Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

HEChicken I have to agree to disagree with you about people in town who have cats that are indoor/outdoor cats. Cats by nature roam & you can't tie up a cat or keep it in a fenced yard like you can a dog. Cats can climb fences & anything really & I don't see how people could contain a cat just in a yard in the city. I know cats out in the country usually have a certain "territory" they claim & it doesn't have to be acres & acres of land, but in town I just don't see people being able to keep their cat just in their yard. This particular woman just plain doesn't like cats period & she is doing it because she hates them.

 

[Trish44]

I have been meaning to post a pic of my heritage RIR chicks that hatched the day before I fell & broke my leg. Here they are:



Ignore the dirty brooder, I had my DH move the lavender Orp chicks to the garage brooder so these chicks could have more room to run around so after this pic was taken the divider was taken down & the brooder cleaned. These chicks didn't know what to do at first with so much room, they were a bit scared, but now they're having a blast in there. And yes I still have chicks in my house.

Oh I think way back in the thread somewhere chickies-duckies you asked me if I'm going to still hatch chicks with my broken leg & the answer to that is yes. Right now I have only eggs in the incubator that are mostly for me, but if I hatch more than I need of these breeds I will be selling some. I will just have to grow them out some first to see which ones I'm keeping. I also will be doing my regular hatching as soon as the birds get enough light to start laying again or begin laying in some cases. At least I have enough time to hopefully heal before the big hatching season starts.

 

[tazcat70]

Ralph, I am also interested in producing sex-links. I keep snakes so the males will still serve a purpose as snake food, and I would then only have to raise the females. Win-win since snakes have to eat too, and it saves me money on buying snake food, if I can produce my own.

Heather, I did not know this! What type of snakes?

 

[ashncarson]

Quote: I will keep that in mind I would like one now, but I already have 8 chickens and by city law should only have 5. I know there are lots of other people who have more, and even roosters, but I don't know if I want to push it. my run is 10x13 and the coop 8x5. and half are bantams.

 

[Frizzled Pink]

I have been meaning to post a pic of my heritage RIR chicks that hatched the day before I fell & broke my leg. Here they are:



Ignore the dirty brooder, I had my DH move the lavender Orp chicks to the garage brooder so these chicks could have more room to run around so after this pic was taken the divider was taken down & the brooder cleaned. These chicks didn't know what to do at first with so much room, they were a bit scared, but now they're having a blast in there. And yes I still have chicks in my house.

Oh I think way back in the thread somewhere chickies-duckies you asked me if I'm going to still hatch chicks with my broken leg & the answer to that is yes. Right now I have only eggs in the incubator that are mostly for me, but if I hatch more than I need of these breeds I will be selling some. I will just have to grow them out some first to see which ones I'm keeping. I also will be doing my regular hatching as soon as the birds get enough light to start laying again or begin laying in some cases. At least I have enough time to hopefully heal before the big hatching season starts.

You just had to start chick fever didnt ya

, looking good!

 

[cherwill]

I love EEs! My friend has several who lays green, blue and pink eggs! She is going to give me a dozen of those mixes for hatching this spring; I'm so excited!

I love my EEs, too. The eggs are fun, and so are the birds. They're my most curious and talkative birds. I'm also crazy about my Speckled Sussex; she's the friendliest of my birds.

I guess my feeling on the spay/neuter is that if people can't afford to do it, then they probably shouldn't have the pets in the first place. I see that a lot on pet adoption sites and Craigslist, where people say they want a pet but can't afford to give it annual shots, or spay/neuter or even feed it sometimes. I know that emergencies crop up sometimes, but when it is a chronic thing that they can't afford these basic items, then they probably should give up the animals to someone who can.

Exactly.

I have been meaning to post a pic of my heritage RIR chicks that hatched the day before I fell & broke my leg. Here they are:



Ignore the dirty brooder, I had my DH move the lavender Orp chicks to the garage brooder so these chicks could have more room to run around so after this pic was taken the divider was taken down & the brooder cleaned. These chicks didn't know what to do at first with so much room, they were a bit scared, but now they're having a blast in there. And yes I still have chicks in my house.

Oh I think way back in the thread somewhere chickies-duckies you asked me if I'm going to still hatch chicks with my broken leg & the answer to that is yes. Right now I have only eggs in the incubator that are mostly for me, but if I hatch more than I need of these breeds I will be selling some. I will just have to grow them out some first to see which ones I'm keeping. I also will be doing my regular hatching as soon as the birds get enough light to start laying again or begin laying in some cases. At least I have enough time to hopefully heal before the big hatching season starts.

Holy cow! The broken leg is something I missed one of the times I fell behind. I hope it's mending well and not causing you any pain.

Look at those cute little fuzzies! Makes me want some, but I still don't have room for any more. DH wants to make soup; then I'd have room.

We haven't gotten an egg in 4 or 5 days. It can't be the weather, can it? It's been nice the last few days. Old Sophia is still broody, but we were still getting an egg or two a day.

 

[22qZoo]

KSChickiemomma- for what it's worth, my chickens move across the wide open parts of our yard as fast as they can and when they are out free ranging they like to stay near the trees or close to the barn or house , not out in the open. ( birds of prey...) During the summer , shade is so important I'm really greatfull the north side of the coop and run is shaded by big trees ,works better than any fan.
Wow, you guys and all the sex link talk , I'm impressed .It makes my head spin! I'm going to read up on this , so it won't be so intimidating .
We've had a "possum pose" (DDs words not mine) roll thru lately . DH has killed two the last two nights , honestly I think that is the worst part of having chickens, dealing with preditors . These two were just a couple of smaller males but I did see a big female down the road that had a bunch of babies hanging on her ,I hope she doesn't come around, that's just too messy .
Glad you found a home for your roo Sharoll!

 

[chicken danz]

22qzoo that reminds me my DH once killed 12 possums with one 22 shell. It was actually quite disturbing but I like to tell people what a good shot he is!!!

He shot a possum one night the dogs had cornered. The next day I went out there to haul off the carcass and saw movement in her pouch. I pulled 11 babies out of that pouch. They were all very attached to nipples still trying for all they were worth to get something to eat. I hate possums worse than about any animal. They creep me out. But I honestly felt just awful about that. I reached in her pouch and pulled out all the babies. I put them in a bag and had DH drown them. I couldn't stand to see them suffer. They're much cuter when they are only a couple inches long and still pink!!
My chickens are pretty open and free ranging around here but I'm sure that is because they feel safe with the dogs. But let a hawk or even a large bird fly over and they all run for cover. That is the part I love about the roosters. They make that one particular sound and all the girls scramble. I've also noticed they stay were they are until the girls all get under cover. But then they do seek out shade if it's warm at all. Other than when they find a nice sunny spot to dust bathe in in the sun. The south side of my house has divets all along the foundation where the chickens go to dust bathe and sit in the sun.
Of course any time the predator alert goes off whether it is from a rooster or the dogs barking the whole place sounds like a zoo. The peacocks, guineas, geese, ducks, and chickens all start yelling. I can do without those!
Trish you need to keep pictures coming as those chicks grow. I'd like to see how they color in.

 

[Trish44]

22qzoo that reminds me my DH once killed 12 possums with one 22 shell. It was actually quite disturbing but I like to tell people what a good shot he is!!!

He shot a possum one night the dogs had cornered. The next day I went out there to haul off the carcass and saw movement in her pouch. I pulled 11 babies out of that pouch. They were all very attached to nipples still trying for all they were worth to get something to eat. I hate possums worse than about any animal. They creep me out. But I honestly felt just awful about that. I reached in her pouch and pulled out all the babies. I put them in a bag and had DH drown them. I couldn't stand to see them suffer. They're much cuter when they are only a couple inches long and still pink!!
My chickens are pretty open and free ranging around here but I'm sure that is because they feel safe with the dogs. But let a hawk or even a large bird fly over and they all run for cover. That is the part I love about the roosters. They make that one particular sound and all the girls scramble. I've also noticed they stay were they are until the girls all get under cover. But then they do seek out shade if it's warm at all. Other than when they find a nice sunny spot to dust bathe in in the sun. The south side of my house has divets all along the foundation where the chickens go to dust bathe and sit in the sun.
Of course any time the predator alert goes off whether it is from a rooster or the dogs barking the whole place sounds like a zoo. The peacocks, guineas, geese, ducks, and chickens all start yelling. I can do without those!
Trish you need to keep pictures coming as those chicks grow. I'd like to see how they color in.

I'll try to remember to post updates as they get their feathers. I just love little chicks, I can't imagine much of anything cuter than a little fuzzy butt chick. Speaking of chicks I candled those eggs that were wandering around in the postal system for a week & only one out of a dozen is developing. I'm really even surprised to see one after all they went through. I'm supposed to get some replacements some time next week.

I hate possums too, they're so darned ugly & have big nasty teeth too besides the fact they do a lot of damage to chickens. The last two that came around here became dog food, the GPs got them. The last one they cornered under the BBQ grill sitting by the side of the house on the patio. They were patient & waited it out, it had to come out of there some time. I can see why you felt bad Danz, but just remember all of those would have been after your chickens if you hadn't dispensed with them at that point.

Well wish me luck with my first physical therapy session today, I'm really not looking forward to it. They usually make me feel worse than I already do.

 

[HEChicken]

HEChicken I have to agree to disagree with you about people in town who have cats that are indoor/outdoor cats. Cats by nature roam & you can't tie up a cat or keep it in a fenced yard like you can a dog. Cats can climb fences & anything really & I don't see how people could contain a cat just in a yard in the city. I know cats out in the country usually have a certain "territory" they claim & it doesn't have to be acres & acres of land, but in town I just don't see people being able to keep their cat just in their yard. This particular woman just plain doesn't like cats period & she is doing it because she hates them.

I don't disagree at all that it is hard to keep a cat on one's own property, but the cat owner is still responsible. First, they have a choice about letting the cat out - they can choose to keep it contained and then it won't be able to roam. But, if they choose to allow it to roam, they are responsible for any damage it causes. Case in point: at our old house, when our now old cat was still young, he went over the fence to my next door neighbor's house, and got up on her front porch and picked a fight with her cat, causing it to need to go to the vet. I felt awful about it. I had never seen him over there and had no idea he ever went over. I didn't even know she had a cat! (It turned out she only allowed her cat out for one hour each day and that's why I'd never seen it before.) I felt that since my cat was the only reason her cat needed to go to the vet, the only fair thing for me to do was to pay her vet bill. We also came to an arrangement about what hour her cat was going to be outside, and I made sure to keep mine in during that time frame. After that, we never had another issue.

It may well be true that the woman in town "hates" cats but if that's the case, why should she have to put up with them on her property? Surely her rights to use her property as she wishes, are as valid as anyone else's.

Heather, I did not know this! What type of snakes?

I have corn snakes. I am down to four after having around 10 at one point - the rest have died of old age and these guys are really getting up there too. Now that I think about it, I think they are 11 years old this year and corn snakes typically live for about 15 years so they probably won't be around much longer. They were my passion back then and I got every one in a different color variety from a breeder down in TX who has a really great reputation for producing quality stock. I've never bred mine though - that is an involved process all by itself. They are terrific pets in that they don't require a lot of input. I can go away for a week and as long as I leave them enough water, they don't need anything else. I can largely ignore them, and just feed them when I feel like it. Snakes can go up to 2 years without eating! Of course they like to eat more often than that and corn snakes prefer to eat once a week, but there have been times mine went two months without a meal and they did fine.

I am procrastinating this morning. I decided it is time to process a BR cockerel that I don't want to keep for breeding purposes. He is absolutely huge - far bigger than my NH cock bird - yet he is still not fully mature. I guess I just feel bad because he's never done anything wrong. He doesn't crow yet and he hasn't even attempted to mate any hens. He keeps his distance from me and seems to be a gentle giant, mostly keeping to himself and not causing any problems with the other birds. Processing is much easier when they are problem children. I pulled him out last night and he spent the night in a dog crate in my 3-season room. He has water but no food so I need to get out there and take care of him before hunger makes this less humane.