Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

Hmmmm, this is weird, not sure where your post went! Anywho, I think it all depends on the boxer. Most boxers are high strung, neurotic, lunatics. Some of them are fabulous dogs. I fostered two boxer mix pups a few years ago and they were awesome dogs. I have a feeling that you have a good internal compass about dog personalities that you could go and meet a dog and decide if you felt "overwhelmed" by the dog's behavior or not. I love the Kansas Humane Society's meet your match program. Here is a link to some info: http://www.kshumane.org/animals/meet-the-canine-alities.htm You fill out a questionnaire and they tell you what caninealities "fit" your life style. Stay away from goofballs! They don't listen and will probably chase your birds. I think you would be great with a herding type dog or a working group dog (boxers would fall into here) with a very sensitive demeanor. I mean the kind of dog that if you say "hey" sharply it turns and looks at you with a "Yikes, yes maam!" look.

This will tell you that it is very important to this dog that you approve of it's behavior and it is smart enough to recognize that you mean business. If you can try to meet a dog in a small room. At the humane society they have rooms that are all glass windows that you meet dogs in and it is great because if the dog is tweaking out all over the room going "squirrel!!!!" at everything that goes by you know it is going to be like that in your home.

Danz has been having problems with my posts not coming over in quotes too. It may be because I post above the original post rather than after it. (on a Windows list we do that for the individuals with impaired sight who use screen readers.) I'll try putting my replies at the bottom.

Love your description of the dog bouncing off the walls. Our local shelter has minimal meet and greet areas for the dogs/people. It is lots better than it used to be, but still pretty basic. I'm heading over there later (they are only open for 2 hours a day). their petfinder listings aren't always up to date, but they have a couple of interesting mixes. One is a lab/great pry mix that looks interesting if she isn't huge. There is what they are calling a boxer/blue heeler mix (she looks like a big terrier in the picture, though).

I was reading another discussion board about dogs and chickens (and other livestock), and the consensus was that the best dog was a WELL TRAINED dog of whatever breed. Certainly some breeds are more interested in pleasing you than others (my daughter's pug, for instance, isn't the slightest bit interested in doing what she wants, but he is amazing with the kids. She calls him Saint Finnegan the Pug -- of course, pugs are part cat anyway). We have two dachshunds that never bother the chickens (the female did the first week we had her, but she came around as soon as she realized they were part of the pack.)

 

[lizzyGSR]

Congratulations Lizzy! That's a big boy! And look at DH, I think he's in shock!

Ha ha! I think DH was too tired to be in shock.

By the time the picture was taken, we had had a REALLY LONG day with very little sleep.

Congrats on the new baby, Lizzy!!! Of course I have to rub it in I was right about the sex. When you have as many kids as I did you get a pretty good eye for that.

LOL! Congrats on getting it correct, Danz! You were definitely the most confident of anyone who made guesses!

Hmmm... Not sure what I was going to say here since the quote didn't work.

 

[chicken danz]

Danz, hmmmm... if the pictured peachicks are younger, wonder if I didn't feed mine correctly? I feed mine chick feeds. Should I be feeding them gamebird feeds instead. I feel like an idiot for not asking this question when I got the birds from you.

Ideally peachicks should be started on medicated turkey feed. Higher protein and has the medication they need. I could never find any locally. So I feed chick starter for the medication and occasionally give them crumbled cooked egg for protein. It seems to work very well. Once they are as old as yours they should be able to eat pretty much what your other birds do. I give mine cat or dog food occasionally... (the smallest tidbits you can find) and they like any green or veggie scraps. Mine really like eating leaves of any kind. I think you are being hard on yourself. You can't see how small these peachicks are in the picture. Be sure to give them some probiotics if you are or have given them antibiotics. Their systems are very sensitive.
originally Posted by Trish44

Your post didn't multi. LOL I am enjoying being right. I spend a lot of my life having to admit I am wrong!!! And I really really hate that!

Your post didn't multi either. I am going to send you a pm. My daughter works for a boxer rescue and she can tell you more about boxers than anyone I know. I am sure Josie is dead on right about finding the right dog with personality. I don't know much of anyone who has had more experience with different breeds than she has.
Josie, It doesn't sound like the owners of that dog want him back very bad. Maybe he is an escape artist and they are tired of him.
I hope they are decent enough to pay you for your care.
I personally agree with HEChicken. I don't think I would add but one dog at a time. I think sometimes dogs bring out the worst in each other. They need time to get to know you and the other dog. The exception would be of course if they had already been together before being placed up for adoption. MPO

 

[deb516]

lizzy, congratulations on your handsome little guy.

 

[Trish44]

sharol, good luck with your dog search, I hope you find just the right fit for you. I have been very lucky with that, I seem to have a sense of what dog will be right for me when I meet them. Of course I do spend some time with the dog before I take them home just to see how they act, play, & respond to me. I normally get puppies so I don't have to guess about their background & any bad experiences they might have had before. I have gotten adult cats & they're usually more versatile I think than dogs, more independent. Anyway let us know how it goes.

It's been raining here off & on, not hard, just enough to make it messy. I went out & let the goats out of the pen but they're not happy, they hate being wet so they were out there yelling about it when I came in. I hope it's not raining tomorrow so I can get the plastic put on my hoop coops & a couple more tarps put on pens.

We have to take our sick cat back to the Vet today, she isn't doing well at all, she has quit eating now, so it isn't good. The antibiotic the Vet had given her a few days ago isn't helping her at all, so she is miserable. I hope the Vet can do something to help her feel better, she has been the best cat ever, just a sweetheart. We have tried all we know to do for her here, a steamy bathroom to try to help her breathing, VetRx, warming her food for her, but nothing has really helped.

 

[KsKingBee]

You've certainly been busy! I often wish I was in the country, but I guess the upside to living in town is not having to worry about quite so many predators.

When we lived in Wichita I think there may have been even more predators. At one home I had I was always catching skunks, opossums, coons, and the neighbors cats. At my last home there the neighbor had chickens but her own dogs would keep getting in the pens and killing them. At least out here the birds can free range and we don't have to worry too much during the day.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I couldn't find any info on age, I wouldn't think it would hurt the 9 week olds though. I haven't looked for any at the local stores, I looked at TSC's website & didn't see it. I would call them & check unless you're just going there anyway. If I remember right they don't carry gamebird starter there any more, I have had to buy it at Orschelyn's. The cheapest place I found online to buy the Rooster Booster Triple Wormer is Fleming Outdoors.

I will have to give that a go since I'm getting ready to worm the flock for the winter. Thanks for letting me know where to get the wormer... I'll put the order in today so hopefully I can worm them next weekend.

Lizzy - congratulations on your new arrival!

Tweety, Atwoods has the best game bird starter in my opinion because it is 28% protein. Most of the others around are much lower. If you have an Atwoods close to you, I would get that over other brands.

KsKingBee - WOW. That is a boatload of predators - good job!

Oh, goody, there is an Atwood just a few miles west of us and that's the one we use most of the time to get chicken feeds and what not. I'll be there getting a bag this weekend.

Ideally peachicks should be started on medicated turkey feed. Higher protein and has the medication they need. I could never find any locally. So I feed chick starter for the medication and occasionally give them crumbled cooked egg for protein. It seems to work very well. Once they are as old as yours they should be able to eat pretty much what your other birds do. I give mine cat or dog food occasionally... (the smallest tidbits you can find) and they like any green or veggie scraps. Mine really like eating leaves of any kind. I think you are being hard on yourself. You can't see how small these peachicks are in the picture. Be sure to give them some probiotics if you are or have given them antibiotics. Their systems are very sensitive.

OK. I have the probiotics but right now I am putting Oxine in their drinking water so I'll try that this weekend and give them some probiotics for a few days. I've them on medicated chicks starter right now since they are old enough to eat regular feeds, I plan to give them some FF when I get it going. Since they like greens, I have plenty of lettuce since I eat a lot of salad. Do they need grits if I feed them anything but chick feeds just like chickens?

sharol, good luck with your dog search, I hope you find just the right fit for you. I have been very lucky with that, I seem to have a sense of what dog will be right for me when I meet them. Of course I do spend some time with the dog before I take them home just to see how they act, play, & respond to me. I normally get puppies so I don't have to guess about their background & any bad experiences they might have had before. I have gotten adult cats & they're usually more versatile I think than dogs, more independent. Anyway let us know how it goes.

It's been raining here off & on, not hard, just enough to make it messy. I went out & let the goats out of the pen but they're not happy, they hate being wet so they were out there yelling about it when I came in. I hope it's not raining tomorrow so I can get the plastic put on my hoop coops & a couple more tarps put on pens.

We have to take our sick cat back to the Vet today, she isn't doing well at all, she has quit eating now, so it isn't good. The antibiotic the Vet had given her a few days ago isn't helping her at all, so she is miserable. I hope the Vet can do something to help her feel better, she has been the best cat ever, just a sweetheart. We have tried all we know to do for her here, a steamy bathroom to try to help her breathing, VetRx, warming her food for her, but nothing has really helped.

Oh yes, it has been dark, cold, and rainy outside. I can only see out from my office windows and it doesn't look like the rain will stop any time soon either. I really do like this kind of weather except when I have to be outside to do chores, of course.

***************************************************************************
So I have been in a meeting since 11am yesterday till 7pm last night to troubleshoot an issue. I was back on the phone this morning since 10am and by noon, the programmers finally fixed the issue. I'm so happy that the headset is no longer attached to my ears. I thought the ear piece imprints will never fade even after I took the headset off.

I'm going to get the FF going again since it is not as hot and the flies don't circle around the FF buckets like it was in the summer. But knowing that the storage room is not insulated well, the near freezing temperature may be an issue. I need to think about where I can put the FF bucket so it is convenient for me to feed the birds. I'll be using chicken feeds and scratch for starter. Later I'll add some winter wheat berries and oats for the chickens. Last time I did it, they ate all of them fairly quickly so I hope they will do the same this go around.

I need to get back to work now... stay warm and dry everyone!

 

[JosieChick]

Sharol, I wanted to update you on the post about dogs yesterday, because the information given by others is totally correct. What I had meant to put in my original post is that by all accounts, I have been extraordinarily lucky with Sammie. Most people with labs or lab mixes, have NOT found them to be good dogs around poultry. It was suggested that perhaps Sammie is more border collie in her personality, than lab, however we find her to be pretty much just a "small lab" in her personality. She is absolutely "retrieving obsessed". Hedge apple season means that every time I step outside, a hedge apple is dropped at my feet (for me to throw for her), and she will follow me around dropping it at my feet over and over as I move around doing my chores. If she can't find a hedge apple, it will be a stick. Whatever I can throw for her, she is happy to give me. She also loves water, like a typical lab, and will jump into any pool or water. Meanwhile….I was curious when we got the sheep to see if her border collie instincts would kick in. She was certainly fascinated by them, and ran around them, barking, but when the first sheep turned around and presented its head to her, she tucked tail and ran

. Now it is sort of a game they play but in every case, the sheep dominate the "herding" dog. She will bounce around trying to get them to play but as soon as they stomp a foot or look the slightest bit threatening (and that is saying a lot for a sheep), she isn't willing to stick around and see what they're capable of.

That is also a good point about what happens to dogs that are returned. I know that the organization here in this area that we've adopted dogs from, only wants to make successful matches. They don't hold back on disclosing EVERYTHING about the dog, because they want the dog to be successful in its new home, and they never give up on any dog. That dog I mentioned, who we couldn't keep, I kept tracking on their website. It took them 9 months but they did finally find him an adoptive home and the new owners are thrilled to have him in their family. I don't know what rescues are available in your area but those are really good questions to ask.

I was kinda ****** to be honest. I know its not his fault but geez. And then they aren't gonna come and get him? Next time he might just go to the shelter and they can deal with him.

I had to look it up because I wasn't sure but the AKC recognized name is the Australian Cattle Dog and the slang name is usually a blue heeler. I call our big house dog a heeler but he is a mutt. I think a lot of backyard breeders who don't register their dogs call them heelers. This dog I picked up was def a cattle dog, he fit the AKC standard in my eye. Kinda like Ameraucanas and EEs!

Oh my goodness - I can't believe he tore through the mesh like that! I guess that answers the question as to how he happened to be out "directing traffic" - he probably climbed out of their yard too. I agree though, that is very inconsiderate not to run straight over there and get him, but I'm glad at least you found the owner and he wasn't dumped.

What is the difference between a "heeler" and a "cattle dog"? I always thought they were the same thing. The heeler is an Aussie breed of dog - full name Queensland Heeler - that was bred to herd cattle by nipping at their heels (hence the name) so in Australia we use the terms "heeler" and "cattle dog" interchangeably. True Queensland Heelers come in two colors - blue and red - but of course over the years other things have been mixed in. However sort of like the Ameraucana/EE debate, anything that is not either blue or red is technically a mix.

Have fun and good luck! We were at the humane society here this morning for Tot Tuesday, (they read a dog story and the kids get to make enrichment treats for the animals at the shelter) and I saw several dogs I would have sent home with you!! Nice, quiet dogs that sat and looked a tad shy when you approached their rooms. One of the dogs was bouncing off the walls and barking hysterically and I wanted to tell him he better shape up or nobody was gonna want to take him home!

So true about a well behaved dog! I will say that our flat coated retriever though was a very well behaved dog in my presence but as soon as I turned my back he was off raising a ruckus. He dug under fences, scaled over fences, chased and killed my chickens and chased the neighbors calves. He went to live in a home where he would be walked on a leash and not have all the temptations of the country because he was too much for me to deal with. My heeler will get out of the back yard (there is a huge gap in the welded wire fence right now) but he doesn't leave the property and he doesn't bother my birds. He knows I disapprove of those behaviors!

Danz has been having problems with my posts not coming over in quotes too. It may be because I post above the original post rather than after it. (on a Windows list we do that for the individuals with impaired sight who use screen readers.) I'll try putting my replies at the bottom.

Love your description of the dog bouncing off the walls. Our local shelter has minimal meet and greet areas for the dogs/people. It is lots better than it used to be, but still pretty basic. I'm heading over there later (they are only open for 2 hours a day). their petfinder listings aren't always up to date, but they have a couple of interesting mixes. One is a lab/great pry mix that looks interesting if she isn't huge. There is what they are calling a boxer/blue heeler mix (she looks like a big terrier in the picture, though).

I was reading another discussion board about dogs and chickens (and other livestock), and the consensus was that the best dog was a WELL TRAINED dog of whatever breed. Certainly some breeds are more interested in pleasing you than others (my daughter's pug, for instance, isn't the slightest bit interested in doing what she wants, but he is amazing with the kids. She calls him Saint Finnegan the Pug -- of course, pugs are part cat anyway). We have two dachshunds that never bother the chickens (the female did the first week we had her, but she came around as soon as she realized they were part of the pack.)

Dogs do bring out the worse in each other sometimes!

Your post didn't multi either. I am going to send you a pm. My daughter works for a boxer rescue and she can tell you more about boxers than anyone I know. I am sure Josie is dead on right about finding the right dog with personality. I don't know much of anyone who has had more experience with different breeds than she has.
Josie, It doesn't sound like the owners of that dog want him back very bad. Maybe he is an escape artist and they are tired of him.
I hope they are decent enough to pay you for your care.
I personally agree with HEChicken. I don't think I would add but one dog at a time. I think sometimes dogs bring out the worst in each other. They need time to get to know you and the other dog. The exception would be of course if they had already been together before being placed up for adoption. MPO

Well that was just kind of sad. The owners of that dog finally came and picked him up. The guy and his son pulled in and I gave them the leash to walk the dog to their car because I had forewarned them that Molly does not like strange dogs and has a habit of attacking dogs she doesn't care for on her property. So they load the dog in the car and the kid is yelling at the dog trying to keep him in the backseat and the dog bombs back out of the car and runs up to our door and sits at the door to be let back in our house.

I put him back on the leash and all the while the guy is complaining about how the dog keeps running up to the highway and how the neighbors dog just got shot running loose. Awesome. So they finally get the dog in the car and drive away. Talk about classy....

 

[chicken danz]

Aw Josie that is so sad that he has such a lousy home life. Some people just shouldn't have dogs ...or pets at all for that matter. I'm not perfect or even close to it, but I love my dogs, cats, and birds. My family knows I've shed a lot more tears over animals than I have people in my life. (Maybe that is because I always surround myself with animals and kind of prefer to be around fewer people.)
I just got back in the house. We got the new turkey shelter all done except I want to put a board across the front to help keep straw in. They kept wanting to jump on top which is impossible since it is as tall as the fence and a sharp angle. But now they have roosts and straw to snuggle down into. I left a couple saw horses out there with them cause they were sitting on them. I'll move them tomorrow once they have a chance to find their new roosts. I am sure when the wind gets switched to the north they'll be thanking us for the new digs.
I also moved all of the peachicks into the big pen today. They were so freaked out by me handling them that they didn't seem to want to pick on each other. They have so much more room and it is a lot drier than where they've been. Now if it would stop raining for a while they might settle in and be happy. I think most of them are male but not positive. I have some color mixes that change the variables a little in sexing. Like a high percentage of Java which males and females look too much alike.
I still have the two youngest in a kennel in the house and the two left that the india blues hatched that aren't with the big group.
I do know I am really sick of feeding in the rain.
My Chinese friend came by and got 5 dozen chicken eggs and 4 dozen duck eggs today. He would have taken more if I had them available. I need to get some to some other people too though. I am so far behind in supplying eggs to my customers.

 

[Trish44]

That is sad Josie, some people don't deserve to have dogs, I see them all the time on the Cowley County Swap site on FB. They don't research breeds before they get one, they just think oh that's a cute puppy & then awhile later they figure out the dog doesn't fit into their household or their lifestyle & they put it up for adoption of take it to the humane society. Then I see them on there looking for another dog & the cycle continues, it's just sad & honestly I'm not the only one that gets angry about it. I have seen other people just blast the ones that are guilty of that behavior & I don't blame them. I see these ads too that say we need a home for (insert name & breed) we just don't have the time to give him/her. I just want to say then why did you get the animal? It's so aggravating to me.

My new kitty is settling in, she is the most friendly & lovable cat. I go out a few times a day & talk to her, get her out of the crate & hold & pet her. When I put her back in to leave she reaches out the back of the crate & tries to grab me & make me come back. I know she's bored to death in there, but I don't want her to get out of the garage when someone opens the door & go get lost before she learns this is her home. The previous owner told me that they had rehomed one cat & the new owners just took it home & threw it outside to fend for itself & it ran off & is lost now. She was so angry with them for doing that. I assured her I would not put Coco out until I was sure she was comfortable here. I have cats running into the garage all the time because they know that's where their food is & a couple of times one or two of them have come in & found Coco & they just sit by her crate & they stare at each other. She doesn't seem to mind other cats, she was around quite a few where she came from, which is a good thing since we have quite a few too.

Today was not a productive day at all due to the rain for outside things to get done. All I can say that was productive today was taking our cat in to get treatment so she can get better. Hopefully tomorrow it won't be raining & I can get plastic up on the coops.