Consolidated Kansas

[cherwill]

Cherwill, I apologize if I am remembering incorrectly - were you wanting a breed identification on Ruby? If so, that is undoubtedly a Speckled Sussex hen.

I just googled pictures of Speckled Sussex and sure enough, that's Ruby. Thanks! The cashier either didn't remember that they had sold any, or Ruby got in there by mistake. As a chick, she did look a lot like the SLWs, but I just couldn't convince myself she looked like one as an adult. She's one of our nicest birds.

I took some pics of the Aloha hen meeting her newest "chick":

Cute!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

HEchicken and Danz- I was thinking of making the little mini run to box her in actually. I can easily do that where she is tight now. She is so calm and gentle but wont let anyone in when they try and will kick hens out now instead of waiting. So I marked the eggs while I work on her fencing. I will have to wait for more materials in a couple days. She has 21 eggs and covers all of them nicely. Thank you guys for your help with her. I am excited to finally have a broody and my daughter sits there offering her treats which she will take a bite or 2 and thats it. She jumps off nest once all the hens are out in the morning to get food and water and go to the bathroom and she is back in no time to tend to her eggs. What a good mom.
I have a friend looking for a couple broodies to hatch some eggs. I know some people dont care for a broody so if anyone knows of or has one can you send me info for her? Also she is looking for a lady amherst pheasant roo.

 

[Polishpal]

"Sigh" I miss my chicken, she was so sweet xc I'm sad today

 

[Frizzled Pink]

Some new additions...

Dorothy




OZ



Swedish flower hen babies (Trish's grandchicks), front chick is week older -smaller one in back is crested--yeah!

 

[HEChicken]

Good news: we are getting some rain.

Bad news: we are getting some rain.

I went upstairs to make a cup of tea around 8pm and with shock, looked out to see my backyard is a lake. I put on a coat and ran down to check on the birds and found the lake extended to inside my hoop coop. The Aloha hen, under her dog house (top only) was still dry but I worried if we got any more rain, that wouldn't be the case, so I stuffed chicks and poults into my coat, picked up a grumpy hen, with two more chicks tucked under wings, and carried them all to the main coop. Inside, I got them settled, pulled all the babies out of my coat and was getting ready to go check on Mama Silkie when I heard a plaintive "peep-peep-peep". I turned my coat inside out thinking I had one still in there somewhere but the peeping continued. Then it occurred to me to look outside and there was a lone chick, in standing water, getting rained on and NOT happy about it. I think it must have been one of the ones under her wing and when I juggled everything to open the coop door, it fell out. Fortunately tucking it under Mama Hen made everyone happy again.

Poor Mama Silkie was getting wet too so she and her chicks were also moved to the main coop. Now I'm sitting here worrying about where I'm going to put them in the morning. I don't feel these chicks are really ready to be at the mercy of the rest of the flock yet but if the water hasn't receded by tomorrow, I don't know what other option I have. I won't sleep tonight for worrying about it all. On the other hand, I'm glad everyone is safe and dry tonight.

Mid-afternoon I went to check on everyone and found a poult lying stiff and cold in the hoop coop. It was the last to hatch and therefore still the weakest and I think it just couldn't keep up with the hen and get back under her when she sat back down. It was already in rigor. I picked it up, messed around with a few other things, then looked at the poult in my hand and its eyes were open! I could not believe it - this poult was so stiff and cold I knew it had to be dead - it was even stretched out in that death pose. So I hurriedly tucked it back under the hen to warm it up but then worried that next time she gets up to move it would get left behind again, so I tucked it into my bra (whew - it really was cold) and left it there while I prepared dinner and waited for my home-built to warm up. I decided to let it stay in that overnight but had to get it warm enough first. As I moved around, I occasionally felt it move. After dinner I placed it in the incubator and several hours later, it was yelling its head off. I tucked it back into my chest and it was happy again. It stayed there until I had to go and rescue the birds and is now back in the incubator for the night. I am amazed by the will of this little bird to live, coming back from freezing like that. I'm also glad it was almost 70 degrees out today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much colder and I know it wouldn't have still been alive had this happened then.

I hope everyone - and their animals - is safe and dry tonight. We need the rain, but the rain also brings me lots of worry.

 

[cubbysan]

HEChicken,

Thank goodness you found that little chick!

I can't wait until this funky weather is done. They are saying snow tomorrow! I feel like I am back in Massachusetts!

 

[sharol]

Nice save on the poult. He/she must be tough.

Sorry for the flooding. Every time it rains hard, we have a river running through the run. The coop is up on cement tiles and has wood supports in addition, so the coop stays dry, but I know what you mean about worrying about water in their areas.

Good news: we are getting some rain.

Bad news: we are getting some rain.

***snip****
Mid-afternoon I went to check on everyone and found a poult lying stiff and cold in the hoop coop. It was the last to hatch and therefore still the weakest and I think it just couldn't keep up with the hen and get back under her when she sat back down. It was already in rigor. I picked it up, messed around with a few other things, then looked at the poult in my hand and its eyes were open! I could not believe it - this poult was so stiff and cold I knew it had to be dead - it was even stretched out in that death pose. So I hurriedly tucked it back under the hen to warm it up but then worried that next time she gets up to move it would get left behind again, so I tucked it into my bra (whew - it really was cold) and left it there while I prepared dinner and waited for my home-built to warm up. I decided to let it stay in that overnight but had to get it warm enough first. As I moved around, I occasionally felt it move. After dinner I placed it in the incubator and several hours later, it was yelling its head off. I tucked it back into my chest and it was happy again. It stayed there until I had to go and rescue the birds and is now back in the incubator for the night. I am amazed by the will of this little bird to live, coming back from freezing like that. I'm also glad it was almost 70 degrees out today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much colder and I know it wouldn't have still been alive had this happened then.

I hope everyone - and their animals - is safe and dry tonight. We need the rain, but the rain also brings me lots of worry.

 

[purposefuldoula]

Mid-afternoon I went to check on everyone and found a poult lying stiff and cold in the hoop coop. It was the last to hatch and therefore still the weakest and I think it just couldn't keep up with the hen and get back under her when she sat back down. It was already in rigor. I picked it up, messed around with a few other things, then looked at the poult in my hand and its eyes were open! I could not believe it - this poult was so stiff and cold I knew it had to be dead - it was even stretched out in that death pose. So I hurriedly tucked it back under the hen to warm it up but then worried that next time she gets up to move it would get left behind again, so I tucked it into my bra (whew - it really was cold) and left it there while I prepared dinner and waited for my home-built to warm up. I decided to let it stay in that overnight but had to get it warm enough first. As I moved around, I occasionally felt it move. After dinner I placed it in the incubator and several hours later, it was yelling its head off. I tucked it back into my chest and it was happy again. It stayed there until I had to go and rescue the birds and is now back in the incubator for the night. I am amazed by the will of this little bird to live, coming back from freezing like that. I'm also glad it was almost 70 degrees out today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much colder and I know it wouldn't have still been alive had this happened then.

Kangaroo care for the win!! That is just genius, btw!

 

[Polishpal]

I forget we all like in Kansas lol. Anybody in Gardner or coming to the joco fair this year?

 

[Trish44]

tweetybaby2005, sounds like a very busy day!

I had a similarly busy day but it was fun stuff. I absolutely loved the weather. The kids planted more strawberries and asparagus. So we'll see how that turns out this year.

I'm thinking of taking some chicks to the Mulvane swap. Has anyone gone to that swap before? Any insight would be appreciated since I've only attended one swap and just went to pick up some birds.

Karen, I'm going to send you a PM.

Some new additions...

Dorothy




OZ



Swedish flower hen babies (Trish's grandchicks), front chick is week older -smaller one in back is crested--yeah!

Oh I love your new chickens, really pretty! Ahhh, new SFH chicks, cute! They will change so much by the time they get all feathered out you won't recognize them. Have you seen the photo at the top of the Kansas Poultry Swap page on Facebook? Those are some of my original SFH chicks that I hatched from eggs I bought. None of them look anything like that now. I took some pics of mine, I'll have to get those posted, maybe tomorrow. I don't think there is going to be any work getting done outside tomorrow anyway, not in this weather..

HEChicken, I know what you mean about your pen flooding, I have one that does that every time it rains really hard. At least I don't have hens & baby chicks in there now.

I am kind of worried about all of the little chicks I have in the brooders in the garage & my 3 little Barnevelder chicks also. I may have to go out & get them & bring them inside in a crate again just temporarily until this crazy weather is over. Are we ever going to get warmer weather this year? Gosh I'm beginning to wonder.

I was so far behind reading posts, I had several pages to catch up on. I was out all evening loading up a load from the garage into the back of the truck to take to the dump again. This is just the stuff I have dug out so far, so I figure there will be one more load after this one yet. I have been loading up all the stuff I could find all around the place too, behind the garage & in it plus construction trash we never picked up from building the breeder coop. I've been collecting that too. I have a full pickup load now, so that will have to go before I can load up any more. If this weather would stop going back & forth I could probably get the project done, but as it is I keep getting interrupted with cold & nasty weather.

I've had chicks hatching today, I had thought they weren't due yet, but looked at my records & they were due today. The turkey egg is the one that isn't due till Weds. Danz, don't beat yourself up about the duck eggs. I did the same kind of thing the other day & they were some of my most expensive chicks that I did it with. I got confused on dates too & messed up on two. I was really mad at myself, but what can you do. I have been trying to organize my trays in the incubator so I know which one goes in the hatcher next, but I had some eggs in the same tray that got mixed in. I try to verify with my records what breeds & how many I'm supposed to have in each hatch, but those I got confused on. This is why I need a bigger hatcher. I told my DH my plan for buying the new hatcher & he kind of went hmmm. He knows if I want to buy one I will anyway, so it wouldn't do him any good to object.

Oh & I got my first guinea egg today, so I figure with all the females I have I should start getting quite a few, so I will be hatching some of those when I get enough eggs.