Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I had a busy day yesterday and today my attitude is pretty lousy. I can't believe how inconsiderate some people are. I had a customer that showed up 3 hours late last night and then stayed well until after dark. They inspected every bird from head to toe and felt all over them and would put them in my cage then ask to see more. It would have been different if they purchased more of them to make it worth my while. Of course I have to do all the catching and I hurt all night long thanks to so much bending and stuff. I showed them the adults first thing and they knew what quality I had. They were picking them like they were going to show each and every one and I know they weren't. Of course the one guy said I had much better quality than any he had seen around here but that was after they had the vehicle loaded with their buys.
I told DH if all customers were like that I would never hatch another egg.
I've paid ten times that much for babies I ordered on line and never got to look at any of them. And these weren't babies. It's a chance you take when you breed birds. Then you cull out the ones you don't want to use later on.
I have a lot to get done but I think I'm going to do the minimum today. Maybe I need a huge vacuum that I can just point at a bird and suck up the one I want to catch.

 

[KsKingBee]

Would a net make catching them any easier? I use one most of the time when catching my peas although they do freak out when they see 'Mister Net' come out.

 

[chicken danz]

Would a net make catching them any easier? I use one most of the time when catching my peas although they do freak out when they see 'Mister Net' come out.

I just need to be a lot younger in order to wrangle a bunch of birds. I have a couple of nets. I prefer not to use them except as a last ditch effort. I think birds are born with the knowledge that nets can catch them cause they all freak out when they see them. I still have to bend and stuff with a net too. Plus I'm always getting the darn things caught on something.
KsKingBee I was thrilled when I candled yesterday. I have been collecting eggs from my two year olds. I didn't think the boys were mature enough to breed. I have fertile eggs!!! I guess we'll see what if any hatch. I also had an egg in the trailer from the 1 year olds. I am sure it isn't fertile. Surprised me although I had had eggs from a couple of yearlings before.
I lost my peahen yesterday that had the broken soft shelled egg. She would pick up and act normal and then go wings down then pick up and act normal again when I would administer calcium and vitamins. She was on the nest night before last and still there yesterday morning. I did a necropsy and she had a tiny bit of yolk in her abdomen and I could tell as soon as I opened her that she had died of egg peritonitis. Poor girl smelled so bad inside. I found three well developing yolks and her ovaries were literally packed full of future eggs. Such a loss. If that ever happens again I'll be giving antibiotics as well. Very sad indeed. I will also attempt a flush although I need to do some more research before I do some thing like that.
I like my chickens but loosing a peahen is about 100 times harder to deal with.

 

[KsKingBee]

You are so right about how hard it is to lose a good peahen. Never hesitate to give antibiotics to them, they are very fragile.

 

[chicken danz]

You are so right about how hard it is to lose a good peahen. Never hesitate to give antibiotics to them, they are very fragile.

So what do you or your vet recommend for antibiotics for something like that? I'm not sure what would work. I used Dimethox on a friend's hen but she was way too far gone before I gave her drugs. (chicken). I did a necropsy on her and her entire abdomen was filled with Meaty looking yolk. Most of the medications around here are more aimed at dealing with colds and stuff. I do keep some penicillin but I don't want to give something that isn't going to help. Just wondering what to have on hand in case that should ever happen again.

 

[Trish44]

I have a fishing net I use to catch my chickens with when I need to catch one for some reason. It's a finer net, not one of the big open kind. I agree if birds have seen the net before then they're onto you but if they haven't it's easier because they really don't know what's coming. I had to catch a baby guinea that escaped from my growout pen the other day & DH & I were both surprised how well that little thing could fly. It flew way up into the trees after getting loose. Eventually it came down & the dog scared it I think so it went into a pen & I was able to catch it with my net in there. Those things are just wild, there is no taming a guinea. Mine know when to come for food & when I clean out my feed buckets I call "Guinea, Guinea" & they come to clean up the leftovers but catching them is a whole different story.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

My rescue horse arrived at the ranch he's quarantining at this evening and they sent pictures. Poor boy was starved. Don't know when her last had a square meal. They said he was just delighted to see grass. Makes me so upset how cruel some people can be. poor boy! At least he's safe now and will have lots to eat and good care.

 

[chicken danz]

Prairie that's so sad. I hope he does well.
I'm very worried about the weather today. It's supposed to be up to about 104 here. Not a good prospect. It's just too hard on the birds and I don't have my big fan in the building wired in yet.
Whomever wired it for the greenhouse used the wrong color coded wire so we have to take the housing off and figure out what color is supposed to be what color before we can hook it up. Grrr! I REALLY need it running now!!! I tend to burn up a bunch of fans every year in the chicken houses so I don't have any available to really move some air right now. We usually buy several at the end of the season but we were building the building and I assumed that this fan would have been installed a long time ago. I should know better than things getting done on schedule.
Busy busy day ahead. I should be up and running instead of nursing my coffee.

 

[girlsnammo]

chicken danz don't feel bad I overslept by an hour, almost made my hubby late for work cuz he had to wait 5 min on coffee and am still nursing my own coffee instead of starting laundry and raking the yard where our temporary pens were. Oh, we got half of the big run finished last night and a temporary roof on it so they can use it today. Another late night last night but it's sure worth it! Prarie I'm sorry to hear about the horse that got dropped off, at least now he is in good hands and will have a chance at a good life now.

 

[Trish44]

Prairie I'm glad the horse has a good home now. I don't know why people get animals they can't care for, but it happens all the time.

I have had several broodies around the place & day before yesterday I found 3 Jubilee Orp chicks walking around in my breeder coop. I brought them in because for one I don't have a good setup out there for tiny chicks & for another I need to grow them out & see if I can get some more pullets. I sure hope some of them are girls. The hen was still sitting on a couple of eggs but yesterday I noticed she had kicked them out of the nest so they must not have been any good. I was so thrilled to see these chicks because up to now I hadn't had any fertile eggs from that pen & I was really wondering about the rooster. Then I found my New Hamp hen with a little chick & boy is she protective of it, you can't get anywhere near her. She is running around free in the yard so I don't know how long that chick will make it with all of the cats out there. I have two ducks also sitting on a nest & boy I don't need any more ducks. I guess we'll be eating some duck later on. I have about 4 hens in the main coop who won't give up on sitting. I take their eggs every day but they just come back. I need them to lay, not sit.