Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

Sharol, if your birds are getting on the roost that's more than some of mine are doing. I have the Lemon Cuckoo Orps in half of the hoop coop & they're getting pretty good sized but the still sit all bunched up in the corner on the brace at night instead of getting up on the roost they have. They're plenty big to get up there but they just don't. I have smaller, younger birds in my growout pen that do get up on the roost, so go figure.

 

[JosieChick]

Yup, I just dilute vinegar and water for cleaning and also use it for fly killing! I just spray them and squish them. I like the vinegar solution because it is safe on just about any surface, I once sprayed something with ammonia based cleaner to kill a fly and it left marks where I sprayed, can't remember what it was now. Plus I am very efficient at killing them with a quick spray or two versus trying to smack them with something in which case I miss a lot more than I kill!

Can't remember who asked but the cochins are all bantam.

 

[chicken danz]

Danz, what color cochins do you have?
I sold all my cochins except my gold laced and my white. I only have a trio of gold laced that I finally have separated and I have a white cochin hen but the other whites I got to go with her aren't breeding age yet. I used to have lots of colors but sold them all except these 4, then bought more eggs to hatch to increase the whites. I am hoping to hatch a few of the gold laced shortly. I have eggs developing in the incubator. The cochins were part of my downsizing. But the gold laced cochin has been my favorite rooster for a long time.

It has been a bad morning. A baby chick was born but not sure what happened but its skin from the neck up was torn and pulled all the way up to the top. I knew it won't be able to live and was probably suffering so I decided to cull it. This is the first time I had to cull a chick. I have no idea how to do it so I just broke its neck. But I must not have done it right and it was still alive. So I took a knife and did a clean cut. I hope I didn't make it suffer much. I'm still trembling as I type. Never thought I had the courage to cull a chick but I knew it was suffering. I thought it was best to end its suffering. Argh...I know it comes with the territory of owning chickens but it was still hard.

If there is a better and more efficient way to cull a chick, please let me know.

I'll be back later to read some posts. I need a stiff drink right now to calm my nerve!!! I just don't have any alcoholic beverages in the house so I'll just go drink some ice water.
Tweety, I'm so sorry. That is never easy. I still can't cull chicks. I give them to my DH and ask him to do it if he is here. I know he bought some good quality kitchen sheers and just cuts off their head. I've never watched him or even looked at the chicks when he is done. I just can't kill them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aliaslucyvp

I live with my husband, four dogs (three dumped here and we rescued them), two cats, 9 chickens and 4 roosters (surprise!), and eight Guineas on a small airstrip southeast of Udall, KS.

I work at the VA Medical Center in Wichita, KS, four days a week for 10hr each, so I can have three day weekends every week! I hope to retire in around 4 years - depending on the economy.

It is a 45 min drive to and from work, so I listen to audiobooks and sometimes KFDI.

I was born and raised in Southern California and we moved here because it was supposed to be cheaper. My husband was born here. All my family is elsewhere, so I miss them all the time. Just got back from a week visit in CA - visited my son and dau-in-law and grandson, Daniel!

Back to work on Monday. But I generally like my job and the people I work with and love serving our Vets, so I will be glad to be back...sort of.

I used to live 80 miles from work so drove 160 miles every day back and forth to work. I spent a minimum of 3 hours on the road every day plus I often worked over 12 hours at a time. I did that for over 20 years. I used to listen to CD's or the radio but then in later years I just turned off the radio and spent the time thinking. I learned I could do a lot of planning and problem solving while driving. There was one real benefit to being so far from work. Whatever frustrations or tensions or upsetting things work caused got all worked out before I got home. I never came home and dealt with my kids with the stresses of the job on my mind. I think that was totally worth the drive and the time.
Retirement is great although I work harder at home than I ever had to at a job and I am broke....but very happy.

I'm the same Danz - I just prefer the LF. I have a bantam game hen, a silkie, a sultan, a pullet that the sultan surprised me with (she went broody and I gave her two BR eggs and she laid another egg, unbeknownst to me until after it hatched) and 3 bantam cochins. I don't plan on raising any more bantams. The silkie and cochins I got for the purpose of having broodies but the Sultan has actually been the best broody of them all. She's currently raising her third batch of chicks - 8 this time - and has always done and awesome job at it.
I have gotten several bantam breeds and have loved them for a little while but I get tired of them and then I end up selling out at a loss. I think I have a hang up about having big birds, big eggs and more meat.
I hate flies too. I am guessing that Josie using diluted white vinegar/water, as that would have the effect of stunning them (or getting them wet enough they can't fly) and then when they drop you can stomp on them. I might try this too.
I tried just plain ACV and that sure didn't work.....just made it stink in here. I am out of white vinegar right now. I put some golden malrin in a paper bowl and hope the cats stay out of it. These things are driving me insane.
Our problem this year has been crickets. Last night I caught one that started its chirping before we turned off the light and we were woken by a second at 4am. I turned on the lamp and was able to locate and grab it within a minute or two. I'm getting really good at cricket snatching - DH says I'd give the turkeys a run for their money. I dunno - is that a compliment?????

Tweety, I am so sorry about the chick. Culling doesn't get easier and I'm sorry to say I don't have a better method for culling. I give my chick culls to my snakes which sounds cruel but over time I've come to realize that the way the snakes kill is at least as humane as anything I could do - fast and clean. So I have never had to cull one of the little ones myself.

Welcome Aliaslucyvp!

Two Speckled Sussex
Really nice speckles on that one for sure

Two Brahmas (?) Look like brahma crosses. Their back should be white and the colar and tail should be stipled. But there is enough brahma in them they should be great birds. Brahmas are my passion.
Rocket J. Squirrel, uh, Rooster - most jumpy chicken I've ever known!
The rooster is a mystery to me.
The Brahmas looked like Penguins when little. Any guesses? No idea about the rooster, he is thin and tall, but not as tall as the Brahma Roo.

By the way Sharol, Have in integrated the Marans babies out there yet?
Well I spent my afternoon with KNHKluckers and wife. Thanks for the sales. He is going home with a nice bunch of birds. Of course I am a worry wort and fear they'll get too hot or something and get sick or die. It's no wonder I have such a hard time selling birds. I hate letting them go. I tend to want to keep babying them. I need to get my feeding and watering done but I had to come in and cool off for a while. It was a good afternoon and I really enjoyed the company. Now I owe him some more birds that aren't even hatched yet as well.

 

[Aliaslucyvp]

The drive is okay, I used to drive 30 miles in CA and it often took an hour to get home with my nerves like I had been tortured with fingernails on blackboard for the whole time. I remember one of my last drives before I left SoCal, it took 2 1/2 hours to drive home and the whole way home, I kept saying, "Just remember this; remember this is why you are leaving!" Must have worked, I still remember it! When I was there on vacation for a week I hated being in the car even though I wasn't driving. We went down to San Diego one day and I swear I was tempted just to walk the 90 miles home...through Camp Pendleton or not! Home now. no driving til Monday. )

That little white Speckler is my husband's favorite, he thinks she is the prettiest!

 

[sharol]

By the way Sharol, Have in integrated the Marans babies out there yet?

 

[Frizzled Pink]

Frizzled I love those birds although I just don't stay interested in bantams. I'm happy with my LF Cochins now that I am down to just two colors. I'm a bigger the better kind of chicken girl. but i've got to say those colors are awesome.
Trish don't be surprised if those orps never roost. Those big heavy bodied birds don't like being over about a foot to a foot and a half at most off the ground. I think it's pretty hard for them to fly up very far especially when they get full sized. I keep all of my roosts low because most of the chickens I have like it that way.
My house has been invaded with flies. It's driving me insane. I have no idea how I am going to get rid of them. There's too much in and out traffic here for sure.
I could swat them for weeks and never make a dent. There's things about fall I really really hate. Two of those are flies and gnats!!! Even though the weather doesn't think it's fall the bugs and the birds do.

Well YEAH! If i had King i would be into the large fowl too.

Howdy everyone!!! Hope you are all well, I am so very far behind, I skimmed posts but figured I better just pop in real quick.

Trish-Sorry about your SS hen, that is hard. I sold my seramas last week and just found out one of the frizzled pullets passed away. I was pretty sad, she was a sweet little girl.

Danz-I go around with vinegar spray and spray the flies in the house so they fall down then squish them! DH picks on me relentlessly when I go "fly hunting" but I can't stand them in the house!!!

Frizzledpink- Post baby pics when those little chickies hatch!!! I can't wait to see them. I just hatched out a bunch of accidental cochin chicks, again. They were under a broody hen. Now I have a bunch of black mottled splits to mille fleur that I really don't need! My last hatch was heavy with boys too which is a bummer. Two of them are super cute calicos.

Amelia and I went to Maine for a week to visit family. She was awesome on the plane rides both to and back home. I was so proud of her but what an exhausting thing flying with a baby. SO much to do and remember when its not just you anymore!

Here is my little sweetie at the beach sinking her toes into the sand for the first time!

Oh gosh that pic is so cutey patootie. Hmmm if my test all turn out frizzled i may have to hunt you down for a smooth split--resurrect the ole I-35 chicken trail LOL

It has been a bad morning. A baby chick was born but not sure what happened but its skin from the neck up was torn and pulled all the way up to the top. I knew it won't be able to live and was probably suffering so I decided to cull it. This is the first time I had to cull a chick. I have no idea how to do it so I just broke its neck. But I must not have done it right and it was still alive. So I took a knife and did a clean cut. I hope I didn't make it suffer much. I'm still trembling as I type. Never thought I had the courage to cull a chick but I knew it was suffering. I thought it was best to end its suffering. Argh...I know it comes with the territory of owning chickens but it was still hard.

If there is a better and more efficient way to cull a chick, please let me know.

I'll be back later to read some posts. I need a stiff drink right now to calm my nerve!!! I just don't have any alcoholic beverages in the house so I'll just go drink some ice water.

Sorry that stinks. I have never had to do that yet but heard baby aspirin in their water just puts them to ((sleep)), any experienced peeps with any thoughts on that?



Story too funny not to tell on the subject of flies, we had the fly strips in the coop and one of the juvie roo's somehow got it stuck to his foot and was running away from the attached "snake" with all the other chickens in pursuit.

Hi Aliaslucyvp--glad you have joined us

 

[Aliaslucyvp]

Thanks! Love my chickens and Guineas - they are a passion for us!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

e had to come to where its understood why i am so excited that test eggs are wiggling at lockdown --going to be a long 3 days!!!!

Oh, how exciting! Do show us pics when they hatched!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Sharol, mine are about 16 to 20 weeks old and finally roost consistently. My roost bars are quite high though so may be that's the problem.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Howdy everyone!!! Hope you are all well, I am so very far behind, I skimmed posts but figured I better just pop in real quick. Trish-Sorry about your SS hen, that is hard. I sold my seramas last week and just found out one of the frizzled pullets passed away. I was pretty sad, she was a sweet little girl. Danz-I go around with vinegar spray and spray the flies in the house so they fall down then squish them! DH picks on me relentlessly when I go "fly hunting" but I can't stand them in the house!!! Frizzledpink- Post baby pics when those little chickies hatch!!! I can't wait to see them. I just hatched out a bunch of accidental cochin chicks, again. They were under a broody hen. Now I have a bunch of black mottled splits to mille fleur that I really don't need! My last hatch was heavy with boys too which is a bummer. Two of them are super cute calicos. Amelia and I went to Maine for a week to visit family. She was awesome on the plane rides both to and back home. I was so proud of her but what an exhausting thing flying with a baby. SO much to do and remember when its not just you anymore! Here is my little sweetie at the beach sinking her toes into the sand for the first time!

Josie, that's a precious picture. Glad you guys had fun!