Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I have a friend looking for a new home for a pair of Pekins. She does not want them to be eaten and will give them away to a new home with an assurance that they won't be. The duck is currently laying an egg a day (and did throughout winter). PM me if you are interested and I will hook you up….

 

[HEChicken]

Michelle, I went to that last year. It was in Lawrence then and it was AWESOME. I had bought two 1-day tickets intending to go with a friend but at the last minute the friend couldn't go so I wound up using both tickets myself and went both days. (It would have been cheaper to buy the weekend pass if I'd known ahead of time). Anyway, this year I will just plan on going both days because they do so many workshops its really worth it - the second day is a completely different set of workshops and I found there were enough I wanted to go to on each day to keep me busy and wound up being glad it had worked out I got to go both days.

 

[cherwill]

So I have an item advertised for sale on Craigslist, and you know how you end up with all those emails from spammers any time you list something? Well, this time I put in the ad that any email replies must include a phone number so I know its a real person. I haven't received any spam by email. Now I'm getting spam by text. Last night - after midnight (!), I got a message saying "Hello, my name is xxxx xxxxx and I am a dealer. Please reply and let me know your bottom dollar". Fortunately, I have my phone set on an automatic "do no disturb" so the arrival of texts is not accompanied by sound or screen lighting up between 10pm and 6:30am. Therefore, I did not get the text until I looked at my phone this morning. I tell you what, I would have been screaming mad if I'd been woken by that garbage. As it was, I replied with "You text me after midnight to low ball me? For you the price is double what I was asking". (I've heard of scams where it is actually an international number and you get charged a fortune just for replying but I looked up the number prior to replying and that wasn't the case here.) Grrr. People make me so mad!!!

I don't do anything on Craigslist, but DH has. He gets as exasperated as you about the spam and people asking for more information and, when you send it, the email isn't even a valid address. I'm not sure he's run across someone wanting him to counter-offer himself, though.

 

[cherwill]

For some reason, when I accidentally hit preview instead of submit, the final post ends up with code instead of the smiley. It's happened twice now. Odd.

 

[22qZoo]

Nice picture Lizzy-very cool !
Well I had been looking forward to wed. and on so I could get outside and get some stuff done. Then I realized the kids have a half day wed. and then are off the rest of the week .gerrr ! ( conferences) . Can't win, feel like I'm always in the weeds. A break from the "artic-vortex" will be nice tho.

 

[chicken danz]

I went to town today, took care of business, got all the way home and realized I forgot to deliver the eggs I took with me. Duh! Oh well. I'm not going back.
It feels so miserably cold I just did the very bare minimum I could today. All the birds have some food and water so they won't starve in one day.
I feel like someone has pulled my energy plug. I can't imagine how people who live further north keep from murdering each other. This weather is driving me insane.

 

[kicknchicken]

So, I have read some more reviews of different breeds and just can't decide. I have decided to get Buff Os for meat birds but trying to decide on layers. I have read a few reports of some birds being good in heat and some good in cold. Since we are all in the same area I thought I would ask you guys are there any to stay away from for Kansas weather? I am looking for some large brown egg layers. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

No heat in my coop, plenty of fresh air and my buff and barred rock have been doing just fine. I call them my "sturdy" hens.

Plenty of talk back and forth on heating coops and my goal was to raise some that could handle the cold. Oh yea, my first eggs have been this past week!
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My cookie tin heater was all they got, until the bulb burned out. I decided I would just carry out water and they would drink when I brought it. They now are "talking" to me when I walk up as they have learned it means some kind of goodies!

 

[HEChicken]

Chickens in general are very cold hardy - it is the heat they struggle with the most. I have a couple of breeds that have origins in more temperate climates and therefore are said to be less cold-hardy. Nevertheless, they all live in an unheated coop and for some of them this is their third winter and none of them have acted like they are feeling it any more than the others.

I do make sure they have water at all times though - if the feeder gets empty, they'll survive a few hours without food (although they'll tell you they're starving) but I think all living beings should have access to water at all times. JMHO.

 

[chicken danz]

So, I have read some more reviews of different breeds and just can't decide. I have decided to get Buff Os for meat birds but trying to decide on layers. I have read a few reports of some birds being good in heat and some good in cold. Since we are all in the same area I thought I would ask you guys are there any to stay away from for Kansas weather? I am looking for some large brown egg layers. Thanks in advance for your help.

Buff Orps are excellent layers, Kicknchicken. They are very calm easy going birds. They are really good meat birds as well but are a little slow growing to optimum size. That however, makes the meat more flavorful and more tender. If you just want layers and not a combo bird one of the mixed birds like the red star, cinnamon queen, or red sex link is probably your best bet. They are small and do a great feed to egg conversion. Any of the Rocks are also excellent layers and can be excellent meat birds as well. If you want more eye candy, speckled sussex are beautiful, unbelievably tame and excellent egg layers.
I've found that for hot weather dark colored or black birds don't fare as well. Sometimes the fluffier birds don't do as well. If they have access to shade though (not just in a building), and plenty of air movement most will do okay. Kicknchicken, I think you'll find that heat in summer is much more of a problem than cold in winter.
HEChicken I agree with you on birds that aren't supposed to be cold hardy. Things like the Seramas did just as well as others because they were acclimated to the temperature change naturally.
I too try to keep water available at all times regardless of conditions. It can be a bit of a pain at times but it's vital.
I am trying to convince myself that just one more day and we will have some decent temperatures for a few days. Today doesn't look very promising but maybe tomorrow we'll actually see a temp above freezing.