Consolidated Kansas

[Ivywoods]

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Well, hang on to that one that looks like a BBRed. I realize it may take some time to get what I want for the crele project. I'm still interested in the whites, too, and will just decide once I look at them.

The cages I built are pretty small. They can be anywhere from 25"x 24" up to 25"x 7 feet long I plan to use them more for show conditioning pens, and since all the dividers are removable, it will depend on the size of the birds and the number I keep in there how big I will leave them.

In the past, I've always had pens with runs for my breeders. I had a great facility back at Solomon, but I'm still in the building phase here. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get some pens set up in the barn that the breeds and varieties can be separated into. Right now most of my varieties are running together and I am not saving any for hatching. I really wasn't planning to hatch anything until spring.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Can't help you either, but there are still a lot of other people on this thread.

This is a really fun board!

Ritter, yeah, dogs can be really expensive, but I wouldn't let that put you off from adopting. I've adopted every dog I've had and so far, only had one that ended up with problems. She died last year. She had Addison's Disease and I spent $39 every two weeks on a hormone shot to keep her healthy. In the end though, she lived about 10 years with it and then it just effected her heart, liver, etc.. it was sad. But I have a little pure bred Pom that I adopted from the Newton humane and she came from a Puppy Mill breeder that was raided and shut down. I had over 30 Pom's to choose from! I really like her. Then, I adopted a Shih Tzu last Jan from the Kansas Humane Society here in Wichita, and she is purebred and is very healthy. She was 1.5 yrs old when I got her. My Pom was 2 yrs old when I got her. My Shih Tzu ended up having an AKC microchip put in her by the breeder and so I located her registration papers from her chip and it's nice to know her history and when she was born. But I still need to get her chipped again at my vet, because the AKC chip doesn't register on the scanners the vets use! Anyway-- all of that wording to say that it's worked out well adopting!

Danz, go talk to your neighbors and tell them that you just really need the dog locked up in the mornings while you gather your eggs. Maybe if they can see it's a timing issue and that you're not asking them to kennel her the entire day, they'll be okay with it. I hope! But maybe bring over some brownies or cookies when you go to talk to them.

Ivy, your serama projects sound fun! Can't wait to see what you end up with.

My mare is doing better today. It has been a looooong day. I'm tired and it's not over. Have to pick up my oldest at the bus stop and then take him to get his allergy shots in town. So tired. I've been running errands all day and busy. My chicks are doing great, though! They are getting bigger and faster!

 

[rittert3]

Ya I really hate not to adopt especially if the dog is going to be a pet, for a working dog I might be a bit more choosy. I think from now on I will only get puppys and owner surrenders that have some background available if I adopt again. "Buddy" was a stray that was never claimed and was mouthed at 2 years old and I didn't want to mess with a pup. I grew up with a beagle and my daughter was on the way when we got him, so I got him for the breed temperment. He has proved clingy with me and growls from time to time when the kids climb on him, I guess it just shows you can't judge a dog by it's breed.

 

[chicken danz]

Well I complain about getting nothing done but here I am again. I just sat down to print some postage and had to check mail of course. I am such a scatter brain.
I guess I need to make some so-so shelters and some smaller runs for these special chickens. Most of my LF free range but it's amazing how certain breeds stick to their own kind. The brahmas and the Salmon faverolles seem to just like themselves. The cochins are horn dogs and they breed everything, but it has given me some bigger better layers when mixed with some other breeds. Ultimately I want top notch purebred chickens to sell but any cross bred hen that gives me nice big brown eggs is a plus for myself. Eggs are a constant market where chicks can be pretty seasonal.
Funny the subject of adopted dogs came up. My daughter does rescue work and boards and trains boxers and mastiff type breeds. She cares for them and trains them to make them adoptable. Anyway about 6 weeks ago she got a dog she calls the old lady. She is a boxer that is 11 years old. The previous owners said she had been spayed. She was heart worm positive and they thought she had liver failure because her stomach was swollen and distended. The expected her to die. My daughter said she would train her and care for her because she deserved to be comfortable in her old age. She let her out in the "potty yard" this morning and found her an hour later with 3 pups. She was still having puppies the last I heard. I can see it now. She won't be able to let all the pups go to adoption. She'll get attached and have another dog to care for. So much for being a spayed dog!
Anyway, the point is, just because a dog is up for adoption doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. In fact there's always a chance you will get a well trained, health inspected dog that will be excellent. I think the problem is that people buy cute puppies, then when they turn into a big dog they don't know what to do with them.

 

[rittert3]

I know exactly what you meen danz, I just won't ever adopt another dog with little to no back ground. We took a gamble on Buddy being house broke (which he was for the most part) but didn't stop to think there might be other costly risks in adopting a dog with no back ground. I personally wanted a pit, boxer or cross (or another large breed) between the two but with a baby on the way and my wife not knowing how to handle a dominant breed I didn't want to take the risk. That is weird that mastiff was supposedly spayed and not, I hope the heart worms arn't to bad for her to take care of them.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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OMG!!!! Puppies!!!! Whoa! Well, that spayed dog sure did defy the laws of her 'so called surgery'. Wow! I bet you're right and your daughter will fall in love with one. There's always "one".

But on the other hand, I think that is so neat that she works with them and has such a big heart.

Ritter, I bet your dog could be snappy because he's hurting and maybe just doesn't want to be messed with. Which could be why he sticks with you- he knows you aren't going to jump on him! LOL! I'd be snippy too, if I were in pain. I know that none of my horses kick- not for anything will they kick you. Buuuut, you throw in the equation of 'Pain' and they'll be the nastiest things ever. I've worked with a lot of eye injuries, and that will make a horse meaner than anything when they have severe pain going on. Probably same with a dog, I would guess.

I was lucky with my own adoptions. My puppy mill dog was kind of a mess when I got her. BTW- there is NO crate training a puppy mill dog. They will never understand that they aren't supposed to do their business in their crate and then sleep on it... or EAT it. It took me about 2 months to really house break her where she was reliable. But I used a technique the vet told me about -- keeping them tied onto your belt loop at ALL times, never let them wander off. It was often very tiring doing that much watching and paying attention. Now, I've had her nearly 2 years and I've even broke her of using her kennel as a toilet. That was a long road- the whole first year was tough on that one. But it can be done, I did it.

But she will have set backs on the kennel. She spent her first two years of life living in her own filth, it's tough to break. But I'd say she's 99% there (after nearly 2 years)
Then, my Shih Tzu was an owner surrender at the KSHumane- and they listed their reason as not being able to potty train her. She was EASY! I used the same technique and she was fully broke and reliable in 2 weeks. I think some people have no patience and zero commitment, like Danz said. It also listed these people had 3 other dogs and I think they were just overwhelmed with a puppy. They must have bought her from a breeder for good money, which is a shame it ended that way for them. But lucky for ME!!! ha! My DH really wanted a Shih Tzu, and I looked for a few months for one at the humane's nearby (not just in Wichita). They got snapped up fast. This one, just so happened that I had looked at all the dogs at the humane society, and she wasn't on their website, either. I went to the front desk as I was leaving and I just on a whim-- (thinking NO WAY) asked if they happened to have a shih tzu. She looked at me funny and said they just got one in, and they would finish processing her papers and show her to me! So I waited around and they brought her out, and she was an ugly mess. I couldnt see her eyes, ears, nothing. Hair to the floor, and it was matted, dirty, stinky and had stickers in it. They said they were going to clean her up, but knew that I was waiting and show her to me as is. I figured it must be fate and I took her right then and there, since she already had been spayed and been chipped prior to being brought in. Drove her straight over to Pets Smart and had them groom her and bathe her and I didn't even recognize her when they brought her out with bows in her ears! So funny! Took her home where my DH proceeded to fall instantly in love.

Better run- need to change the chick's brooder-- they STINK!

 

[chicken danz]

Aw that's a sweet story. Although my daughter trains and boards dogs for a living, mine are totally untrained. It has it's problems. But I don't keep my dogs in the house either. My female comes in to take a nap once in a while but she just comes in, eats the cats' food and goes to take a nap. She always goes outside to do her business.
Let me clarify this. My daughter is a very respected professional dog trainer. Training with her is quite pricey by my standards. But she does the rescue dog work for basically the cost of food. Before she started training dogs she broke horses for a living. Needless to say her injuries aren't quite as severe with the dogs, although she did have to have surgery from a dog attack in the past.
I think I'll stick with my birds!

 

[msjfrizzle]

Wow, I'm impressed with the building skills of y'all! Beautiful cages Ivy!! Awesome coop Hawkeye!!
My new babies are growing fast, as expected. I have 2 buff orps, 2 Ameraucanas, and a Jersey giant from a local fellow. Then I went to Atwoods for chick starter, and of course they had chicks, and you know what happens- there was exactly one lonely white silkie, and I couldn't just LEAVE it there. Then I saw these little black fluff balls with white tummies and feathered shanks, so I had to have 2 of those, too. I'm not exactly sure what they are, but they were in the "heavy layer" bin, straight run, unfortunately, so we'll see what I get. The 5 from the local guy are all supposed to be pullets, but I have suspicions about one of the buffs and one of the Ameraucanas....
I don't have a good picture of the Atwood babies yet.
I finally got the sign on my coop, and a few more details completed.The whole area under the deck and coop are fenced, which is about 125 square feet of space. In this photo, the door to the yard is open. In this one the moveable roost is in the 'sun porch' side. That's Helga out front. She laid those huge eggs for just over 3 weeks, then went broody. I got that stopped, but she still hasn't started laying again!

One of my silver spangled Hamburgs, Lucy, has been acting lethargic for a few days, and was worse Monday morning. After some research, it seemed that she might be "egg bound". After a good deal of research, I gave her a warm bath. She relaxed in the warm water, and even seemed to doze, but I did watch to make sure she didn't drop her beak into the water. After about half an hour she stood up and talked to me, so I wrapped her in a towel and applied olive oil to the vent area (as recommended by many). I didn't turn her upside down for that, because that can cause problems. She suddenly convulsed about 3 times as I was holding her, and died. I don't know what happened, and I'm so upset! I spent the rest of the evening scouring the info on the web trying to figure it out. Now I wonder if she may have been an 'internal layer'. Her comb got red about 2 months ago, or maybe longer, so I have been expecting her to lay, but she never has, although she would sit in the nest box, and was actually in there this afternoon and evening. Her comb had become paler at about the time she started acting a little funny. Baffling, and most upsetting.

 

[rittert3]

I agree that my dogs snappiness is from his pain, his tends to hide under our fainting chair unless he needs to go out or is hungry/thirsty. He peed in every house once when I first got him but that stopped after he got neutered. Every few months he will poop in the crate but that is my fault for leaving him in there to long. He is not crate trained but resists going in less than he used to, he is fine with another dog or as long as somebody is home but get very destuctive if he's left by himself, bad seperation anxiety, so I have to crate him if I go somewhere I can't take him. Which is ironic because according to my apartment complex he is my anxiety service dog. We got lucky, our current neighbor will take keep him most of the time if we are going to be gone more than a couple hours, but right now I'm fighting a minor flea problem so he's back to staying in the crate.


ETA: excuse the mess but here's my only critter right now

 

[chicken danz]

msjfrizzle,
Sorry about your bird. I've had similar things happen a couple times. Same scenario, warm bath, relaxation, then death. I think maybe they know they are going to die and fight it, the water soothes them, and they finally just relax and give up. There's no worse feeling than that. I kept telling myself at least I brought them some relief before they passed.
I've got another busy day ahead. Ugh! I really wish I could just stay home!