Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I am trying to raise chickens for the first time in Wichita, Kansas. I have six, five week old bantams from TSC that are straight run. So far, I think I may have two roosters. Not completely sure as I am a total newbie. So, is there anybody close by that would want bantam roosters if my suspicions are confirmed? I feel like I need a connection to the "chicken underground".

- glad you found us. Whether or not you can find them homes will depend some on what breed they are (i.e., within the classification of bantams, there are numerous breeds - sultan, serama, cochin, silkie, rosecomb, to name only a few). So, if someone has a breeding program for the breed you have, they might be interested. Unfortunately though, for the majority of male birds, there is no real place in the world. They are 50% of what hatches but in cities across the country they are not allowed, and even where they are, only one is needed for a much larger group of females. In the end, I came to terms with eating what doesn't have a place in a breeding program, and I am okay with that, knowing they had a good life until that moment, which is better than can be said for the chicken meat that is sold in grocery stores. Sorry to be a downer....I know that's not the answer you were looking for.

If you use Facebook, there is a group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275183675880038/ where you can post ads for birds you have for sale/swap. It is a closed group, but after your request to join has been approved, you can post an ad there, where it will be seen by more people. Photos are always useful too. Good luck!

 

[Trish44]

Welcome jennyjane73! We have quite a few people on this thread from around the Wichita area. I agree with HEChicken, it's hard to find homes for extra roosters, I have 5 right now & may have a couple more if my suspicions are right & it's hard to find anyone to take them, even if they're pure bred birds. You only need so many roosters.

Well I scored another dog igloo a few minutes ago for a good price, so I have another one for my barnevelder pen when I get it built. That's what I've been using in my outside pens for added shelter for my birds when they need it. They really don't go in them that much, but they do occasionally if the weather is really nasty. It has been cloudy here for the most part all day, but warm. I can tell it's starting to cool off now though. Oh boy am I not looking forward to this at all!

 

[milomac]

Sure I can take banty roosters but you shouldnt be in big hurry. They shouldnt crow until 5 to 6 months and some breeds are really hard to tell difference. When time comes give me a holler milomac

 

[chicken danz]

Welcome Jennyjane 73. Why don't you take some pictures of your birds and we can give guesses on what they are and what breeds they are. Also tell us a little more about yourself.
I had another one of those busy days! I did something totally out of character this evening though and it was fun. Pennylane picked me up and we went to the Library and did a craft project. Well dumb person I am I forgot to grab my glasses but thank goodness it wasn't anything very fine I had to see. It was kind of a nice quick break from the normal routine. I'll pay for it tomorrow with more work to do but I'll get by. I did fail to get my fermented feed refilled though so in the morning I'll have to run out and mix some early and hope it works okay. Just never enough hours in the day.
It's cold and windy here. I sure don't want this stupid winter front coming in.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I am trying to raise chickens for the first time in Wichita, Kansas. I have six, five week old bantams from TSC that are straight run. So far, I think I may have two roosters. Not completely sure as I am a total newbie. So, is there anybody close by that would want bantam roosters if my suspicions are confirmed? I feel like I need a connection to the "chicken underground".

Welcome, Jennyjane73. I hope you can find home for your roosters. I pretty much resign to the fact that roosters are for my stew pot since too many causes problem. Sorry I'm not much help here.

Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Ok. I need some help here. Apparently the wind must be blowing the wrong direction today because DH decided to buy a pair of peacocks. He saw an ad on craigslist and he is going to meet the seller half way between here and Sylvia KS. I know nothing about peafowls. Can someone point me to the right direction to gain some knowledge quickly? I need to emphasize QUICKLY! I know we've to quarantine them but for how long? What do they eat? I really need to know how to care for them. Sigh... Other than asking for help here, I really don't know what to do. I'm still trying to digest this news.

TIA.

Kuan

 

[Trish44]

I was outside when the front came in, boy that wind changed direction in a hurry & the temperature dropped. I had to hurry up & come in to get something warmer on & then get back out there & finish what I need to do. I hope all my birds & animals make it through this all right, I have some babies I'm worried about. I just hate that we have to go through this so late in the season, it's just madness. All of my fruit trees have been blooming, so we'll probably lose all the fruit now.

 

[Trish44]

Ok. I need some help here. Apparently the wind must be blowing the wrong direction today because DH decided to buy a pair of peacocks. He saw an ad on craigslist and he is going to meet the seller half way between here and Sylvia KS. I know nothing about peafowls. Can someone point me to the right direction to gain some knowledge quickly? I need to emphasize QUICKLY! I know we've to quarantine them but for how long? What do they eat? I really need to know how to care for them. Sigh... Other than asking for help here, I really don't know what to do. I'm still trying to digest this news.

TIA.

Kuan

I have my peafowl in the hoop coop iwth the guineas. They eat what the rest of my birds do, fermented feed. They need a good sized pen because when the male displays his tail is really big & I know which birds you're talking about, I saw that ad. That male will have a full sized tail & her ad said it's 5 foot hgh & about 5-6 foot wide, so you need a pen big enough for him to spread out in. They have to be protected from predators just like any other birds. Most people quarantine birds they bring in for 2 weeks to a month. There is a peafowl thread on BYC if you go to the forums & look for the other birds.

 

[tntblake]

Sharol and Rooster-- we've been buying Kansas honey for quite a while now. You can find it at local health stores-- we have a "Food For Thought" that sells it and maybe even Whole Foods sells it too. Other than that, I've never seen it in a large grocery store, so I do have to go out of my way to buy it. The thing is that a lot of people believe that honey will or can reduce allergy symptoms, but even though it's never had a University study done on it, a lot of experts have weighed in saying that it's False. I've read the reasons-- saying that the bees bring in not just the pollen from the flowers, but from grasses, trees, etc but also contaminants and foreign substances that are not pollen. (one site even listed diesel!) One expert stated that ingesting it or breathing it in each allergy season is no different. SO I really don't know! My reasons for eating local Kansas honey actually has NOTHING to do with allergies! My reasons for using Kansas honey is 1. I know it's pure. Last year I read that a LOT of the honey Americans consume and is available on the selves at your grocery stores comes from other countries and I had specifically read about honey from China. They had done testing on it and discovered that the honey was not pure and had been bulked up by putting in other products into the honey-- and in most cases actually discovered metals in it! That's bad... and it's unethical and just WRONG. That spurred me to buy only local Kansas honey where it was bottled on the farm and coming straight from a local farmer who wasn't going to be putting in extra "stuff" into the honey. My second reason for buying it is to support the local farmers right here in Kansas! And you know what? Kansas honey often does cost more than the grocery store brands... BUT, when you consider that you are NOT buying pure honey in the grocery store and it has metals and other contaminants in it, I'll pay a bit more for pure local honey and support the farmer down the road. I'm not saying the allergy benefit is a bunch of crap, and I'd love to believe it's true, but there just is no evidence to support it. Of course.. I don't always believe the "experts" anyway.

So if anything, buy the Kansas honey because you don't want to be poisoned by whatever export country decided to put whatever "stuff" they wanted in their honey.

We also eat only local honey. We buy ours from Cox farm on south Seneca since it is a lot closer than food for thought.

 

[RoosterLew]

Hi Jennyjane! Welcome, you'll learn a lot here!

As for the honey..,, simply put I developed allergies after coming back to Kansas from the military. My doctor told me it was because I was no longer used to the pollens around here. After several years of getting worse and worse, I found the honey helped. And it was no way because I wanted it to. I just happen to love honey, my boss just happens to raise honey( or is it grow honey??). So I bought some from him. A week later I mentioned to him that my allergies were a lot better to which he replied; " Alot of my customers tell me that". I had no idea what he was talking about until he told me.
It doesn't work for everyone, my brother has tried it and still suffers. But for me, it works.

Trust me, I'm no all-natural vegan ! I'm
A Dr Pepper guzzling, Steak eatin, high fructose nut! Lol. But when natural cures keep me from dr bills and expensive meds... If it works it works!

Not to mention, honey is yummy!!

How much do you guys pay for honey? With last years dry weather my boss ran out. He sold for $10 a qt and I cannot find any for under $20 now!