Consolidated Kansas

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

HEChicken - glad you got the babies moved and found the one that dropped out from under mom. When I move a hen with chicks under her, I spread her wings out as I pick her up so any chicks will drop before we get away from the nest. That happens a lot. I think they just press up against her so they are not held in place except by their standing on tip toes. Sometimes a chick will get caught in the hens feathers also, especially if the hen has fluffy feathers or feathered feet. Then the chick can get lost or stomped on or whatever. One cochin hen never seemed to realize what the problem was and her stomping around put the chick in more danger.

 

[chicken danz]

I lost my connection so I lost my multis. I'm going to have to try to remember what everyone wrote.
Welcome Thepinkcoop! Join in. Do you really have a pink coop?
Hechicken I do mark my eggs with the date they go into the hatcher. The problem was I was marking chicken eggs, turkey eggs, guinea eggs, pheasant eggs, and duck eggs all the same time. Needless to say I got a chicken date on a couple of duck eggs. I usually set several trays at a time and it gets confusing some times. For as lousy as my hatches have been going lately I guess it hasn't mattered that much. I have totally lost my touch.
I have the hatcher empty and ready to load for hatches today. I am just watching humidity right now to see how it does. I opened up some air ports and lost humidity in the process so I am trying to peak it back up there some.
I don't know what the rest of you are getting but we had driving rain all night. And it is still raining and blowing like wild. It's sitting right at 33 degrees right now so at least we aren't getting snow. If this was all snow we'd have 15 inches of the stuff and blizzard conditions. Looks like just to the west of us it is snowing.
I was gone for the afternoon yesterday I delivered some birds on the way to Emporia and at Emporia. Then I went to Walmart and spent a fortune. Then to Bluestem and spent another $100 on some starter feed and dog food. I am sure glad I don't have to buy all my feed in bags. Ouch!!! I was going to buy some lumber to start my hoop coop but decided to wait. DH is going to go to Ottawa to pick up some kennel panels later so I will just get my lumber then. I noticed that Sutherlands is having a 20% off sale so I guess I could wait until Saturday and save even more. I really want to get busy on this next hoop coop though.
I have been burning through some major money lately that I don't have to spare. I hope before long though I get things settled and get my breeding groups figured out.
Last I saw our little area here was still in extreme. It's only a small section here in the middle of no where in east central Kansas. 40 miles in all directions things have improved. However we have gotten some moisture lately and this rain last night and this morning should help. The problem is here it is all clay and runs straight to the creeks. It just sits on top of the ground until it runs off or evaporates. I hate it.
I have some indoor projects to complete today so I'm afraid the birds aren't going to get a lot of attention outside. I hope they are all okay in this weather. Most of them are holed up in their coops....except the ducks who are out playing in the ditches ....on the other side of the road. Come on fencing guy!!!! Hurry up!

 

[sharol]

It is 30 degrees and spitting sleet here near Admire. I was out putting straw on the peas (again) and onions and covering the peonies about 8, and it was 31 then, so the temp is dropping. We still need more moisture, but I would rather it was liquid.

This had BETTER be the last cold snap.

 

[chicken danz]

How many times since January have I complained about this weather. Apparently my complaints are getting me no where!!!!

I just don't do cold! I need to get birds outside. My house is totally nasty. I guess my only redeeming grace is I've been too busy to get the garden in...so I don't have to worry about that.
Maidenwolf do you grow any of your own herbs? I think that would be a great project for you that you could do with limited space and effort. I have trouble gardening cause it is too hard on my back, but herbs can be grown in pots and stuff off the ground. Just an idea I thought of for you. I know lots of places have some really cheap seed. Like dollar general has it for 3 packs for a dollar. I've seen some places with 10 for a dollar but haven't seen any yet this year.

 

[lizzyGSR]

7.5" of snow? Holy cow! The forecase I saw was 1"-3" for NW Kansas and you got 7.5" so far. I always wonder if the weather will be too cold for the horses because there are a lot of horse around my area and I see them outside 24/7, doesn't matter rain or snow. You are right about this crazy weather; Spring one day and Winter the next. We are definitely in Kansas.

Kuan

Actually, from what I understand, horses handle the cold way better than they handle the heat. Their winter coats are usually thick enough that the moisture doesn't soak them to the skin. However, my horses have been shedding their winter coats for weeks now, which means their fur isn't as thick and therefore it is easier for them to get "soaked to the bone". I threw some blankets on them and made sure to give them plenty of hay. It didn't take long for them to warm up after that.

Actually all of Kansas is still in some level of Drought Condition as of last Thursday. Thursdays are when the drought conditions are updated. A very small portion of eastern Kansas is in "D0" or Drought Condition 0; Abnormally Dry.
Almost the entire western half of the state is D3(Extreme) and almost half of that D4(Exceptional - the worst condition).
Soil moisture is still low across the state!
The rain we have been getting here seems to be coming well, some rain, then time off to soak in, then more rain about the time the surface dries up.
Creeks are running and Ponds are full again!

Roosters forecast - Its going to be a great year!

Agriculture lives and dies by rain!

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the rest of KS wasn't still suffering from drought. Here in western KS, we have only gotten .13" of rain this "spring". We've gotten a little bit of snow (the snow we got today was equivalent to 1/2" of rain - more moisture than we've had since that big snow storm a month or so ago). Every little bit helps, but we are still hurting desperately for moisture. We still don't have any ponds or creeks to speak of, and the grass has only barely started to turn green due to lack of moisture. It just seems to me like the rest of KS is getting a LOT more moisture than we are. That is normal, but it is hard because we need it so badly out here.

It is 30 degrees and spitting sleet here near Admire. I was out putting straw on the peas (again) and onions and covering the peonies about 8, and it was 31 then, so the temp is dropping. We still need more moisture, but I would rather it was liquid.

This had BETTER be the last cold snap.

Our high yesterday was about 50 degrees. WE hit that yesterday morning, and the temps started dropping yesterday afternoon. By yesterday at 8pm, the snow was starting to stick, despite ground temperatures being above freezing. I agree with you, it would be really nice if this were the last super cold snap. However, I have been consoling myself by saying that at least this cold weather makes it so that it is that much longer before the rattlesnakes come out for the season. Last year, my husband killed the first rattlesnake in early May. Hopefully, this cold weather will keep them in hiding for longer this year.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I've got a question about my embden geese. I got them last fall from some neighbors. The wife said that she thought they were giving me one gander and one goose. The husband said he thought there were two geese. Just watching them, I had been leaning towards one of each because one of them seems to be more protective than the other. However, this morning, I caught them both laying on a nest and there were two eggs in the nest. There was one day recently that I didn't get an egg, so it is possible that the "extra egg" this morning was one I missed earlier in the week, but I thought I looked pretty thoroughly for eggs, so I have doubt about whether both eggs were laid today or not.

My question is, will a gander share a nest with the goose? The "nest" is in an extra large dog cage with straw (and a tarp to keep it warm/dry) so it is kind of small for two geese to sit side-by-side, but they were doing just that. What do you think? Goose and gander or two geese?

 

[chicken danz]

Lizzy I'd just watch them for awhile. I've seen the ganders sit with the hens in their shelter from time to time but they never stay. If you get two eggs again I would guess for sure you have two geese though. I thought I had a lot more girls than I do but when breeding season got full swing I had about 3 extra boys.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Good news: we are getting some rain.

Bad news: we are getting some rain.

I went upstairs to make a cup of tea around 8pm and with shock, looked out to see my backyard is a lake. I put on a coat and ran down to check on the birds and found the lake extended to inside my hoop coop. The Aloha hen, under her dog house (top only) was still dry but I worried if we got any more rain, that wouldn't be the case, so I stuffed chicks and poults into my coat, picked up a grumpy hen, with two more chicks tucked under wings, and carried them all to the main coop. Inside, I got them settled, pulled all the babies out of my coat and was getting ready to go check on Mama Silkie when I heard a plaintive "peep-peep-peep". I turned my coat inside out thinking I had one still in there somewhere but the peeping continued. Then it occurred to me to look outside and there was a lone chick, in standing water, getting rained on and NOT happy about it. I think it must have been one of the ones under her wing and when I juggled everything to open the coop door, it fell out. Fortunately tucking it under Mama Hen made everyone happy again.

Poor Mama Silkie was getting wet too so she and her chicks were also moved to the main coop. Now I'm sitting here worrying about where I'm going to put them in the morning. I don't feel these chicks are really ready to be at the mercy of the rest of the flock yet but if the water hasn't receded by tomorrow, I don't know what other option I have. I won't sleep tonight for worrying about it all. On the other hand, I'm glad everyone is safe and dry tonight.

Mid-afternoon I went to check on everyone and found a poult lying stiff and cold in the hoop coop. It was the last to hatch and therefore still the weakest and I think it just couldn't keep up with the hen and get back under her when she sat back down. It was already in rigor. I picked it up, messed around with a few other things, then looked at the poult in my hand and its eyes were open! I could not believe it - this poult was so stiff and cold I knew it had to be dead - it was even stretched out in that death pose. So I hurriedly tucked it back under the hen to warm it up but then worried that next time she gets up to move it would get left behind again, so I tucked it into my bra (whew - it really was cold) and left it there while I prepared dinner and waited for my home-built to warm up. I decided to let it stay in that overnight but had to get it warm enough first. As I moved around, I occasionally felt it move. After dinner I placed it in the incubator and several hours later, it was yelling its head off. I tucked it back into my chest and it was happy again. It stayed there until I had to go and rescue the birds and is now back in the incubator for the night. I am amazed by the will of this little bird to live, coming back from freezing like that. I'm also glad it was almost 70 degrees out today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much colder and I know it wouldn't have still been alive had this happened then.

I hope everyone - and their animals - is safe and dry tonight. We need the rain, but the rain also brings me lots of worry.

Wow! That's quite a deal. Here's another amazing chick story. I have had hatch days each Sunday. Yesterday, I had several eggs unhatched but there had been several unfortunate events with this particular hatch so I just chalked it up to poor management, unplugged the incubator and put the chicks in the brooder. This was early morning just after the kids left for school. I got busy and never got back to emptying and cleaning the styro bator. When my chicken loving son got home from school he went straight out to the craftroom to check out the new chicks. He saw I had set them up in their little brooder and had unplugged the incubator. He played with the chicks a bit and then decided to empty the incubator and get rid of the unhatched eggs (I know, he's a great kid, huh?). When he was taking out the unhatched eggs, he noticed that one was zipped along the bottom part of the egg where he couldn't see by just glancing in, then he heard peeping from another egg!!!!!!!!!!

Bear in mind these eggs had no heat all day! He quickly warmed the hatching chick under the heat lamp and put it and the egg in the brooder while he heated up the spare styro. He got a towel and put the newly hatched chick and the now pipped egg in it. Amazingly, the chick in the egg actually hatched over night and is hanging out with his other amazing chick buddy while they strengthen up a bit without any competition. I cannot believe how these two made it with no heat for at least 8 hours. Granted the craftroom is probably around 65 degrees when I'm not using it but wow!

Oh good! I was beginning to feel like the odd bird! West of Wichita here!

The good news is that all of us are odd so that makes us all normal! Hee hee. West, huh? I'm between Rose Hill and Derby, so not all that far from you.

 

[HEChicken]

Here's another amazing chick story. I have had hatch days each Sunday. Yesterday, I had several eggs unhatched but there had been several unfortunate events with this particular hatch so I just chalked it up to poor management, unplugged the incubator and put the chicks in the brooder. This was early morning just after the kids left for school. I got busy and never got back to emptying and cleaning the styro bator. When my chicken loving son got home from school he went straight out to the craftroom to check out the new chicks. He saw I had set them up in their little brooder and had unplugged the incubator. He played with the chicks a bit and then decided to empty the incubator and get rid of the unhatched eggs (I know, he's a great kid, huh?). When he was taking out the unhatched eggs, he noticed that one was zipped along the bottom part of the egg where he couldn't see by just glancing in, then he heard peeping from another egg!!!!!!!!!!

Bear in mind these eggs had no heat all day! He quickly warmed the hatching chick under the heat lamp and put it and the egg in the brooder while he heated up the spare styro. He got a towel and put the newly hatched chick and the now pipped egg in it. Amazingly, the chick in the egg actually hatched over night and is hanging out with his other amazing chick buddy while they strengthen up a bit without any competition. I cannot believe how these two made it with no heat for at least 8 hours. Granted the craftroom is probably around 65 degrees when I'm not using it but wow!

Wow. These eggs and chicks are so much more resilient than we give them credit for, aren't they? When I think of all the times we've stressed about some little thing and then they survive no heat for 8 hours and still hatch!

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Tweetybaby ~ THANK YOU!!! for mentioning ordering wire from Wayfair. I had never heard about them and need wire but have no way to get it home without paying for the store to deliver it. Even if I got a roll into the car (my farm truck) I don't know that I would be able to get it out by myself. Now I have a way to get it here, Yea!!