Consolidated Kansas

[Dani4Hedgies]

LizzyGSR,
We use these wonderful self feeders my husband made. The plans are listed I believe here in the DIY section.

 

[chicklover56]

Jeez my bad luck continues found out this afternoon that when I fell and twisted my ankle on Sat I didn't just sprain it nope I have a hairline fracture.

Oh, that's terrible! I too have a fracture right now so I know how you feel!

We went and picked up our piglets on sunday! They are grunting and digging up next years garden. Every bit of leftovers the chickens cant have the pigs are very appreciative for. I don't know which makes funnier happy noises.

Congratulations!


So... it turns out I have been feeding my chicks medicated feed this entire time. I'm so dumb. I thought since it was Country Lane and cheap that it definitely wasn't medicated... but it is. So it isn't Cocci. Do you think that I should give them Tylan again? The rest of the chicks look fine, I brought them outside yesterday and they were happy as could be.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

Does anybody know of anywhere I can have my meat birds processed in the Wichita area?

Thanks in advance, Chad

 

[chicken danz]

Jeez my bad luck continues found out this afternoon that when I fell and twisted my ankle on Sat I didn't just sprain it nope I have a hairline fracture.

Congrats on the new piggies!!!

Oh no! I swear you are going to pass me if you keep it up.

Hello! New chicken keeper here in Larryville. Four 8 week old pullets. I would like to know if people here are vaccinating? Do you do it yourselves? is there a chicken vet around? Thanks!

I have been told there is a chicken vet in Lawrence. Sorry I don't know his name. Welcome to the group. Most of the vaccines are pretty useless. They can help but not totally prevent any of the diseases they are for. The way to keep them healthy is to keep them in top physical health.

Two little Breda babies hatched overnight. One of the English Orp eggs is pipped, so the hatch is underway. It is a bit of long hatch. The two eggs that hatched overnight were under the broody for a day before I set the eggs in the incubator, so I'm expecting the others to be a day later at least. They all looked really good at lockdown, so I'm cautiously hopeful. The two little Breda came from the black hen and are blue. They are face planted in the extra incubator sleeping off their ordeal.

Oh and my broody Araucana gave up on the nest 3 days ago, so the only broody I have has only been on the nest for a few days. ****. I put those eggs in there to give her some chicks, and now she has changed her tiny mind.

My pregnant foster Chihuahua is getting along really well with the rest of the zoo -- dogs, cats, chickens. She looks like she swallowed a soccer ball, but I have no idea when she is due. On Monday (a week ago) the vet said a week or two but she is still eating so probably not today. She has apparently had several litters of pups before, so hopefully she knows what she is doing since I don't. She has weaseled her way into sleeping in the dog bed in our bedroom. She wanted up on the bed, but I drew the line there. Can't have her jumping off and hurting herself.

Yeah lots of babies at your place. I have 11 more days before the first possible due date for Precious. She is growing bottles now but not that big around.

Dani - oh gosh! I hope you heal quickly!


So, I could use some input from everyone. I am currently using a milk jug with a hole in the side and an ice cream bucket with a hole int he side/top for feeders for my chickens. These are a short-term solution, as they aren't water resistant and need to be filled at least daily. I'm looking for a solution that will be large enough to keep the birds fed for a few days and will also be water resistant/proof so that I can leave it out in the run. My aim is for simplicity/ease of care while also ideally not attracting rodents. With a baby on the way, I need something that will be easy for someone else to take over.

The ideas I've come up with so far are:

• Peck feeder - I'd have to probably use a 5 gallonb ucket on this and was hoping for something that would hold a whole 40 pound bag. I like that it's cheap to implement though
• PVC Barrel feeder - I like that it holds more feed, but is considerably more expensive to implement.

Surely, there's got to be a middle ground that's both cheap and holds more? I've got access to some 30 gallon plastic drums that I could use.... Any ideas? What do ya'll do?

I tried to make my own version of the peck feeder over several months and still haven't given up completely. My birds just never caught on to the proto types I used. There is a very slim margin on what size to make the hole which also varies by what you feed. So far I haven't gotten it perfected.
The Barrel feeder may have merits but remember if we have rain that comes with wind then it is likely to blow in and get your feed wet. I'm still trying to perfect a good feeder.
Originally Posted by chicklover56

Jeez my bad luck continues found out this afternoon that when I fell and twisted my ankle on Sat I didn't just sprain it nope I have a hairline fracture.

Oh, that's terrible! I too have a fracture right now so I know how you feel!

We went and picked up our piglets on sunday! They are grunting and digging up next years garden. Every bit of leftovers the chickens cant have the pigs are very appreciative for. I don't know which makes funnier happy noises.

Congratulations!


So... it turns out I have been feeding my chicks medicated feed this entire time. I'm so dumb. I thought since it was Country Lane and cheap that it definitely wasn't medicated... but it is. So it isn't Cocci. Do you think that I should give them Tylan again? The rest of the chicks look fine, I brought them outside yesterday and they were happy as could be.
Whoa! @chicklover56 that is incorrect. Your birds can still have cocci even if you do feed medicated feed. Amprolium which is what the medication is, is not an antibiotic as we think of it. It is a substance that keeps the oocysts from developing into maturity to produce more oocyst, which in turn keeps the sickness mild instead of a full blown episode. The point is that is lets the birds get a mild case of cocci so they can form their own antibodies. However if your bird is weak for some reason then it can still get sick and die even with medicated feed. Continue the treatment of any sick birds for the full 5 days.

 

[Trish44]

I have gotten rid of a few chicks for orders but have another good sized hatch coming due tomorrow. I had one guinea keet hatch early this morning, they seem to most of the time hatch before the 28 days. They're so cute at hatch but boy they get ugly when they grow out. I'm hoping I have good hatches on all of these eggs I have in the incubator so I can fill my orders. People are buying guineas like crazy this year.

@JiltdRoyalty I have not heard of anywhere even close to Wichita that processes birds. I usually hear about those things on the swaps I run on FB but that has been discussed lately & nobody came up with anything. That would be nice for people if there would be somewhere that would do that for those that don't want to do their own birds.

@turboscooby07 I meant to tell you congrats on the piglets. I raised 3 one year when my son was young, they're fun to watch, pigs have quite the personalities. I had one of those metal pig feeders with the doors they lifted up with their snout & when they thought it was time to be fed they would bang those doors till I came out & gave them feed.

 

[sharol]

I have a chick in trouble. She pipped and zipped last evening, and this morning there had been no further progress. The eggs was completely zipped, so I picked it up out of the cut out carton I'm using for hatch, and it was rigid. Usually a pipped egg is, for want of a better word, soft, what with the shell being fully zipped. I tried to take off the top part (gently) and it wouldn't move at all, so I started picking at the shell. No blood. The chick was stuck to the bigger part of the shell around her face and wing. The rest of the shell came off fairly easily, but some of the membrane is still stuck to one side of her face covering an eye. I've tried water and picking gently at it, but I'm afraid I'll hurt her if I mess with it too much where it is over the eye.

In addition, one wing was glued down with the membrane -- I think I got that part unstuck.

Of course this is the day I have to leave at 10 to take a friend to KC for chemo, so I'll be gone until around 6.

On the up side, I have 6 in the brooder (one appears to be some sort of mottle orp (mottle mom, Jubilee dad) and lots of little blue and black Breda fowl, and 3 more pipped. All the others have hatched fine and fluffed up with no problems, so I don't think it is a problem with the incubator or the hatch. Just with that one poor little black Breda chick.

Any quick suggestions I should implement before I leave at 10? poly vi sol? vitamin e? I hate to do anything for fear of making it worse.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

Good Morning, Kansans!

Looks like a good day to be working on the new coop! If I can figure out the problem with my app not posting pictures, I'll post some this evening.

Trish, I've gotten a few leads from the Facebook page. Looks like I'll either have to go into Hutchensen or McPherson. A couple people have offered to walk me through it, but I think I'm gonna wait till my next batch.

Have a great day everyone! Chad

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Can't wait for Sunday when I get to pick up my new chicks....no worries pics will be posted as these are all breeds I have never had as chicks so will want to know what I have ans of course share the fluffy goodness that is new chicks

 

[chicken danz]

I have a chick in trouble. She pipped and zipped last evening, and this morning there had been no further progress. The eggs was completely zipped, so I picked it up out of the cut out carton I'm using for hatch, and it was rigid. Usually a pipped egg is, for want of a better word, soft, what with the shell being fully zipped. I tried to take off the top part (gently) and it wouldn't move at all, so I started picking at the shell. No blood. The chick was stuck to the bigger part of the shell around her face and wing. The rest of the shell came off fairly easily, but some of the membrane is still stuck to one side of her face covering an eye. I've tried water and picking gently at it, but I'm afraid I'll hurt her if I mess with it too much where it is over the eye.

In addition, one wing was glued down with the membrane -- I think I got that part unstuck.

Of course this is the day I have to leave at 10 to take a friend to KC for chemo, so I'll be gone until around 6.

On the up side, I have 6 in the brooder (one appears to be some sort of mottle orp (mottle mom, Jubilee dad) and lots of little blue and black Breda fowl, and 3 more pipped. All the others have hatched fine and fluffed up with no problems, so I don't think it is a problem with the incubator or the hatch. Just with that one poor little black Breda chick.

Any quick suggestions I should implement before I leave at 10? poly vi sol? vitamin e? I hate to do anything for fear of making it worse.

Sometimes they just get a little too dry and stuff like that happens. I usually just pull off the stuck parts. You loose a little fuzz but I've never injured a chicks that way. I have had a couple of really sticky ones that I washed in warm water then dried with the hair dryer and put back in the incubator to warm back up.

Good Morning, Kansans!

Looks like a good day to be working on the new coop! If I can figure out the problem with my app not posting pictures, I'll post some this evening.

Trish, I've gotten a few leads from the Facebook page. Looks like I'll either have to go into Hutchensen or McPherson. A couple people have offered to walk me through it, but I think I'm gonna wait till my next batch.

Have a great day everyone! Chad

Butchering is easy once you learn the tricks. Too bad you are so far away. I have several I need to do and I could let you learn by hands on while teaching you.
@sharol came and did that and now I think she has all the confidence in the world.

Quote:

Can't wait for Sunday when I get to pick up my new chicks....no worries pics will be posted as these are all breeds I have never had as chicks so will want to know what I have ans of course share the fluffy goodness that is new chicks

What are you getting now?

@Trish44 I really enjoyed raising hogs back years ago. We started with some feeder pigs that were gilts and bought a boar and then bred and raised the piglets. I also had a couple of pigs I raised that followed me around the yard like dogs.

I'm angry this morning. I got a call from the post office my chicks had arrived and they were all dead. The dumb... that shipped them put gro gel in that was mostly water and it had spilled all over the chicks and they were soaked. He was supposed to add a heat pack but it was ice cold and obviously not one rated for more than a few hours. I hate seeing unnecessary life lost because someone doesn't care enough to pack chicks safely. That bothers me a lot more than loosing the money.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Quote:
What are you getting now?



" giggles Danz you know Sunday will be 22 days since the wonderful gift you gave will have been in the incubator at the school ....sooo chicks that hatched from your eggs keeping my fingers crossed that the Lavenders and Jub hatch as well as some more pretty blue and gold babies  

I'm angry this morning. I got a call from the post office my chicks had arrived and they were all dead. The dumb... that shipped them put gro gel in that was mostly water and it had spilled all over the chicks and they were soaked. He was supposed to add a heat pack but it was ice cold and obviously not one rated for more than a few hours. I hate seeing unnecessary life lost because someone doesn't care enough to pack chicks safely. That bothers me a lot more than loosing the money.
[/quote]

Grrrr That's BS those poor little mites never had a chance im so sorry for your loss Danz hugs...please post the shippers info so that no one else orders from them please