Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

YAY on the fencing getting done! I'm with you on getting birds outside! I'm about ready to kick everyone out of my garage. I have a couple of trouble maker boys that are going outside to their own pens.


I always wear a ball cap when I mow-- we have one of those zero-turn mowers and it goes pretty fast, and I can't keep a hat on when I'm traveling that fast. Not that I just speed away on it, but with 3 acres right around the house it takes some time to get it done. So glad I don't have to mow more than that! I've tried to convince my DH to fence in another acre of it to get rid of it too for the horses. They are on 7 acres of it. We actually do mow their area at least once a year with the tractor and brushhog.


You have caught TWO fox already?? Were they adults or kits??


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Okay everyone! I need help with two of my mutt chicks! I need to know boy or girl. I am really thinking girl on one of them. The other one I'm just not sure on.

(Pictures BELOW) Here is what I'm guessing is the Pullet:




Guessing GIRL...



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(Pictures BELOW) This is the one I really dont know. So I took nice close-ups of it. It is probably now about 9 or 10 weeks old?? Maybe older?? It has pullet coloring... you know, the males have the reverse coloring-- they are mostly white and the pullets are darker.... But this is a mix-- so I don't know if that applies to these birds or not??? It looks the same as the first bird except with the gold.




Girl or BOY?

All of these are the SAME chick....



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(Picture BELOW) And for comparison-- these are the pure-bred MALE and Females that I got: You can see the hen right behind the male and see the color difference I'm talking about.. so now that you've seen these.... GUESSES on my chicks??? If the two chicks above are both pullets, I'd like to sell them!

My guess is top one pullet & the bottom one rooster. I have had a really hard time with the two blue barred ones I got from Eileen, but now I'm leaning towards both being roosters, ack! So they may have to get processed with my meat chickens because I sure don't need roosters. I hate to do that, but I have no use for them if they for sure end up being what I think they are. I picked out two of the ones she had with the smallest combs & this is how they're developing, you just can't tell till they're bigger.

 

[HEChicken]

It seems so long ago we had the fox attack but things seem to have settled down. DH and a couple of his friends set traps out and so far, he had only succeeded in catching 2. Not sure if there will be more but the traps are out there. No more casualty on the property as of late, which is always good news. I did let the flock out and they still seem quite hesitant and keep close to the coop. Both the rooster and hen are doing very well. I think my rooster's eye is OK. He was able to track the finger movement when I was giving him some treats so that's definitely good news. The hen is healing well. The few deep gashes are closing up slowly but surely. I figure she will be inside for at least another week before able to be reintroduced back to the flock. The rooster will go back probably sometime later this week.

That's actually pretty great that you were able to trap two of them - foxes are notoriously difficult to trap.

Mowing already? We barely have any green grass, much less enough to mow. However, I completely understand on the sunburn thing. I am VERY lightly complected and, on a sunny day, will begin to burn in about 10 minutes. Even cloudy days carry a risk for sunburn, so I usually wear hat/long sleeves no matter what I'm doing when I'm out.

This is the first time. Well, actually, I did get it out a couple of weeks ago and did a small portion but that was mainly because the mower was inop at the end of last season and I never got to do the final mowing. I was eager to mow down the remnants of the long grass left over from last season, more than that there was new grass to mow from this season. So this week is the first time I really needed to mow, and that is much later than most years, when we would probably start mowing closer to the beginning of April. Its been a strange year.

Turkeys really are funny birds!

Yes they are! I was laughing at one of my little poults last night. To back up a little....every night I watch as Ned does multiple trips AROUND the coop before going in. Sometimes he will even go in, then come back out just to do a few more laps around it before going back in. Meanwhile, the Aloha hen and her clutch have been living in my old growout pen, which is a 6x8 dog pen, and they have a large dog crate in the middle. At night the hen makes a nest in there and beds them down under her, and I then lock the door of the crate to keep them safe. So last night I watched as she called them all into her, and then as I walked in the door of the dog pen to lock up the crate, one of the little poults came back out. I watched as it did a lap of the dog crate, then went back in and under Mama Hen. I guess its a turkey thing.

I always wear a ball cap when I mow-- we have one of those zero-turn mowers and it goes pretty fast, and I can't keep a hat on when I'm traveling that fast. Not that I just speed away on it, but with 3 acres right around the house it takes some time to get it done. So glad I don't have to mow more than that! I've tried to convince my DH to fence in another acre of it to get rid of it too for the horses. They are on 7 acres of it. We actually do mow their area at least once a year with the tractor and brushhog.

Girl or BOY?

Well, keep in mind I am terrible at this but I would say the one with the gold is a cockerel and the others are pullets.

It sounds like you and I are mowing about the same amount then - I'm guessing we have around 3 acres around our house. I love the zero turn mower and really don't mind mowing too much, but I'm glad we don't have to mow more than that. I'll admit while I was mowing this morning I was trying to think of ways I could cut down on the amount I mow. I did fence off a large yard for the chickens and I don't have to mow in there nearly so often, although it could really use it now. And I don't have to mow the area we have tilled for the vegie garden now either, though going around it takes time and hassle of its own.

Oh my, it is SO windy out there today. Nevertheless, I've been outdoors most of the day since I know it won't be so enjoyable later in the week.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Yep, DH came back late Sunday saying that there were 2 in the traps. He didn't mention whether he caught the mama and kit or what. He talked to our neighbor who saw the commotion and she believed there were at least 3 or 4. But the distance btw her property and the coop is at least a football field length if not longer so no telling whether she saw the number correctly or not. DH thinks there is a chance he will get more if we leave the trap out there.

Talking about poults, we saw 10 or 15 wild turkeys crossing the back of the property on Sunday. I took out my phone trying to take a pic but boy there were fast. They all went East and I couldn't even keep up to take a pic of their tails!

I went out for a walk with a couple of coworkers during the afternoon break and the wind was blowing like crazy. I'm with Danz, I hope the forecast is wrong and the warming trend continues. I'm thinking of getting the yard mowed today with this nice weather but I may have to wear a mask to do so or my sinus is definitely going to protest later.

Kuan

 

[ChooksChick]

Hola, everyone.

Michellemi, sorry about your hubbs...I'll pray for you all.

Danz, sorry about your father- you are both in my prayers, as well.

Lindsey, congrats, and I hope you feel fabulous soon!

Everyone else, you talk too much and I can't keep up!!!

Seriously, though, I'm delighted that I can pop in occasionally and read up on you all, even if I don't say much. I'm overwhelmed and I'm liquidating a bunch of my birds. I can't keep up without something suffering, and right now that means my paying job or my kids...so the birds have to be what I cut back, you know?

I'll be putting up auctions to try to recoup a bit of the investments over the years. I'm keeping several projects, but just not the 26 I have going right now! It's toooooooooooooooooooo much!!

 

[HEChicken]

I'm keeping several projects, but just not the 26 I have going right now! It's toooooooooooooooooooo much!!

Chooks, I almost PM'd you the other day. A family member went up to Lawrence and I thought about seeing if it was possible for her to meet up with you - I still keep thinking about Konzas. But, I'm afraid I've taken on too many projects myself and that is one that I would want to be able to breed to continue, you know? Is that a project you plan to keep or one that you are giving up?

 

[TheCrazyClucker]

Is it raining anywhere else in KS? I'm miserable in here... it's been thunder-storming for ages!

 

[HEChicken]

Is it raining anywhere else in KS? I'm miserable in here... it's been thunder-storming for ages!

Nope, not even close here. It is still hot and the sky is clear. They are calling for it tonight though....

 

[purposefuldoula]

I am so behind on posts!! We've been busy over here as always. I moved my five week olds out to the newly built coop last night! I was rather nervous but I think they did fine. I am worried about the weather coming up over the weekend. Do you all think that it will be too cold for them to stay out there? Should I move them back inside for those few days or see how they do? The coop is not insulated, but there is a thick layer of bedding on the bottom. I also made a window on one side that I'm thinking will need covered up before then? What should I do to prepare?

 

[TheCrazyClucker]

HEChicken-- Lucky!! Willing to trade places for today?

 

[Hawkeye95]

My guess is top one pullet & the bottom one rooster. I have had a really hard time with the two blue barred ones I got from Eileen, but now I'm leaning towards both being roosters, ack! So they may have to get processed with my meat chickens because I sure don't need roosters. I hate to do that, but I have no use for them if they for sure end up being what I think they are. I picked out two of the ones she had with the smallest combs & this is how they're developing, you just can't tell till they're bigger.

Thanks, Trish! You are probably right! Sorry you have roos too!

Yep, DH came back late Sunday saying that there were 2 in the traps. He didn't mention whether he caught the mama and kit or what. He talked to our neighbor who saw the commotion and she believed there were at least 3 or 4. But the distance btw her property and the coop is at least a football field length if not longer so no telling whether she saw the number correctly or not. DH thinks there is a chance he will get more if we leave the trap out there.

Talking about poults, we saw 10 or 15 wild turkeys crossing the back of the property on Sunday. I took out my phone trying to take a pic but boy there were fast. They all went East and I couldn't even keep up to take a pic of their tails!

I went out for a walk with a couple of coworkers during the afternoon break and the wind was blowing like crazy. I'm with Danz, I hope the forecast is wrong and the warming trend continues. I'm thinking of getting the yard mowed today with this nice weather but I may have to wear a mask to do so or my sinus is definitely going to protest later.

Kuan

Wow, that is really crazy to catch them so quickly! Lucky you! About the wild turkey-- one night I was walking out to the barn at night to feed the horses. It was dark and I really couldn't see. We have big round hay bales that we stack up near the barn to store. Anyway, as I walked by the row of round bales, all of a sudden there were high pitched screeches and alarmed gobbles cutting through the night and I screamed like the girl I was, and turned tail and ran as fast as I could back to the house in pant. It took me a few moments to figure out I wasn't being attaked out there, but that I had actually startled a flock of wild turkey that had decided to roost on top of my hay bales over night!

Hola, everyone.

Everyone else, you talk too much and I can't keep up!!!

Seriously, though, I'm delighted that I can pop in occasionally and read up on you all, even if I don't say much. I'm overwhelmed and I'm liquidating a bunch of my birds. I can't keep up without something suffering, and right now that means my paying job or my kids...so the birds have to be what I cut back, you know?

I'll be putting up auctions to try to recoup a bit of the investments over the years. I'm keeping several projects, but just not the 26 I have going right now! It's toooooooooooooooooooo much!!

Sorry you are getting rid of a lot of your birds, but I totally understand!!! You have a lot going on with JUST the birds! Are you doing anything with the silkies? If you have any blacks that are really decent, let me know. You don't have silver partridge do you??

Is it raining anywhere else in KS? I'm miserable in here... it's been thunder-storming for ages!

No rain here. I am south of Wichita. It has been bright and sunny and warm and gorgeous all day! Other than the insane wind we're having right now-- pretty perfect! Looks like we *might* be getting some weather in later tonight or tomorrow...??

I am so behind on posts!! We've been busy over here as always. I moved my five week olds out to the newly built coop last night! I was rather nervous but I think they did fine. I am worried about the weather coming up over the weekend. Do you all think that it will be too cold for them to stay out there? Should I move them back inside for those few days or see how they do? The coop is not insulated, but there is a thick layer of bedding on the bottom. I also made a window on one side that I'm thinking will need covered up before then? What should I do to prepare?

At 5 weeks, I think they would be too cold if it's going to drop down drastically to be cold enough to sleet or snow. I'd give them a heat source if they need/want it. Wild weather swings are tough on them at that age. I would leave them be for now... and keep an eye on them. If they start to shiver or pile up on each other, they need supplemental heat from a lamp or heater.