Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

I've been super excited about eggs lately. Mrs. Wilbur laid her first egg over the weekend, so now at least 5 of my 6 hens are laying. I really enot reading about all of your farming exploits with goats and cows, etc. I'm over here like, hey check out my hens...I feel so "country". The hens will have to do until I can actually get myself to the country. I greatly neglected my garden this year and I'm hoping to get that word back into shape this spring. I hope that all of your aches and pains lesson. Looking forward to watching Zander grow and hearing about his puppy exploits as well as discovering if Precious is indeed pregnant.

Congrats on the eggs, that's always exciting!

Congrats on your layers. It took me a great deal of years to get in the country. Had to get my kids grown and on their own before that could happen. I had actually married into a farm family very young and got my first taste of rural life back in the early 70s. At the time I could have cared less about it. I was still young and wanted to experience a lot more things. That was a short marriage, although I do value a few things I learned during that time that are helping me a little now.
I figure the ultimate outcome will be the day when I have to move back to town because I'm too old to function out here any more. So I'm living my farm life now. My preference of course would be to be able to stay out here forever. I love the peace and quiet and the privacy. I'm also a person that just has to stay busy and this life is definitely the answer to that. Even though I often wish I had a lot less to take care of.
I got Enya the heifer moved home yesterday. Now to get her to like me!!! I know she loved her range cubes and that prairie hay I gave her. I've got to go get some corn from the coop to mix her feed with.
DH is supposed to go get my trailer this afternoon. I'm anxious to get it and start planning how to paint it out. I have a little repair work to do on it before it's ready for road trips but not that much.

Congrats on getting your calf home, yay! I hope you can get your horse trailer home too so you can get it fixed up. I'm needing one of those myself, but it's probably not going to happen any time soon.

I got a pic of Zander yesterday so I'll post it here so you all can see what he looks like.

He is doing pretty well with his leash training, I have been taking him out every day for a walk around the paddocks & around the yard so he can get familiar with things. My two GPs are still keeping their distance. Yesterday Jasmine followed us all around on our walk but not too close. I hope to get them used to him so when I do let him out of the dog run they will accept him as part of the pack. They're so afraid I'm replacing them that I have been having to give them extra attention to let them know they're still loved as well. As HEChicken said, they're kind of like little two year olds in that respect.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I am excited that I will likely have some chicks hatching any day now! The weather is supposed to turn pretty cold, starting tomorrow though so hopefully they'll be okay! My broody hen has 4 eggs, so I'm excited to see how many and what kinds (likely barnyard crosses) I have.

 

[Plinky]

Hello all. This may be a post to put on the overall forum but maybe since it might be climate dependent you felloww kansans can help more. My Barred rock who abruptly stopped laying about a month ago started losing feathers. Within the last week or so she has lost a LOT of feathers! I just noticed around her neck it's looking a bit sparse. Is she possibly molting at 8 1/2 months? She started laying just before 5 months. Can find no signs of mites. I was told not to expect molt this year. Wwill post pic later.

 

[Plinky]

I should have also said that you can see new feathers too on neck. Not being pecked as SHE is the one I've caught bossing around others!

 

[HEChicken]

Plinky - yep - sounds like molt. They "usually" do not molt in their first year but its not unheard of either.

Lizzy - keep us posted on those chicks.

Trish - Zander is cute as can be - I can't wait to hear about his exploits as he grows.

Danz - I'm glad you have Enya home and hope getting the trailer home goes smoothly as well.

 

[lizzyGSR]

My broody had 4 eggs, and I've seen 2 chicks. I can't tell if there are more or not. I guess I'll ahve to wait until they come out to play!

 

[Trish44]

@Plinky I agree with HEChicken that it does sound like molt. I have feathers everywhere here. My guineas & ducks are molting as well so there are feathers all over. I'll be glad when my laying hens get done so they can start laying again. I'm getting about 7 eggs a day from 28 or 30 hens. My egg customers are having to wait in line now for eggs.

@lizzyGSR Let us know how it goes with the chicks!

I have been working like a crazy person trying to get some outdoor projects done before the cold spell gets here. I have been working yesterday & today at taking down a dog run pen that has been in that spot for years. It had been there so long that it sunk into the ground & I had to dig it out, that wasn't fun. That thing is really heavy duty too, not like the ones they sell now so it's really not fun to move. I hope to get it put back together tomorrow if I'm lucky. I've had a big list of to do things that I'm finally getting down to the last couple things, whew! I've been just worn out at night by the time I work out there & then do all of the feeding. I just come in & collapse into my recliner.

 

[chicken danz]

My broody had 4 eggs, and I've seen 2 chicks. I can't tell if there are more or not. I guess I'll ahve to wait until they come out to play!

Yay! Congrats on the chicks.

@Plinky , that definitely sounds like molt. Most hens don't molt until about 18 months. However I have some early spring hatches that are molting now as well. I guess chickens will do whatever their biological clocks tell them to do.
Quote:

@Plinky I agree with HEChicken that it does sound like molt. I have feathers everywhere here. My guineas & ducks are molting as well so there are feathers all over. I'll be glad when my laying hens get done so they can start laying again. I'm getting about 7 eggs a day from 28 or 30 hens. My egg customers are having to wait in line now for eggs.

@lizzyGSR Let us know how it goes with the chicks!

I have been working like a crazy person trying to get some outdoor projects done before the cold spell gets here. I have been working yesterday & today at taking down a dog run pen that has been in that spot for years. It had been there so long that it sunk into the ground & I had to dig it out, that wasn't fun. That thing is really heavy duty too, not like the ones they sell now so it's really not fun to move. I hope to get it put back together tomorrow if I'm lucky. I've had a big list of to do things that I'm finally getting down to the last couple things, whew! I've been just worn out at night by the time I work out there & then do all of the feeding. I just come in & collapse into my recliner.

I've got three panels to move to the other side of the yard as well, Trish. And several birds to move elsewhere today. I'm really not feeling up to it. I swear every joint and muscle in my body is flared up. I don't know if it is related to running a low grade fever or if it is reacting to the coming weather or what. I've honestly been on the verge of tears for 3 days now due to the non stop pain. I hate taking pain meds but may just take some to get by so I can get my work done. Probably not going to happen. I am very stubborn that way.
I'm wanting to reduce some pens so I won't have to maintain quite as many in the cold. Since I've not gotten my winterizing done at all that means I need to consolidate some groups. I hate to do it cause it will overcrowd a few but it needs to be done. And because the wind is blowing like crazy it will be that much harder to move these panels.
I've made no progress with Enya the calf yet. I guess I need to get her used to seeing I am the "guy" with the good feed. I'm putting her treats in a bucket inside the shelter in hopes of eventually getting her in there and shutting the gate so I can brush her while she eats. I know she will like me once she lets me touch her. I'm normally a good animal tamer.
I've got to go get another load of feed today. Sure seems like I've been doing that more often lately. It hurts when I can't butcher these boys right now. They're also getting to the age they are bullying each other and I loose one of the weaker ones every now and then. Roosters can be such jerks.
DH went to get the trailer last evening. The tires looked really good but he didn't get far before he found out one had a hole in it.So he had to stop where he was at. Remove the tire. Take it to Topeka. It was shot. Looked great but wasn't. So he had to buy a new tire and have it put on the wheel, then drive back north and put it on the trailer. I am kind of irritated because I was assured the tires were great. And they sure look like it. That was even more money I didn't want to spend.
At any rate the trailer is home now. Since the weather is going south, I don't think I'll be working on it much.

 

[HEChicken]

My broody had 4 eggs, and I've seen 2 chicks. I can't tell if there are more or not. I guess I'll ahve to wait until they come out to play!

Yay - congrats! There may be more under there. In the first few days they spend a lot of time under mom and can be really hard to find in all her feathers. After that they'll get more adventurous and start to come out. Like newborn anything, they are tired from hatching and need to sleep a lot initially.

DH went to get the trailer last evening. The tires looked really good but he didn't get far before he found out one had a hole in it.So he had to stop where he was at. Remove the tire. Take it to Topeka. It was shot. Looked great but wasn't. So he had to buy a new tire and have it put on the wheel, then drive back north and put it on the trailer. I am kind of irritated because I was assured the tires were great. And they sure look like it. That was even more money I didn't want to spend.

Oh no - what an awful start to ownership. I'd be pretty irritated as well, though its possible the owner really didn't know that tire was bad if they looked so good. I got a flat on my car a few months back that required a replacement. It had picked up a nail and I guess anywhere else it would have been simple fix but it was right where the sidewall meets the other surface and they said by law they're not allowed to repair it there and have to replace it. There's nothing like going from an $11 puncture repair to purchasing a whole new tire to change your day.

 

[Trish44]

That is disgusting Danz after buying the trailer thinking the tires were good, ugh. I'm glad you got it home though eventually.

I've been about to do myself in with the projects I've been doing outside. I think the hardest work is done now, but moving that dog run pen was not fun. I got it all put back together yesterday & put the top on. Putting the tarp on the top in that wind wasn't fun, glad that's all done. Then after moving the dog run I had a huge rabbit hutch that weighs a ton that was sitting out in the middle of nowhere so I decided that needed to be moved over by the remaining dog run where Zander is staying for now. That thing just doesn't move so I had to use my weight & the two wheeler to scoot & finagle it over there. I was done in by the time I got that where I wanted it, whew. Since I only have 4 rabbits now I use the spare hutches to put chicks in when I'm putting them outside at times to get them used to being out there for a few days & then graduate them to the growout pen.