Consolidated Kansas

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Today is 20% off at Sutherlands, if anyone buys supplies there.

 

[chicken danz]

Chickies. That is the Emporia store only> Wish I could afford to go buy a building package!!!

 

[cherwill]

My heart is heavy today. My Aloha hen has been doing great caring for her chicks and poults. The past two days were so nice she was in the grow out pen, with a dog kennel for cover. Mostly she just sits down somewhere and the little ones all get under her but at night she was careful to go in the dog kennel and bed them down for the night. I would then go in and latch the door of the dog kennel to keep them safe. There is no tarp over the top of the grow out pen right now - the last one got ripped to shreds, so this morning since it was raining, I didn't want to put her out there. Instead I put the dog kennel in the hoop coop, opened the door and placed a chick feeder and waterer nearby. Well, I went down to check 2 hours later and as soon as I opened the back door of my house, I heard loud peeping. I ran down there and found that the wind had blown the door of the dog kennel shut, trapping 2 chicks and 2 poults in it, while the hen, 2 poults and a chick were loose in the hoop coop. The chicks were fine (though they were the ones peeping so loudly) but the poults were laid out flat, cold and half frozen. I grabbed Mama Hen and put her in the kennel. One of the poults opened its eyes so I put it under her to warm up, and made sure all the others were under her, then shut her into the kennel so she couldn't get off them until they were all warmed up (next time I went down to visit, I couldn't tell which poult that had been). The 4th poult though, was already gone. I am so sad. This was the same one that I brought back from freezing on Monday, and it had been doing so well, eating, keeping up with the others etc. If it hadn't got locked in the kennel, it would still be alive now. I feel like its my fault because I didn't prop the door open. The past two days I didn't prop the door open and it stayed open all day (less wind, I guess) so it didn't even occur to me today.

Awww. I hope the others are doing well.

I am 266 posts behind, long week! Miss Amelia surprised us by coming a bit early last weekend!!! She was born at 1:14 AM on Sunday, April 21 weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. Forty eight hours of labor but she was well worth the wait!

Congratulations! Amelia sure looks sweet.

I am SOOOOOOO happy! King showed back up early this evening. I was on the phone. It was pouring down rain and there he was. In the driveway just like he used to be. I tried giving him a couple of special treats but he didn't seem interested. Later I checked and he was back in the hen house like he used to be but rather than sitting on the roost he was sitting in the corner by himself. I guess my Brahma rooster must have convinced him he was the lead rooster. He looks awful. He was soaking wet and looks pretty beaten up but otherwise appears healthy. I really wish I had a place to put him and his two girls so he could just rule his little kingdom. I may have to see if I can find him some more ladies some where. Gold laced cochins of good quality are extremely hard to find.
It rained all day long today. I finally got out and fed the birds about 6:00 when we had a temporary lull. I had to dump all their feed pans because they were full of water.
I am so ready for some nice weather. It's pretty bad when the fencing guys can't even drill holes and get around with their heavy equipment in the mud.
Is the drought over or is this just a false sense of it before the rain stops and 100 degree temps return?

That's great news about King. I have no idea where a roo hides for three days!

I hate to say it, but in my area at least, it's probably a false sense of security. We haven't had nearly enough rain to consider the drought over. I've mentioned before that McPherson seems to be in a hole. Even though it did rain quite a bit yesterday, there were times you could see by the radar that the rain was all around us, but not over us. I don't get it.

 

[Trish44]

Trish those are gold laced brahmas. King is a gold laced Cochin. I do have a gold laced Dan Powell brahma though. He is part of my breeding program for brahmas. I had a female but lost her when the ghetto pen got sick. I am wondering if I put King in a smaller pen with his girls if he would do okay. He has always been able to free range. I know sometimes when I've penned some free range birds in the past they get depressed and refuse to eat. I am sure he would be okay if it were a big area but I can't afford to build him a big pen and house.
More decisions to make!
I've got to get on the phone and get a load of feed orderd. Then run to the coop to get it soon. I put it off yesterday cause it never quit raining. I didn't want a bunch of moldy feed. They said it could rain some this morning but it doesn't look bad out. I think I am going to run an extention cord to the green house across the driveway and put the geese in there. I am so sick of the mess and smell. I'm down to just one more goose egg in the incubator and I haven't checked to see if it is developing. It has another week or so to go.
I also need to find some time to go buy wire for the yard by tomorrow. Sometimes I just can't seem to stretch myself thin enough. I wanted to find some time to work outside while it was nice the next two days on the second hoop coop but there are just so many hours in a day.

Oh OK, I was thinking he was a brahma because I have heard you mention having brahmas, they look pretty though. I did that with my Speckled Sussex trio when I got my breeder pens done. They had been free-ranging every since I've had them from tiny chicks & they're doing fine in there. The only problem I'm having is the rooster wants to fight through the fence, so I'm going to have to come up with something to block his view into the next pen because he keeps bloodying his comb jumping at the wire. I have some shade cloth & I'm wondering if I can cut a strip of that & hang it on there just high enough he can't see over it. Do you think that would work? I don't want to waste the tin I got putting it up there & it's too heavy anyway & would pull the panel over I think since they're PVC panels. I just need to stop him from doing that, he's pretty obsessive about it, he used to when he was free-range walk back & forth in front of or beside my black Ameraucana's pen & provoke him & he would do it for hours at a time. I hear you on the so many hours in a day too, boy does time fly by & you don't know where it went!

It's still really cloudy & cool here, where's the sun & warmth? It's supposed to be warmer the next 3 days, I sure hope so since I need to get out there & work on things outside. I have to put the wire up on that hoop coop we built & the weather & time just haven't cooperated lately. I need to get it done as soon as possible.

Everybody have a great day!

 

[chicken danz]

I went and got a load of feed and need to get back out there and get it shoveled off. I think the weather today is a big let down. I was hoping for a lot nicer conditions. I really wanted to get some more birds moved around. I have too much running to do tomorrow so if it is nice like they say I won't have any time to be out working.
Cherwill I was just talking about that at the elevator. Everyone feels pretty much that the rain will just stop and the temps will be back up in the 100s ...from cold and wet to hot and dry. Sure seems depressing. I still haven't gotten gardens in yet.
Yeah Trish I understand that. My Brahmas and my Orpingtons are my main focus so it's natural to think that way.
Mammahen sent me a link to some pictures of some of my orpingtons she hatched a while back. Lemons and lavenders. They are so pretty once they grow beyond the chick stage. I really do need to raise a few of these chicks for myself.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I am 266 posts behind, long week! Miss Amelia surprised us by coming a bit early last weekend!!! She was born at 1:14 AM on Sunday, April 21 weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. Forty eight hours of labor but she was well worth the wait!

She is absolutely adorable! Congratulations! Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Danz, it seems to me that if the fence is to keep his cattle in, then it is his responsibility to put it up. I'm sorry the cost to fence the front went so high but I know you will be happy with the peace of mind that comes from having it there. I hope they get the water turned on soon. When I ordered my last incubator, the confirmation email came with a warning to only use distilled water in it. I can see why they would suggest that, to avoid mineral deposits if you have hard water (though the Rcom is super easy to clean so I'm not worried about that), but it got me to wondering if other people are using distilled water? I've only ever used tap water - now I'm wondering if I should switch. My heart is heavy today. My Aloha hen has been doing great caring for her chicks and poults. The past two days were so nice she was in the grow out pen, with a dog kennel for cover. Mostly she just sits down somewhere and the little ones all get under her but at night she was careful to go in the dog kennel and bed them down for the night. I would then go in and latch the door of the dog kennel to keep them safe. There is no tarp over the top of the grow out pen right now - the last one got ripped to shreds, so this morning since it was raining, I didn't want to put her out there. Instead I put the dog kennel in the hoop coop, opened the door and placed a chick feeder and waterer nearby. Well, I went down to check 2 hours later and as soon as I opened the back door of my house, I heard loud peeping. I ran down there and found that the wind had blown the door of the dog kennel shut , trapping 2 chicks and 2 poults in it, while the hen, 2 poults and a chick were loose in the hoop coop. The chicks were fine (though they were the ones peeping so loudly) but the poults were laid out flat, cold and half frozen. I grabbed Mama Hen and put her in the kennel. One of the poults opened its eyes so I put it under her to warm up, and made sure all the others were under her, then shut her into the kennel so she couldn't get off them until they were all warmed up (next time I went down to visit, I couldn't tell which poult that had been). The 4th poult though, was already gone. I am so sad. This was the same one that I brought back from freezing on Monday, and it had been doing so well, eating, keeping up with the others etc. If it hadn't got locked in the kennel, it would still be alive now. I feel like its my fault because I didn't prop the door open. The past two days I didn't prop the door open and it stayed open all day (less wind, I guess) so it didn't even occur to me today. Also in the hoop coop right now is a broody duck, sitting on 23 eggs, in a dog house. The interesting thing is that the Aloha hen still seems partially broody. When she was in there on Sunday, at one point she stole a duck egg and was sitting on the egg, 3 chicks and 4 poults. I retrieved the egg and gave it back to the duck. But because of that, I moved her to the growout pen, so she would focus on raising her brood. I figured by now she would have forgotten about that, but when she found herself shut out of the dog kennel, she went into the dog house with the duck and stole about HALF of those eggs. When I went down there, I found she had made a nice nest and was sitting on all of those eggs, with the 3 little ones under her as well (while the other four froze in the kennel next door). I'm really surprised she still wants to sit on eggs when she has the little ones to care for, and also surprised that the duck apparently didn't put up a fight at having her eggs taken from her. When I physically removed the hen and put her back in the kennel, the duck tucked all of those eggs back under her. I need better weather so the hen can go back to the growout pen. I'm seriously going nuts right now trying to keep everyone safe and warm.

So sorry to hear about the poultry didn't make it. Hopefully the rest will be fine. Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I am SOOOOOOO happy! King showed back up early this evening. I was on the phone. It was pouring down rain and there he was. In the driveway just like he used to be. I tried giving him a couple of special treats but he didn't seem interested. Later I checked and he was back in the hen house like he used to be but rather than sitting on the roost he was sitting  in the corner by himself. I guess my Brahma rooster must have convinced him he was the lead rooster. He looks awful. He was soaking wet and looks pretty beaten up but otherwise appears healthy. I really wish I had a place to put him and his two girls so he could just rule his little kingdom. I may have to see if I can find him some more ladies some where. Gold laced cochins of good quality are extremely hard to find.
It rained all day long today. I finally got out and fed the birds about 6:00 when we had a temporary lull. I had to dump all their feed pans because they were full of water.
I am so ready for some nice weather. It's pretty bad when the fencing guys can't even drill holes and get around with their heavy equipment in the mud.
Is the drought over or is this just a false sense of it before the rain stops and 100 degree temps return?

Oh I'm so happy to hear that King is back! Don't you wish you had a cam on him to see where he went the day or 2? Just glad he is back and seems ok.

Kuan

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, I'm so happy for you that King is back in his driveway.

I just cannot get warm today. Its like that damp cold has just seeped into my bones and won't leave. I was up early and out the door and spent the day outdoors until early afternoon and now that I'm in I feel chilled to the bone. So far all of my birds don't seem bothered by the cold. I worry about the little ones on days like this but their Mamas are taking good care of them.

I have [yet] another broody. This is one of the Silchins I got from JosieChick and she is a little different than any other broody I've ever had. She is in the favorite nest box and where normally if a hen goes broody in a nest box, the others just crowd in anyway and lay their eggs, but this lady, although not high in the pecking order, has apparently laid down the law and I haven't seen another hen even go near that nest box since she claimed it. I suspected she was leaning that direction on Thursday night. I had been out all evening, so had to do final coop duties and collect eggs by flashlight after it was dark. I noticed her sleeping in that nest box and had a brief thought "Oh no - wonder if she's gone broody - I'll have to move her to the roost" and then DH came and asked what he could do to help and in directing him, I totally forgot about that bird. Yesterday I was checking nest boxes for eggs, and as soon as I saw her sitting there, remembered the night before. So I decided to poke her and see if I got the broody growl and fluffed up bum raised at me in response. I stuck my hand around the feed bag I use as a curtain over that box, and felt for her, but didn't hear a growl. Then without warning, my hand was bitten - painfully - and I withdraw it just as fast. That bird means business!

Her timing is excellent. I have turkey eggs that have 3 weeks to go so I'm thinking about just giving her those and let her raise them. (I think I'll use gloves when slipping the eggs under though - once bitten, twice shy.) I have more than I think she can comfortably cover so I'll still have to raise some myself, but I got a few tutor eggs from Deerfield yesterday so they will help.

 

[chicken danz]

Danz, I'm so happy for you that King is back in his driveway.

Yeah that sneaky devil. He was just testing me I guess to see if I cared!
I just cannot get warm today. Its like that damp cold has just seeped into my bones and won't leave. I was up early and out the door and spent the day outdoors until early afternoon and now that I'm in I feel chilled to the bone. So far all of my birds don't seem bothered by the cold. I worry about the little ones on days like this but their Mamas are taking good care of them.
I got my load of feed and got it shoveled off and have just been walking around outside rather than feeding or doing anything a couple decent days when they come. Everything I intended to work on today would be a mud job, and I'm having trouble just keeping the clay from making each foot weight 30 pounds. I think the weather has me in a major slump and then it gets worse when I think how I have to crowd everything into one or two days.
I walked back and looked at the back fence line. I can see right now I am going to have cattle in my yard. It has gotten pretty bad.
Oh and yes HeChicken he should do the fence maintenance since he is putting cattle in there but the fence divides his property and mine. My side is a field and I sure don't want cattle eating the crop. I think it becomes a 50 -50 exchange. I wanted to run electric fencing all along the fence line of my total acreage. The problem is that a section of my property isn't fenced off so livestock there can also go on a section of my land. That is where I need to build fence. I was going to just put up some simple fiberglass step in post and run two strands of hot wire across there to keep the dogs in, but that won't hold cattle.
I have [yet] another broody. This is one of the Silchins I got from JosieChick and she is a little different than any other broody I've ever had. She is in the favorite nest box and where normally if a hen goes broody in a nest box, the others just crowd in anyway and lay their eggs, but this lady, although not high in the pecking order, has apparently laid down the law and I haven't seen another hen even go near that nest box since she claimed it. I suspected she was leaning that direction on Thursday night. I had been out all evening, so had to do final coop duties and collect eggs by flashlight after it was dark. I noticed her sleeping in that nest box and had a brief thought "Oh no - wonder if she's gone broody - I'll have to move her to the roost" and then DH came and asked what he could do to help and in directing him, I totally forgot about that bird. Yesterday I was checking nest boxes for eggs, and as soon as I saw her sitting there, remembered the night before. So I decided to poke her and see if I got the broody growl and fluffed up bum raised at me in response. I stuck my hand around the feed bag I use as a curtain over that box, and felt for her, but didn't hear a growl. Then without warning, my hand was bitten - painfully - and I withdraw it just as fast. That bird means business!

Her timing is excellent. I have turkey eggs that have 3 weeks to go so I'm thinking about just giving her those and let her raise them. (I think I'll use gloves when slipping the eggs under though - once bitten, twice shy.) I have more than I think she can comfortably cover so I'll still have to raise some myself, but I got a few tutor eggs from Deerfield yesterday so they will help.

I also found another broody in the barn. This is one of the "wild" hens that were hatched last summer by a broody. I had them trained finally to go to a coop but now that she is broody she becomes a sitting duck. Oh and I also have a couple of those. One under a piece of tin on the far side of the barn and one in the hen house. I can't find my duck eggs other than those two nests. They are getting really sneaky these days.