Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

I love the idea of a spirea. I have a hot corner of the run that would really benefit from some intensive shade. I think I'll see if I can get my DH to find one on an old homestead and dig it up and transplant it. If I can protect it for a little while with a tomato cage, it would be a great addition to the run.

Danz, you might want to check & see what kind of bushes will grow in your soil, I had clay soil when I lived outside of Derby & it was the pits. I worked on areas there for 23 years until I moved breaking down that junk. You have to add a lot of organic matter to the soil to break down that clay. I don't know if it would make it there, but my chickens love this huge spirea bush I have over by the driveway beside the garage. It has grown just huge & it drapes all the way down to the ground so they can all get under it if they're scared or in the heat. It blooms white flowers in the spring. I usually spray it with water in the heat of the day so that it drops water droplets down on the chickens to cool them & I also spray some under the bush so they have cool ground to lay on in there. It's their favorite place to hang out when it's hot.

 

[HEChicken]

Yesterday was so darned hot & miserable. I got out the frozen bottles again for my rabbits since they're stuck in their cages. At least they can lay on them & cool off. I'm missing my one turkey hen again, she took off yesterday & didn't come back last night. I guess if she comes back I'm just going to have to make her stay in until she gets over this stubborn streak she's in. I hate to do that, but I also hate to lose her. I sure hope she comes back today. Usually she comes back & is really hungry. The last time she came back her sister was just furious with her. I have never seen her so angry with her before. She got up on the roost & she scolded her & then pecked her. I think she was telling her off for going off & leaving her here all night by herself.

I need to get out & take some pics of the little turkeys I got from HEChicken & the ducklings, they're really growing. I found an old sled that my son left in the garage & filled it with water for the ducks & they have a great time splashing around in there. It's not too deep that they can't stand up, but has enough water for them to play in. I also need to take some pics of my two new peachicks that are in the brooder. All the chicks are back in the house again because it's too darned hot in the garage for them. It got to 105 in there yesterday, so that was it, they all came back in. It's a good thing I hadn't carried that brooder out yet I guess.

HEChicken, do they have your fence done yet? I know you said they were working on it. That will be so nice to have all of that fenced so you don't have to worry about it.

The fencing people finished it up this morning around lunch time - I am SO excited for it to be done and to be able to turn the sheep out. I opened the gate of their pen to let them out in the pasture but of course it was already hot enough that all they want to do at the moment is lie around in the shade - I can't blame them. As soon as there is shade this evening, they'll be out there, I think. One of them braved the sun and was out grazing in a new area a little while ago but I'm sure that didn't last long as he would get hot there really fast.

I can't wait to see the pics of your turkeys and ducklings - sorry the turkey hen is still being naughty.

Last night DH and I were walking around looking at the fencing, and the dogs were with us. Suddenly I heard a little squeak that I recognized as coming from a rabbit. It was amazing - there was a rabbit den/burrow right under our feet and it was so well hidden we never would have seen it if the dog hadn't smelled the baby bunny and gone in after it. We called her away but she wouldn't leave it alone so I wound up getting a dog crate and sitting it over the den. It has really wide spacing on the bottom - about 6x6" so the bunnies will be able to exit the hole onto the grass if they want to, but the dog can't get to them. I'm sure it looks a bit weird having a dog crate sitting in the middle of the front yard, but I just didn't want the dogs chewing the baby bunnies up right in front of us.

 

[sharol]

I finally got a good picture of my two new hatchlings.



Lemondrop (left) and Sassafras (right).

Their moms were a Buff Orpington and an EE with Butch, my deceased roo.

Thanks to everyone who posted encouraging remarks during this interesting experiment. I'm hoping that one of them will "step into the shoes" of his father, but I'll settle for pullets (of course).

 

[jennyjane73]

Michael Jordan is growing up! We love this little guy. So far, he's really nice & friendly but he's just 3 months old.

 

[sharol]

Very handsome boy.

Michael Jordan is growing up! We love this little guy. So far, he's really nice & friendly but he's just 3 months old.

 

[RoosterLew]

Hey I need a favor...,
My wonderful GF finally joined, but she said she was going to stay off of this thread because this is my place??
So could everyone say Hi and welcome Babsaroo to the thread.
Someone tell her I love her, she is my world and I want her to share in "my" fun.

 

[HEChicken]

Babsaroo, please join us! It would be so much fun to have both of you on here. Please think of it as a place for like-minded local people to connect and chat, versus Rooster's "space". We'd love it to be your space too!

Oh - and

 

[JosieChick]

Yay!!! Congrats on your babies! Love that little yellow butterball!

I finally got a good picture of my two new hatchlings.



Lemondrop (left) and Sassafras (right).

Their moms were a Buff Orpington and an EE with Butch, my deceased roo.

Thanks to everyone who posted encouraging remarks during this interesting experiment. I'm hoping that one of them will "step into the shoes" of his father, but I'll settle for pullets (of course).

Welcome Babsaroo!! You should def come on over to the Cons Kansas thread. Lots of awesome people here!! Kinda neat that you are both into the chickens and can share that!

Hey I need a favor...,
My wonderful GF finally joined, but she said she was going to stay off of this thread because this is my place??
So could everyone say Hi and welcome Babsaroo to the thread.
Someone tell her I love her, she is my world and I want her to share in "my" fun.

So we had a very early morning. I woke up to DH flying out of bed because something was after the dogs! Which makes me laugh now because I doubt unless a lion escaped from the zoo that much out here is bigger than our two pyrenees!! So I sat up and there was two dogs barking ferociously and something yipping and yelping and making a terrible racket. We went out with flash lights and praised the girls and walked all around and saw nothing. So back to bed and ten minutes later the racket started again. Rinse and repeat this three times and we never did figure out what was in the hedge row but it must have finally decided to move along. So weird. What would stay in the hedge row "barking" at the dogs?

HEchicken- We have a nest of bunnies just like yours! I read online that they make their nest right out in the open to deter predators from getting their babies and only nurse once a day for like five minutes (lucky girls!) and leave the nest so their scent doesn't attract predators. Unfortunately our nest got raided by one of our house dogs so I covered it with a garden cart so he couldn't get to it but I think one of the cats got one of the babies because Lucie had one last night dead. Poor little things, wish there was a way to keep all the predators away and still let mom in to take care of them. I couldn't find anything small enough that a mom bunny could fit in but not a cat....

 

[chicken danz]

Babsaroo please join in. Wow it must be nice to have a guy that adores you that much. You have to be having a blast with him cause he is one funny guy!!!
Congrats on your fence HeChicken. I am discovering I need to so some more work on mine. The dogs have found where they can get out which is kind of defeating some of it's purpose. We also need to get the hard wire run for our gate. The battery only last a few days opening it. One of those things that got pushed aside with the high heat.
I have some spirea in a row Trish. The ducks like to nest under it. I was thinking more along the line of putting bushes in the pens so they would be more likely to lay there rather than all over. I really need a much larger duck pen in case I want to leave them enclosed but I hate to do that to them. I've got to get something done to fix my little catawba tree today. Those ducks and geese have nearly stripped it. I used to have some pruning spray but would have no idea where it would be now. I may have to find some way to wrap the trunk for awhile to protect it from drying out.
I would use was but I'm afraid it would just melt in this heat.
I've got a lot of eggs going to the hatcher today. I need to get in gear and get it disinfected and get them moved.
I was gone most of yesterday trying to take care of business and am looking forward to a day at home to catch up today.

 

[chicken danz]

I find those rabbit nests quite often. But then so do the snakes, the geese, the cats and the dogs. We have a few that nest under my sea van and some more that nest under the edge of some old tin. The dogs live to chase rabbits. It's not the predator drive it's a game for them. But the rabbits are smart and you can watch them sneaking around. It's like they watch the dogs and come out to eat when the dogs are asleep. Just as long as the dogs keep them out of my garden I am good with having them around.