Consolidated Kansas

[pikeman94]

If I had this problem I would try DE. I mix it in with my feed . It is used by food processors for insect control and to absorb moisture. As I've stated before, I use DE for many things and it usually works. It's inert, so it can't hurt.

Ralph,

how much would you mix in with a 40# bag?

 

[Trish44]

Found a couple of birds yesterday "roosting" on the fence between my yard and my neighbors. Online alot of people seem to encourage wing clipping to deal with this, but I'd rather not. I'm seeing electrified wire, fishing line... any suggestions on the best option to discourage this. I need something effective, hopefully easy, and aesthetically workable.

Happy ending in looking for a home for my surprise rooster. Got a PM from another BYC member who took "Drama" (that was his name) and gave him a new home. Way better than a CraigsList response. I was quite happy to delete that ad.

Also, another question. I have nesting boxes that are roughly 18" off the floor of the coop. Their nesting poles are a tad higher so they've not been roosting in them, which is good I guess. But, how do I encourage them to lay eggs in the nesting boxes? I have pine chips and paper shavings in there, as well as some timothy hay and golf balls. But, I can't tell that they're spending any time in there. I've seen a feather or two, so I think they've checked them out, but the Dummies book says they like to play house before they start laying and I don't think I see signs of that much activity (another reason I need a webcam in the coop!). My three buffs are within a week or two of hitting 18 weeks so I'm hoping eggs will start soon. Since all these birds are new to this coop, they don't have any seasoned layers to watch and emulate.

Thanks for the help!

They will figure it out when the time comes for them to lay, you could have a little while longer to wait depending on breeds. I used to have a ceramic dummy egg in my nests but the hens kept kicking it out onto the floor & it would get buried in the shavings & poop so I took it out. I do have older hens now to teach the younger ones & that is the advantage to having staggered ages of hens. I like to add a few new ones each year because I figure the older ones are going to start cutting back on laying. I have several new ones I added this year & one of the California Whites just has started laying in the last two days. I have found two tiny little pullet eggs in the nests, they're so cute.

pikeman, it's nice to see you back, congrats on the new rescue puppy. We have a Mal-shi so she is half Maltese & half Shih Tzu. She looks more Maltese except for her ears, that is where the color comes in from her mom, other than that she is all white & she has the longer ears. She is the most loving little dog & has a lot of personality. She & our little Yorkie are best buddies. Those two only weigh 5 & 6 pounds, so they're pretty equally matched & they have so much fun playing together. It's fun to watch them chase through the house & wrestle.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Wow all this rain and muck and overcast and gloom...

Rain Rain go away!!
It is almost time to let the guineas free range. they have been in their shelter for almost a week. They want out on that grass so bad. My DD catches gobs of grasshopers and throws them in the pen for them. I want to get them off that muddy yard it is terrible in the pen they run around in it but today they are mostly in the house. I see all my girs with soaked feet and just wonder who is going to come up with bumble foot next. I cringe at the thought of doing another one. I have had 4 so far this year and cant figure out why,, any thoughts on this??

 

[ashncarson]

My area of Kansas has been declared a no drought zone! I'm so sorry for those of you still struggling; looks like it's a good 1/3 to 1/4 of the state still having serious problems. We saw today where farmers in Georgia have had so much rain they're having to till their crops under. They're full of rot and disease from so much rain. DH was afraid that's what is happening in our garden. He went by today when he was out and said ours is one of very few plots that is not flooded. I guess all the stuff we've worked in has made the soil properly porous, or whatever. He brought back our first red tomato. It's tiny, and split, so the rain has had an impact. He said the green beans are insane again and I don't even know when we'll be able to get out there to pick them. Maybe my aunt and can get out there Sunday. We have company coming tomorrow; friends from out of town.

My birds seem to be handling the rain pretty well. They're in and out of the coop much more often, but they don't seem bothered by being rained on.

Are the mosquitos horrible over there with all the rain? I had to spray myself last night to see at the computer since its back the back door :/ YUCK

 

[tntblake]

Just doing a quick check in. Not much has been happening around here with all the rain. I finally got out today and got the coop cleaned out and laid new bedding. The rain has made quite the mess out of the coop floor. It was quite the stinky, damp mess. I am glad I got it done though and it smells 1000 times better. I had to run and get feed this morning because when I went to feed them I noticed that somehow water had gotten in the metal trashcan I use to store my feed and my feed had mold. What a waste! I'm glad the bag wasn't full. I also got my nestboxes put in the coop just in case. The girls will be 20 weeks on Mon so hopefully they will lay soon. I'm not holding my breath though! I hope everyone will get a chance to dry out a little this weekend like they say we will. I can't take too much more rain. It makes me grumpy if I can't have some sun!

 

[ChickenPeep]

Beautiful bird, ChickenPeep. Why don't you put him on the facebook Kansas Poultry Swap?

Thank you.

I have made arrangements to give him to one of my good friends here on BYC located around this area.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

Ralph,

how much would you mix in with a 40# bag?

I use 55 gal. plastic barrels that hold 150 pounds +. I ad in about a 1/2 gal. of DE as I dump in 50 pound sacks of feed. A little of DE goes a long way. That's a 1/2 gal. of DE per barrel.

 

[ChickenPeep]

Anyone else here going to the JoCo fair? It's almost over! I'm buying a hen from Polishpal.

 

[Kimberlydm]

Has anyone been through this or can offer any suggestions?

August just doesn't seem to be my family's month. I am not usually willing to share so much private, personal matters online, but I am overwhelmed and I need help.

To begin my story we will go back two year ago to August 14th, 2011. I had went to bed the night before with a headache, when I woke up (first day of school in Johnson County) I told my husband I think I am loosing my vision. He kinda brushed it off, because I have had migraines for years. I told him he would have to take the kids to school and I went to the ER. To make a long story short that was the day my families life changed because that was the day I knew I had Multiple Sclerosis. As the past two years have went by I have learned to adjust with being blind in one eye and visually impaired in the other, along with so many other things I won't list them all. I have always loved crafts and art of any kind. I worked for years at a Scrapbook Store, I am a photographer, I always volunteered to do everything from making cards for our soldiers with the elementary president's club, to volunteering accepting donations and packing meals for local charities. I have always loved Olathe and am very proud to live here.

As my disease has progressed my husband noticed I was getting depressed. I couldn't take pictures like I use to, see to do crafts, or have the energy to even go for walks with my family. He had been trying to get us all onto the eat local, all organic train as I call it for a while. One day he mentioned he would like to get back yard hens. I laughed because my husband just isn't someone I could see raising hens. I did some research and I was sold. So my family and I, plus my neighbor/friend all went and picked out 6 chicks. We absolutely fell in love with these girls. My husband knew all along that it these little chickens would help our family. We talkedso much about chickens I am sure people got sick of hearing it and seeing the pictures on Facebook. We were just amazed how smart they were. Once we moved them outside to their coop, all the girls would go in besides Sunflower she is the leader. She would fly up on the banister of our deck and wait until my husband would pick her up and cuddle her for a bit. Then he tucks her into the coop for the night. We starting calling them therapy chickens because they really help reduce stress for me, and has given me a new hobby and something to look forward sharing with my family.

Life with the chickens had been going well until last Saturday, when animal control showed up. Someone had called about concerns with my Lab mix named Buddy whom is around 10 years old. I couldn't blame anyone for being concerned about Buddy's welfare if the roles had been reversed I would be concerned, although I would have just asked about it. I can were someone wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. See Buddy has been sick for a while now. He has severe allergies and my daughter and I told my husband he looked horrible we should consider having him put to sleep. My husband wouldn't consider it. He is in denial about Buddy like he was in denial about Jerri our hen who turned out to be a rooster and we gave to a friend with a farm. So now we are left with 5 hens. I showed the animal control officer all the medical records, medicines, emails from our vet everything we have tried. He met Buddy and he said he could tell he wasn't abused just in bad shape health wise and he offered some suggestions that we are trying. He said he would have to turn in that we didn't have a permit for our chickens. I then explained to him that we were told when I called the city before even purchasing the chicks. That they said as long as your neighbors didn't complain not to worry, and even if something was to happen they wouldn't come take your chickens away, they would give you time to get a permit. Today, we received a certified letter saying we had to get rid of our 5 little girls, or pay $500. This is lovely news. School is starting this week and I really wasn't planning on spending $500 for a fine. Plus, I am not someone who breaks rules. I asked the city before getting them. A week isn't giving me much time to get a permit. We have to pay $300 and some just to hopefully get a permit and that isn't guaranteed. Plus we need to have a hearing, send out letters. All this is very stressful and not something my family needs to be dealing with right now. Not only do we have to worry about the thought of loosing our girls, but the doctors just told me they don't think I have MS, I would be overjoyed if it really was good news but it isn't. They think I have NMO, also known as Devic's disease. I was having a spinal MRI right before receiving this news. I have had tons of test done this week, and I am scheduled for many more. I will probably be on Solumedrol for 3-5 days or a Plasma Exchange within the next few weeks. So a hearing really is going to be hard for me, plus all I end up doing is crying like an insane lady and I just can't help it. It breaks my heart thinking about loosing them because to us they are much more than just chickens. I hope and pray our neighbors will help support us in this. We have really tried to be respectful we don't put the tractor anywhere close to their property and if they ever decide to lay a egg. We would love to share them. I am starting to wonder if they will lay and egg. LOL! August was suppose to be the month and we had been looking forward to it, but now we may never get to share in that moment. If anyone has any suggestions or advice that will help we would appreciate it. Stress doesn't do good things for people with Autoimmune diseases and right now I am beyond stressed.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Has anyone been through this or can offer any suggestions?

August just doesn't seem to be my family's month. I am not usually willing to share so much private, personal matters online, but I am overwhelmed and I need help.

To begin my story we will go back two year ago to August 14th, 2011. I had went to bed the night before with a headache, when I woke up (first day of school in Johnson County) I told my husband I think I am loosing my vision. He kinda brushed it off, because I have had migraines for years. I told him he would have to take the kids to school and I went to the ER. To make a long story short that was the day my families life changed because that was the day I knew I had Multiple Sclerosis. As the past two years have went by I have learned to adjust with being blind in one eye and visually impaired in the other, along with so many other things I won't list them all. I have always loved crafts and art of any kind. I worked for years at a Scrapbook Store, I am a photographer, I always volunteered to do everything from making cards for our soldiers with the elementary president's club, to volunteering accepting donations and packing meals for local charities. I have always loved Olathe and am very proud to live here.

As my disease has progressed my husband noticed I was getting depressed. I couldn't take pictures like I use to, see to do crafts, or have the energy to even go for walks with my family. He had been trying to get us all onto the eat local, all organic train as I call it for a while. One day he mentioned he would like to get back yard hens. I laughed because my husband just isn't someone I could see raising hens. I did some research and I was sold. So my family and I, plus my neighbor/friend all went and picked out 6 chicks. We absolutely fell in love with these girls. My husband knew all along that it these little chickens would help our family. We talkedso much about chickens I am sure people got sick of hearing it and seeing the pictures on Facebook. We were just amazed how smart they were. Once we moved them outside to their coop, all the girls would go in besides Sunflower she is the leader. She would fly up on the banister of our deck and wait until my husband would pick her up and cuddle her for a bit. Then he tucks her into the coop for the night. We starting calling them therapy chickens because they really help reduce stress for me, and has given me a new hobby and something to look forward sharing with my family.

Life with the chickens had been going well until last Saturday, when animal control showed up. Someone had called about concerns with my Lab mix named Buddy whom is around 10 years old. I couldn't blame anyone for being concerned about Buddy's welfare if the roles had been reversed I would be concerned, although I would have just asked about it. I can were someone wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. See Buddy has been sick for a while now. He has severe allergies and my daughter and I told my husband he looked horrible we should consider having him put to sleep. My husband wouldn't consider it. He is in denial about Buddy like he was in denial about Jerri our hen who turned out to be a rooster and we gave to a friend with a farm. So now we are left with 5 hens. I showed the animal control officer all the medical records, medicines, emails from our vet everything we have tried. He met Buddy and he said he could tell he wasn't abused just in bad shape health wise and he offered some suggestions that we are trying. He said he would have to turn in that we didn't have a permit for our chickens. I then explained to him that we were told when I called the city before even purchasing the chicks. That they said as long as your neighbors didn't complain not to worry, and even if something was to happen they wouldn't come take your chickens away, they would give you time to get a permit. Today, we received a certified letter saying we had to get rid of our 5 little girls, or pay $500. This is lovely news. School is starting this week and I really wasn't planning on spending $500 for a fine. Plus, I am not someone who breaks rules. I asked the city before getting them. A week isn't giving me much time to get a permit. We have to pay $300 and some just to hopefully get a permit and that isn't guaranteed. Plus we need to have a hearing, send out letters. All this is very stressful and not something my family needs to be dealing with right now. Not only do we have to worry about the thought of loosing our girls, but the doctors just told me they don't think I have MS, I would be overjoyed if it really was good news but it isn't. They think I have NMO, also known as Devic's disease. I was having a spinal MRI right before receiving this news. I have had tons of test done this week, and I am scheduled for many more. I will probably be on Solumedrol for 3-5 days or a Plasma Exchange within the next few weeks. So a hearing really is going to be hard for me, plus all I end up doing is crying like an insane lady and I just can't help it. It breaks my heart thinking about loosing them because to us they are much more than just chickens. I hope and pray our neighbors will help support us in this. We have really tried to be respectful we don't put the tractor anywhere close to their property and if they ever decide to lay a egg. We would love to share them. I am starting to wonder if they will lay and egg. LOL! August was suppose to be the month and we had been looking forward to it, but now we may never get to share in that moment. If anyone has any suggestions or advice that will help we would appreciate it. Stress doesn't do good things for people with Autoimmune diseases and right now I am beyond stressed.

I am so sorry to hear this. it is outrageous. I have Lupus and under your pain. I also found therapy in my chickens and cant imagine having to give them up. It is tough enough having to go thru and manage an autoimmune disease and yes the stress just brings on flares. I do not know were you could turn for this matter. Unless you know someone that may be able to keep your hens while you gather the monies needed. I wish you the best, let me know if I can help.