Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Chickies, I hope your hen can pass the yarn, I wouldn't know what else to do either except hope it comes through if you can't pull it out.

Hawkeye & HEChicken, I did plan to put plexiglass in the front windows, it just didn't get done & now that it's so close to warmer weather I think I'll just wait now until the fall again & get some. There is hardware cloth on the windows, you just can't see it because of the plastic showing through. We had decided to just put it on the outside by taking that frame off & screwing it down with the screws holding the frame. That way it would be easy enough to remove when it got warmer. I never thought of using glass, but I think I would rather deal with the plexiglass rather than the heavy glass.

Thanks everyone for the compliments on my pens. I'm a bit of a perfectionist & I can see all the flaws, but I did the best I could with the materials I had & the budget. They're functional & that's the most important thing. The Cream Legbars & Swedish Flower Hens are still trying to adjust to having a coop to go in. You would think they would be thrilled, but they kind of freaked out over it. One little pullet tries to roost in the outside window frame every night, I have to retrieve her & put her in the coop, silly bird. The roosters seem the most impressed with the outside pen & are the first to come out the door when I open it. I'm having a hard time getting some of the pullets to come out now that they're in the building. It's either they won't go in or they won't come out. They have to come outside now to get to the water, so I hope they come out when I'm not out there.

I'm impressed with the photos of the chicken operation, wow that is some poultry farm! I can't even imagine having that many birds. I was going to get some of those barred rocks, but my budget wouldn't allow it right now. I'm picking up another pair of Cream Legbars next week & my little doeling, so that takes all I have & more.

It's supposed to be 72 today & tomorrow, wow I will take that, it's about 57 here right now. It's supposed to rain Sat. & then be back to the 40s for two days, ugh that is going to be hard after 70s. I have to go pick up some pallets today in Arkansas City. I'm going to use them for building my goat shelter. It's just going to have 3 sides & I have some of that corrugated roofing left from my new coop I thought I would use for the top if I have enough. The shelter is only going to be 4 ft tall, so surely they won't tax me since I can't stand up in it.

 

[Hawkeye95]

HE-- that is a HUGE egg!!

Trish, yeah, the place was really neat! I got 4 chicks from him. I thought his prices were VERY reasonable considering the quality of his birds. He said his head rooster would be no less than $300. But that boy was stunning!!

Took some pictures of my new barred rock babies from the expedition we went on. What do you all think??? I think I have two girls in there. Other than that.... I wonder what the others are. Anyone want to take a stab at what they are? I can go take better close-ups, too.







and then this one is just cute because it shows the set up.... This is actually my silkie brooder set up. I don't think these barred rocks are going to last much longer in that brooder! LOL

 

[michelleml]

Hechicken thats a huge egg poor girl. Love your marans egg it's beautiful

 

[Hawkeye95]

Oh, I almost forgot, I took a picture of my rosecombs out side yesterday! They really enjoyed it.

BTW--- is this a metal cage or wood??? I LOVE it!!!!!!!! I want one! hahaha

 

[chicken danz]

Dang it. I just lost a long post.
Jeanniec, congrats on a great hatch. I am so happy they hatched well for you. I think that was an excellent hatch rate. Thank you so much for trusting me...and my chickens of course!! You obviously know what to do to hatch as well.
Cheocukan, those look like the cages I saw at Ivy's. Did you manage to talk her out of them when she sold her birds? Her's were so nice. I wondered what she did with them.
Hechicken and Hawkeye, thanks so much for the pictures. Talk about

I wish I could have gone with you and I wish I had a set up like Franks. Wow! How nice to have every thing automated. Maybe when I go there in a couple of weeks I could talk my DH into going with me and try to get some ideas in his head. He is pretty ingenuitive about designing things. If I could get everything automated it would sure make him happy. I didn't notice a watering system. What kind of waterers does he have? I bought some very expensive automatic waterers for my chicken trailer but of course I don't have them installed yet. I wonder what the big operations use.
You didn't mention his hatching set up or brooder set up. I wondered if you saw that. That would be a huge interest of mine.
I can't wait to go out there but I know it would have been a lot more fun with you gals.
When I was at the hospital today the nurse getting me ready asked me what I did when I wasn't at the hospital. I told her I raise chickens. She said she asks everyone who comes in that question and I was the first person who had ever given that answer.
Hawkeye I have a problem with these craigslist people who are supposed to show up. I have gotten pretty stubborn about giving out my address until they have made an appointment. Then if they don't show up I don't feel free to leave because I am afraid they will just show up and take what they want instead of buying from me. Since I had some birds stolen last year I am that much more nervous about it.
I really really need a windfall or something so I can build buildings and put up fences around here.
So I did some searching and found the fiber plastic panels I wanted to use for the roof on my hoop coop had gone way up in price the last couple of months. So now I am back to trying to decide what to use. I bought a big tarp to get by but will probably have a custom tarp made so I have more grommets to tie it down with. Before I build my double hoop coop I'd sure like to come up with something more permanent for it. I don't want to have to replace it in a year or every time the wind blows hard.

 

[michelleml]

So far the chicks are doing good from what I can tell. I'm using the ecogrow 20 this time around and they are quite. They come out and go back under they are so cute. Are they usually this quite in the beginning?

 

[Trish44]

HE-- that is a HUGE egg!!

Trish, yeah, the place was really neat! I got 4 chicks from him. I thought his prices were VERY reasonable considering the quality of his birds. He said his head rooster would be no less than $300. But that boy was stunning!!

Took some pictures of my new barred rock babies from the expedition we went on. What do you all think??? I think I have two girls in there. Other than that.... I wonder what the others are. Anyone want to take a stab at what they are? I can go take better close-ups, too.







and then this one is just cute because it shows the set up.... This is actually my silkie brooder set up. I don't think these barred rocks are going to last much longer in that brooder! LOL

My guess Hawkeye is that you have two of each in there, we'll see if I'm right. Thanks for posting all of those pics of Franks's place & you too HEChicken! Wow, I wish I could have gone with you, that was some operation!

Well I was so mad today, I got all ready to go pick up the pallets I had made arrangements to get & couldn't find the truck keys. I figured my DH had them on his key ring, but he said he didn't, so now I have to figure out where I left them. So since I couldn't go get the pallets I figured I shouldn't waste the warm afternoon & went out & mucked out the pen where I had moved the Cream Legbars & SFH out of. It was muddy & nasty in there & it just stunk, so it wasn't a pleasant job. I got it done though & put fresh cattails in there, cleaned out the nest box, & got fresh water. I had to go catch my black Ameraucana rooster that has been hanging out in a temporary pen waiting for me to move my other birds & took him out to his new pen. Then I caught my two Lavender Ameraucana hens & put them in with him. He was one happy rooster in a much bigger pen & with new girlfriends to boot! He did a dance for them when I put them in there. They seemed to be doing OK together. I left the original black Ameraucana rooster in the pen he was in with his black hen. Karen, that is where I need the other black hen so I have a trio in there. Now if these two lavender girls will just start laying again, that would make me very happy.

Well my DH saw the goat pen today, I have been waiting for it. I didn't think it would be very long before he saw it down there & asked about it. I was surprised that when I told him what it was for after he asked me that he didn't throw a big fit. He just said I hadn't discussed it with him, but he couldn't deny we had been already talking about getting them before. He didn't seem upset really at all, so I was relieved since I already have one & will be picking up the other one next Weds. I can't wait to get them both here & take pics of them, they're both adorable!

I have gotten a Cream Legbar egg two days in a row, I'm so excited! I'm getting a new rooster & another pullet next week too, so I will have another line.

 

[Frizzled Pink]

Hey, I'm putting in my first batch Saturday!

I have an ecoglow 50 and you can adjust the legs separately so it can be low on one end and high on the other. Sorry to butt in but there ya go.


Checoukan, nice!

Thanks for the info Deerfield

all five chicks are doing great so far. They are pecking on each other, climbing over one another.

Yeah!, its so fun having babies-

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Yesterday's trip was just a blast and I wish everyone could have gone with us! I'll have to take the 15 passenger next time and we'll all go! I hope there will be room for us and all the birds we bring back! It was just fabulous being able to learn what to watch for in the Barred Rocks from someone who raises the best Barred Rocks in the country.

Today I was gone all day again. I had a shopping trip planned with a scrapbooking buddy -- partially buying for back to school clothing already. So we shopped, ate out, picked up all the supplies she needed for making laundry soap and then went to her house and I showed her how easy it was. We had a blast and she was so happy with her soap that she made herself. I had given her a bottle of mine to try because she has a little one with severe allergies and I thought it might work well for him but wasn't sure. It worked great so now she's all set.

I dashed home, said hi to the birds and my new Frank Reese chicks who are lounging around with Teresa's Wheaten Ameraucana's and the 3 little hatchery Speckled Sussex, then the kids got home. Then, I had to go pick up the girls from track, brought them home, ate and had to run out to get them new track outfits and make an Atwood's run. I got home at 8:30, arbitrated a few disputes, exchanged a few pleasantries with the hubs and am now bushed!

I had plans for tomorrow that haven't panned out and I'm actually relieved. I just want to stay home and spend some time with my chickens and yappy dogs and catch up on everything I missed here!

Danz, I'm so thrilled everything turned out so well for you. What a relief!

 

[mrsdanamiller]

Here's a really good video about some birds on a remote island eating plastic stuff and other trash. It's so sad. Really makes you think about what people are doing to the world.....and makes me wonder whether I should even put chickens into my backyard!! Blah, I have a big job ahead of me. Link:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=377714522327361

Not to disagree with Danz, but.,...

I would say if you are worried, pick everything you can find up. You can get a big magnet on a pole or even on wheels from a home improvement store and go around hunting for metal treasures. I did this after construction on our horse run in and you wouldn't believe all the screws and nails I found! I wouldn't think a bird would be dumb enough to eat a nail but they are. The lady I bought my brahmas from had a friend who lost a very expensive young roo who became ill and died suddenly. She sent him to K State for necropsy and they opened him up and found several nails and screws in his crop that had pierced through and he became septic and died because of it. So freaky things happen.

Oh Josie that looks great. I honestly never thought about the chickens eating screws. I stand corrected. I do have a magnet I use where I work to pick up excess hardware because I drop more than I use. But I was doing it cause the darned hardware is so expensive. I agree they do like shiny things...like my bullet casing.
Okay I'll retract what I said. But please watch the stuff that strings. That honestly has been my problem here.

I saw picture of a necropsy just a couple days ago that was kind of shocking-- they opened up the crop and there were nails and staples and shiny metal pieces in there! I'm assuming that is how the bird died.

^ all above people: Is it harmful for chickens to eat dog poo? Because my dog leaves bombs around our yard regularly

It feels like there could be a far sized wad in her crop along with some food. I have pulled on it several times with what I think is reasonable force. It will come out a couple of inches and them go back. She does not like to be handled, so fights everything. I am thinking I may not have a choice but to cut it and hope for the best. Once I cut it off, there is no chance at all to pull it out.

I hope it all turns out all right I would be super sad if that happened to one of my chickens!!