Consolidated Kansas

[22qZoo]

Looks like pictures are working again so I'll try again.

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. The last one is from the coop we built last fall.If I could change one thing (and I probably will this fall) is the size of the window on the front , facing south I really only need the top half where the screen part is . The bottom half takes away to much wall space that I need for nest boxes or roosts . I have the lower half covered right now to block out some of the sun. The one on the north side is nice cuz it's in the shade and there's a big fan in the window blowing in the cooler air.the windows and trim came from habitat restore, that's a fun place to dig around in.

 

[22qZoo]

Oh, I forgot . Josiechick , maybe you can answer this. Is it normal for a Sebbie to put things in their water buckets. Some of the scraps that I have thrown out to the chickies are ending up in their buckets ,what's that about?

 

[JosieChick]

It is definitely a sebbie thing, I figured it was a goose thing but maybe it is just the breed!! My geese put everything in their water tubs. I gave them rubber dog toys once that were heavy and they would all be in the bottom of their water buckets by morning. That and half a yard of rocks, twigs and anything else they see fit to store in their mini ponds!

Oh, I forgot . Josiechick , maybe you can answer this. Is it normal for a Sebbie to put things in their water buckets. Some of the scraps that I have thrown out to the chickies are ending up in their buckets ,what's that about?

Danz-I did read that thing about the coke, I would be too afraid the barn cats or the dogs or geese would get into it. We don't even use mouse poison for that very reason. I was thinking about setting a trap but then who wants to go up to a trap with a ticked off skunk in it!?!

Alright, need to go get cloth diaper inserts out of the dryer and head to bed. Soooo tired.....

 

[Polishpal]

I'm so exited for the fair!!!! I have all my chickens entered for the fair,and they are getting fattened up. Today or tommmorow I will bathe them and trim there nails I hope to maybe see some of you there because I will most likely stay there awhile

 

[HEChicken]

Which fair, PolishPal? The State Fair isn't until September usually, so you must be going to a different one?

 

[22qZoo]

Good morning ! Are there any other poultry shows in the Kansas area besides the fairs? Nothing against fairs ,they are just usually so hot. That weekend in Oct around Columbus Day the kids are usually out of school, where do I go to look.

 

[chicken danz]

Oh, I forgot . Josiechick , maybe you can answer this. Is it normal for a Sebbie to put things in their water buckets. Some of the scraps that I have thrown out to the chickies are ending up in their buckets ,what's that about?

I concur!! Every day when I empty the Sebbie's water they have found something new to throw in. I swear they must excavate to come up with some of their treasures! I have thought maybe I should just set big pans of water all over and the Sebbie's would clean up the yard for me. Of course then the GPs would drag it all back out again!!

Originally Posted by JosieChick
I was putting the stuff out at night after the birds were penned outside the pens. I read that the dogs and cats wouldn't get into it. My stupid cats are so picky I know they wouldn't. I was really hoping it would work for mice. I did try an experiment with just Golden malrin alone under a bucket where the mice were housing themselves. They ate every bit of it in one night. I didn't however see any dead mice.

I got out first thing this morning before coffee and fed the birds. I was totally drenched in sweat before I got back in. It's going to be a miserable day out there.
We are getting another load of feed today. I sure hope I can make it last. I am finally seeing a reduction in the amount of feed I am using. Still it could be a lot less.
I need to go vacuum and wash out and disinfect my brooder then move a load of birds out there. I put all the babies except the guinea keets out in a pen. Some are still small but I think as hot as it is they will be okay outdoors.
I still have a couple more houses to clean out as well but I may postpone until it is a little more pleasant out. I'm hoping next month to have the breeds all separated for fall chicks. I do want to actually see a week or two break in there. I am setting very few eggs right now. The dwindling end of the turkey eggs and peafowl eggs, and only setting one breed of chicken eggs right now. It's just a trio so not many eggs.
Still I have eggs in three incubators.

 

[HEChicken]

I'm kind of bummed. My hatch finished yesterday and was 100%. There were only 6 eggs in that batch but still....out of them I got just ONE New Hampshire. The rest of the chicks were black and were clearly fertilized by my Barred Rock rooster. This means that the theory that the sperm from the freshest matings is used first, did not play out here.

The hen was in the main flock with the BR. I moved her to the hoop coop. The NH rooster immediately mated her. Next day she laid an egg but I figured it was probably "in the works" from before she was in the hoop coop so was almost certainly fertilized by the BR. Same with the egg on day two - I decided it was too soon. She took the third day off from laying. So I started on the 4th day and collected a week's worth of eggs (6 since she took a day off) and set them. I marked the eggs so I knew which day was which. The dismaying thing is that the sperm clearly got "mixed" in whatever storage facility she has because the NH chick was the one laid on day 4. Days 5 and 6 she was back to laying eggs fertilized by the BR. By that time she'd been apart from him over a week and had been mated repeatedly by the NH (since she is the only hen in there she gets all of his attention).

If nothing else, this has been a good experiment.

The next 8 eggs are due a week from tomorrow. I will be very curious to see if we start to get a higher preponderance of NH chicks out of this next batch or if it is more of the same.

The good news is that fertility has been 100% so far (the 8 are all moving) and I can't complain about 100% hatch either.

*******

On another note I have a fascinating story to tell of "life will find a way". I have broody ducks and gave them a few eggs to incubate. I had marked the eggs under the hens with a sharpie so I'd know which ones NOT to collect. On the waxy duck eggs, the sharpie mark quickly faded and I then had to be careful not to collect the wrong eggs. Inevitably I made a mistake and brought in an egg that had been incubated for about a week but didn't realize it and put it in the carton with the "fresh" eggs. 3-4 days later I decided to set the eggs in the incubator as a hedge against the eggs under the ducks not hatching. Only as I was setting did I notice the faint sharpie mark on one of the eggs. I decided to experiment and leave it there and see what happened. Well, that was 3 weeks ago. The eggs are due to hatch in 6 days. I candled yesterday and that egg has clearly continued to develop and I saw the duckling moving!!! To recap, after incubating a week, it sat at room temperature for 3-4 days without being turned, and when set in the incubator, apparently picked up where it left off.

And, ironically, this time the eggs under the ducks have done well and yesterday 5-6 ducklings hatched. They are in a barrel nest with, I think, 1 broody duck and about 5 broody hens. The six "mamas" seem to be sharing the ducklings well but continuing to sit on the remaining 2-3 eggs.

 

[JosieChick]

I didn't know there was a fair coming up either. Would love to know when and where?

Which fair, PolishPal? The State Fair isn't until September usually, so you must be going to a different one?

There are several big shows in the fall and spring. There is a book that lists all of them, it costs a little bit of money but is a great resource for the listings. I will find the name for you today. Too bad Hawkeye isn't on here, she would know right off the top of her head.

Good morning ! Are there any other poultry shows in the Kansas area besides the fairs? Nothing against fairs ,they are just usually so hot. That weekend in Oct around Columbus Day the kids are usually out of school, where do I go to look.

I think I would be too scared that I would forget to pick it up and the birds would get into it or one of our weirdo cats would. Maybe the mice go back to their holes and then died?

I concur!! Every day when I empty the Sebbie's water they have found something new to throw in. I swear they must excavate to come up with some of their treasures! I have thought maybe I should just set big pans of water all over and the Sebbie's would clean up the yard for me. Of course then the GPs would drag it all back out again!!

Originally Posted by JosieChick
I was putting the stuff out at night after the birds were penned outside the pens. I read that the dogs and cats wouldn't get into it. My stupid cats are so picky I know they wouldn't. I was really hoping it would work for mice. I did try an experiment with just Golden malrin alone under a bucket where the mice were housing themselves. They ate every bit of it in one night. I didn't however see any dead mice.

I got out first thing this morning before coffee and fed the birds. I was totally drenched in sweat before I got back in. It's going to be a miserable day out there.
We are getting another load of feed today. I sure hope I can make it last. I am finally seeing a reduction in the amount of feed I am using. Still it could be a lot less.
I need to go vacuum and wash out and disinfect my brooder then move a load of birds out there. I put all the babies except the guinea keets out in a pen. Some are still small but I think as hot as it is they will be okay outdoors.
I still have a couple more houses to clean out as well but I may postpone until it is a little more pleasant out. I'm hoping next month to have the breeds all separated for fall chicks. I do want to actually see a week or two break in there. I am setting very few eggs right now. The dwindling end of the turkey eggs and peafowl eggs, and only setting one breed of chicken eggs right now. It's just a trio so not many eggs.
Still I have eggs in three incubators.

Trish- If you see this I have a question about the FB poultry swap. Is it ok to list birds for sale on craigslist then just post a link to the ad on FB? That way I don't have to upload pics to two places? Thanks!

 

[22qZoo]

HECHICKEN- congrats on your hatch. Woo Hoo!
So I was just out watering everything again and I sprayed under the weeds and trees and coop to cool of the dirt, which essentially means I just watered the ragweed . Didn't see that coming. LOL