Consolidated Kansas

[maidenwolfx80]

hi guys milomac from Wichita retired postal, I've evesdropped on yall for several months, finally ready to join in. I keep 6 LF of different breeds to make a pretty egg carton. I also have have 5 banty amaracauna pullets just laying first eggs and there rumpless rooster. After a while I've been able to figure the main players on this forum and how yoy work. Really I got nuthin letting you know there are more people out here than you realize

Welcome. I love the bantys..

Dont worry we know there are lots of us. Just not everyone likes to join forums. Still it is always nice to have another join and discuss and contribute here.

 

[JosieChick]

Hi everyone!!!! I am soooooo, sooooo far behind I couldn't even begin to catch up!

How crummy that your coop is taxable. We are in Miami county and we built everything on skids because it is non taxable if it isn't a "permanent" structure. I think there is a size restriction too, if it is a agricultural loafing shed under 24 feet long it also isn't taxable. Too bad it isn't like that everywhere.

TAX ISSUE - I finally called Topeka and talked with them. Each COUNTY has their own regulations and guidelines. For my county, Cowley, any structure that has a value of $750 is considered taxable and you pay personal property - moveable or not, roof or not, etc.

I was highly encouraged by Topeka to send a letter to the Cowley County appraiser's office, which I did, breaking down the cost to build the coop from USED materials I purchased from craigslist and other used forums. After my breakdown, I stated it cost me approximately $600 to build my coop and the value of my coop, since materials are used - is below the $750 taxable allowance and requested an exemption. I was also told by Topeka that the county DOES have every leg to stand on if they want to tax the coop.

The coop is MY personal property - I would not put that on Stephen.

Yippeee!!!!!

Your kids are going to LOVE this. I remember getting to stay home from school as a kid to watch my nana's rir eggs hatch in our styro bator!!!

I woke up this morning and 4 out 5 eggs have started pipping. So exciting

Ditto!!!!

Chickens will eat ANYthing. Epecially if it's shiny -- I would try to use a rake and see if you can't get most of that picked up-- at least in the area where they will be. Sounds like a lot of work. We have a HUGE party every year at my house for the 4th of July. People come here and shoot off their fireworks and we even have a DJ that plays music. We have a TON of trash left over from all the spent rockets, fireworks, etc... I spend a week with the kids every morning and most evenings and we walk the yard with trash sacks. We pick up anything we see, no matter how small. We've kept our yard pretty darn clean even after years of hosting these events! I will ocassonaly find something I missed from the year prior- but when I do my first mowing out in the back I take another trash sack with me so I can stop frequently and get anything I've missed. I have about 3 acres to search, and we manage well. Just anytime you walk out, take a Walmart sack with you and pick up anything you see. It's a real PITA for sure. I understand.

Congrats on your success at the show in Pryor!! Those rosecombs really are stunning birds! How is your wheaten roo with the ladies? I have an EE roo that I was going to keep just in my laying pen as a watch dog and to have EE and olive eggers but he is turning into a real you know what. I don't have any tolerance for bad roos. He keeps grabbing the girls from behind and dragging them all over the place and forcing himself on them. I have given him some time but he is fast earning a trip to the soup pot.

Plan on taking the rosecombs back out side today. Yesterday was just to windy for them to be out and not be able to get out of the wind. I may take a black ameracauna to sedalia too.
I am going to sell my wheaten ameraucana pair, if anybody is interested. She is two, and the male is almost 1.

Not to disagree with Danz, but.,...

I would say if you are worried, pick everything you can find up. You can get a big magnet on a pole or even on wheels from a home improvement store and go around hunting for metal treasures. I did this after construction on our horse run in and you wouldn't believe all the screws and nails I found! I wouldn't think a bird would be dumb enough to eat a nail but they are. The lady I bought my brahmas from had a friend who lost a very expensive young roo who became ill and died suddenly. She sent him to K State for necropsy and they opened him up and found several nails and screws in his crop that had pierced through and he became septic and died because of it. So freaky things happen.

Not to disagree with Hawkeye. They will pick at shiny things and they love styrofoam, but other things around here I haven't had a problem with. My concern with things are things like string or bailing twine etc that they can get their feet tangled in. They used to feed cattle here and we must have 10000 pounds of twine and string and stuff that works its way up to the surface and the chickens get it tangled on their feet. If you can go over your lawn with a lawn mower without a lot of stuff being moved I think you'll be okay. Just be sure that anything toxic is gone The polyester fuzz and landscape fabric could be a problem. I wouldn't worry about a nail or pieces of plastic too much.

Lots to do today. Going to pack up the kitchen and haul it down tonight. I have a doctor appt tomorrow for the big jelly bean and then its critter moving weekend!!!

Here are a few pics of the pens/fencing.

This is really phase one of the chicken construction. The big building will be split in half and be two open air coops with runs that will house my layers and orpingtons. Beyond that the tiny coop will have two breeding pens of serama and the last four pens are breeding pens for the sebbies. To the other side of the big coops will eventually be three more smaller pens/open air coops that will house cochins, brahmas and a rooster bachelor pad!!



Looking straight on. There is still a lot of fencing to be hung but it seems to go pretty quickly.


The last section of horse fencing to be put on is just this short area over by the lagoon and their metal run in is in the background.



It has been a bit of a headache, the whole building project etc. The fence is not super straight, the gates were hung to swing in the wrong direction and the big coop area was so unlevel that my in laws built a huge pad which blew through most of the screenings we had for the second phase of pens/coops so now we are going to need more. But it is up and close to ready so I am done complaining!

 

[chicken danz]

Milomac, come on and join in. Post some pictures and share about yourself.
Maidenwolf I'd love to see pictures of your birds. I don't have many bantam breeds but if they are like their large counterparts I can identify some. That is the problem with those specials, you get what isn't sold so you end up with a lot of cockerels. I bought a group of polish last year and ended up with one lone female out of 25. I was pretty sad because it was supposed to be straight run. However it turned out to be straight run of the leftovers. I hope yours turn out a lot better than that.
I'm getting a few chicks picked up for me today by some of our group. I plan to use them to add to my breeding stock. They should mostly be show quality so they should fit in with what I have for breeding purposes.
I still get excited about new chicks even when I have some of my own hatching.

 

[chicken danz]

Oh Josie that looks great. I honestly never thought about the chickens eating screws. I stand corrected. I do have a magnet I use where I work to pick up excess hardware because I drop more than I use. But I was doing it cause the darned hardware is so expensive. I agree they do like shiny things...like my bullet casing.
Okay I'll retract what I said. But please watch the stuff that strings. That honestly has been my problem here.
So l love all the trees you have. That is so awesome. I wish I had more. The darn things keep dying on me when I plant them thanks to this drought.
I have some people scheduled to come get dogs if they show this time for this weekend. I still want to help you move birds. What day do you think you'll be moving them? I could try to work around the people. I have one for Saturday and one for Sunday but maybe I could get them scheduled for the same day. I expected to move 3 dogs last weekend that never showed so I am not too convinced I'm not wasting my time.
I am down to 4 males now and really really tired of taking care of puppies!

 

[sunflowerparrot]

How crummy that your coop is taxable. We are in Miami county and we built everything on skids because it is non taxable if it isn't a "permanent" structure. I think there is a size restriction too, if it is a agricultural loafing shed under 24 feet long it also isn't taxable. Too bad it isn't like that everywhere.

Hopefully, the letter I wrote will exempt me from paying personal property tax since I valued it under the $750... keeping fingers crossed. I don't know about other counties - but maybe Cowley is desperate for my $20 every year? lol

 

[checoukan]

Josie~~ he only has the one hen, and he seems a little rough as they are in a small pen, and she can't get away!! I just have to move them, she does lay a very pretty sky blue egg. Wheatens have the best color of the ameraucana's I think. I will get pictures this afternoon when I get home.

Oldest sister gave me some news that kinda upset my apple cart, and I am not in a very good news. WHY, OH WHY, do parents have to be so bull headed!!!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Josie that looks so great. Good job on it.

Danz- for once I hope you are wrong lol.. But you are right as usual, that is what they do and it sucks you in when they do a special until you think about it later..... Maybe I can sell some of the males.. "Sgh"

 

[michelleml]

This day is just turning out bad. Donkeys got out of pasture so while we are outside getting them back in pasture. Our cat pushed Bator to the floor so I'm not sure any of the chicks will make it now. So far one had made it out and was drying he is still breathing just our luck. What are the chances they will make it?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Josie that looks so great. Good job on it.

Danz- for once I hope you are wrong lol.. But you are right as usual, that is what they do and it sucks you in when they do a special until you think about it later..... Maybe I can sell some of the males.. "Sgh"

IF you are refering to the hatchery bantams you got, I understand they do not sex the bantams at all. So they "should" be a natural mix of sexes, which is not always 50/50. Hope you have a good number of pullets.

On the LF mixes, I know someone that ordered some that were 38 cents each, assuming they would be mostly if not all roosters that he planned on raising for meat. He ended up with a good amount of pullets out of the 100 he ordered. That was ok also. Ya never know.

 

[JosieChick]

Welcome milomac! I love bantam ameraucanas, they are so stinkin cute!

hi guys milomac from Wichita retired postal, I've evesdropped on yall for several months, finally ready to join in. I keep 6 LF of different breeds to make a pretty egg carton. I also have have 5 banty amaracauna pullets just laying first eggs and there rumpless rooster. After a while I've been able to figure the main players on this forum and how yoy work. Really I got nuthin letting you know there are more people out here than you realize

Thanks! Yes, chickens are dumb. I had a cochin rooster that was calling his girls over because he had found a screw! Geez! Yes, the trees are fabulous!!! DH was not impressed that I insisted on having holes dug under the trees but that shade is invaluable during the summer.

Oh Josie that looks great. I honestly never thought about the chickens eating screws. I stand corrected. I do have a magnet I use where I work to pick up excess hardware because I drop more than I use. But I was doing it cause the darned hardware is so expensive. I agree they do like shiny things...like my bullet casing.
Okay I'll retract what I said. But please watch the stuff that strings. That honestly has been my problem here.
So l love all the trees you have. That is so awesome. I wish I had more. The darn things keep dying on me when I plant them thanks to this drought.
I have some people scheduled to come get dogs if they show this time for this weekend. I still want to help you move birds. What day do you think you'll be moving them? I could try to work around the people. I have one for Saturday and one for Sunday but maybe I could get them scheduled for the same day. I expected to move 3 dogs last weekend that never showed so I am not too convinced I'm not wasting my time.
I am down to 4 males now and really really tired of taking care of puppies!

I sure hope so!

Hopefully, the letter I wrote will exempt me from paying personal property tax since I valued it under the $750... keeping fingers crossed. I don't know about other counties - but maybe Cowley is desperate for my $20 every year? lol

Thanks for your honesty. I really have zero tolerance for roughness with my ladies. I expect a boy that finds food, protects the girls and mates politely. All of the boys here have to stomp or wing drag to indicate to a hen they want to mate or they are out. All of the girls squat for nice boys so there is no reason for caveman behavior out there. I have a few wheaten am hens out there and had a nice pair that I sold to Trish and have had sellers remorse ever since! I really liked that roo a lot. He was a very nice boy and good to his girls. I hadn't at the time planned on having a large fowl roo in my layer pen because I rotate random cochin roos through when they aren't in breeding pens but now I will have a bachelor pad for that very purpose!

Josie~~ he only has the one hen, and he seems a little rough as they are in a small pen, and she can't get away!! I just have to move them, she does lay a very pretty sky blue egg. Wheatens have the best color of the ameraucana's I think. I will get pictures this afternoon when I get home.

Oldest sister gave me some news that kinda upset my apple cart, and I am not in a very good news. WHY, OH WHY, do parents have to be so bull headed!!!

Thanks! You never know, you could end up with a fair amount of pullets...

Josie that looks so great. Good job on it.

Danz- for once I hope you are wrong lol.. But you are right as usual, that is what they do and it sucks you in when they do a special until you think about it later..... Maybe I can sell some of the males.. "Sgh"

Oh no! Did the bator top come off? If it did I would keep a close eye on them and if in 24 hours they haven't made any progress they may be stuck and need help. If the top didn't come off you may be ok. They may just need to get themselves re positioned. I have watched hens stand up on a nest and roll eggs that had pipped or were mid hatch and those chicks made it out fine! Don't give up. Did the one that hatched just do so after the cat knocked them off? If so you may be fine.

This day is just turning out bad. Donkeys got out of pasture so while we are outside getting them back in pasture. Our cat pushed Bator to the floor so I'm not sure any of the chicks will make it now. So far one had made it out and was drying he is still breathing just our luck. What are the chances they will make it?