Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

If this were a friend, I would have gladly given her whatever they wanted with no qualms. But I hadn't met this gal until yesterday even though she had jerked me around on picking up a goose for 6 weeks. Another reason I wasn't happy. She was actually supposed to get a pair of geese but I sold them for a much higher price to someone I knew would give them a much better home, just last week, cause she said it would be another couple of weeks before she would be getting them. And I still had two ganders left from this spring that another party had failed to pick up. I had told them last weekend was their final chance and they never bothered getting back to me. So It worked out okay.
I hadn't sexed the ducks and really wasn't wanting to get down in the mud to make sure she got two females. Sad. I had actually told the kids they could have them but ended up catching them for them....twice.
I tolerate a lot of stuff with customers but I'm getting less and less likely to do that any more. Their inconsideration for me and my time and no shows or late shows without calling, have about burnt me out on being nice. She said she wanted layers as well. I offered her as many layers as she wanted for $10 each and she thought that was too high.

 

[HEChicken]

Yep - does not sound like someone you need to deal with again. $10 is the lowest I'll go on layers. It costs at least that much to hatch and raise them to laying age. People always want something for nothing, it seems.

 

[chicken danz]

Quote:
I missed this story earlier. That is so cute.
I am so done with the steamy weather. Yesterday was rainy but cooler but I couldn't get out in it until later then it started heating up.
Another full day on the schedule. Not looking forward to it at all.
I had the final duck hatch from left over eggs the ducks hadn't hatched. I tried to integrate it into the ducks with ducklings, and they were calling it but then they started fighting over it and picked it up and shook it. The poor little thing is too little to go out in the pen with the other baby ducks, so I brought it back in to make a mess in the brooder with my other chicks. I do have one other duck in there but it's not messy like a normal duck.
This too, was a duck they didn't take care of. When they were still hatching this little duck was half stuck in the egg shell. The ducks had picked on it and eaten the top half of it's beak off then deserted it when they took their other ducklings out. I took the thing in who was bloody and I didn't feel had much of a chance. I washed it off but assumed it wouldn't be able to eat and drink because nothing was left of it's top beak but the outside rim.
It's been a week or so and I am amazed. The duck is growing a top beak .It is knotty and crooked and looks totally weird but it's reproducing a cover for it's mouth. The worst part is if it continues to over grow it will make it hard for him to eat. It thinks its a chick and doesn't play in the water or things like other little ducks but it's thriving well. I'll have to take pictures at a later time if it continues to do well. I sure hope this new duckling doesn't teach it to be messy.

 

[Trish44]

It always just amazes me how people are any more. I try to make my customers happy but geez there has to be a limit. It really aggravates me when people question my prices too because I buy the best breeding stock I can, most of the time having eggs or chicks shipped in, which costs $. Then as HEChicken said it costs to grow them out too, we all know feed is not cheap & just the labor itself is worth something. If you want cheap birds, go to a hatchery or buy in a farm store, but mine are pure bred & I have to recoup costs somewhere. Danz, you know what I'm talking about.

@HEChicken that was a cute story about the turkey, just amazing that it recovered like that. I like to give birds the best chance, but the outcome isn't always that good in a situation like that.

@lizzyGSR that's so cute, what a boy!

 

[HEChicken]

Well, the little turkey is still doing great. It has a little bit of pasty butt which is really unusual with mother-raised babies, so I think it must have to do with stress - in this case, the stressful first 72 hours of its young life. But it is still very sweet and calm and when I went to pick it up to look at the butt, it walked right up to me and into the palm of my hand, then made no fuss at all while I removed some of the caked on poop from its butt. When I set it back down, it ran off to find a drink of water and didn't seem fazed by the handling at all.

It rained for about 6 hours non-stop here yesterday so needless to say the humidity continues to make the heat index high for working outdoors. I get out in the morning to milk, the stay in during the day and then work outside for several hours again in the evenings. I must say, I'm kind of looking forward to it being end-of-summer instead of mid-summer.

 

[chicken danz]

I was on the go a lot today. I had to go get a load of feed and the truck that is used to haul the grain bin has no working AC. Talk about a miserable drive. Then I had to feed and water when I got home. It fairly well shot my day and I was pretty wet by the time I got in.. That humidity is just the pits.
I did spend some time on my bathroom dresser to convert to a vanity today. I got the top removed without destroying it. I'm trying to decide what to do about he drawer section in the middle of the vanity. I would like to have a door rather than drawers but they are all cut at different curves and they are inset rather than drawers that have a lip so that makes it harder yet to come up with a plan. I'm going to figure out something. I've been doing a lot of research but no one seems to have quite the same situation I have here.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

It always just amazes me how people are any more. I try to make my customers happy but geez there has to be a limit. It really aggravates me when people question my prices too because I buy the best breeding stock I can, most of the time having eggs or chicks shipped in, which costs $. Then as HEChicken said it costs to grow them out too, we all know feed is not cheap & just the labor itself is worth something. If you want cheap birds, go to a hatchery or buy in a farm store, but mine are pure bred & I have to recoup costs somewhere. Danz, you know what I'm talking about.

@HEChicken that was a cute story about the turkey, just amazing that it recovered like that. I like to give birds the best chance, but the outcome isn't always that good in a situation like that.

@lizzyGSR that's so cute, what a boy!

It always just amazes me how people are any more. I try to make my customers happy but geez there has to be a limit. It really aggravates me when people question my prices too because I buy the best breeding stock I can, most of the time having eggs or chicks shipped in, which costs $. Then as HEChicken said it costs to grow them out too, we all know feed is not cheap & just the labor itself is worth something. If you want cheap birds, go to a hatchery or buy in a farm store, but mine are pure bred & I have to recoup costs somewhere. Danz, you know what I'm talking about.

@HEChicken that was a cute story about the turkey, just amazing that it recovered like that. I like to give birds the best chance, but the outcome isn't always that good in a situation like that.

@lizzyGSR that's so cute, what a boy!

Trish, my reply to hagglers is --"If you have a problem with the price, then you shouldn't buy any poultry, no mater what you pay for the bird, that is the cheapest part of raising them."

 

[chicken danz]

LOL great answer Ralph. Nice to see you post again. It's been so quiet here lately.

 

[Trish44]

@Ralph Moyer that is a good answer, I'll have to remember that. I just want to refer them to people who sell online because as Danz knows too they sell for way more than she & I do. We have had to buy from some of those people to get what we want so we know how much things are.

I am so burned out on this heat & humidity too, it just about does me in. Ugh on the drive with no AC Danz, I couldn't stand it.

I've been letting my sheep out the last 3 days in the yard to give them more grass to eat up here on the 5 acres around the house. Yesterday they lost their yard privileges because even after fencing off their usual escape route they found another way out & went to visit the neighbors anyway. Darned escape artists!

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, I remember awhile back you mentioned you were overrun with Sebbie goslings. I had someone ask me recently if I raise them and I said no, but I know someone who does. If you still have a bunch you are looking to find homes for, let me know and I may be able to hook you up with a buyer for some of them.