Consolidated Kansas

[TaraBellaBirds]

Good morning everyone. Another quite morning doing chores, although I have to work tonight it is nice being home in the mornings. I took some shots of the flock this morning. They aren't great, I need to remember to take pics BEFORE feeding!

Rebel Dottie is still at the baby game! 12 of 14 still look good after candling yesterday, she was not happy with me taking marked eggs!



My big beautiful Midas. Soon to be head roo!

My Lovely Rocky. Wheaten Ameraucana from LarkRise stock!



My Son had to take a shot of me and Apollo (JG/SSH mix pullet)

My favorite Miss Scarlet (EE). Bravest chicken ever, she took on our dog at 5 weeks old and a full grown hen a week later!

 

[HEChicken]

And, my broody girl decided the life of an aspiring mamma wasn't for her... empty nest box this morning.

She may just be taking her broody break. They get off at least once a day to eat, drink and poop. Depending on time of year and the individual bird that might be all they do, but if the weather is warm and the hen relaxed, she might also take time for a dust bath before returning to the nest. My 4 year old hen that went broody, having never brooded before, scared me last week. I had her chicks hatching in my incubator - one hatched, another zipping - when I stepped out the back door to find the hen drinking out of my dog's water bowl, right up by the house. I.e. a LONG way from the coop and further than I've ever seen a broody hen go before. I feared that just as I had chicks hatching, she'd given up on brooding and I'd have to raise them myself since she was my last broody. But by nightfall she was back on the nest, I slipped the chicks under her and next morning moved the new family to a broody coop. She has been an excellent and very attentive mother ever since, and I wished I had my camera when I checked on them a few days ago and found one chick sitting in front of her and the other on her back, while she looked the picture of contentment. One of those "pic of the month calendar moments" if I'd only had the camera to get it

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Good morning peeps...

. Rise and shine ... I've been up since 3 this morning and now I'm yawning and really want to take a nap....LOL.

I like to see pictures of all your birds. Mine are doing well. Lost a few and DH has no idea to what and when. Sigh... I also have a broody sitting on eggs and DH has no idea how long she has been sitting on them either. I'll just have to wait and see if and when the babies will hatch.

I'm trying to see what I would like to get this Fall to get a better flock of layers. I know Danz, Trish, and others mentioned before that if I want layers, hatchery is fine but I would rather get them from breeders simply because I am not sure I won't have a heart attack with how USPS handle the chicks en route to my house. I also like to get eggs and hatch them because my son really enjoys the whole process (from eggs to chicks). But then again if I can get the broody to raise them for me, that's a huge plus. Argh... decision...decision...

Danz... are you coming up this way any time soon to see your son and DIL? Maybe I can get some eggs or chicks from you.

I am pretty much staying put and not traveling any where any time soon. Lots to do around the house and also need to deep clean the coop. I also want to dust my flock because I saw a rooster with bare bottom and it looks red to me. I'm thinking he might have mites. I have Sevin in the storage so I'll be cleaning the coop, put Sevin down, dust the birds and redust in 2 weeks. The coop really needs a thorough cleaning with me being gone for so long. DH did minimal just to get by without me here.

I think the birds forgot about me since I've been gone so long...

They ran away from me when I took treats into the pen. Oh well.. I will keep bringing goodies over there until they realize I'm the one they want to hang around with. LOL

I'm heading into busy Tax season again. How time flies this year. I thought I just said "hooray, 4/15 deadline came and went....".

I better go get more coffee so I could stay awake and not fall asleep at my desk.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[chicken danz]

Tweety, I am kind of waiting for an invite. Since my DIL is in Medical school and so busy I hate to intrude and add to her stress. Plus I am working on getting this building in etc so it may be a month or so before I can get down that way anyway. I do and will have some chicks and eggs though.
I meant to ask you. I have one loofa I saved and it was kind of oversized when I got it. I would like to save seeds. Does it have to ripen on the vine to save seeds? This is one my friend gave me.
I hadn't bothered to pull my poor green beans that the rabbits had eaten. I actually picked some beans yesterday and there are several more small ones on the vine. However the rabbit was in the garden eating away again. He ran right through the rabbit fencing when he saw me. So much for that!!! I had opened the gate to let the ducks and geese go in and clean some stuff up and now am actually getting a few peppers and stuff I thought was finished. I really need to till and get some garlic planted. I have a ton of it left from last year. I don't think I'll plant nearly as much this year. I wish there was a way to preserve it longer for future use.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Tweety, I am kind of waiting for an invite. Since my DIL is in Medical school and so busy I hate to intrude and add to her stress. Plus I am working on getting this building in etc so it may be a month or so before I can get down that way anyway. I do and will have some chicks and eggs though.
I meant to ask you. I have one loofa I saved and it was kind of oversized when I got it. I would like to save seeds. Does it have to ripen on the vine to save seeds? This is one my friend gave me.
I hadn't bothered to pull my poor green beans that the rabbits had eaten. I actually picked some beans yesterday and there are several more small ones on the vine. However the rabbit was in the garden eating away again. He ran right through the rabbit fencing when he saw me. So much for that!!! I had opened the gate to let the ducks and geese go in and clean some stuff up and now am actually getting a few peppers and stuff I thought was finished. I really need to till and get some garlic planted. I have a ton of it left from last year. I don't think I'll plant nearly as much this year. I wish there was a way to preserve it longer for future use.

Danz, if your loofa is mature, you can let it dry a bit more on the counter until the skin is easily removed to save the seeds for next year. I still have the seeds from 2 years ago. I hope they are still good come next year.

 

[Trish44]

tweety, what kind of layers are you looking for? I'm not hatching for anyone else right now since I'm supposed to be taking a break but am hatching some for myself. I have Black Copper Marans due this weekend & I only wanted a couple of pullets out of them. If I get extras would you be interested in those? It just depends on how the hatch goes & it will take awhile to know sexes so I'll have to grow them out some first. The last time I got BCM eggs I ended up with 4 pullets & 13 roosters so I hope this time is slanted more towards pullets. I had sold a trio to OQB & kept two pullets & the roo is my main flock rooster, he's gorgeous. Then one pullet died from an illness so I was left from all of those eggs only one pullet to lay

. So I decided to get some more eggs & try to get a couple more pullets, keeping my fingers crossed. It sure sounds like they keep you hopping with your job.

Well we're finally going to get the last gate up for my fencing today, yay! I have to celebrate tonight, it has been a long summer waiting.

 

[zigzag45]

tweety, what kind of layers are you looking for? I'm not hatching for anyone else right now since I'm supposed to be taking a break but am hatching some for myself. I have Black Copper Marans due this weekend & I only wanted a couple of pullets out of them. If I get extras would you be interested in those? It just depends on how the hatch goes & it will take awhile to know sexes so I'll have to grow them out some first. The last time I got BCM eggs I ended up with 4 pullets & 13 roosters so I hope this time is slanted more towards pullets. I had sold a trio to OQB & kept two pullets & the roo is my main flock rooster, he's gorgeous. Then one pullet died from an illness so I was left from all of those eggs only one pullet to lay

. So I decided to get some more eggs & try to get a couple more pullets, keeping my fingers crossed. It sure sounds like they keep you hopping with your job.

Well we're finally going to get the last gate up for my fencing today, yay! I have to celebrate tonight, it has been a long summer waiting.

I wish I was closer to you Trish, I've wanted some of your cinnamon queens in the past.

 

[Trish44]

Zigzag, I'm not actually breeding Cinnamon Queens any more. There was a gal in Ark City selling what she called CQ but they didn't look like them to me. Anyway I couldn't compete with her selling her mutts for $2 apiece so I sold all but two of the SLW hens & put them in my laying flock.

 

[Trish44]

The gate is up & at least the goats are in the field. I have to start tomorrow morning training the sheep to go out there.

 

[zigzag45]

Zigzag, I'm not actually breeding Cinnamon Queens any more. There was a gal in Ark City selling what she called CQ but they didn't look like them to me. Anyway I couldn't compete with her selling her mutts for $2 apiece so I sold all but two of the SLW hens & put them in my laying flock.

- that's really too bad. The two I have are proving to be very sweet girls. The guy I got them from works at Tractor Supply and that's where he got them, so TSC/hatchery, but good sized, sweet birds. Has made me want more. Don't see them from breeders around here, seem to be a hatchery speciality.