Consolidated Kansas

I got some small bags of sea kelp to try it out, I'm adding it to my FF to see how it works out & then if I see good results I will order a larger amount. I'll let you all know later on if I see improvements in the birds from it. You only feed 1/4 cup to 11 pounds of feed, so it goes quite aways. I will mostly feed it to my breeding stock, but if I buy a bigger amount will also feed it to my laying flock.
 
Heya! Beautiful day in north western Kansas! I just relocated here and was hoping to get some ideas of what breeds are preferred in these areas. I'm from a cold climate so we always had super winter hardy girls. Looking for some that are mellow as we have lots of kids running around. Would love an easter egger! I also have no clue where to find these guys! Again, new to the area (greater Hays area) thanks everyone :)


I'm in northwest KS and have been wanting to reduce numbers in my flock. I am closer to the Goodland/Colby area than the Hays area though. You can PM me if you wanna talk more. Otherwise, Orschelns is the only place around that I'm aware of that sells chicks unless you want to mail order from someone. I know Danz said she could ship chicks but the shipping is kinda pricey. If I ever buy more chicks, that is probably what I would do. My birds are hatchery stock from cackle hatchery and just turned one year old. I have been getting as many as 8 eggs a day from 12 hens of laying age.
 
An update on my Cookie bird: she is still hanging in there. She is drinking noe but I have to offer it to her. Her balance is still not there and she is rather wobbly. I pick the water bowl up and offer it to her that way. She took one bite of scrambled egg last night and that's all the food I've gotten her to eat since Wednesday when she was injured. I did put some sugar and salt in her water so hopefully that is enough to tide her over till she starts eating.

I have been giving her vitamin E when my DH can help. She wiggles/struggles too much for me to give it to her by myself. The fact that she is still strong enough and opinionated enough to argue with me is something I take as a good sign.
 
@JazzyChicks I am an hour west of you, used to live in Ellis too. Orschelns in Hays has chicks. I am getting ready to set 48 barnyard mixes next week, I come to hays all the time and could sell you some straight run cheap if you were interested. I don't have room for them all. I am pretty new to the chicken game, last year was our first year and we got obliterated by coons. This year so far is going much better!
 
@lizzyGSR glad that Cookie is still hanging in there.
I hatched my first turkey poults of the year yesterday. I'm out of brooder bin space though. I sure hope they don't get trampled by all the chicken chicks. I was going to move some more birds out to grow out pens from the brooder house and move more babies out there but I can't because of this stupid cold weather. I have poults due every day for the next week. Then they are in bigger setting groups after that. I was gathering eggs to ship and the money order got delayed so I hatched rather than let them sit and wait. I shipped the eggs to the gal the following Monday and out of 15 she said 11 were developing. Not bad for shipped eggs especially those that go through our KC sorting facility.
 
An update on my Cookie bird: she is still hanging in there. She is drinking noe but I have to offer it to her. Her balance is still not there and she is rather wobbly. I pick the water bowl up and offer it to her that way. She took one bite of scrambled egg last night and that's all the food I've gotten her to eat since Wednesday when she was injured. I did put some sugar and salt in her water so hopefully that is enough to tide her over till she starts eating.

I have been giving her vitamin E when my DH can help. She wiggles/struggles too much for me to give it to her by myself. The fact that she is still strong enough and opinionated enough to argue with me is something I take as a good sign.
I'm glad she is getting better. That is a good sign if she has the energy to fight you when giving her Vitamin E.

@lizzyGSR glad that Cookie is still hanging in there.
I hatched my first turkey poults of the year yesterday. I'm out of brooder bin space though. I sure hope they don't get trampled by all the chicken chicks. I was going to move some more birds out to grow out pens from the brooder house and move more babies out there but I can't because of this stupid cold weather. I have poults due every day for the next week. Then they are in bigger setting groups after that. I was gathering eggs to ship and the money order got delayed so I hatched rather than let them sit and wait. I shipped the eggs to the gal the following Monday and out of 15 she said 11 were developing. Not bad for shipped eggs especially those that go through our KC sorting facility.
Congrats on the turkey poults danz. I have only hatched two chicks so far but have a batch due the 14th for orders. Fertility has still not been good as of yet on some breeds so I'm hoping this weather will get through with the cold front & stay warmer plus give us some sunshine. I really need these eggs to be fertile for an order I need to ship. It's so hard waiting when you know there is nothing you can do about mother nature or the daylight hours. I agree with you about the KC sorting facility, whenever I have had anything come through there they're brutal. I try not to have eggs shipped through there.
 
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I'm glad she is getting better. That is a good sign if she has the energy to fight you when giving her Vitamin E.

Congrats on the turkey poults danz. I have only hatched two chicks so far but have a batch due the 14th for orders. Fertility has still not been good as of yet on some breeds so I'm hoping this weather will get through with the cold front & stay warmer plus give us some sunshine. I really need these eggs to be fertile for an order I need to ship. It's so hard waiting when you know there is nothing you can do about mother nature or the daylight hours. I agree with you about the KC sorting facility, whenever I have had anything come through there they're brutal. I try not to have eggs shipped through there.
I have a lot of chicks. Just no time to separate them. I need to go buy another rubbermaid bin I guess. A couple of my old ones split out.

Osbornestrong Farms here, checking in from Miltonvale KS. Glad to find some more Sunflowers!
Welcome to our little group. Tell us more about yourself. There's lots of experience here as well as a lot of newcomers. Feel free to pick our brains or just join in general conversations.
 
Everyone here in the north-east corner enjoying our spring snow?
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And to think I believed our extra-warm weather would continue on for a good weekend to finish the coop and run with...


Guess I'll have to take more indoor baby pictures to pass the time.
 
A little about the Osborne family and the Osbornestrong team. I am a retired Army Staff Sergeant, and my wife has been my rock and the leader of our home for nearly 20 years. 5 of our six kids are home (3 teenagers, one 22 year old and an 8 year old), and we are getting started on our small family farm in Miltonvale, KS. We have 6 layers (3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Leggers) ready for growing pen we are building when the cold weather breaks again, and 10 fryers the same age going out with them. Behind them by 3 weeks are 4 Black Sex Links and 10 Cornish Cross still in a giant Rubber Maid tub under heat lamps with straw laid out and all day supervision. All of our hens have been handled regularly by everyone from oldest to youngest to ensure less stress when we enter their run and coop.

I grew up on a foster home farm in western Oregon, so my experience is very dated and from a different climate and terrain when I was working with fowl and livestock. My wife grew up in Kansas, with a few animals around, but not any focused operation. I have been stationed in Kansas for a cumulative 10 years, and retired in Kansas for 2 years, so I am learning as best I can about the land and weather patterns.
 
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