Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Is the 36' hieight just for now as they are younger? or a permament roost height?

I would make that permanent.

The ducks decided on their own to come out this afternoon, I now have two muscovies flying over the fence & I have not had time to do anything about it yet. I saw them out & just decided to let all the others out for awhile. They are good about going back in at night at least. Patches the goat however is sticking to her resolve not to go into the pen at night without cookies. I think she is too smart for her own good. I get Penny in each night with only her regular feed, she trots right along with me & goes in. Then I have to go get the cookies & coax Patches in. She's really a pain sometimes. Who knew a goat could have an attitude.

Congratulations on getting your hoop coop done so fast! Meanwhile I've had all the materials for my second one for awhile but haven't done anything about it yet.

Yes, the muscovy girls can fly quite well - I've only seen my drakes airborne occasionally but the girls used to regularly fly down to our pond and back. I have found they do very well at free-ranging - I even saw a duck get up quite a bit of speed the other day in her pursuit of a grasshopper (which she did catch). But they always return to the coop at night. They're usually the last to go in as they like to congregate around the waterer to get their last "fix" of water before going into the water-less coop for the night, but they do always go in in the end.

More storms last night. Sigh. It was pouring when I got up so I haven't been out to do morning chores yet, but I can see the rain gauge from the window and know we got more than an inch - and I emptied it yesterday morning after the previous night's rain. This is crazy.

 

[sharol]

What a morning. I never thought I would be tired of rain in August in KANSAS.

I moved the hoop again this morning during a break in the rain. I can only leave it in one spot for about 2 day because the grass under the coop part will die, and Marlena tears up the area in the run to get to bugs (I suppose) for the babies. It isn't hard to move, I just hook up the mower and tow it where I want it to be, but now I have a run rigged up to the side of it for my 6 week olds, and that has to be removed and then re-attached and the netting put back in place, so it is an hour or so job. I haven't gotten the little run up yet, but it is raining again. I figure the 6 week olds can't be out in the rain without shelter anyway, so I'l just wait to get it finished until the rain lets up again.

I'm hoping the 6 week olds will be able to join the main flock in a week or two. They are getting fairly big and they look like real chickens now. I dont' think I integrated the last batch that young -- maybe 12 weeks or so, but this is getting messy and difficult. Having them out of the hoop run will simplify the problems considerably.

I let Marlena out with her babies after the other adults went in their run last night, and that went well (they are 2 1/2 weeks old), so maybe she will want to take them back with the flock before too long. I hope so because I'm going to need the hoop for the other 3 2 week olds.

I have a new indoor ramp in the works and plans for a couple of more nest boxes that I need to get done, too, so I have some projects.

OK, rain, 40 days and 40 nights are enough already.

 

[cleansquared]

Danz which invermecten do i use and what is the exact dosage mitchalls has the liquid but i didnt know if it was the right stuff i think he said it is injectable could u put it in their food or is there another kind i should look for and again what dose all i could find on here as far as information was "the pour on invermection 3 drops per chicken" but the guy at mitchells says thats the only liquid invermection he knows of plus he thinks im crazy wanting to put that on chickens but ive read over and over its the best and most through

 

[cleansquared]

Also danz the crested chicken has laid an egg every day for almost 2 solid weeks now so i just thought it was odd to have one laying and one not sice they have the same living situation...? Or is that typical behavior?

 

[Polishpal]

Thanks to everyone who congratulated me anyone heading to state this year?

 

[chicken danz]

Cleansquared the ivermectin is the injectable kind, 4cc in one gallon of water. You can use the pour on kind 2-5 drops on the skin at the back of the neck for mites. I honestly don't think they absorb enough of the pour on kind to help with worms. Actually I do believe it is typical chicken behavior. I know I have girls that take breaks even when they aren't molting but it is hard to tell who is doing what around her other than just seeing which eggs are laid. Are you sure just one bird is laying? I never had them lay every day. They could be sharing a spot.
Sharol you are starting to understand my world divided by a couple hundred. It's a constant shuffling moving etc around here. Some of my birds get really old before they get put out simply because I don't have a place to put them. I've got some now that are about to that point but it will have to wait until I make room.
I need to build several nest boxes. I had some old drawers I took out of this kitchen before we started remodeling. I have started dragging those out and setting them on their sides to serve as nest boxes. I just screw on a short board on the front to keep the eggs from rolling out. I have one longer one and three hens usually just sit side by side in there. No dividers but they don't seem to mind.
I have two houses I need to clean out but I want to pressure wash them and water isn't something I want to use at the moment.
It is so dark and dreary today. Makes me feel depressed. There is an old poem I have searched for for years but can't find it. It was by a well known poet. I remembered it from college. Sharol maybe you can help me out with it. I kind of identified with it because I have a terrible case of SAD when I don't see the sun.
It was called Lodged. It went something like:
The wind blew
And the rain pelt
On the garden bed.
And though they lay lodged;
And not dead.
I knew how the flowers felt.

 

[lizzyGSR]

During a time when most of you are complaining about rain, I feel rather odd to be saying this, but...

I am so excited because we actually got a nice rain last night!!! e

The rain gauge said 0.64" last night! It didn't come down as fast as the last rain we got, and we actually have a very thin layer of wet dirt on top! It's still not really enough to sink and/or slip around, but it is way better than nothing! If only we could "share" rainfall - I'd be happy to take some from those of you who are getting too much!

 

[ChickenPeep]

During a time when most of you are complaining about rain, I feel rather odd to be saying this, but...

I am so excited because we actually got a nice rain last night!!!

The rain gauge said 0.64" last night! It didn't come down as fast as the last rain we got, and we actually have a very thin layer of wet dirt on top! It's still not really enough to sink and/or slip around, but it is way better than nothing! If only we could "share" rainfall - I'd be happy to take some from those of you who are getting too much!

It has been cloudy and rainy here ALL week and I've been loving it.

The highest the temps have been all week is probably around 85. And it's AUGUST!!!

 

[cleansquared]

Im positive danz its the crested one ive kept really good track because i was trying to figure it out as to who is laying what and to my surprise every time some one is on the nest basket its the crested one then there is an egg i have a chart ice been keeping to track when i see one or if i get an egg and dont see i have never seen the non crested one on the basket where the other eggs are laid i have a nest box no one uses seems our crested one likes the basket i did one day find an egg in the water bowl this was a couple of weeks ago also how long do you add the ivermection to the water? Just once? Or a few days? Thanks

 

[lizzyGSR]

It has been cloudy and rainy here ALL week and I've been loving it.

The highest the temps have been all week is probably around 85. And it's AUGUST!!!

I know, we've had some really crazy weather as well. Today's high is 69 degrees. It is overcast here, and there is very little wind. It's definitely a good day to be outside - too bad I'm stuck inside working overtime to try to finish a project for work.