Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

HEChicken I love your pics! The goats look so happy & I love your new ram too, he's a nice looking guy. I know that your goats & mine have to be a lot happier at our places than where they were. Not that they weren't cared for well there because they were, but they never got out to graze at all there. My two goat girls get let out each morning as soon as I get up & get out there & have free range over the whole 5 acres the house sits on. They love it because we have such a hilly place & they're right at home there. They scared me to death the other day, I had been mowing & got all of it done & then came up & was doing some watering by the house. I heard Penny maaing like goats do & looked up to see them on the roof of the old garage looking down at me, my heart stopped for a minute. It's only about 2 feet off the ground at the backyard, but in the front it is a good 12 feet down to the cement. I hurried over & started up the hill to try to coax them off there & they saw me & came back down & then literally bounded down the stone steps right at me. I was afraid at that point they were going to knock me down those steps but they went on either side of me. Whew, that was enough excitement for that day. They are such clowns, I just have to laugh at them every day. They are so curious about what you're doing, I will be working on something & they will have to come & see what I'm up to. This evening I was working on fixing my breeder pen doors that had broken & I leaned over & Penny was smelling my hair. They will come in any door they see open, sometimes they follow me into the coop or one day Penny made it into the entry in the house & she has gotten in Tom's car already once. They're quite the characters. The chickens have learned to move out of their way if they start bounding around or they'll get trampled. The other day I wished so much I had a movie camera out there because Patches was trying to play with Jasmine my GP. Jasmine was sitting there & Patches came up & was jumping up & butting her softly with her head trying to get her to play. I think both goats think they're dogs. When the dogs bark & run the goats run after them, it's really funny.

Danz, that is kind of strange the birds don't like white barrels, I wouldn't have thought they would notice the difference. It sounds like you're getting a lot done at your place. I started a list of to do things & started on some of it today. The list gets longer as I think of things though is the problem. How do you cut your barrels? I have thought of getting some for ducks & such when I get a chance to go get them. When I get my duck pen done I want to make them a shelter with a cut out one I think.

 

[Polishpal]

Today my wonderful (not really) hen hatched a perfect white silkie chick and now I'm only waiting for the other 7 to hatch

 

[chicken danz]

Trish I just use a jig saw. I set it on the place I want to start cutting at an angle until it cuts through then straighten it up and just cut like normal. The first one I cut with a recipro saw but the jig saw works much better. DH did one with a grinder but it made a huge mess of plastic pieces when he did.
Well I just got done feeding, I really don't like working for two hours before I have my first cup of coffee but it's the only way to beat the worst of that heat. I still need to water again and clean out the bins I had chicks in in the house. They stink.
I had a guinea peck one of the chicks I put out in the pen the other day through the fence. It was a real nice BBS Orpington. I don't think it will live. It's just laying there. I gave it some pedialite and put veterycin on it's wound but I think it is probably in shock. I have no idea why they do that kind of thing.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I have been down the last couple days so I am behind. I see people gearing up for fairs, good luck and I hope it isn't too hot.
I have all my poults except one outside in permanent housing. They are doing great. the silkies are all grouped with the turkey so they are also out and enjoying their freedom but when it gets to be roosting time they all gather in the middle of the yard cheeping loudly until I come. They will run to me an gather around me waiting to go back into their comfy brooer AKA: my master bathroom... But no to the grow out building for you. This group has been so attached to me and it is so sad to begin to shut the door and have all those fluffy, fuzzy faces looking at you and crying... AH being chicken mom..

 

[ChickieWickies]

We show at the Cowley County Fair next week. Two of our 4-H hens are raising 2 chicks hatched July 1st. Originally, I planned on leaving the chicks at home, but our Silver Laced Cochin has proven to be a GREAT momma. I'd like her to continue raising them. Should we take the chicks with us, or will Lacey continue to raise her babies even if they are separated for several days?

 

[cherwill]

So this am i had a learning experiance.. I got up late 8 am instead of 6am so i went out to let the chickens out of the garage i just stood in the door way bad idea 7 chickens come flying at me to get out lol lesson learned.....step out of the doorway

LOL! I open the door to the coop from outside the pen and every morning all ten hens come running/flying out like they've been stuck inside for a week!

Good luck to everyone showing birds.

HEchicken, sorry your hatch was disappointing, but some very interesting information came out of it. I loved all those wonderful pictures you posted, too.

Yesterday I finally got started with some canning. I now have four pints of spiced pickled beets. Not much, but it's a start. I have a bunch of those watermelon radishes in the fridge. They're rather hot (which my SIL doesn't remember them being in Hawaii; maybe it's a different type of watermelon radish). I found a recipe for radish relish I'm going to try, if I get around to canning stuff today. Looks like it's going to be hot and humid again today.

 

[ashncarson]

You don't need a portable tractor. Just put the chickens in with you. They will help you dig and they will have a blast. You people and your rain!! I am so jealous!!!

I would love to see how it would work out with having them in our yard when we are out. Just concerned about a few things...The first is our dogs, I am not sure how they are going to do with the chickens, I would for sure do this when they are in the house, not able to get out at first.
The second concern is our fencing around our yard, its just standard height chain-link fence. I am worried they would try to escape. I understand you can clip their wings, but it is safe for them to be free-range without wings? Can they still to to roosts and such if they are clipped? We have a Saint Bernard that lives next door who always seems underfeed (she is not always outside) and I would hate to see what might happen if they flew over. (we live right in the middle of the city)

I hope these are not silly questions!

 

[sharol]

We have two dachshunds, and we were worried about that. When the chicks went out to the grow out hoop coop, I started letting the dogs investigate the pen. As the chicks got bigger, the dogs started sort of taking them for granted. I made sure that for a while, the dogs were on leashes when they were in contact with the chickens. Some dogs are hopeless, and when we got the second doxy, she grabbed my white EE and tore out neck feathers. Once she molted, they came back in and the dog has never bothered a chicken since.

Of course I have a broody on 6 eggs right now, so the new babies may be too tempting to ignore for the dogs, we will have to be very careful about letting the dogs out when the babies are out and about for a while.

I would love to see how it would work out with having them in our yard when we are out. Just concerned about a few things...The first is our dogs, I am not sure how they are going to do with the chickens, I would for sure do this when they are in the house, not able to get out at first.
The second concern is our fencing around our yard, its just standard height chain-link fence. I am worried they would try to escape. I understand you can clip their wings, but it is safe for them to be free-range without wings? Can they still to to roosts and such if they are clipped? We have a Saint Bernard that lives next door who always seems underfeed (she is not always outside) and I would hate to see what might happen if they flew over. (we live right in the middle of the city)

I hope these are not silly questions!

 

[ashncarson]

We have two dachshunds, and we were worried about that. When the chicks went out to the grow out hoop coop, I started letting the dogs investigate the pen. As the chicks got bigger, the dogs started sort of taking them for granted. I made sure that for a while, the dogs were on leashes when they were in contact with the chickens. Some dogs are hopeless, and when we got the second doxy, she grabbed my white EE and tore out neck feathers. Once she molted, they came back in and the dog has never bothered a chicken since.

Of course I have a broody on 6 eggs right now, so the new babies may be too tempting to ignore for the dogs, we will have to be very careful about letting the dogs out when the babies are out and about for a while.

Our 2 year old Yorkie (mix, about 9-10 lbs) likes to think our cat is evil and always tries chasing her but she stands her ground. Our older beagle mix used to play with our cat, they would play fight and wrestle..They have not done that for years. In the first summer we had our yorkie a oldest kitten (maybe 4 months old or so) got into our yard and they ended up killing it by I think breaking its neck. There was so wounds, it just looked like it was sleeping..We dont know if they where trying to play with it or what :/ That kinda makes me nervous!

 

[Trish44]

Trish I just use a jig saw. I set it on the place I want to start cutting at an angle until it cuts through then straighten it up and just cut like normal. The first one I cut with a recipro saw but the jig saw works much better. DH did one with a grinder but it made a huge mess of plastic pieces when he did.
Well I just got done feeding, I really don't like working for two hours before I have my first cup of coffee but it's the only way to beat the worst of that heat. I still need to water again and clean out the bins I had chicks in in the house. They stink.
I had a guinea peck one of the chicks I put out in the pen the other day through the fence. It was a real nice BBS Orpington. I don't think it will live. It's just laying there. I gave it some pedialite and put veterycin on it's wound but I think it is probably in shock. I have no idea why they do that kind of thing.

OK, that sounds easy enough & we have a jig saw. We also have a reciprocating saw, but it does tend to vibrate a lot & I'm afraid would make a big mess of the barrel. I know those guineas can be brutal, but I also have had chickens peck a baby guinea to death, so I guess it can go either way. I'm sorry about your chick though, I know you were trying to keep those nice Orps.

I would love to see how it would work out with having them in our yard when we are out. Just concerned about a few things...The first is our dogs, I am not sure how they are going to do with the chickens, I would for sure do this when they are in the house, not able to get out at first.
The second concern is our fencing around our yard, its just standard height chain-link fence. I am worried they would try to escape. I understand you can clip their wings, but it is safe for them to be free-range without wings? Can they still to to roosts and such if they are clipped? We have a Saint Bernard that lives next door who always seems underfeed (she is not always outside) and I would hate to see what might happen if they flew over. (we live right in the middle of the city)

I hope these are not silly questions!

I would be concerned first about your own dogs since they're not accustomed to chickens. I wouldn't leave them alone together until you know how they react. There have been many people who found out the hard way about that. Then I would be concerned about that neighbor dog if they did get over the fence or the dog got over. But if you have them out when you're out there you could see how it all went. Otherwise I would have a pen to keep them in for when you're not able to watch. No questions are silly questions, don't worry about that.