or mycoplasma or one of the other chicken problems. Like I said the only way to know for sure is to have lab done and have it diagnosed from a sick or dead bird.
There is so much written about it but a lot of the information is just passed from one person to another. They say if you have Infectious Coryza the best solution is to just burn the barn and the birds in it. It is highly contagious and usually shows up 2 days or so after exposure. There are so many bird diseases it's really impossible to say what it is without tests.
Josie, I just had a person write me and ask about a sick bird. To me it sounds like Mereks. I asked her to send me a picture. She buys birds from me about once a year for her kids to show in 4H and was planning to come down to buy some. I told her I couldn't let her on my property unless she would guarantee me the shoes she and her children were wearing were ones that she hadn't worn to her chicken coop.
Let me get this right? Wouldn't all of her birds in that coop be likely to get Mereks if that is what this hen has? I hate to be a be-atch about it but I don't even feel right selling her birds if that is the case. I just got my Merek's vaccine but of course haven't had time to treat any of my birds yet. I was wanting to get PT testing done and treat vaccinate all the same time.
Well I bit the bullet. I went up to look at a car I thought I wanted. It wasn't at all what they said it was and wasn't running right, and wasn't all wheel drive like they said. Thank Goodness DH was with me and checked it out because they were swearing it was AWD. I wouldn't have even known what to look for.
So I was so let down that we drove on over to Platt City, MO and I ended up spending twice as much and bought the same model a year older but in perfect condition. It has every thing I could ever want. Even has a built in DVD player for the back seats...not that I think I will ever use that unless I have a grandchild with me. It doesn't have a back up cam which I really really need though. DH said he can install one for me. It is very difficult to see out of the back and since I can't turn my neck like a normal person I am really blind. That is the only complaint I have about it. That and the cost of filling up the gas tank. I am used to a 13 gallon gas tank. This one has a 25 gallon tank. Ouch!
So I had to dip into my house/work account to cover the costs. I hated to do that. I still have to pay taxes since it was out of state and that will be another grand plus tags etc. I am going to have to tighten my spending up over the next few months and concentrate on replacing that money into that account.
It's not a new car but it's new to me. I don't drive all that much so hopefully it will last me a few years.
I have several people coming this weekend if they show, to buy dogs. I sure hope to get most of them sold. I am so sick of all the dog poo and the expense.
I've got some chicks hatching today....slowly. Some more of my own but they should be purebred.
Karen I was laughing myself silly reading your post.

 

[chicken danz]

I talked to Tweety a week or two ago. She said nothing had changed and that he only hope was the pain pump now. Sure hope all that went well. I haven't seen any new posts on facebook but I haven't been looking much.

 

[JosieChick]

Awwww!! Congratualtions, what a doll!

Hi all! I've been following along all week but haven't had time to post. My daughter had her baby, and he is just perfect. He weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and we 3 weeks early. He didn't have any trouble though.





Hawkeye, was it you that posted a link about infectious coryza? That sure does sound like what it was, now I have seemingly well chicks that really still shouldn't be around the others. On the link it talked about gram staining and I'm going to go ahead and get the supplies and put my microscope to use if it shows up again. Danz, is there conflicting information it being a tropical disease? I have a pic of the silkie when she was sick.




Of course this poor chick could be a boy for all I know but I tied the fuzz back with a pink doggie bow to keep if from sticking to it's beak and covering the nostrils. This chick doesn't look anything like this now either. You couldn't tell anything ever happened. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing my new chicks.

Hawkeye, I've been following along about cloth diapering and such. I didn't even think about being that particular about the laundry soap. I marked those links and my daughter and I were talking about cloth diapering. If you don't mind, I'd like to check out your Etsy shop. I was cracking up as you went from one subject to the next, praise team, coyotes, guns, cloth diapering, it was funny. Was it you that mentioned crocheting a fox hat that you got the pattern from Etsy? Check out my FB page, my daughter is wearing one. My sister made the hats the kids are wearing. It's not a great pic, but it's so typical of my kids at home. It came out so cute and it's her favorite hat. She is always wearing it.


Josie, I can't believe you are still doing so much. I hope you don't work too hard this weekend, it's really time for things to start slowing down for you.
I am slowing down just by the nature of my situation! I just boss everyone around more now!

I saw tweety last week during the awful snow storms. Our neighborhood was practically impassible and they were trying to get back home through the snow. She finally made it with some help from neighbors. She was going into the hospital early the next morning for the pain pump. Hopefully that will help.

Josie, I just had a person write me and ask about a sick bird. To me it sounds like Mereks. I asked her to send me a picture. She buys birds from me about once a year for her kids to show in 4H and was planning to come down to buy some. I told her I couldn't let her on my property unless she would guarantee me the shoes she and her children were wearing were ones that she hadn't worn to her chicken coop.
Let me get this right? Wouldn't all of her birds in that coop be likely to get Mereks if that is what this hen has? I hate to be a be-atch about it but I don't even feel right selling her birds if that is the case. I just got my Merek's vaccine but of course haven't had time to treat any of my birds yet. I was wanting to get PT testing done and treat vaccinate all the same time.
Almost ALL birds will be exposed to Mareks disease at some point in their life. Most of them are very young at the time of exposure (this is why vaccinating adult birds isn't that effective) and develop immunity. Some birds are exposed and for whatever reason they don't develop a correct immune response. So they harbor the disease until they have a flare up or the disease progresses to the point that it effects the bird physically. Most birds that succumb to mareks are young, under a year of age, but not all.
If Mareks is in her flock, all of her birds have already been exposed. Most likely all of your birds have been exposed at some point in time or another too. She just happens to have a bird that didn't develop immunity properly and is symptomatic. Wild birds carry Mareks disease and it is shed in the feather follicles of birds that are infected. So most birds are exposed at some point.
It makes sense that she would have a "flare up" bird right now. The conditions are good for Mareks. It has been damp out and birds have been cooped up in close quarters. Dry, moving air and birds having space and not being stressed is what keeps it at bay.
I would just let her know that if she buys adult birds that there is a risk they may be exposed by nature of the disease and that it is in her coop. She can combat this by culling birds that get sick, spraying with oxine once a day (roosts, walls, nest boxes) and making sure her coops are well ventilated, dry and her birds have plenty of space and are not stressed.
If she buys chicks they really should be vaccinated as day olds and kept separate from any adult birds for 10 days minimum to reduce exposure while they build immunity. This means no sharing food/water containers, changing clothes/shoes/washing hands. Not using any of the same supplies that are used in the adult birds coops.
So long story short, I wouldn't feel any less inclined to sell her birds than anyone else. I would just take the opportunity to educate her on how to prevent this problem from becoming worse in her flock. She could vaccinate the adult birds but it probably won't do much because they have probably already been exposed. She should separate and vaccinate day old chicks though. That will go a long way in getting her flock healthy. But even vaccination isn't 100% effective so some birds that are vaccinated can also become ill just due to the nature of vaccination/immunity to disease.
Well I bit the bullet. I went up to look at a car I thought I wanted. It wasn't at all what they said it was and wasn't running right, and wasn't all wheel drive like they said. Thank Goodness DH was with me and checked it out because they were swearing it was AWD. I wouldn't have even known what to look for.
So I was so let down that we drove on over to Platt City, MO and I ended up spending twice as much and bought the same model a year older but in perfect condition. It has every thing I could ever want. Even has a built in DVD player for the back seats...not that I think I will ever use that unless I have a grandchild with me. It doesn't have a back up cam which I really really need though. DH said he can install one for me. It is very difficult to see out of the back and since I can't turn my neck like a normal person I am really blind. That is the only complaint I have about it. That and the cost of filling up the gas tank. I am used to a 13 gallon gas tank. This one has a 25 gallon tank. Ouch!
So I had to dip into my house/work account to cover the costs. I hated to do that. I still have to pay taxes since it was out of state and that will be another grand plus tags etc. I am going to have to tighten my spending up over the next few months and concentrate on replacing that money into that account.
It's not a new car but it's new to me. I don't drive all that much so hopefully it will last me a few years.
I have several people coming this weekend if they show, to buy dogs. I sure hope to get most of them sold. I am so sick of all the dog poo and the expense.
I've got some chicks hatching today....slowly. Some more of my own but they should be purebred.
Karen I was laughing myself silly reading your post.

Glad you got a new to you car! Congrats.

Yeah! The sun is out! It is still kinda cold but at least it is trying to warm up! Melt snow, melt! Horses are moving next Saturday. I hate moving animals, I am such a stress ball about it. I need to get in gear today and get everyone set up so I can make a run down to Towanda. We are working on horse fence tomorrow and I told DH that basically means that he and is parents are working on horse fence and I am watching and doing something less physically challenging. I am tired! And getting big! This baby does not like getting hauled around to do all this hard work and my tummy starts to tug sometimes and I just say somebody else has to do it!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Mommahen- congrats. He is perfect, what a precious baby.
I am happy to see the sunshine and so ready to have this snow melted so that I can clean out my run and grow out coop, everything is such a mess out there.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, congrats on the car. Isn't it a relief to have that out of the way though and you can quit looking at ads trying to read between the lines?

Mommahen, congrats on your new grandbaby!

I had one bird that I think had Mareks and none of the others ever got it. She was hatched by my first broody hen along with 6 others, and she was as normal as they were until she was 15 weeks of age. At that point she started walking a little funny and from that point on, it got progressively worse until that one leg was paralyzed and then the second started to show signs of going the same way. I culled her at that point as she was having difficulty getting around, getting to feed etc, and no way could she get up onto the roost. She hatched in August so I guess this would have been around November/December that she became symptomatic. I never had her tested so I'll never know for sure but from what I read at the time, it was classic Mareks. Since she was raised with six other chicks who never showed the same symptoms, and nor did any other bird in my flock, I can only assume she had a compromised immune system, since their exposure must all have been about equal but she is the only one to succumb. Is that possible Josie?