Consolidated Kansas

[cubbysan]

Sorry haven't posted it's been crazy around here. My dh is doing well on radiation his chemo starts next week.
My Roo has been going after us for at least two weeks. I had my hands full with water buckets and he jumped at my legs. Any ideas what I can do? I'm worried about kids sense he's done this to my 11 yr old and 4 year old. Plus he's done it more to Dh which he is getting fed up with.

Just wanted to share i cute picture we bought 6 assorted bantams from tsc and this is the smallest one but the cockiest one in the bunch

I have an bantam chick from TSC that looks like this one too. Probably around 7 weeks old now. Pure white. He/she is the cutest and tiniest little thing.

 

[cubbysan]

I think I heard a pathetic crow this morning from one of the possible roosters. Of course, I couldn't get him to do it while I was watching. I got 6 assorted bantams from TSC & think 3 are roosters. They are about 6 weeks old now. Just waiting on the weather to cooperate to put them outside. I also have 2, 3 week old silkies. I hope they're both girls!

I am growing out 8 silkies and 5 bantams - and this week 4 of my silkies crowed at 11 weeks old. Just praying that at least the others are girls.

 

[chicken danz]

I was also going to say you would dress out a chicken at 2/3rds. I wouldn't mess with the knife in the brain thing. Just get your hot water to the right temperature and it will work every bit as good. Besides after you kill a chicken there are all kinds of muscle movements that will occur anyway so why battle a dead chicken to get the knife in the right place? I think just killing them is enough trauma for me.
We had all kinds of thunder and lightening but the biggest storms skirted around us. We did get a rain storm later in the night and it's a muddy mess out there....but then it was already a muddy mess!
I can't seem to get caught up thanks to all this stupid mud. I can't work on my hoop coop without having mud head to toe. I have a repairman coming to work on my washer today and I am trying to stay out of the mud until he at least comes and goes. I can spend all morning just cleaning up after DH!
I went to the post office and picked up 8 little chicks this morning. They are some more partridge brahmas. Right now they are in the kitchen filling their little beaks and pooping on the floor. I needed to clean the floor anyway.
I paid for these a few weeks ago but the weather just finally cooperated. I sure hope I have at least 50% girls in there!! These are awfully expensive birds to be overrun with roosters. There is no way I'd ever eat one of these. They'll be breeders whether I need them or not. I just hope they all live and grow up and produce well. It'll be at least winter before any of these are breedign age.
Yesterday I let my little sebbies out of the green house to just free range a bit. I have been carrying them to the PVC pen and then back in the evening. They did a great job of staying nearby and then DH helped me just herd them back in at bed time. I couldn't do it if he weren't here to help but it was sure a lot nicer than crawling around on my knees in goose poop!

 

[HEChicken]

...but it was sure a lot nicer than crawling around on my knees in goose poop!

Really? Even more fun than that?

 

[KsJayhawk]

Here is a picture of my 8 Bettie's enjoying some sun! The weather has been great!

Anyone on here in the Oskie, Perry, Lawrence, Topeka area?

 

[chicken danz]

Welcome KSjayhawk. There are a couple from the Lawrence area, a couple from the Topeka area. I live in between and south of there.

 

[cherwill]

I hope the chemo goes well, too.

Cute picture.

Oh my, I was so scared after I read this. I really worry what an 80mph wind could do around here. Fortunately we didn't get much wind and only a little rain.

We got a brief period of high winds and some rain, but nothing like the major bad weather predicted.

This morning DH, DS and I were drinking our morning coffee and I looked out the window - always face towards it anyway - and saw something brown on the berm of our pond. Our neighbor's cat visits regularly so I figured it was probably the cat, but I grabbed the binoculars we keep on the windowsill and saw something that got my heart going a pitter patter. Here is the series of pictures I subsequently took:

It's good you noticed them when you did!

And here is a pic just because I already had the camera out:



That is a beautiful turkey.

We didnt make it out to the coop until this morning. Our new coop took a direct hit from a tree coming down on it. The branches busted out the glass pane, and the hardware cloth from around one of the windows, and the weight of the tree itself seems to have warped the building slightly, the door seemed a bit hard to open and the glass in one of the back windows was cracked like it was bearing weight funny. Atleast it was still standing! We lost one chicken to this mess. We are hopeing he just flew out the open window and will show up either with our neighbor's peacocks (who are also missing) or he will wind up hanging out near the run. We got the tree pushed off the roof, and we used nails to hold a new piece of hardware cloth up across the window. It isnt the most secure, but since we both had to get to work this morning, it had to do. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow we can get out and properly attach the hardware cloth and get a measurement for where the flip-up glass used to go. We already decieded we are just going to replace it with wood. The chickens are just going to have to live with one less window of light.

Sorry about the damage and the chicken.

Here is a picture of my 8 Bettie's enjoying some sun! The weather has been great!

Anyone on here in the Oskie, Perry, Lawrence, Topeka area?

Isn't it funny how they all have to drink at the same time? One chicken starts it and the rest all act like, "Hey, that's a GREAT idea!"

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I hope everyone has their hatches battened down! 80MPH winds here. We watched a full sized dumpters that were half full slide across our parking lot and into two cars. No one is able to make it out to the coop yet because a tree is blocking the road out there.

Be safe everyone!

Thank goodness we didn't get that wind here. We did have some hail and rain though. I haven't seen the pond so full before.

Spring? Down here were having winsprummer!

Rooster... you are always the creative one. Love the new word.

Sorry haven't posted it's been crazy around here. My dh is doing well on radiation his chemo starts next week.
My Roo has been going after us for at least two weeks. I had my hands full with water buckets and he jumped at my legs. Any ideas what I can do? I'm worried about kids sense he's done this to my 11 yr old and 4 year old. Plus he's done it more to Dh which he is getting fed up with.

Just wanted to share i cute picture we bought 6 assorted bantams from tsc and this is the smallest one but the cockiest one in the bunch

He (I think it's a he since the comb is bright red??) is soooo cute.

Oh my, I was so scared after I read this. I really worry what an 80mph wind could do around here. Fortunately we didn't get much wind and only a little rain.

Roughly 2/3 of the live weight, is what the dressed out weight will be.

I'm glad to have another word to add to my vocabulary....

Michelle, I hate to say it, but its time to think about processing that rooster. Been there, done that. I had a rooster I really liked as he was a great flock leader and protector. He was on constant guard, sounded alerts when necessary, found treats, treated the hens very gently - never saw a single hen with any signs she was being mated and yet fertility was very good. Unfortunately he saw me as a threat to his hens and attacked me on a regular basis. I researched all the "tried and true" methods for training him to leave me alone, and even tried a few things of my own but in the end, he attacked me one too many times and I felt I had no options left. None of the methods I tried had a permanent effect. There were things I tried that would stop him for 2-3 weeks but in the end he would start coming after me again. Since then I've had a couple that were also great flock leaders but respectful towards me, and I've come to realize there is really no reason to put up with that because there are always going to be other roosters out there that are good to the hens AND will get along with me.

This morning DH, DS and I were drinking our morning coffee and I looked out the window - always face towards it anyway - and saw something brown on the berm of our pond. Our neighbor's cat visits regularly so I figured it was probably the cat, but I grabbed the binoculars we keep on the windowsill and saw something that got my heart going a pitter patter. Here is the series of pictures I subsequently took:








You'll notice in the bottom two pics, there is a fence. That is the lagoon fence, and my chicken yard shares a fence with the lagoon. In the last one, it was clearly headed for my coop, planning to go around the back side of the lagoon and up to the chicken yard from there. After snapping that pic, I went to let out the dogs - who ordinarily would have already been out there, but thinking the storm was going to be bad last night, I let them sleep in the garage. When they heard the door open, the coyotes took off.

And here is a pic just because I already had the camera out:

Oh now that's scary. Those coyotes are cunning. Glad you were able to let the dogs out to scare them off. I really like that turkey. The color is awesome!

I think I heard a pathetic crow this morning from one of the possible roosters. Of course, I couldn't get him to do it while I was watching. I got 6 assorted bantams from TSC & think 3 are roosters. They are about 6 weeks old now. Just waiting on the weather to cooperate to put them outside. I also have 2, 3 week old silkies. I hope they're both girls!

Jenny, if you hear it crow, more than likely it is a rooster. Why can't chicken do what we tell them to do, right??

Sometimes I wish they would understand our language and vice versa. They way they cock their heads side way looking at us while we are talking to them is just hilarious. It is like "hmmm... what are you doing or talking about? I've no clue..."

***************************************************************************************
So we lost some of the 8 weekers to something at night. DH set a trap last night but didn't catch anything. The trap was triggered but nothing was inside it. We had reinfored the hardware cloth so we have no further loss but it sure will be nice to find out what had been killing my chickens!

DH thinks it is a raccoon or posum. We will be setting the trap again until we catch it. I'm seeing flames thinking about it so no telling what I'll do to it once it's caught in the trap.

So you guys think we are getting more rain/storm? The pond is really full. Haven't seen it so full for a longgggg time. The neighbor is very happy due to the full pond and their horses are drinking out of it!

Enjoy the Spring weather.

Kuan

 

[jennyjane73]

I gave my 7 week old bantams a dozen small crickets today to see what would happen. They loved them! Just a few things to do to finish the run & they can move outside. Then, I'll just be left with the 2 silkies inside. I'm ready to have my spare room back.

 

[JosieChick]

Oh I am always so very far behind. It is hard to nurse a baby and type so I don't reply as often as I read!

Hawkeye- SO sorry about your birds. What a terrible thing to happen. I hope the one injured hen is doing ok.

HEchicken- Scary!!! I hate coyotes. I am so glad we have the dogs out there 24/7, they are awesome. In fact Lucie has been really good with the birds even when they are out free ranging. I think she must have outgrown her naughty chicken chasing days because she barely bats an eye at them now.

Danz- I sent DH your email and the info you sent to me. Let me know if you haven't heard from him by tomorrow. I may have to remind him again.

I can't remember anything else now! I should have done multis but I didn't know how much time I had....

DH had to shoot our huge turkey the other night. He was so bad he couldn't stand so it was time but it was really hard. DH was very upset after which surprised me but he was partial to the turkey too. I am always surprised at how sensitive he is.

Miss Amelia is having a rough day today. Very gassy and fussy. I finally crammed her into the moby wrap and she is sleeping now but she is a lug to carry around! She weighed 8 lbs 10 oz at her appointment with the midwife yesterday! I hate it when she is upset and doesn't feel well. I don't know what caused it because I can't think of anything different that I have eaten that might have upset her tummy. Sigh.

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather!!