Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Can't wait to get my nest boxes, even though I have no idea where exactly I am going to put them.
Ralph I know there is a grasshopper plague this year. I haven't noticed them either except in my garden. I think I need to build a coop in the garden and keep the guineas there. If I had more room I would certainly do that. I doubt I'd have a single bug in there. I let the ducks in but they also enjoyed the plants so I decided maybe that wasn't the best idea. If I had more room I would certainly do that. I doubt I'd have a single bug in there.
I certainly over worked yesterday, but got some pens set up and some birds moved. There is so much more to do but I feel good at least I got some moved around. I got all the chicken chicks moved out to the brooder house,but didn't decrease the number of bins in here. Now I still have turkeys, peachicks, pheasant, and one duck in here. I searched high and low for a broody duck but just can't find one now. Figures. I need to go toss a bunch of eggs in old nests before they burst and then start collecting eggs to eat again.
I paid dearly with my legs though. Made last night a rough night for sure.
It's amazing how broke I am right now after a couple weeks of not selling as many birds. I've really got to get proactive and move some more. I also have some spoke for I am still feeding. I wish people would come get them. I did sell some yesterday on the cheap just because I am desperate to make some room and reduce some feed intake.
I let the goslings out yesterday and let them have fun. They really weren't too bad to get back in. I'd like to let the adults out as well but they aren't as easy to herd. Maybe one of these days I'll get started on my goose pen. It just seems like there is always so much to do.

 

[HEChicken]

Wow Ralph, I sure wish someone up the road would bring me a bucket of grasshoppers. I wonder how they caught them? Last year I saw a grasshopper trap that I considered getting. It was a trap on a pole and I guess they land on the pole, walk up it to the trap and then can't figure out how to get back down. Or something like that. I don't know how well it works so wasn't willing to fork out the money for it.

We had a plague of grasshoppers last year, when I was mostly keeping the poultry confined to their yard. So then I decided to let them out to free-range and problem solved. This year we hardly have any grasshoppers and the few that dare to try to live here don't last long. Yesterday an acquaintance came over who has some acreage close to here but no poultry. She was complaining how every step she takes, a dozen grasshoppers jump up in front of her. She was amazed we don't have any here. I sure wish she'd catch me a bucket of hers and bring them over!

 

[Trish44]

We don't have grasshoppers here either any more due to the free ranging chickens. They wouldn't have a chance. I did notice something had been eating the tree above the duck pen, but we just don't have many ground dwelling bugs up where the chickens range.

 

[Trish44]

This afternoon & evening were busy. I had to take down the nest boxes I had up in my main coop in order to put up the new set I got. We figured out after we started to install them that we had to add one metal hanger in a different place in order to fit in my space. It took quite a bit more work all in all than I was expecting with having to hang a 2x4 to mount it on & cut my roost again to allow the roost bars to lay flat. It took a lot longer than I had thought it would, but I finally have it up & functional. I had to shut the hens out while we were working & they were plenty upset with me. When they finally did get in some went right in & laid in the new nests, one couldn't wait for me to get the straw in & laid in the front corner of the coop. I couldn't believe with 10 nests to choose from that two of my brown leghorns were actually fighting over a nestbox, silly girls. They both wanted the top left box, go figure. Anyway by the time I got that all setup it was time to go do the evening feeding.

I got called by the neighbor today complaining that my lambs were on his porch eating his garden, he was none too pleased, so I had to go retrieve them. Just another reason that fence needs to get done PDQ, but DH doesn't see it that way. He would rather I get rid of the lambs than hurry up getting the fence done, geez. After hunting for the right lambs & picking them out before they were even weaned I'm not giving them up now. I'm not sure how I'm going to keep them from going back "visiting" again.

My GP Lily is on lamb duty at night right now, so that leaves Jasmine to patrol. I'm trying to get Lily bonded to the lambs so she will accept them as part of her livestock to watch over. I guess they hadn't accepted them as part of the "inventory" here as of yet.

 

[chicken danz]

I'm sure dreading the heat the next couple days. I hope I don't loose any birds. One thing I am definitely doing if I build a poultry building is to get one of those big barn fans to kick the air through the building on hot days. I should be buying one now but I haven't determined if I can get the building done or not.
I found a trencher with a backhoe on it for a great price and now I want to buy it. Of course that is another expense I don't have money for. It would be so great to have it and do more of my own work. I could replace my sewer line myself, build my own little pond and trench in water and electric lines myself. I think it would pay for itself for sure. I've been trying to get DH to do some research himself so he was enthused but that hasn't happened yet.
I sure wish my income supported all my I wants!!
I need to do some more bird sorting today but kind of worry about doing it in the heat. I don't want them to get overheated by me chasing them around to catch them.
I just have such overcrowding I need to do something soon.
I watered the garden yesterday which I never do cause rural water is so high. It literally took hours and hours but it was so dry I had to do something. The plants were starting to wilt from the dryness and the heat. There are still corners that aren't done but most of it got a decent drink. I have two wells out here but no plumbing to use them. I also have a cystern but I plan to fill that in some day. It's just too much of a potential problem if it would colapse and it's too close to the house as well. I want to build a porch over it and can't do that with it there.

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

Danz, need your expertise........this lav orp I got from you? Is it a roo ?

?

 

[chicken danz]

It looks like it from here. Look at the feathers at the back of the neck and right where the tail begins. If they have more of a pointed shape then it is a roo. If they are rounder it would be a hen. You may have to compare it to other orps about the same age. Some of those put on some impressive combs initially but then they grow into them as their head gets bigger. Orps are about the hardest chickens to sex in my opinion. I've been fooled more than once.

 

[Trish44]

It does sort of look like it's a roo, you'll be able to tell better when the saddle feathers start growing more. They point down at the ground where pullets don't have those.

Well this evening wasn't a good one for me. I went out to start doing chores & decided to move some young guineas into the pen with the adults. They acted like they were going to kill them so I went in & was going to catch them & fell again. I don't think I hurt my broken leg again, but I guess I'll find out Weds. I did kind of hurt my other knee, it was the one that twisted more, the broken one landed on the top of the 2x4 I tripped over. I was laying there thinking how awful it was going to be if I couldn't get up off that poopy ground & had to lay there till 2 a.m. & my DH came home & looked for me. I had a heck of a time getting up from there with trying to be careful of my broken leg. I couldn't put a lot of pressure on it & I can't get on that knee because the fracture is right there beside it. I finally got hold of the cattle panel with both hands & pulled myself up with my arms. Thank goodness my arms still work! I have tried to be so careful, but I'm a danger to myself, geez. Then after all of that I was running late getting the rest of my chores done & had to use my flashlight app on my phone to see to feed the GP in the pen with the lambs, just not a good night at all.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Hi everyone. I'm new around here. I'm from western Ks between Dodge and Garden. Currently looking for a couple more Wyandotte and Americana or Ameraucana pullets. Also interested in finding a pair of peafowl.
I have 4 BLR Wyandottes and 3 SL. I'm hoping to find a couple more silver laced and maybe some bantam Wyandottes to put in my garden to help with the grasshoppers and other bugs that I'm over run with!

 

[friendshipstar]

Hello everyone. I have been super busy lately and haven't had time to catch up on posts from the last few weeks. I sure miss reading everything. My hens have quit laying. We were getting between 8 and 11 eggs every day. Then all of a sudden we are getting one daily. I keep thinking that they have to be laying somewhere during the say when free ranging. But everyone comes back to the coop in the evening. Moulting?