Consolidated Kansas

[checoukan]

maidenwolf, almost all of your OE's will little chipmonk babies. I am still recearching on the blue baby, I the darker head is what I have a question about.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

maidenwolf, almost all of your OE's will little chipmonk babies. I am still recearching on the blue baby, I the darker head is what I have a question about.

Is that the only bantam that will look like that?

 

[ocap]

Also, I'm about to order chicks. What's your favorite hatchery?

I ordered Bargain #3 from Mt. Healthy and got 75 Partridge Rock roosters and 25 Partridge rock hens last summer. I was very satisfied with the health and type from that company.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hi Jeannie, welcome!! Good luck on your hatches!
Cute babies! I am terrible at the guessing game, Wichitakidd, that was a riot!! I thought you were going to really tell us all what they were but your names were much more amusing!!!!

Such a beautiful day today!!! We got a lot done outside and are almost done packing the pod which is getting picked up beginning of the week. Yeah!! I hate moving!! We tried to go to the dump to get rid of a bunch of stuff but a tire blew out on the trailer on the way there. That was scary!!! A super nice guy came out and loaned us a bunch of his tools to fix the flat tire which was incredibly kind. I wrote his address down to send him a thank you card for all his help. We got to the dump 10 minutes after they closed! Darn.

Barn update. The cement has been poured, and all trusses are up. Most of the nailers are on, but still need some on the roof. Went to an auction today, and bought some cabinets, bookshelf, small fridge for hardly anything at all. The fridge was still new in the box, even still had the straps still around it. The shelf was used but in very good condition. So all my "chicken books" go out as well. Need to seal the cement, but have to get something to do that with.

Will have to build a cab net to put my sink in, its kinda funny, but we bought it at an auction, they threw it in with some thing my husband wanted. Well come to find out the sink, it came out of the house at Oswego, that Ivy bought!! Strange things occur sometimes. I think it is neat, must have been a special order, as the sink is a pumpkin orange!! I know where my sink is going, but I want to figure out for sure just where I want the incubator/hatcher, brooder, and fridge to go. I want every thing just right and handy and easy to clean. Need to have a drawing or something to help me out.

Had a nice day today, and feel some better, but I don't think I will ever get over this darn cough. Ugh, never coughed this hard and this long in my life!!

Oldest son, and his two kids have the flu, so that has put extra work on my DH. I won't go near until I am sure they are better. Dr. told me long ago, to stay away from ones I knew that had the flu. I could kill me. He said it would go to the weakest part of my heart and that would be it.

I believe there was a question about chickens for 4H? Really it is best to let the kids choose what they like. We all have different tastes in birds, so do the kids. Let them choose and you will have better luck in them taking care of the birds. If they truly are interested they will take the time to learn more about the breed they like. And besides make the fair more interesting. People love to come thru the barns and see all the different breeds!!

YAY for cement in the barn! WOW it's really coming along quickly! So exciting! Your plans for your room sound great and looks like you have all the stuff now. I think an orange sink will be really cool! Maybe you could paint the cabinets orange to match and really go with it for fun? Or even painted a light yellow would be neat-- look like a sunflower. Definitely fun to see all the different breeds of birds at the 4-H fairs. I do see a few breeds that are popular over and over, though.

Male or female?


One other strange thing I've noticed recently. I've seen some of my ducks (females) standing on top another duck (also female). I know that these are females because they are all over a year old and none of them have the drake curl. Plus, I've seen my drake "servicing" them. Is it normal for the ladies to stand on top of each other? I've also seen Lucy (my goose, pictured above) standing on some of the female ducks. Is this normal or are my birds just crazy?

GIRL!!! hahaha, like I have any idea. But it looks all girlie to me. Cute goose!

Unfortunately I haven't been a lot of fun. Sorry people. It's hard to admit but I have many faults!!!

I think so many people are sick and they get a little more serious than normal too. I love you all to pieces and sorry I have been a bit over sensitive lately.
I need a vacation from my life for awhile.
Thanks to my crappy health about once or twice a year I have a surgery and I get to take a break for a few days. It's been a year since I've had one. So it's about time for something to break! Otherwise I have no excuse to take it easy.

I haven't noticed anyone being snippy, including you. I think you're fine.

But it IS true that when people are sick, they tend to lose their sense of humor as it requires a lot of energy to scrape it together long enough to work the brain to do it. I've been in a dizzy fog for over two weeks. Today I finally felt like I had it together. At church I am part of the Praise Team and I get up do the "welcome and greeting" right off and then the "announcements" after the benediction and you need to be really upbeat and happy and have it together so that you can be witty. Last week I failed so miserably (I was so dizzy and sick) that everyone asked me what happened/what was wrong! Yikes! LOL I was on my game this week, though.

He was running from me....but here are a couple of distant pictures I snapped of him.

WOW-- I don't even NEED a rooster and he is gorgeous and has me tempted!! LOL I mean... WOW he is pretty!!!! Total eye candy there!

I cup flour, l cup sugar, 1 cup milk, Mush the bag~~~~ Brisket in crock pot, meat loaf in oven, along with scalloped potatoes, and vegtable medley mix. Amish bread in 4 days, Hmmm think it will work to get my DH to let the builder finish the work room in my new barn? Evil arn't I!!

Is that the starter for amish bread? I've wondered how to make it. I have the recipe on how to "add" to the starter. But my recipe just says "take your starter and add...". So I gave up on ever trying the bread out. I think I'd like to come over for meat loaf! One of my favorite dinners and if those are scalloped potatoes made from real potatoes and not the box, then I'm RSVP'ing right now! hehehehehe (i even like the boxed kind, but rarely get the real stuff) I make a lot of potato soup out of real potatoes, but I have never made real scalloped.

Hmmmm....tell more about myself? Not much to tell. Originally from So. CA. I transplanted myself to Kansas about 10 years ago. I have been in a relationship for almost four years with a native Kansan who was raised working on a farm and his parents own quite a bit of land which his brother farms. We have had chickens for about the same amount of time that we have been together. We have a garden every year and can, dehydrate, and freeze our produce. Purchase grass fed beef from his brother who has a small herd of cattle. It is the best beef I have ever eaten.

We have 12 RIR hens. Two RIR roosters that I had raised from a small batch of eggs we incubated, plus a Goldenlaced Wyandotte rooster that came in some chicks we ordered last spring. We have lost some of the original hens and one rooster mostly due to varmits. We have incubated a couple of small batches of eggs and mostly ended up with roosters, which eventually ended up on the dinner table. My two RIR roosters are very tame and you can walk up to them and pick them up. I wasn't able to hand raise this last chickens we got in the spring because I hurt my back and couldn't spend time with them. They are not tame. I do have one of the hens from the last batch of eggs we hatched out who will run up to me and wiggle around until I pick her up. In fact, if I don't pick her up fast enough she will peck my leg. If I'm sitting down she will come up to me and jump up into my lap. She loves being held.

If you end up eating the roosters, then it's really not a bad deal that you get more roosters than pullets! I LOVE chicken!

 

[Hawkeye95]

I thought I should maybe post an update on Scout, my Golden Campine, who was injured last October. She had completely lost the use of her right leg. It wouldn't support any weight, and when I held her and pressed up on the leg there was no resistance.




She laid the first egg since her injury today. She is walking, running, and flying as she did before the injury with only the tiniest bit of a limp. She has re-taken her position as head hen, and is as bossy as she ever was. I had no idea her healing would be this complete. She is her old self again -- she is again running to the gate first to get out and pushing everyone else away from the treats until she has her fill.

The vet said there was a 50/50 chance that she would regain SOME use of the leg -- perhaps enough to survive and get around, but less than a 10% chance of complete recovery. She surprised us all. It is a tribute to the healing power of chickens.

This is fantastic!!! I'm so glad she is doing so well and now laying! wow! Okay, so my little rooster I think *might*????? be getting feeling back in his leg because he's now able to BEND his leg instead of drag it under him. (he got injured a while back, if you remember) I pushed on his foot and still--- I think his toes are paralysed. But maybe it will come back too if your bird did so well. Mine seems to be getting around quicker and even healing quicker than your bird. So maybe he didn't wrench it too severely. But still, I see him kind of with the leg out to the side every now and then when it doesn't bend right. I'm thinking he injured the nerves in his back? He was in bad shape after the fight and I sort of think he might have gotten his leg caught in the fence and wrenched it out since the other rooster was after him. (just guessing)

I ordered Bargain #3 from Mt. Healthy and got 75 Partridge Rock roosters and 25 Partridge rock hens last summer. I was very satisfied with the health and type from that company.

WELCOME to the thread!!! That is a LOT of birds! Did you grow them out and butcher or are they a laying flock for you?




WichitaKidd--- very exciting! We'll count down the days to March 5th with you! I think you picked out great breeds. They all sound wonderful.

Mommahen, I can find a use for that cage if you ever want to let go of it! LOL When you get home, can you take a couple more pictures of it and let us know if this is a manufactured set of pens or if someone built them??? I just got a set of 3 stacking cages for my silkies so I can keep them in the house when I'm washing. I haven't gotten it out of the package yet! But soon enough I'll be putting it together. I got this for Christmas: (I'm also thinking they might be great for when I need to do AI and keep a set stacked in the garage)

Trish, I agree, if you're going to be in the business of selling birds, people need to know the background of your birds and where they came from. If they are hatchery or out of better breeding lines. But you are right on-- you can still get some pretty bad birds out of good show or breeding stock. BUT-- here's the thing, you are passing on LESS faults by starting with better birds, so your chances of getting nice offspring are better. That is... if you're showing and you have a reason to need those kind of birds. Otherwise, I'm also perfectly happy with my hatchery layers out in my back yard! They lay great and they are sweet birds. Nothing wrong with them.

Danz, I think you are a talented pen builder! I wouldn't get too down with what you have. That duck pen you built is amazing!!!

 

[SpooncreekJenn]

Hey All ! New blood here (yikes) lol Long time lurker first post. Any place that list upcoming swaps or auctions like the one at gardner fair grounds
last year? Thanks in advance.

 

[mommahen10]

Thanks Ocap, I will look them up. What is that colorful bird in your avatar?

They brought my new pens home, they are really super heavy. They already warned me they’re not moving them again. It's already in the brooder room. I don't know what I'm going to do with all of these brooder pens. I have more brooder space than I have outside space so it seems even if I wanted to I shouldn't fill them all because I won't have a place to put them when they're older. These cages have lighting already but it’s fluorescent lights so that will have to be changed. It looks like it’s some type of fixture out of a pet store. It’s huge and heavy and opens easily for cleaning. It has tracks in it for trays to fit in the bottom but the trays are gone. We could use just a board, I’m not sure how we will do that. First we will need to do the lights. I took a couple of pics but I haven’t looked to see if the pics are clear enough to post yet.

Hawkeye, your stacking cages look much easier to handle and compact. I think what you got will be nice for something to use inside.

 

[sharol]

Hey, welcome. Glad to have you aboard.

Hey All ! New blood here (yikes) lol Long time lurker first post. Any place that list upcoming swaps or auctions like the one at gardner fair grounds
last year? Thanks in advance.

 

[SpooncreekJenn]

Thanks Sharol !!

 

[JosieChick]

That sounds like my luck Josie. At least someone helped you out even if you didn't make it to the dump on time. He was such a nice older gentleman, thank heavens for his tools! We would have had to unhook the trailer and drive all the way home otherwise.

If I had known that about the geese , I would have skunked you out of one of your boys from Trudi. I am sure I could have talked her into it!!

I will be so heartbroken if I don't hatch a goosie baby. I love them and I really really want to hatch some. I hatched these and they are such sweeties. I was so lucky to be able to trade white Seramas for Sebbie eggs.
I didn't see the "kids" courting today. They were pretty laid back. They found a place under the apple tree and spent most of the day napping. I filled their big tub completely full of freshwater. I've only been giving them a few inches lately. I figured they all needed a good bath. So they were enjoying the sun and the water. Well maybe you will get lucky! They are young so I wouldn't be too upset if they don't get their groove on in year one. By next year they should be down to business. I would definitely keep pools filled for them once the girls start laying because they seem to appreciate the pool for doing the deed!! I think it looks like the poor goose is getting drowned but they always jump in the pool for goose action!
I had such a busy day. I had Eileen and her Mom here this morning for a couple hours. I really enjoyed the visit. I now also have a new cat. Well a new old cat. She had been a house cat and had been ousted for clawing furniture. To save her from being placed in a barn with a bunch of sickly wild type cats I decided to take her in and see if she was a mouser. She is very sweet. I met them with a dose of frontline and made sure that was first priority. She spent the day in the shop and really enjoyed her tuna treat this evening. I just have to be sure she remains an outside cat.
I want no more inside than I have.
Lucky kitty. SO sad they got rid of her for scratching furniture, we have so many cats in the house and have never had trouble with our cats using anything they shouldn't but we have a lot of posts and pads for them to use.

Awesome, they are making great progress!

Barn update. The cement has been poured, and all trusses are up. Most of the nailers are on, but still need some on the roof. Went to an auction today, and bought some cabinets, bookshelf, small fridge for hardly anything at all. The fridge was still new in the box, even still had the straps still around it. The shelf was used but in very good condition. So all my "chicken books" go out as well. Need to seal the cement, but have to get something to do that with.

It is very possible that they are just now starting to pick on the poo 'cuz it's thawed. That's a good point that I hadn't considered before. I mixed more food for the birds yesterday. This time I used 3/5 of the 16% all purpose poultry crumbles and 1/5 each of the rolled corn and whole milo. I had already purchased the 16% crumbles, so I'll have to use it before I can try anything with a higher protein percentage.

As for Lucy being a boy... Well, I have two embdens in addition to Lucy. Both of the embdens hiss, and I know for sure that one of them is a girl because I was getting goose eggs for a while just after I got the embdens. It is possible that Lucy is a boy, though. Lucy is a white chinese, and they say that you can tell the chinese genders apart by the size of their knob. Sadly, I don't have any other chinese to compare her to, so my guess is a blind guess as to gender. I'll include a picture so maybe you all here on BYC can help me decide. Male or female?


One other strange thing I've noticed recently. I've seen some of my ducks (females) standing on top another duck (also female). I know that these are females because they are all over a year old and none of them have the drake curl. Plus, I've seen my drake "servicing" them. Is it normal for the ladies to stand on top of each other? I've also seen Lucy (my goose, pictured above) standing on some of the female ducks. Is this normal or are my birds just crazy?

This would be the pits! Who would want to live in the "country" all to not be able to have any animals?? I am glad we found somewhere that isn't too close to anywhere that could get zoned like that.
This is very true. When I lived in Wichita, I was so thrilled to learn that you can keep up to 12 hens with a permit. When some friends expressed interest, I excitedly told them they could get their own flock and they pointed out they wouldn't be able to because they lived in an area where there is an HOA that prohibits it. Then, when we started looking to move, we originally wanted to stay in Wichita, to be close to family, but did not want to live in a HOA and I was stunned to find out how many areas there are governed by HOA's. Even out in the country there are a surprising number of HOA's. We don't have one but down the road from us is a group of houses built around a shared pond, and each house is on 5 acres but even they are subject to a HOA. Technically they are not allowed to have any animals other than cats and dogs and I think it is just crazy to buy a house on 5 acres and not be allowed to do anything on it except mow a lawn! Apparently most of the people living there feel the same way and 4 of the 5 households keep chickens and one keeps goats!

I know what you mean about lightening things up here. It's been a bit too business like lately instead of just fun. I for one am guilty of that. I'm under a tremendous lot of pressure right now and I get on here now and then to just take a break to keep my cool. Unfortunately I haven't been a lot of fun. Sorry people. It's hard to admit but I have many faults!!!

I think so many people are sick and they get a little more serious than normal too. I love you all to pieces and sorry I have been a bit over sensitive lately.
I need a vacation from my life for awhile.
Thanks to my crappy health about once or twice a year I have a surgery and I get to take a break for a few days. It's been a year since I've had one. So it's about time for something to break! Otherwise I have no excuse to take it easy.

I apologize if I come off the wrong way too. I think my "pregnant" brain must over ride sometimes and I must say things that come out the wrong way. I have also been on a couple of the breed threads lately too and tend to get caught up in the heated debates that occur on them (which I do enjoy and learn a lot from) and that may carry over.

He was running from me....but here are a couple of distant pictures I snapped of him.

He is beautiful! I love the bottom pic, he looks like he is bookin it!

I thought I should maybe post an update on Scout, my Golden Campine, who was injured last October. She had completely lost the use of her right leg. It wouldn't support any weight, and when I held her and pressed up on the leg there was no resistance.




She laid the first egg since her injury today. She is walking, running, and flying as she did before the injury with only the tiniest bit of a limp. She has re-taken her position as head hen, and is as bossy as she ever was. I had no idea her healing would be this complete. She is her old self again -- she is again running to the gate first to get out and pushing everyone else away from the treats until she has her fill.

The vet said there was a 50/50 chance that she would regain SOME use of the leg -- perhaps enough to survive and get around, but less than a 10% chance of complete recovery. She surprised us all. It is a tribute to the healing power of chickens.

WOW! Go Scout. I wondered how she was doing but didn't want to bring it up in case she wasn't doing well. That is an amazing recovery!

Hey All ! New blood here (yikes) lol Long time lurker first post. Any place that list upcoming swaps or auctions like the one at gardner fair grounds
last year? Thanks in advance.

WELCOME!!! Feel free to jump in!

Hawkeye-I thought I had a post multied for you but it isn't here.....hmmmmm. Anyway, I do remember that you thought your injured boy was doing better and that is fabulous news! I wish my chickens would make recoveries more often, seems like that hasn't worked in my favor lately.


Well, I need to go out and treat my birds in the dark with ivermectin. I am dragging my heels but I really need to get it done. Ugh. Got the pod packed today too so that was good since they are picking it up this week and hauling it down to the house for us. It takes a whole week because it has to be "processed" through the Wichita Pod facility before they can ship it to its final destination so that was a bit frustrating. The truck that hauls it down will only be taking the one pod, it is kind of a shame they can't just bring it straight to the house but oh well! I am scared to open it when we get there because it is so full!!

Danz- I hope our pens come out as nice as yours. We have used your pen design and your metal run in as inspiration for our pens. I sure hope they are as sturdy! I am wiped, off to tend to the birds.