Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

I'm sorry about your rooster Danz, he's just beautiful, maybe he will show up.

I'm too tired to even try to respond to everyone. I got back home this evening & had to go out & do chores really double because I didn't have time this morning before I left to do a very good job. Hopefully they will be OK tomorrow since I got them fed & watered well tonight. All my chicks in the brooders needed water & my layers were out too. Gosh the cats were meowing at me & the goats were yelling & the chickens squawking, all wanting to be fed at the same time. Of course the guineas have to join in & make it all louder too.

I enjoyed the chickie pics, I'll have to get some later this week when I get a minute of the new ones I just hatched & my new little turkey that hatched this morning too, my first one. It was yelling at me from in the hatcher too because it had been in there alone all day. It's now in the brooder with all the chicks.

 

[chicken danz]

Good morning all. I've been up for awhile trying to get birds indoors fed and watered for the day. I sure hope this weekend I'll get some more moved outside. If the forecast is right it might actually happen.
My rooster is still gone. Even DH was very attached to him and bothered by his disappearance. I just said the other day if something happened to him I'd really have a problem keeping my enthusiasm about my birds. I just can't imagine where he could be. He was huge. Way too big for a air born predator to carry off. The dogs would never let a coyote or anything get close enough to nab him. Plus he always went to the coop and covered run at bed time. One of his girls is trying to be broody. I may take the eggs under her and hatch them just in case he mated her and they happen to be her eggs. It's just a reminder if I had all the breeds separated I'd already have some of his offspring. Of course I've sold some of them in the past but I don't have any here.
You'd think I'd get used to disappointments when it comes to chickens. But somehow you just never do.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Also the next time I do a project like that I am going to use different fabric. Not stuff that shreds as soon as you cut it and that is slimy and slick. I've had enough of that! And then I'm thinking the first time it is washed it will probably fall apart anyway.
I need to get it packaged up and mailed now before she outgrows it.
I didn't spend my normal hours out feeding. That weather was just brutal. I did what I needed to and the birds will have to get along until tomorrow afternoon.
At least with all the moisture no one will thirst to death.
Then I had to come in and clean bins and cages for all these critters I have in the house because of the crummy weather. I don't think I'll ever get rid of the dust or smells.

I have done a lot of costuming, believe it or not! (I've done a lot of 1920's vintage dresses for the local Model A club here) With fabrics that easily come unraveled, I cut out the pattern and then serge all around each piece. It's a LOT of work to do this, but it ensures that the fabric won't pull out at the seams when it's worn or washed. If you don't own a serger, another thing you can do is "roll" the fabric and slip stitch or zig zag around the pieces before you sew them together. The rolling technique is something that has been done with silks back a looooong time ago-- Victorian era, and likely before then, too. They would roll the fabric edges and slip stitches along the edge to maintain the roll to prepare it to sew. I'm thankful I have a serger and can "finish" the edges in very little time without any hand sewing. So, just some ideas for next time! Because those kinds of fabrics are just so much fun to wear for kids or other costumes, and it's a shame to avoid them because of how they unravel! And I agree, they are a mess to work with at times.

It was one very busy and tiring day. I got the rocks pulled out and then dug and transplanted iris here and there. I also tried to get rid of some of the weeds around them before I planted them. I swear since it was so dry last summer I didn't have to pull weeds and they have come back in full force where they aren't supposed to. So that took me a few hours. I hauled my aching body out back and fed and watered the birds. I did a good job today cause yesterday I was just trying to do the minimum to keep from freezing.
My fencing guy called back and he plans to be here Friday to set the posts. So I guess since I spent the afternoon working and left the big rocks in the driveway I am going to have to find a way to get them loaded on the tractor bucket and move them somewhere until the fencing is done. The price went up substantially for the job because of how I wanted the driveway done. I have to buy a gate or maybe two gates to go in our main drive. Then we have to make some kind of gate to go in the other drive that the farm equipment goes through. I plan to buy an electric gate opener so we can go in and out without getting out of the car. Another expense but it really is needed.
I've got to go buy wire and fence posts this weekend probably.
I feel like I've been run over by a truck.
My one very sad realization of the day is that King, my favorite chicken of all has disappeared. He and my Brahma rooster got in a terrible battle and both were very bloodied up. They had never fought before but I think since I sold so many hens it created some new competition. Anyway he is always in the driveway and always comes for special treats when I feed. I looked every where for him and couldn't find him. He never goes beyond a small area and he just isn't there and didn't come to the coop at bedtime. It breaks my heart. I sold all of my cochins but he and his two gold laced ladies and my black cochins. He was the most excellent rooster and so sweet and calm. It breaks my heart. Here is a picture I took of him probably last summer. It just breaks my heart.

GORGEOUS!!! I'm sooooo sorry about him! I wonder what happened? Have you walked across the road to the other side and the ditch to make sure he wasn't in the road and got hit or wandered over on the other side to stay away from the other rooster?

 

[HEChicken]

My one very sad realization of the day is that King, my favorite chicken of all has disappeared. He and my Brahma rooster got in a terrible battle and both were very bloodied up. They had never fought before but I think since I sold so many hens it created some new competition. Anyway he is always in the driveway and always comes for special treats when I feed. I looked every where for him and couldn't find him. He never goes beyond a small area and he just isn't there and didn't come to the coop at bedtime. It breaks my heart. I sold all of my cochins but he and his two gold laced ladies and my black cochins. He was the most excellent rooster and so sweet and calm. It breaks my heart. Here is a picture I took of him probably last summer. It just breaks my heart.

Good morning all. I've been up for awhile trying to get birds indoors fed and watered for the day. I sure hope this weekend I'll get some more moved outside. If the forecast is right it might actually happen.
My rooster is still gone. Even DH was very attached to him and bothered by his disappearance. I just said the other day if something happened to him I'd really have a problem keeping my enthusiasm about my birds. I just can't imagine where he could be. He was huge. Way too big for a air born predator to carry off. The dogs would never let a coyote or anything get close enough to nab him. Plus he always went to the coop and covered run at bed time. One of his girls is trying to be broody. I may take the eggs under her and hatch them just in case he mated her and they happen to be her eggs. It's just a reminder if I had all the breeds separated I'd already have some of his offspring. Of course I've sold some of them in the past but I don't have any here.
You'd think I'd get used to disappointments when it comes to chickens. But somehow you just never do.

I hope King shows up Danz. My guess is that because of his injuries he is holed up somewhere trying to heal. Hopefully he will feel like coming out soon, or you are able to find where he is hiding and get him out to treat the injuries.

my new little turkey that hatched this morning too, my first one. It was yelling at me from in the hatcher too because it had been in there alone all day. It's now in the brooder with all the chicks.

Yay - I'm glad for your turkey to have hatched!!!

One thing I've discovered with my poults. Everyone also says how stupid they are and how hard to get started. Well, I've noticed, with having 4 under a Mama Hen who also has 3 chicks, that there is a huge difference in their expectations. The chicks natural behavior is to peck, so all Mama has to do is show them where to peck and they will eat by themselves. But the poults are looking to be fed, rather than just shown where the food is. They want to peck food off her beak - not out of the feeder. She is being really good and trying to help them. She seems to understand this, and will pick up food in her beak and then lower it to allow them to peck it off her beak. Yesterday she got them all started eating this way and then this morning they all four raced out and started eating out of the feeder by themselves - yay! So I don't think its so much that they are stupid as that the mother turkey must feed them more than chicken hens usually feed their chicks. Now I'm really nervous about the incubator full of turkey eggs I have - they won't have a Mama to help them get started - I hope I am able to get them eating.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Quote: I wonder if some wet feed would help? I had some poults a few years ago and don't remember a problem with their eating. I used a wet feed for the babies, and still do. They take to it well.

 

[HEChicken]

I wonder if some wet feed would help? I had some poults a few years ago and don't remember a problem with their eating. I used a wet feed for the babies, and still do. They take to it well.

I may try that when I have poults in the brooder. I wound up wetting their feed down a little yesterday to help Mama Hen out. The dry feed doesn't stick very well to their beaks, for some reason....

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye, I do own a serger but I have very little thread that goes with it. It takes the spools. It is supposed to take smaller things with an adapter but it never feeds right. So that is why I didn't use it. I did do some zigsagging on some parts but not all. The skirt on this thing was so full and it seems likes miles of seams. I should have just gotten out the serger and found thread somewhere and gotten busy. It just takes a couple hours to go somewhere and back to buy that kind of thread. When I get the opportunity to sit down and do things like that it is rare and I have to do it then or not at all. My excuse.
I did write my DIL and tell her to hand wash the dress so it would hold up better. I just can't wait to see pictures of her in it. I have a little gold and pearl pendant thing on it as well which would surely get ripped off if she washed it in a machine. This DIL is probably not smart enough to figure out it has a clasp she can remove it with. It took me a month just to get a measurement for the length. She finally texted me and said she didn't know how. It could be a mile too long or too short based on her accuracy. How do people like that function?
I don't think King would ever go across the road. He had his area that he was always in back by the coop and the driveway. I searched high and low and under everything I could find. He was such a gentle soul and tended to just sit out and watch the other birds until evening. Then he would do his breeding and go to bed.
I just start my poults with baby chicks. I give them their first drink of water and then the other chicks tutor them. They follow by example. I did have one of the last ones who didn't start eating. But even with a dropper it is refusing to swallow. Most of the time they catch right on.

 

[HEChicken]

I just start my poults with baby chicks. I give them their first drink of water and then the other chicks tutor them. They follow by example. I did have one of the last ones who didn't start eating. But even with a dropper it is refusing to swallow. Most of the time they catch right on.

I'm glad to hear that. My little guys got such a rough start in life and it was touch and go for that one that froze and would have been dead if I hadn't gone outside when I did. It would have been sad to lose it because it wouldn't eat after all that, so I've been stressing over it more than I would have otherwise.

I have Mama Hen with her brood in a 6x8 dog run that is only 4' tall. It was used as my grow out pen last year but hasn't been occupied since then. Nevertheless, the grass never grew back after its wear last year, so all that is growing in there is a few dandelions. I was amazed yesterday, when I pulled my lawnchair in there to sit with them awhile, to see Mama Hen in action. She started scratching through the dirt and finding treats for her brood. While I watched she found two centipedes and at least 5 caterpillars! I would never have guessed there was even that much there for her to find. So far her chicks have got all the treats though, as the poults don't come running when she calls out that she has another treat. Its funny, even I understand her "language" and know she has found something but the poults don't speak chicken yet and don't respond to her calls the way the chicks do. They'll catch on.

Keeping my fingers crossed King is back out when you check on them this afternoon

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Danz, so sorry about your rooster. He was gorgeous! Hoping he will show up later.

Something attacked my flock! I was driving into the farm and saw DH's helper waving at me frantically. I thought my DH was hurt so my heart sank. By the time I got there, I knew something was wrong with my flock. I saw globs of feathers every where. And blood! No chickens in sight... not a single chicken. I was trying to ask Charlito what happened but he speaks very little English and I don't speak Spanish. From his gesture, I thought he said there was a dog. As far as I know, the only dogs around that area is my neighbor's 2 dogs but I never saw them on our property and they certainly don't look like they care about the chickens. So I thought may be he was saying there was a fox or coyote or something. I went straight to the coop. Saw my rooster's comb got ripped and his left eye was bloody. Saw a hen with at least 2 gashes on her. The rest of the chickens were scared... really scared. They refused to go outside the coop. I did a quick headcout and so far, 4 are unaccounted for. I'm sick to my stomach. Every time I close my eyes, I see blood... blood every where. I put the rooster and the hen in the hospital bay. It took me a good 20 minutes before I could get his comb to stop bleeding. The hen lost a lot of blood as well. I tried to clean her up as best as I could and put triple antibiotic on her. I will need to go get some Vetrimycin eye gel for the rooster today. As bad as the hen looks, I think I will start her on penicillin so I can keep infection at bay.

I'm physically and emotionally drained. Never thought this will happen to my flock. They free range daily. I need to do some investigative work to make sure it is not my neighbor's dogs that killed my chickens. If it is a fox or coyote, I'm not sure how to prevent it from happening again since they free range during the day and there are 3 to 5 acres of land they roam daily. Does fox or coyote come out during broad daylight to prey? Are they this bolt and gutsy?

I'll also have DH talk to Charlito. See if he can describe what happened. I'm just glad that he was there and probably scared the predator away.

Kuan

 

[22qZoo]

Good morning everyone , Newbie here . Mind if I join? We actually got our chicks last year from Orschielns (sp?) everything has gone pretty well coop is done , run is functional, love the eggs and really enjoy spoiling the girls,Then last weekend we were at Orsh. again and picked up 4 more. (2 sil.laced Wy. and 2Americanas) I'm sure there are a zillion posts on BYC that could answer any questions I have but thought how nice it would be to ask some folks who are actually in a similar environment( weather,soil,predators,ect..) So my first ?. How would any off you add these new four to the rest of the flock? right now they are in the garage in a big stock tank with a heat lamp and everything else. I know it will be a while yet ,and I don't want them to get picked on 3 months, 5 months? There are some picks on my profile page I'll have to wait till tech suport gets home from school to show me how to post here I have ADD brain when it comes to this kind of stuff. CIAO.