Consolidated Kansas

[cubbysan]

Okay, folks, I am seeking input on a non-chicken matter. DS just informed me that each player has to take their turn bringing food for the whole team to eat in between games (every game is a double header). The reason he was telling me? To introduce the idea to me that "the boys on my team aren't the kind of people who eat wheat bread" (normally the fare involves sandwiches). My response to that was "well, if they're hungry enough...." and he said, "no, please, they'll take it out on me". So here is my dilemma. I don't like to even buy white bread - it goes against everything I believe about nutrition. But I don't want my son to be known as the kid who brings the "weird" food either. So I'm thinking to do something other than sandwiches and that is where I need ideas. What I'm picturing is a little lunch box type of thing that is easy to just pass one out to each kid. It will contain a boxed juice (100%), probably a piece of fruit, and then something substantial enough to satisfy a hungry teenage boy, yet nutritious enough I don't feel guilty serving it. Any and all ideas gratefully received. (Oh - we don't have a date when we need to bring food yet - I just thought I'd start planning now so I'll be ready when it is our turn.)

My fifteen year old daughter does not do wheat bread - so believe me, she would let herself starve.

I chaperoned when my daughter was going to a music competition with her school. Because many of them faint on empty stomachs and we left 5:00 am, the school packed them breakfast. It was a water bottle, apple, and a Nature's Valley Granola bar ( there might have also been a banana ). I was really surprised how this filled me, but did not feel heavy in my stomach. If I were to do it, I would pack a piece of fruit, the granola bar, and a cheese stick for more protein.

 

[JosieChick]

Pikeman-Hope you are ok! I hate going to the ER. DH got bit by a spider this summer over the weekend and we went to the ER in Paola and still spent half the day there even though it is tiny and nobody else was there.

Okay, folks, I am seeking input on a non-chicken matter. DS just informed me that each player has to take their turn bringing food for the whole team to eat in between games (every game is a double header). The reason he was telling me? To introduce the idea to me that "the boys on my team aren't the kind of people who eat wheat bread" (normally the fare involves sandwiches). My response to that was "well, if they're hungry enough...." and he said, "no, please, they'll take it out on me". So here is my dilemma. I don't like to even buy white bread - it goes against everything I believe about nutrition. But I don't want my son to be known as the kid who brings the "weird" food either. So I'm thinking to do something other than sandwiches and that is where I need ideas. What I'm picturing is a little lunch box type of thing that is easy to just pass one out to each kid. It will contain a boxed juice (100%), probably a piece of fruit, and then something substantial enough to satisfy a hungry teenage boy, yet nutritious enough I don't feel guilty serving it. Any and all ideas gratefully received. (Oh - we don't have a date when we need to bring food yet - I just thought I'd start planning now so I'll be ready when it is our turn.)

Sorry to hear you had to go to the ER. Hope you are okay. You didn't drink too much of your beer and fall down did you?

I am so fed up with people. I found Rufus, my crested Cayuga drake dead on the side of the road in front of the house. He had been hit by a vehicle. Anyone that lives around here knows I have birds and dogs,but people who don't live on this road go speeding by like it is a raceway. I have no idea why they even get on this road. There is a paved road a mile south that would be much better to travel on. I've just had enough loss for awhile!
I drove to town to mail my chicken and pick up some scripts at the drug store. Then I went by to see my Dad. It is so good to be able to talk to him again. He still doesn't hear well and you have to talk slow but it sure beats writing my thoughts on a white board. Next week my sister is taking him to a audiologist so they can fit him for the right kind of hearing aid. He said he paid $2000 for his last one and it didn't last but a couple weeks. I remember that. They replaced it but the second one died too. I hope whatever they come up with works longer.
Sorry about Rufus. Was he out front playing in puddles by the road? I hate it when my ducks and geese go mess around in the puddles. Have you thought about doing t posts and welded wire fence along the front of your property? I know it wouldn't look as nice but it would keep them from getting into the road?

Make sure your dad is going to an audiologist that isn't in the business of selling hearing aids. (ie: They have huge advertisements in the news paper) A lot of those people are just out to make money, don't know their products and don't care if the thing goes home and breaks. A good audiologist should be able to get him fitted well and the technology is dramatically improved now too. Good companies stand behind their products and if it isn't working they will make it right. Be sure if he is having trouble after the first fitting that he goes back routinely until they can get it right for him. There is an art to fitting hearing aids, it isn't just a plug and play type thing. When he goes back try to have candid feedback about what kind of problems he is experiencing. For example, if he is having problems hearing women's voices when there are background noises or he can't use the telephone and hear well etc. Don't just go in and say it isn't working because the audiologist has no idea what isn't working for him.

ALSO!! There are some fabulous wireless remotes on the market now that are WELL WORTH the money spent. It is like a small car remote starter that he can wear around his neck or in his pocket to make adjustments to his hearing aid or switch programs. They are fantastic for seniors who have lost some sensation in their hands and have a super hard time making adjustments on the hearing aid itself.

Alrighty, off my audiology soapbox! Sorry, this was my thing for a couple years so it still interests me to a degree and it makes me sad when some of the old school sales people rip people off and they don't get the care they need or help hearing!

Oh how I envy people with ponds!!!!

I am fortunate to have a pond so duck care is minimal. I just put a dog run on the bank half in the water half on the bank. No problem. In the coop they are a nightmare. My chickens couldn't wait to get rid of them.

Glad the babies made it! Poor dogs!!!! AND Madge!!!!

This sounds like something I would do in the middle of the night!!!

Got the call first thing this morning so ran down to the post office to pick up the chicks. I've spent some time unpacking and getting them settled in with food and water - all appear to be healthy and thriving. The leghorns took one look at the EcoGlow and decided getting up on it was their best bet. The rest are content to be under it. I added in the chicks from my hatch, who hatched the same day, and they are mucho happy to have so many "siblings".

As I've mentioned, my two dogs sleep in a dogloo in the chicken yard at night, and we haven't had any issues with doing that. But last night I went to bed and lay here listening to the dogs bark, bark, bark. I let it go for awhile, pleased that whatever they had detected in the night knew they were there. But when it continued to go on and on, I couldn't get to sleep, so, feeling rather aggravated, I put on my coat and boots and stomped down there. I told them to go in the dogloo. They did that thing where they slink past the entrance without going in. I told them again. They slunk back and were now back beside me. It was late enough - and I knew my alarm would go off early enough - that I started to get really irritated, and told them again to go in. They still defied me. So I grabbed a collar, and directed the head into the dogloo, pushing the body in with my other hand. One dog in. Two dogs in. Now to grab the pallet I can use to block the entrance. Oh dang, its out of reach. "Stay, dogs. STAY". I grabbed the pallet, and turned around and dog one was back out. REALLY irritated by now, I grabbed her, shoved her back in and got the pallet in front of the dogloo. Back to bed and blessed silence at last. Off to sleep.....

We lost power last night right at the end of Grey's Anatomy!!! I don't watch much TV but it is one of my favorite silly shows and out went the power just at the climatic moment of the show! All the ice melted yesterday so I was surprised we lost it so late in the evening. Fortunately it came back on a half hour later. I got all my errands run yesterday and now the tax people need yet another piece of paperwork I have to go hunt down. Ugh, I hate taxes. I used to just do my own and file them but DH's are so complicated that we have them prepared now and he drags his heels getting them done until I drag him down to the tax place. Then I get stuck wrangling paperwork.
Didn't get as much painting done yesterday as I wanted but today is the day! I am going to put one more wall coat on, pull up all the plastic on the floor and tape off the floor boards and get them painted and be done with it! Then we can start putting nursery furniture back together.
Hoping to get poop boards set up in the big coops this weekend and finish the horses hot wire to keep Jackson from damaging the fence anymore. I was surprised yesterday afternoon by 4 deer right in the hedgerow behind the horse pasture and they didn't even run from me even when I was just a couple hundred feet away. Wish I had my camera with me, they were very pretty.

 

[pikeman94]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

I went to the ER because I had classic heart attack symptoms on Monday night. I was admitted and didn't get to leave until Tuesday evening. I was poked an prodded for almost 24 hours. My family has severe cardiac issues so this was done as a pre-caution. Thankfully, the old ticker is in good shape, but the Drs are baffled by what would cause that pain. It wasn't reflux or gas so that was ruled out. Now I get to go to my primary to find out what to do next. My stay at the hospital did provide some excitement as I had an allergic reaction to Zofran. My reaction was acute crab claw like hands and fingers. My hands wouldn't open and were tingling -- not good. They got that fixed though. Once I was out there was a tornado in Chesterfield on Wedneday evening! Oh did I mention this all happened while on a business trip? My DW was an absolute wreck! The good news was that we have family in STL/Chesterfield so they came to check-in on me. DW says I can't go back to this company for work....ha ha ha ha ha ha.

In other news has anyone heard from medawinks?

 

[cubbysan]

Got the call first thing this morning so ran down to the post office to pick up the chicks. I've spent some time unpacking and getting them settled in with food and water - all appear to be healthy and thriving. The leghorns took one look at the EcoGlow and decided getting up on it was their best bet. The rest are content to be under it. I added in the chicks from my hatch, who hatched the same day, and they are mucho happy to have so many "siblings".

As I've mentioned, my two dogs sleep in a dogloo in the chicken yard at night, and we haven't had any issues with doing that. But last night I went to bed and lay here listening to the dogs bark, bark, bark. I let it go for awhile, pleased that whatever they had detected in the night knew they were there. But when it continued to go on and on, I couldn't get to sleep, so, feeling rather aggravated, I put on my coat and boots and stomped down there. I told them to go in the dogloo. They did that thing where they slink past the entrance without going in. I told them again. They slunk back and were now back beside me. It was late enough - and I knew my alarm would go off early enough - that I started to get really irritated, and told them again to go in. They still defied me. So I grabbed a collar, and directed the head into the dogloo, pushing the body in with my other hand. One dog in. Two dogs in. Now to grab the pallet I can use to block the entrance. Oh dang, its out of reach. "Stay, dogs. STAY". I grabbed the pallet, and turned around and dog one was back out. REALLY irritated by now, I grabbed her, shoved her back in and got the pallet in front of the dogloo. Back to bed and blessed silence at last. Off to sleep.....

This morning I realized I'd better get down there fairly early to let them out. As I was walking down to the chicken yard, Ned was gobbling like crazy and Madge was calling too. But her call was a little muffled. Where on earth could she be? Then it hit me why the dogs didn't want to go in the dogloo last night - Madge was in there!!! In my defense, she has never slept in the dogloo before - she always goes in the coop to roost - so there was no reason for it to occur to me to look in there (though I really should have been more sensitive to the dogs' reluctance to go in. Lesson learned).

I think what must have happened is that she went in to lay her egg really late, and then just stayed in there, so when the dogs discovered her there, they didn't want to go in. I am so glad my dogs are truly poultry safe - it must have been a little cramped with all three of them but Madge was fine this morning, if not a little perturbed at having had to share her sleeping quarters with two dogs

The best part is that her egg was way in the back of the dogloo this morning, completely unscathed. One of the dogs discovered eggs awhile back and I have one hen who consistently lays in the dogloo during the day, so the dog was enjoying a nice little treat each night. But I caught her in the act one time and told her "No" and she is such a good dog who really wants to please, so to my knowledge she hasn't eaten another egg since. In this case she was apparently in the dogloo all night long with the turkey egg (it was cold so no one was sleeping on it keeping it warm) and didn't eat it.

I learned my lesson last year too. When I go put my ducks in their house for the night, I usually just say "Bedtime" and they all line up, and march right in. One night last year, they refused too. So I thought they were just being bratty, after about 15 minutes of wrangling them, I finally had to push them in, and locked them in. The next morning I opened the door and they refused to get out. I knocked on the house, and they wouldn't quack but just made these very muffled noises. I was afraid to look in, finally I got enough guts to open the roof, and their in the front corner was this huge snake curled up. I locked them in all night with the snake! The ducks were all huddled in the other corner on top of each other. The poor things had to wait another three hours for animal control to come and get the snake out ( I wouldn't let my husband take care of it because I didn't know if it was poisonous). Now if the ducks hesitate at all, I check their house first.

 

[cubbysan]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

I went to the ER because I had classic heart attack symptoms on Monday night. I was admitted and didn't get to leave until Tuesday evening. I was poked an prodded for almost 24 hours. My family has severe cardiac issues so this was done as a pre-caution. Thankfully, the old ticker is in good shape, but the Drs are baffled by what would cause that pain. It wasn't reflux or gas so that was ruled out. Now I get to go to my primary to find out what to do next. My stay at the hospital did provide some excitement as I had an allergic reaction to Zofran. My reaction was acute crab claw like hands and fingers. My hands wouldn't open and were tingling -- not good. They got that fixed though. Once I was out there was a tornado in Chesterfield on Wedneday evening! Oh did I mention this all happened while on a business trip? My DW was an absolute wreck! The good news was that we have family in STL/Chesterfield so they came to check-in on me. DW says I can't go back to this company for work....ha ha ha ha ha ha.

In other news has anyone heard from medawinks?

Glad to hear you are doing better! Please try to get to the route of it immediately.

Last fall my mother went into a walk in clinic for discomfort from her allergies, upon the x-ray, they noticed something, so they referred her back to her physician. Ended up being she had aortic aneurysm that was able to be fixed. If she did not think she had put off going to the doctor, it would have burst.

 

[HEChicken]

Pikeman-Hope you are ok! I hate going to the ER. DH got bit by a spider this summer over the weekend and we went to the ER in Paola and still spent half the day there even though it is tiny and nobody else was there.

Oh how I envy people with ponds!!!!
Glad the babies made it! Poor dogs!!!! AND Madge!!!!

This sounds like something I would do in the middle of the night!!!

Thanks for all that info on audiology. I'm not there yet myself or anyone I know but will tuck this away in the "to be remembered when the time comes" file. Its also good to know I have someone of whom I can ask questions when the time does come. Glad you are getting the baby's room put together - not long until she needs it! How is the Welsummer boy doing? Has he been released to meet his new hens yet?

I went to the ER because I had classic heart attack symptoms on Monday night. I was admitted and didn't get to leave until Tuesday evening. I was poked an prodded for almost 24 hours. My family has severe cardiac issues so this was done as a pre-caution. Thankfully, the old ticker is in good shape, but the Drs are baffled by what would cause that pain. It wasn't reflux or gas so that was ruled out. Now I get to go to my primary to find out what to do next. My stay at the hospital did provide some excitement as I had an allergic reaction to Zofran. My reaction was acute crab claw like hands and fingers. My hands wouldn't open and were tingling -- not good. They got that fixed though. Once I was out there was a tornado in Chesterfield on Wedneday evening! Oh did I mention this all happened while on a business trip? My DW was an absolute wreck! The good news was that we have family in STL/Chesterfield so they came to check-in on me. DW says I can't go back to this company for work....ha ha ha ha ha ha.

That does sound like more excitement than any one person needs. I'm glad it wasn't a heart attack though, and hopefully you'll get some answers toon.

I learned my lesson last year too. When I go put my ducks in their house for the night, I usually just say "Bedtime" and they all line up, and march right in. One night last year, they refused too. So I thought they were just being bratty, after about 15 minutes of wrangling them, I finally had to push them in, and locked them in. The next morning I opened the door and they refused to get out. I knocked on the house, and they wouldn't quack but just made these very muffled noises. I was afraid to look in, finally I got enough guts to open the roof, and their in the front corner was this huge snake curled up. I locked them in all night with the snake! The ducks were all huddled in the other corner on top of each other. The poor things had to wait another three hours for animal control to come and get the snake out ( I wouldn't let my husband take care of it because I didn't know if it was poisonous). Now if the ducks hesitate at all, I check their house first.

Wow - I'm glad the snake wasn't a duck eater.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Hello all, just doing a quick post to say hi, especially to the newbies who just joined the KS thread. Life is extremely busy here this past week and I really don't have a lot of time going through all the posts, at least not right now. Tax season is winding down and obviously I'm extremely busy at work. I also have to take DD to her yearly specialist follow up appointment. It went well and we will be going back next year. A little update on my Salmon hen who has a leceration under her wing, on the ribcage. She has been isolated and living in the dog kennel inside the barn storage along with my 24 chicks (3 weeks old) who are still in their brooder. The laceration is deep and wide. DH sprays the Vetericyn during the day (twice) and I put triple antibiotic on it in the wound at night. I don't see any sign of rotting flesh/infection so far but I know it will take quite a while before she will heal up well enough to go back to the flock. She feels quite isolated and always looking out through her kennel into the brooder to see the chicks doing their things. I feel bad that she is being isolated but she needs it in order to heal. I'll be taking the spurs off of the roosters this weekend.

On a lighter note, the chicks have been growing leaps and bounds. I did have 1 chick died a few days ago and I'm not sure why. But other than this, everyone seems to be lively and active. They are eating up a storm daily and making a mess in the waterer. I still have not converted the 2nd horse stall to a coop yet and my chicks are growing like weed!!! It really didn't help that I was called in to work last weekend due to server issue. I also blame the wintry mix so I couldn't stay out there in the element to work during the week. Alas, my work schedule, the Dr's appt, and also an appt with the school this afternoon definitely don't allow me to have any time to myself, let alone converting the horse stall. I hope this weekend I will make some progress. We will see...

Hope you guys enjoy the nice"r" weather.

Kuan

 

[cherwill]

As I've mentioned, my two dogs sleep in a dogloo in the chicken yard at night, and we haven't had any issues with doing that. But last night I went to bed and lay here listening to the dogs bark, bark, bark. I let it go for awhile, pleased that whatever they had detected in the night knew they were there. But when it continued to go on and on, I couldn't get to sleep, so, feeling rather aggravated, I put on my coat and boots and stomped down there. I told them to go in the dogloo. They did that thing where they slink past the entrance without going in. I told them again. They slunk back and were now back beside me. It was late enough - and I knew my alarm would go off early enough - that I started to get really irritated, and told them again to go in. They still defied me. So I grabbed a collar, and directed the head into the dogloo, pushing the body in with my other hand. One dog in. Two dogs in. Now to grab the pallet I can use to block the entrance. Oh dang, its out of reach. "Stay, dogs. STAY". I grabbed the pallet, and turned around and dog one was back out. REALLY irritated by now, I grabbed her, shoved her back in and got the pallet in front of the dogloo. Back to bed and blessed silence at last. Off to sleep.....

This morning I realized I'd better get down there fairly early to let them out. As I was walking down to the chicken yard, Ned was gobbling like crazy and Madge was calling too. But her call was a little muffled. Where on earth could she be? Then it hit me why the dogs didn't want to go in the dogloo last night - Madge was in there!!! In my defense, she has never slept in the dogloo before - she always goes in the coop to roost - so there was no reason for it to occur to me to look in there (though I really should have been more sensitive to the dogs' reluctance to go in. Lesson learned).

I think what must have happened is that she went in to lay her egg really late, and then just stayed in there, so when the dogs discovered her there, they didn't want to go in. I am so glad my dogs are truly poultry safe - it must have been a little cramped with all three of them but Madge was fine this morning, if not a little perturbed at having had to share her sleeping quarters with two dogs

The best part is that her egg was way in the back of the dogloo this morning, completely unscathed. One of the dogs discovered eggs awhile back and I have one hen who consistently lays in the dogloo during the day, so the dog was enjoying a nice little treat each night. But I caught her in the act one time and told her "No" and she is such a good dog who really wants to please, so to my knowledge she hasn't eaten another egg since. In this case she was apparently in the dogloo all night long with the turkey egg (it was cold so no one was sleeping on it keeping it warm) and didn't eat it.

This is funny; a couple of big ol' dogs stumped by a bird!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

I went to the ER because I had classic heart attack symptoms on Monday night. I was admitted and didn't get to leave until Tuesday evening. I was poked an prodded for almost 24 hours. My family has severe cardiac issues so this was done as a pre-caution. Thankfully, the old ticker is in good shape, but the Drs are baffled by what would cause that pain. It wasn't reflux or gas so that was ruled out. Now I get to go to my primary to find out what to do next. My stay at the hospital did provide some excitement as I had an allergic reaction to Zofran. My reaction was acute crab claw like hands and fingers. My hands wouldn't open and were tingling -- not good. They got that fixed though. Once I was out there was a tornado in Chesterfield on Wedneday evening! Oh did I mention this all happened while on a business trip? My DW was an absolute wreck! The good news was that we have family in STL/Chesterfield so they came to check-in on me. DW says I can't go back to this company for work....ha ha ha ha ha ha.

I'm glad it wasn't a heart attack. You definitely want to follow and find out what it was.

I'm having a bad morning. DH is considering applying for a job (still in the Fire Department, kind of a lateral move with potential for better stuff much later) that would require him to live in town. Being limited to 5 miles from the FD has made it hard enough, but to just stomp out my dream completely like that is really getting me down. He just recently, in the last few years, became willing to move out of town and now ....

 

[HEChicken]

Cherwill, I'm really sorry about your news. Hmmmm....let's think. My sister in law's husband got transferred to Atlanta a few years back and she desparately didn't want to go. So they held onto their house here, and rented an apartment there, and then she went back and forth, spending some of her time here, and then going out to Atlanta to be with him. Would it work if you bought your dream place, but then when DH is on duty, he has a place he can crash in town, so that he can be within the 5 miles?

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts re the lunch for the team. I think I'm going to take all of those ideas and use pieces of them. I had been thinking all the lunches would be the same so it would be easy to pass one out to each kid, but there's no reason we couldn't do 2-3 different lunches, mark the box with what they are, and then place them on a table where they can each grab the one that appeals most. Also, I had been thinking each lunch would contain a piece of fruit or something, but a lot of kids won't eat the fruit so maybe I'll just do a bowl of a variety of fruits and let the ones who want something take it. Same with carrot/celery sticks etc. You can offer them healthy stuff but you can't make them eat it

Okay....I have another dilemma. I have an EMPTY INCUBATOR!!! What to do? What to do?

 

[cubbysan]

Ugh, for some reason the quote is not working.

I have an on-line friend that was in a similar situation and did not want to sell her house either. They bought a second hand camper and was able to set it up at a camp ground. Her husband slept there when he had to be "in town" and she would stay over a few times a week. Or he could come to the house and eat dinner, etc then go back to the camp ground later. It was tough, but they made it work. Not sure if she ever sold her house or not. This was also in Florida - but maybe there are some creative solutions.