Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I went out while ago and it is nasty out there. The temp is dropping and it was raining and snowing both. I think the front has decided to move in. This sucks. I am freezing and don't want to be out there. I think cold rain is even worse than snow.

 

[chicken danz]

I just had to share some good news for a change.
Some family friends from years ago looked at my Dad's house and loved it. They are about my age and decided they wanted to move to town. They have already put in a loan application at the bank. We hadn't put the house up for sale yet. We were kind of waiting for my brother to come home from N. Carolina. But my Dad needs the proceeds so he can continue to live in the assisted living facility.
The other good news is my Dad went back to the hearing specialist today and with the aid of a new loaner hearing aid he can now hear about 40%. He can once again carry on a conversation!!! They are still not sure what caused the hearing loss (most likely a stroke) but it has improved to where he could hear sounds but not make them out. So with this particular type of hearing aid he can resume a somewhat normal life.
Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes.

 

[HEChicken]

Chooks, Frank's 4 main pens are Barred Rocks, New Hampshires, Dark Cornish and White Jersey Giants. Danz, I think this is hilarious that we both visited, only about a week apart and have such different memories of what he had. I don't remember seeing a single White Leghorn! I do remember him talking about "Leggerns" but I thought it was in the context of them being mixed in with hatchery BR's to increase their laying - not that he actually had any. He also had a very small flock of Blue Andalusions that he is interested in working with, so he is not selling any of those. I also remember seeing a Columbian Plymouth Rock or two in his New Hamp flock and he explained their presence but now I can't remember the story. Here are some of the pics I took, showing the different pens. In order as we walked through the barn were NH, Dark Cornish, JG and BR. The first pic is taken from the BR pen, looking back at the White Jersey Giants. The 3rd pic is at the first pen looking in and you can see the New Hamps. I know I took photos of the Cornish but they're not showing in my recent uploads.

I'm wondering if he had another barn with Leghorns in it that he didn't show us? We saw his main breeder barn (photos below), and then his grow-out/cull barn, which had quite a lot of different birds, as he said he had "rescued some eggs(?)" from up in Nebraska. I wish I had the full story on that! Anyway, that is where the Blue Andalusions came from, along with an assortment of other breeds, but most there, he only had a few of. He also took us to his brooder house. We didn't go up to the turkey barns, although I would have liked to, but time was short and none of us had plans to take home any turkeys that day.

 

[HEChicken]

I just had to share some good news for a change.
Some family friends from years ago looked at my Dad's house and loved it. They are about my age and decided they wanted to move to town. They have already put in a loan application at the bank. We hadn't put the house up for sale yet. We were kind of waiting for my brother to come home from N. Carolina. But my Dad needs the proceeds so he can continue to live in the assisted living facility.
The other good news is my Dad went back to the hearing specialist today and with the aid of a new loaner hearing aid he can now hear about 40%. He can once again carry on a conversation!!! They are still not sure what caused the hearing loss (most likely a stroke) but it has improved to where he could hear sounds but not make them out. So with this particular type of hearing aid he can resume a somewhat normal life.
Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes.

So glad for some good news. The sale of the house sounds like there won't be a realtor's commission involved which I'm sure is really good news for your dad!

 

[RoosterLew]

Hechivken-

I needed the laugh

My Dh informed me this morning he will not be building anything else.

Yesterday he built a poop board/ roost for me. So I told him I guess I will have to hire someone. Not sure what to do I still need to do things to get my new coop ready to move everyone into it. I have no idea how to build anything plus trying to watch a 2 and 4 year old and trying to build something.
I'm thinking I should just sell all my chicks and just keep my older birds

OK you have received many responses to this - I am assuming all from the other wonderful Ladies - but I'd like to share a mans perspective...
3 ways to get a man to do what he SHOULD do anyway...
#1: Must I always remind you Ladies the power of pie?
#2: Attempt the chore your self...When he see's you doing it "wrong", man code leaves him no option but to do it for you!
#3: Should #1 & #2 fail, you have entered into a quite precarious situation, where a man is plain and simply failing at his manly duties! He has now left you no choice but to fight fire with fire. Plain and simple....no dinner until my Chicken pen is built/fixed. "Sorry I didn't get dinner ready honey...i was outside fixing things!" "We don't have any eggs for breakfast this morning dear, the chickens have been getting out through that hole in the run and laying them where I can't find them?"

Seriously though, lol, why cant these projects be family projects...get them young-in's involved helping out!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I sure hope you are hanging in there and we are thinking about you! This sounds like a terrible disease but I know you are a strong young woman and will fight every step of the way.


I can't believe how yucky it is out right now. The trees are all iced over and its raining. I need to look up the weather and see when this misery is going to end. We need rain but it doesn't have to be so darn cold!!!

Thank you very much. And yes, the weather is yucky and the look on the chickens faces are ones of disgust this morning.. I think they are just as ready for spring as we are.

Yes, I know Lupus is a mystery disease with many suspected causes. Some male athletes have this disease. It is a disease of the immune system and does have many different symptoms. My wife has rheumatoid arthritis as a result of this disease. She had to retire early because stress seems to stir up Lupus. She gets the "butterfly rash" when she is having a Lupus attack. For those that don't know, that is a reddening of the skin of both cheeks and nose on her face. She has lived with this disease for 20 years. You have my deepest sympathy.

I get the rashes too it is terribly painful too. It feels like your face is cracking and peeling off... Anyway thank you for the support and well wishes

I'm so sorry! I hope that you find a support group and something that works to help you. I'm not making light of this at all. But with some of my medical issues I have had to learn to live with pain. ...pain that never goes away. It used to tire me out and you could see the stress lines in my face and dark circles under my eyes. (Now I just have them from age!

)
Even though it doesn't go away, you can learn to live with it. Some pains that would put a normal person on their knees have been here for over 25 years. I try very hard to put my thoughts elsewhere and it so helps me to live beyond the pain.
Keep your birds. They are excellent means to transport you to some place where you think of other things. Take time to rest but not to sleep your life away due to depression. I push myself to the limit and then I crash. Find those things you really love to do and spend time doing them.
I personally avoid anything that involves being somewhere in the evening because by then I normally just can't function any more. I know it sounds impossible but the mind is a very powerful tool. Many mornings I don't even want to get out of bed. I hurt too bad. I figure that is why we were given bladders....to make us get out of bed when we don't feel like it.

Honestly producing endorphins by getting out and moving around will help a lot. It won't cure it.. it won't make it get better or hurt less but it will reduce what pain you feel.
I am so very sorry you have to go through this and wish I could make it go away for you. I do hope you find some relief. Keep eating foods high in antioxidants and avoid carbs. These things really help the system deal with these things. (I should practice what I preach!)

Yes the pain is hard but it is something I have learned to deal with. Some days is easier than others of course. It is something that will NEVER go away and so I have put it on the back burner. On the days that it is worse I take it slower and easier. That is all you can do. I am not going to load up on pills and chemicals that will "dope" me up and make it so I cant function. Hot baths are great to ease it some on those bad days. I do agree on the bladder thing,,, geesh some days I am so glad I have a master bathroom lol. Mind over body though, easier said than done but once its achieved it is a very handy tool indeed.
Thank you for the support and advice Danz, it is always welcome and very true.
I changed my diet last year and glad I did. I eat alot healthier and it will be easy to continue this.

 

[cherwill]

Had a little scare last night with one of my hens. My daughter went down to the coop to say hi to one of the hens and she was in one of the nesting boxes. She stopped laying a few weeks ago, and she has many feathers pulled out ( she is the roosters' favorite ), but other than that, she is active and loves to eat. At first we thought maybe she was trying to lay an egg, but then she just looked very flat. We were looking through the coop, and she just looked dead, no matter how much banging we did. I went to go get my husband, my daughter was all upset, finally my daughter upset the roosters enough, and there comes Bonnie jumping out of the nesting box. It was about a half hour before they all go in for the night, I guess she just went in early and fell asleep.

My hens have wallered out their dust baths quite a bit. It's always kind of funny if I go out when several of them are in the dust baths because it looks like there are dead chickens all over the yard. They get down in there, flatten out, and don't move.

It also made me realize I NEED to rehome my roosters. I have two RI Reds about 8 months old and they don't let us near the females. I also have an 8 month old EE, who I hate to give up. We were in denial for a long time that she was a he ( we still call her she ). She/he had always been very affectionate until lately too. At the beginning she/he was at the bottom of the pecking order, now I notice the other two roosters allow him to protect too. When I first bought the chickens, I knew there would be roosters that I may not want. I can't eat them - not there yet, and not sure if I ever will be. The one thing that I hate about being a pet owner or animal owner, is when we have to play the part of God.

I am hoping that between the bantam chicks and the silkie chicks, the roosters that come out of my brooders will be a lot easier to handle. The RI Reds would be great if we free ranged, but we don't.

Now to write up a craig's list ad, my daughter says I need to put "not for butchering" in the ad, but I know I will never find homes for them that way. I think I would just rather not know.

That's a tough one. When we had to get rid of our first rooster, it was hard because many people won't or can't take roos. We finally found someone, a neighbor of a friend. When we dropped him off, I noticed a lot of roos in their flock. I cried all the way home because I was just certain they were going to eat him but I couldn't keep him. I DIDN'T ASK, because I didn't want to know.

My mom is an RN, and all the years growing up we were NEVER allowed to drink diet drinks of any kind for this reason alone. Not sure where she learned that info so many years ago, but I'd have to say that it's not new news-- it's just news that people don't want to believe or don't want to stop doing. For that reason, I will not buy "light" foods where they have cut the sugar and replaced it with sweetners, etc. My mother in law's DH is diabetic and so she makes "sugar free" cakes, etc but she uses the sweetners that have aspertame and I just refuse to eat it and won't let the kids eat it. She also always has diet sodas and again, my kids are not allowed to drink it. I joke that if we are going to eat anything sweet-- it must be "fully leaded".

Low and non-fat stuff is often made to taste good by adding sugar, and sugar free stuff often has added fat. All the low fat and low sugar products have not made us thinner and they haven't cut down on the incidence of diabetes. People who haven't eaten salt in years still have to take blood pressure medication. When I started looking into how nutritional studies are conducted, I realized they're mostly meaningless. Remember how eggs and butter went from good, to evil, and back to good again? All good things in moderation, that's my theory. My brother (and one aunt and a couple of cousins) thinks the organic thing is a ridiculous scam. I've found that my rheumatoid arthritis flares up MUCH less often since I went to organic, at least with the "dirtiest" foods. Maybe it wouldn't work that way for everyone, but it works that way for me.

I was the one diagnosed. I do not drink or eat anything diet. I am a herbalist and very aware of the chemical nonsense they put into processed foods. Lupus is a mystery disease. Some think it to be genetic and some think it is caused by lifestyle choices and our environments. Some just dont claim to have an answer. What they all can agree on however, is that patients suffer great deals of pain and fatigue, memory loss, kidney problems(most not all) skin rashes, depression, and you are in constant danger of heart attack or stroke, kidney disease or failure, or any other organ disesase or major complication as your body attacks and destroys any and all healthy tissue. Some people are diagnosed with a slow or less complicated form others are diagnosed with the hard or severe form as I was. Lots of things will continue to effect my body and cause flare ups to arise or worsen,such as your aspertame and anything artificial or processed. There are so many lifestyle changes that are to be made. The disease is life threatening and depending upon the severity and how many changes you make after you are diagnosed there really is no telling how any particular person will react as far as organ and tissue health.

Isn't lupus one of the auto-immune diseases, or maybe not always but can be? My doctor says no one really knows why some people have certain auto-immune responses, but you will often find a cluster of such responses in people. It's the body over-reacting to what wouldn't be a big problem otherwise, and the body ends up attacking itself. I have rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, a rash response (though not rosacea) to too much sun or allergens, and have had my thyroid removed due to Grave's disease. They're all auto-immune responses. There's not much to do except try to avoid anything you know causes the response or makes the symptoms worse, and try to find ways to deal with the pain and frustration. If there's any way I can help support you in handling this, please let me know.

I'm so sorry! I hope that you find a support group and something that works to help you. I'm not making light of this at all. But with some of my medical issues I have had to learn to live with pain. ...pain that never goes away. It used to tire me out and you could see the stress lines in my face and dark circles under my eyes. (Now I just have them from age!

)
Even though it doesn't go away, you can learn to live with it. Some pains that would put a normal person on their knees have been here for over 25 years. I try very hard to put my thoughts elsewhere and it so helps me to live beyond the pain.
Keep your birds. They are excellent means to transport you to some place where you think of other things. Take time to rest but not to sleep your life away due to depression. I push myself to the limit and then I crash. Find those things you really love to do and spend time doing them.

Yes to all of that! During the years I had the sciatic pain, and with the RA and degenerated disk, the pain has been constant until recently. I have wrinkles I wouldn't have if not for the pain, and my mouth habitually turns down if I'm not making an effort to smile. I used to wake up actually grimacing and I would have to make an effort to relax my face. I had given up and resigned myself to aging badly. My dogs, chickens, and garden have helped so much. They give me things full of life and happiness to immerse myself in. The fresh air and sunlight are also an important part of that, I think. If you have to sacrifice some other activities to make time for the things you truly love and that help you, it's worth it.

I just had to share some good news for a change.
Some family friends from years ago looked at my Dad's house and loved it. They are about my age and decided they wanted to move to town. They have already put in a loan application at the bank. We hadn't put the house up for sale yet. We were kind of waiting for my brother to come home from N. Carolina. But my Dad needs the proceeds so he can continue to live in the assisted living facility.
The other good news is my Dad went back to the hearing specialist today and with the aid of a new loaner hearing aid he can now hear about 40%. He can once again carry on a conversation!!! They are still not sure what caused the hearing loss (most likely a stroke) but it has improved to where he could hear sounds but not make them out. So with this particular type of hearing aid he can resume a somewhat normal life.
Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes.

That's great, and you could certainly use a bit of something good right now!

For so me reason, multi-quote didn't get your 3 ways here, but it gave me a good laugh! I'm lucky with my DH, I guess. He likes building things and putting things together, and he likes having chickens. I'm the idea person and helper, and he's the builder. He may roll his eyes at some of my ideas, or tell me I'm crazy or picky or whatever, but between us we always seem to make it happen. It probably doesn't hurt that I love to cook and I'm pretty good at it.

Yep, we got the "wintry mix" here. There are limbs down all around town, but most of ours fell down years ago in ice storms so it's not bad at all in our yard. I hate to think about the garden, but not much was up yet so most of it may still come out OK. I was ready to be done being cold, though.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Josie - if no one from the group responds, let me know. I know someone that works in Wichita that would probably take them.

HEChicken, if you can find the wheat bran at a place you travel to even once in a while, you could pick some up when you go there. The 50 pound bags are so big, they last a looonngg time. I think the last bag I got was around $8. You can use some weeds and other things for the moisture - you don't have to use fruit. I used mostly just water and the weeds they liked. Not all weeds are created equal. And kitchen scraps.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

New chicks that I surely didn't need! But their cute little old-lady-hat heads were too tempting. My new Polish Crested chicks. (BYC photo upload kept giving me an error.. therefore... here they are on my public photos on facebook)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...71036116609.2148459.1305438222&type=1&theater

 

[HEChicken]

I don't know why Rooster's multi isn't working but I thought they were great - and probably pretty accurate ways to get him to do it! It is nice the get a man's perspective on things.

All good things in moderation, that's my theory.

x2. That has been my motto for years. (Maybe not nicotine though? To my knowledge there is no therapeutic level of that that is good for you in moderation).

HEChicken, if you can find the wheat bran at a place you travel to even once in a while, you could pick some up when you go there. The 50 pound bags are so big, they last a looonngg time. I think the last bag I got was around $8. You can use some weeds and other things for the moisture - you don't have to use fruit. I used mostly just water and the weeds they liked. Not all weeds are created equal. And kitchen scraps.

I keep hearing that, that its only about $8 for a bag, but I've tried every store in the Wichita area and surrounds and none of them carry it. Most looked at me blankly when I even asked about it, like they'd never heard of it. I never had kitchen scraps to spare since they all go to the chooks, but I'm intrigued about the weeds. Which ones?