Consolidated Kansas

[cubbysan]

You guys are making me jealous with all the talk of rain/snow. The most recent snow that central and eastern KS got that was like 1 1/2 feet between the two storms.. we got like 6 inches from the first one and totally missed out on the 2nd one... It is SO DRY out here still... The grass is still very brown. I'm worried that we're not going to have any grass in the yard this year because the ducks, geese, and dogs have trampled everything pretty badly. If we don't get any rain, we won't have any grass in the pasture for the horses either. My DH and I are hoping to get a couple of calves this year but we won't be able to if we don't have the grass to support the extra livestock.

The forecast is calling for around a foot of snow here this weekend with blizzard-like conditions. As strange as it may sound to the rest of you, I really hope we get it. We REALLY need it. My biggest concern though is that this weekend is the end of spring break for a lot of folks and the beginning of it for others... There will likely be A LOT of people planning to be on the roads when the weather is not looking good for travel... I am not looking forward to being snowed in (my DH has to take the 4x4 pickup to work - he works midnights this weekend in THIS weather - ugh!), but I am looking forward to at least having internet this time around! The last time we got lots of snow was right in the middle of the 2 weeks my internet was down.

On a good note, we got .14" of rain last night about bedtime. I fell asleep to the sound of rain last night for the first time in what seems like a REALLY long time (about a year). Sadly, it was barely enough to even wet the dirt, but I'm not going to complain. I'll take any moisture we can get right now.

Wow, I didn't realize there were places in Kansas that have not been getting all the precipitation we have been getting up near Kansas City. My grass actually started greening up last week. Between all the storms, we must have gotten close to 30 inches this winter. My kids had 7 snow days. All the huge earthquake looking cracks in my yard have closed, and so much of it is mud. Hopefully this has helped the drought here. I'll send you some snow dances to your area.

I don't mind storms on the weekend, because then we can stay home if need be. Just looking very forward to the spring getting here. I get so nervous every morning when I go into the garage to check the baby chicks. Always afraid the if one of the heat lamps for some reason goes out, the garage is too cold to keep them warm. I have been known to get up at 3 in the morning just to check up on them.

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye I would really hate you to leave but after living in OKC for some time and having my sons there I still consider myself an Okie. People really are warm and friendly there. I had the greatest neighborhood of people that came from all over the U.S. We used to have great get togethers. When I moved back to Kansas I couldn't believe how distant people were. I lived in the same house in Council Grove for over 20 years and never went to a neighbor's house for coffee. But in OKC it was at least a weekly thing. We used to have cookouts and celebrate each others' birthdays etc etc. I am sure things are different now but I loved that city. There were areas near me within the city limits that were still farmed and even though we had the best convenience of every thing around it was like living in small town America the way it used to be. The only criticism I had for the area is the school systems lacked a lot. Anyone who could afford it had their kids in private schools. Maybe over time that has improved some.
I was going to buy a young turkey Tom but Frank sold me one that was about 18 months because he was an experienced breeder. He is a really pretty boy. He is out there showing his stuff right now. He must have not liked the camera!!! I should sneak out and catch him while he is courting.
Okay just did.




Trish I wish I could get a good deal like that on cattle panels. I still think it would be awesome to build a whole string of hoop coops tied together. I'm kind of planning that in my mind but don't know if it is executable or not.
I am pretty sad right now. I brought my feeding buddy in the house while ago. I am afraid he is on his last leg. He was still eating yesterday; but I mixed him up some feed, water, corn oil, and sugar to try to give him some energy and he won't eat at all. He is just sitting there. Makes me tear up. Poor guy. I gave him a shot of tylan cause I noticed yesterday he had some mucus when he was trying to eat. He isn't sneezing or anything but the mucus was present after he started eating. I'm afraid it is too late to help at all. I wish I knew what to do to save him. Why the heck do I do this to myself and get attached to these chickens?
At least he knows he is loved!
I need to go out and gather eggs. It is misting out there but sitting just above freezing right now.
I love the moisture Pikeman but would rather see it with some warmer temps. It's too late to be getting this kind of weather.

 

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, I hate that you have to move, it's just a really tough job market out there right now. Since your DH has been in the aircraft industry & they're not doing well it makes it hard. I know other people whose hubbys were laid off last year. I know what you mean about not being able to wrap your head around moving. I have been in Kansas all my life, I have moved towns a couple times, but never left the state to live. I would feel strange doing that too. My son really likes it in OKC, he says there is so much more to do there than here & he likes the nightlife too. He always wanted to leave Kansas & was glad when he did, but I don't feel that way. His daughter is here though.

It's so cold outside here today, brrrrr! It's not raining or anything here right now anyway. I went out & let my chickens out today, all but one are doing fine. She still has goopy eyes & it's the little lavender Orp hen. I got her to take a big drink of the fresh Tylan water I took out, so maybe she will get enough to help her kick this. I think I'll go out again this evening & spray the coop again with oxine just as a precaution. checoukan I don't know if I have heard of the neomed before, where did you get it? I try to keep several antibiotics on hand just in case.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Wow, I didn't realize there were places in Kansas that have not been getting all the precipitation we have been getting up near Kansas City. My grass actually started greening up last week. Between all the storms, we must have gotten close to 30 inches this winter. My kids had 7 snow days. All the huge earthquake looking cracks in my yard have closed, and so much of it is mud. Hopefully this has helped the drought here. I'll send you some snow dances to your area.

I don't mind storms on the weekend, because then we can stay home if need be. Just looking very forward to the spring getting here. I get so nervous every morning when I go into the garage to check the baby chicks. Always afraid the if one of the heat lamps for some reason goes out, the garage is too cold to keep them warm. I have been known to get up at 3 in the morning just to check up on them.

I am up in extreme Northwest Kansas (roughly 30 minutes' drive from both CO and NE state lines). We have been really frustrated recently because A LOT of the storms that the rest of the state has gotten have either formed over us and moved Eastward or simply just gone around us. Not too long ago, we got four inches of snow while a town a couple hours farther east got a LOT more. GRRR! Mud is something we haven't really seen here in about a year. The last good rains we got were last spring - the same time that the county decided to clean out the ditches and use the dirt to build up the roads. The road both directions from our house were dirt/mud. We had to park the cars 1/2 a mile away and walk so we could get out of the driveway. Since the county put gravel back on the roads, we've gotten well below average rain/snowfall. Go figure!

 

[checoukan]

Trish~~ get the neomed 325 from the vet. It is a powder, and comes in a envelope type package.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Danz, that's a great shot of that beautiful boy!

I'm all for the rain, just not the cold temps. I'm dying to get outside and do some yardwork.

 

[Trish44]

Trish~~ get the neomed 325 from the vet. It is a powder, and comes in a envelope type package.

Oh OK, that's why I hadn't heard of it. What is it specifically for?

 

[sharol]

Completely off topic:

On my way to Topeka a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a bridge in the middle of a pasture just east of the turnpike at about the Osage county line (just north of the county line, I think). The picture was taken from the turnpike. Does anyone know anything about it? It appears to be on pilings out in the middle of nowhere. If you click on the picture it will get bigger (but not clearer).

 

[sharol]

Just an update (I took pictures today):

This is Scout. She is the hen that had no use of her leg last fall. I came really close to euthanizing her, and then decided to give her a chance to heal. She is back to normal (from not being able to get around at all) and back in her head hen position. Campines aren't supposed to lay a lot of eggs, but I get 4-5 a week from her and she is almost 3 years old.




Lily lost most of the feathers around her neck a year ago to our dachshund. She finally has all her feathers back after a really hard molt over the winter. She also has completely (I hope) recovered from a nasty case of bumblefoot. She is an EE and lays nearly every day. She is, without a doubt, my most reliable layer. I think she is beautiful.




Butch is fighting bumblefoot right now (I think that is what it is, but there isn't any pus). He's lookin' good though.

 

[Trish44]

Well it's official, I've gone chick crazy. I went back to Orschelyn's this evening to get the chicks I went for yesterday that hadn't come in. I ended up with a lot more than I went for. What I did find though in addition to the ones I went for was some California White chicks. I have been wanting some of those because I read that they're even better layers than the leghorns. I have never seen anybody have them in the stores, so that to me was worth the extra drive. I'm figuring nobody around here will even know what they are unless they're like me & read about them. I did find the breeds I went for & also found hidden in the rainbow bin one lone little Welsummer pullet, so I grabbed her too. Those are just random breeds they have extra, so they put them in there & call them something fancy so people will buy them. I was kind of pleasantly surprised though to find that little pullet in there. I've got enough new chicks now in my brooder in the house to have a whole new flock. I got a little carried away, but I figure some of my hens are aging & the way I've been losing them this winter with the illnesses & earlier on the predator I will need some to fill in with. Who can have too many little fuzzy butts anyway? If I decide later I have too many I can always sell them. I went by my grand daughter's house on the way back to drop off some money my son had sent & everybody had to go out & see the baby chicks before I left.

My grand daughter is having some heart issues that the Drs. are trying to figure out right now. She just went to see a pediatric Cardiologist & they have her on a heart monitor. Those new monitors are really fancy these days. The one she has not only transmits to the Dr's office, but has a phone that calls her mom's cell & the Dr's office if she has a problem. How cool is that! I sure hope they find out what her problem is. She had a strange virus & had fluid around her heart & some pleurisy type pain in her lung & this heart thing started. She first had some irregular heartbeat issues & now is having tachycardia. It even beats too fast when she's sleeping. My heart issues also started after having a virus, but I was an adult then. I hate it that she has to deal with this at the age of 8.