Consolidated Kansas

[lizzyGSR]

Once here they've been put in quarantine but have already laid 3 eggs between them. Since they are 2 1/2 year old hens, and just had the stress of moving, I'm pretty impressed with that effort already. They consist of 2 BO's, 2 Production Reds, a Barred Rock, a Wheaten something and a little black hen of indeterminate origin. All hatchery birds, of course (you can see the hatchery leghorn influence in the BR who has a huge floppy comb. Compared to my Reece BR's, she barely resembles a BR). They are all pretty ratty looking so I'm dosing with Ivermectin to start with, since I'm sure they haven't been wormed in a long time, if ever. It will be fun to watch them turn into healthy looking birds after they've had a chance to be here for awhile and get some good food, greens, bugs etc. Where they were they had nothing but dirt in their run and the former owners had run out of feed so were giving them bread until I could get there and pick them up - and I don't know how long they were doing that.

Sounds like you had quite the evening with the new birds!

An update on my birds after I had a chance to look at them a little closer this morning. The scab on my duck's foot is completely gone, though there is still a swollen spot. Is it possible that this swollen spot is permanent?

My goose (gander name Lucy) has quite a bit of swelling left in his foot. It is swollen towards the base of all 3 toes, and the webbing between them is a bit swollen near the joint of the 3 toes as well. He is getting around considerably better now than a week ago, so we're making progress in the right direction. It's just been somewhat slow progress. How long is acceptable to treat with the amoxicillin? We are on day 11 or 12 now and have enough medication for 20 days for each bird.

 

[chicken danz]

Okie Queen Bee do you market your honey locally? I normally buy a good sized jug of it every fall. I love fresh raw honey. I use it in place of sugar a lot. This also explains the rest of your name here.
I plan to bring a couple of peacocks, some pairs of pheasants, some Sabastopol geese, several pairs of Mandarin ducks. And I'm not sure what else. I don't think I have any chickens to take this time. I may end up doing one cage or so just to see how they go. Depends on how organized I get.
Actually I hate crowds but this is a different kind of crowd. I have many friends I only manage to see twice a year and Gardner is the place to do so. Several of them live out of state so it's a good chance to get together. Then I always see other people I know from elsewhere. The fall auction is normally more of a buyers market but it can fool you too. Things may go rediculously high.
They always sell consigned items first. That can get a little boring and sometimes frightening. Each seller that enters for a consignment number brings one donated cage of birds. Those birds are auctioned off first and often bring a lot more than what you would normally pay for them. The money goes to the HOAGBA organization so sometimes people will pay way more for them to benefit the club.
It's so stinking hot out there today. I've been trying to water the birds and had to come cool down a minute.
HEChicken I had no idea getting those hens was that much of an effort. For heavens sake. I'd say they owed you an egg or two.
Why don't the two of you. ZigZag and Queen bee send me a PM with a cell phone number or something. Maybe we can get a chance to meet while we are there. I'd suggest waiting until a couple hours into the auction so things slow down a little.
Lizzy I'm glad your birds are improving. I honestly can't answer the amoxicillin question. I just know people usually take it 7-10 days. I have a goose with a swollen leg myself right now. (S)he is limping a little and I can't find an injury anywhere. I'm not sure what he did to himself. I decided to just observe and see how he did for a few days.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

It's has been crazy the last 2 days. Looks like some of you will be at the Gardner's auction. Good luck to those who are selling.

Lizzy... glad your birds are feeling better.

Hechicken, sounded like you had your handful with the new birds. I hope they turn up well.

Can't remember who else said what because my kindle fire won't do multi's and going back yo prior pages means I'll lose my newly typed message. Sorry.

Well, I'm back to work after a week off. My staff had to move my boxes to a new cube on different floor while I was off. Needless to say, I was just unpacking boxes and at the same time trying to get situated. Just utter chaos.

To top things off, I had lost all my keys and remote control yesterday. Of course I didn't find this out until almost 10 pm last night. Thank goodness my husband called the stores we visited yesterday and found them this morning. I was just glad that I didn't have to shell out $$$ to replace the remote and bunch of keys, including a company key.

Then I got 2 GPs late yesterday and I've been trying to get them situated and calm down. I'm hoping that they will trust me/us and learn to guard/protect the birds eventually.

There is also good news. The injured chick is alive and doing well. It's eating and drinking on its own. I'm very excited about its outcome. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Stay cool everyone. There is light at the end of the tunnel... errr... more like cooler air at the end of the week.

 

[cherwill]

In the meantime, a couple of nights ago I was asked to take 7 hens by an acquaintance. I went to pick them up and then had to go to our barn to feed. He had loaded them in a large dog crate which we had put in the back of my car and since we were going to be at the barn for an hour or more, I decided to open the back of the car to give them some air. Then I took pity on them panting and gave them a little feed and water. I couldn't get the gate of the crate latched again (old and rusty), so I wedged it closed and went off to feed horses. I was horrified to come back and find six of the seven wandering around catching bugs. I hoped they were tame enough to be picked up easily but of course that wasn't the case. There wasn't anywhere easy to herd them into so I could corner and catch them, so I had to wait until nightfall. As the light grew dimmer, I heard their contented murmuring start to sound more anxious as it occurred to them they weren't sure where they were supposed to go to roost. At that point I was able to herd them into a small dog run and capture and take them home.

Oh my! What a pain. And they're already giving you more eggs than my ten hens are giving me!

Well, I'm back to work after a week off. My staff had to move my boxes to a new cube on different floor while I was off. Needless to say, I was just unpacking boxes and at the same time trying to get situated. Just utter chaos.

To top things off, I had lost all my keys and remote control yesterday. Of course I didn't find this out until almost 10 pm last night. Thank goodness my husband called the stores we visited yesterday and found them this morning. I was just glad that I didn't have to shell out $$$ to replace the remote and bunch of keys, including a company key.

Then I got 2 GPs late yesterday and I've been trying to get them situated and calm down. I'm hoping that they will trust me/us and learn to guard/protect the birds eventually.

There is also good news. The injured chick is alive and doing well. It's eating and drinking on its own. I'm very excited about its outcome. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Stay cool everyone. There is light at the end of the tunnel... errr... more like cooler air at the end of the week.

You have a lot going on! I hope you're able to get the office organized quickly, and that the dogs adapt quickly. Great news about the chick, too!

We went to Newton today to test drive a Jeep Laredo. We really liked it, and if you remember all the drama when DH and I were looking before, you'll know what a miracle it is that we both liked it.

It's probably the closest affordable, somewhat new thing I'm going to find to my Montero. They just don't make boxes lined with windows any more. It's got a stuck seat belt in the back, though, and there's a whine when your foot is on the gas at highway speeds. They're supposed to check it out first thing tomorrow. I hope there's no hidden deal-breaker. The price is great and I'm finally willing to take the plunge. The Montero has developed some expensive problem, and it's full of rust, and DH doesn't want to worry about it any more. I agree with him this time; it's time to let it go.

I'm thinking it's his truck that's cursed, though. Two weeks ago at my parents' house, we came out from dinner and found the rear window shattered. Our best guess is that, when the dude across the street was edging, his edger chucked a rock into it. Then today, when we pulled into the car place, a guy backed into the passenger door. It's not a big dent because he mostly hit the tire, but it's at the bottom. The mechanic says it's the strong part of the door (whatever that means), so the dent can't just be popped out. It has to be fixed and painted. He also suggested we have the alignment checked since the tire was hit so hard.

 

[chicken danz]

I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't get back to sleep so here I am drinking coffee and writing now that I can finally see the keyboard. Cherwill I had to laugh at your box with windows. DH used to have a Montero and that is exactly how I described it. Sounds like you are having battles with vehicles. I don't think there is anything I hate worse than car shopping. I think it took me over 4 months before I replaced my Outback after the deer totalled it.
Tweety sorry for all the work you have to do at the office. I hate trying to get organized. I have total chaos and it looks like a mess around me but I know where my stuff is. If someone else moved it I would be lost.
Congrats on the GPs. Trish told me about them. I hope they work out really well for you. I have nothing but praise for my dogs.....well most of the time. I can't even fathom what losses I would have without them. My newest dog I've only had back a couple of weeks has presented a couple challenges but she is really well behaved which really helps. The worst part is when I am trying to put the birds in at night she and Fluff decide it is fun to play by chasing each other around the birds. Needless to say it doesn't go over well. I just started putting her in a kennel until I get the birds put up.

Oh and good news. Last night I was out trying to mow some high weeds. I found a nest of turkey eggs and then here came my missing turkey. We had been all over that area and hadn't found the eggs or the turkey before. I am sure she hadn't come out to eat or anything. I put the eggs in their pen and she went in with the others. I'll check this morning to see if she found them. She was pretty upset with me. If she isn't sitting on them I'll check to see if they may still be viable since it was pretty warm out last night. And if they appear okay I'll put them in the incubator and hope for the best. I hope she is sitting on them. She wasn't about to pay attention to me when I was trying to show them to her last night. I'm trying to figure how to get them by leaving them in their pen today. I think tomorrow is supposed to be the beginning of the cool down. I just don't want them dying from the heat out there. I'm out of fans to use.
I'm down to two days to get all those cages made. I figured out I have a minimum of 14 cages to make and that is if my DNA tests don't come back. Holy molly. I guess it's time to start. There could easily be another 4-6 cages if it does come back.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Gosh, it's been rather quiet on here since I got back...

I had a minute, so I thought I'd share how my first baby shower went! We had a good number of people turn out with approximately 30 in attendance. I got several diaper bags, some cloth diapers (Yay!!! I was afraid people would shy away from my cloth diaper registry), some baby basics, some onesies, lots of homemade blankets, crib sheets, a few toys and teethers, etc. I am quite happy with the gifts, and we don't have too many duplicates (mainly just diaper bags and some baby basics). I find it ironic that we have gotten more of the larger-sized diapers than the newborn sizes.

Now, I'm in the midst of writing LOTS of thank you cards. Then, I'll start trying to wash things and put them away and hopefully get that done before my second shower, which is coming up in about a week and a half. Busy, busy, busy!

On the baby front, I am now 32 weeks pregnant, and I feel like I've gained a lot of weight in the last week with my trip. I've noticed in the last several days that I can't bend over like I used to, and it is becoming more and more difficult to put my boots on. It is still snake season around here, so I don't dare follow Danz's example and wear flip flops... too much risk of encountering a rattlesnake. I am still feeling good, and my only complaint is really that it is becoming difficult to sleep at night because of how difficult it is to get comfortable. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good! Only 8 weeks to go - yikes! That doesn't sound like nearly enough time to get everything done!

 

[cherwill]

I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't get back to sleep so here I am drinking coffee and writing now that I can finally see the keyboard. Cherwill I had to laugh at your box with windows. DH used to have a Montero and that is exactly how I described it. Sounds like you are having battles with vehicles. I don't think there is anything I hate worse than car shopping. I think it took me over 4 months before I replaced my Outback after the deer totalled it.

I remember! I hate car shopping, too. I don't want to look until I'm ready to buy, and then I want it done quickly.

Oh and good news. Last night I was out trying to mow some high weeds. I found a nest of turkey eggs and then here came my missing turkey. We had been all over that area and hadn't found the eggs or the turkey before. I am sure she hadn't come out to eat or anything. I put the eggs in their pen and she went in with the others. I'll check this morning to see if she found them. She was pretty upset with me. If she isn't sitting on them I'll check to see if they may still be viable since it was pretty warm out last night. And if they appear okay I'll put them in the incubator and hope for the best. I hope she is sitting on them. She wasn't about to pay attention to me when I was trying to show them to her last night. I'm trying to figure how to get them by leaving them in their pen today. I think tomorrow is supposed to be the beginning of the cool down. I just don't want them dying from the heat out there. I'm out of fans to use.
I'm down to two days to get all those cages made. I figured out I have a minimum of 14 cages to make and that is if my DNA tests don't come back. Holy molly. I guess it's time to start. There could easily be another 4-6 cages if it does come back.

Oh my. I just melted from heat thinking about you making all those cages!

Gosh, it's been rather quiet on here since I got back...

I had a minute, so I thought I'd share how my first baby shower went! We had a good number of people turn out with approximately 30 in attendance. I got several diaper bags, some cloth diapers (Yay!!! I was afraid people would shy away from my cloth diaper registry), some baby basics, some onesies, lots of homemade blankets, crib sheets, a few toys and teethers, etc. I am quite happy with the gifts, and we don't have too many duplicates (mainly just diaper bags and some baby basics). I find it ironic that we have gotten more of the larger-sized diapers than the newborn sizes.

That's great. I'm glad people got on board with your cloth diapers. Sounds like you got a lot of what you need.

We just got back from the garden. The peas are coming up. The beets came up and something ate them. I'll be lucky to get five beets from the fall harvest. The radishes and squash look good. Carrots haven't come up at all yet, and something's started eating the wax bean sprouts.

We traded some fennel bulbs for a tub of tomatoes, though, so that was good.

To make this chicken related, I'm still getting 0-1 egg a day. Grrrr.

 

[HEChicken]

Cherwill, I am with you on the car shopping - I hope the Jeep works out for you.

I discovered my tomatoes have Tomato Hornworms the other day, quite by accident. I was picking and spotted one. Once I knew to look for them I found 3 more in quick succession and then heard my hay guy coming so I had to run to open the gate for him. I went back out the next evening and found six more. Some of them are HUGE so have clearly been eating for awhile. I'm glad I found them when I did - the turkeys are quite happy to help me out by eating them. I need to go back out to night and see if I can find some more.

 

[sharol]

Cherwill, I am with you on the car shopping - I hope the Jeep works out for you.

I discovered my tomatoes have Tomato Hornworms the other day, quite by accident. I was picking and spotted one. Once I knew to look for them I found 3 more in quick succession and then heard my hay guy coming so I had to run to open the gate for him. I went back out the next evening and found six more. Some of them are HUGE so have clearly been eating for awhile. I'm glad I found them when I did - the turkeys are quite happy to help me out by eating them. I need to go back out to night and see if I can find some more.

 

[chicken danz]

It has been awfully quiet here recently. I would think most people would be inside keeping cool. Sounds like you had an excellent shower, Lizzy. I don't even think I know 30 people that would consider coming to anything for me. I guess that is life as a hermit.
I'm pretty much an unhappy camper. I took some of my ideas out to DH to bounce off him about building cages. He's been leading me to believe he would at least make some boxes to start with. He'd mentioned going to buy lumber for them. When I told him how many I needed and what size he got all crabby about it . He said he was going to take a nap and then go shopping so if I wanted him to get anything I'd better be thinking about it. Well I had quite a list and I had planned to go myself but he gave me the impression we were going together. So now I guess I am building cages alone without any material and no help and will have to make a separate trip to get the things I need later on. I swear sometimes I could pull my hair out. I would have had this at least half done had I not been led to believe he was going to work on it with me. I've been planning this for 6 months and yet he acts all surprised I have to get it done.
I had purchased some cheap small clothes baskets some time back and I cut some heavy rigid plastic I had saved to put in the bottoms to strengthen them up. I am going to cut some plastic hardware cloth to use on the tops, attach some feed and water containers...and those will be the cages for the Mandarin ducks. I have two old cages I think I will use for pairs of pheasant. I will have to modify the tops so they don't hurt their heads but other than that those are done. I need to make two more for pheasants, make two for peacocks and then those for the geese. It's so hot out there I can hardly stand it. It's almost enough to make me say forget it and just try to sell birds from here.
I snapped and canned 7 quarts of green beans this morning. I decided to busy myself while DH slept in.
My turkey hadn't sat on the eggs in the pen so I brought them in and put them in the incubator. All but one of them appeared to be okay as far as starting to develop but they hadn't been sat on and they were cool. I put them in the incubator anyway and figure I'll check them in a few days to see if any of them are still alive.
I have chicks hatching today. I am out of chick starter so I am just letting the rest finish hatching before I remove them.
It's really not been a very satisfying day so far. And since I got up so early I am feeling a bit more grouchy than normal.