Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, the other cage is smaller & won't fit in the frame,

I'll just have to measure & see if I can find a frame kit available for the right size for that one. Yeah my eggs were pretty frozen this morning too & the rabbit's water was frozen solid.

Danz, I couldn't watch that video, all I could see was a bunch of words.

Gotta get going.

 

[chickmama1662]

Hawkeye, I read it quickly this morning, it sounds like they are trying to force the larger websites (BYC would fall into this group) to monitor/police the postings from all the participants. I'm not sure what they would be looking for. But for the websites that could not handle this added workload, they would be shutdown. The moderators are asking folks to contact their representatives. Again, there is more information on BYC homepage.

 

[Ivywoods]

I just went down to candle eggs that were to go into the incubator. Of 12 eggs only 4 were viable, two golden lakenvelders and two ameraucanas. None of the serama eggs appeared to be fertile. I had a serama hen sitting on a nest. She had 7 eggs under her. She left the eggs just a couple days before they should have started hatching and it got super cold. I took them out and did the "eggtopsy" thing. None of them appeared to be fertile. I guess I will just have to wait a little longer on them. I've only got one serama hen laying right now, anyway.

I decided maybe I should go ahead and candle the eggs that should go into lockdown tomorrow. Of those 8 eggs there were 4 viable. Two ameraucanas, a lakenvelder and ONE ROSECOMB! I may get some of these rosecombs hatched yet.

THEN I had an accident. I get the "cluts of the day" award. I had the non viable eggs in a carton. The carton folded a bit and 3 of the eggs fell out and hit the cement floor! Thank goodness it was not the viable eggs and thankfully they were not rotten or something. It did make quite a mess, though.

So far all of the chicks that have hatched appear to healthy and hardy... growing and doing well. I'm happy about that.

Yes, it sure has been cold and I've been getting a few frozen eggs before I get to them. It was 8 degrees when I got home this morning. It has cleared off and warmed up a little now, but still very cold.

Hawkeye-Congratulations on your first egg! That thing looks pretty big for a silkie egg! You just might hatch some WHOPPIN babies! LOL! I thought that was funny that you thought my sister's DH shot that deer. EVERYONE in my family hunts. I've hunted deer for a number of years and have no idea how many I have harvested. We eat a lot of venison. I can shoot 'em, field dress them, drag them home, skin them, process them and cook them. I am very picky about how they are processed so I do my own. Sometimes when I make a roast my family can't tell if it's venison or beef. My older sister and one of my brothers both got their first deer this year. Checoukan has shot a number of deer as has my other brother. I started hunting when I was a kid, and I loved it. I never got to go often enough. I've always been an excellent shot and loved shooting of any kind. I am now a hunter education instructor, a bowhunter ed instructor and wish I had more time for shooting and educating. I have to give some credit for my deer hunting skills to my DH. He grew up in a family of 14. Much of his youth was spent in the woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin hunting deer. He helped feed the family since he was one of the oldest boys. He has hunted deer every year all his life and never fails to get a deer. He is not a trophy hunter. I guess it's because he knows those younger deer definitely taste better. He learned to hunt near some of the reservations up there and was taught by a native American Indian many of his skills. All the camo, bells and whistles people use to hunt deer he pretty much ignores. He can go out in his plaid flannel shirt with his "lucky" blue stocking cap with a little ball on the top and he comes home with a deer. He has had deer come up and sniff the little ball on the top of his cap and had young deer walk right up to him and sniff the buttons on his coat. Kind of makes me wonder what they are smelling!

Danz-Oh my! They are beautiful! No labrador there! I want that one... and that one... and that one.... Gee it will be hard to choose!

 

[checoukan]

I want one also but my 2 border collies would teach a new puppy their bad habits, one of those bad habits is killing chickens.

I have two GP's, so I really don't need anouther one, but oh how hard to turn away!!! I have a rule of thumb here. Everything has to get along.... If they don't, as I have trouble with my catahoula, or your gone. Arnie now gets to spend most of his day on a chain. He gets no free time unless I am with him or outside. He is still a pup, but the damage has been done. Maybe he will out grow it, but I doubt it. Its my fault, should have not let the chickens run around in the yard.

 

[chicken danz]

As these pups get older they completely change to fat little furr balls and the color of their masks fade. Ivy, I have one little girl that I think is going to be the one you want cause she will look like her daddy. There is actually two of them but one of them may end up being the one I keep. I'm torn between the last one born with a half mask or the little one I had to wrap in the heat pad and feed a bottle to get going. As they get older and develop personalities I may totally change my mind. I haven't told DH I'm keeping one yet and he'll have a fit. But all the animals and the feed and stuff comes from my money so he shouldn't complain too loud. I knew he wanted to keep the runt from the last litter but I wanted to be puppy free. Those little suckers are a lot of work and cost a fortune to feed and give shots to. I have to sell the rest so I can pay to have my dogs fixed. I don't want to go through this again.
I just had a call from FL some guy wanting me to ship Seramas to him. People keep asking me to ship birds and I always say no. So does any one know the requirements and cost to do that? Where do you get the approved boxes and what permits do you have to have to do it?

 

[Hawkeye95]

As these pups get older they completely change to fat little furr balls and the color of their masks fade. Ivy, I have one little girl that I think is going to be the one you want cause she will look like her daddy. There is actually two of them but one of them may end up being the one I keep. I'm torn between the last one born with a half mask or the little one I had to wrap in the heat pad and feed a bottle to get going. As they get older and develop personalities I may totally change my mind. I haven't told DH I'm keeping one yet and he'll have a fit. But all the animals and the feed and stuff comes from my money so he shouldn't complain too loud. I knew he wanted to keep the runt from the last litter but I wanted to be puppy free. Those little suckers are a lot of work and cost a fortune to feed and give shots to. I have to sell the rest so I can pay to have my dogs fixed. I don't want to go through this again.
I just had a call from FL some guy wanting me to ship Seramas to him. People keep asking me to ship birds and I always say no. So does any one know the requirements and cost to do that? Where do you get the approved boxes and what permits do you have to have to do it?

As far as I know, I don't think you need to have any certificates to ship a bird. It costs about $50 to ship and $5 for the shipping box. You just pass that along to the buyer. When I bought my birds, I paid the $55 per box and it fit one standard or two or possibly 3 small birds--- they put my two pullets in the box and that was okay, but I wouldn't want to put any more in it. Unless they were smaller and fit well. They dumped shavings into the bottom of the box and then threw in a can of corn, and who knows what else. I think mine just got the corn. Whatever it was, it was all gone when I picked them up. I don't know where to buy the boxes-- I've seen them for sale thru the hatcheries and they are pricey! The breeder I got mine from said her's were only $5 a box. I saved my boxes-- I'll go look and see if there is a manufacturer printed on the box.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Both of my shipping boxes are a Horizon Micro Environment box. They have filters over the vent holes and they look to be about $11 a piece. Hu, I thought they were cheaper. But, so long as you let your buyer know that they box is $11 plus shipping, and they still want a bird... then go for it!

http://www.hm-e.net/A_chickens.htm

 

[rittert3]

Danz-I've heard the horizon boxes are good for shipping grown birds, I don't think you have to have and licence, I'm not sure, but I do know the shipping is unreal. I need to look into shipping hatching eggs here in the next year or 2 because I have a feeling that my operation is going to get to big (at least with the coturnix) to drum up enough local business.

 

[Ivywoods]

I know Checoukan just shipped some birds to Oklahoma. I never have shipped, but have been on the receiving end several times. I wouldn't ship until the weather warms up some here. I'm sure it's probably okay on the FL end, but who knows what will happen before they get there.

It will be interesting to see how the pups turn out. Our dogs have all had very different personalities, but they have all ended up being good livestock guardians. Our female was a bit of a roamer, but when she started playing too rough with the chickens that was that and we rehomed her to a place where they had no chickens. She was an awesome coyote-gitter. We have never had problems with predators with these dogs, but I always worried some would come in when Sophie had wandered out so far. We kept the runt out of her litter and he is a very good dog. He is not as timid around strangers as Buddy, but I just think that is because Buddy was not handled for who knows how much of his life. He loves attention from us, but will have nothing to do with a stranger.

When we get this pup we are going to socialize it to the house, but it's home will be in the barn with the goats and chickens. That is where it will eat and sleep. Hopefully we can teach it that it's home and work zone is within the barn and pasture. Buddy and Runt patrol the perimiter. We have never made them stay inside the fence due to the electric fence around it. We will see how it goes. I think it will work out just fine.

Wish I could get two!

 

[chicken danz]

You could get two you know!
Thanks for the info on shipping. I do know you have to have a special NPIP form filed to ship in or out of Kansas. Of course people aren't supposed to ship eggs without NPIP forms across state lines but they do all the time.