Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

I think it says something about the mild summer when we are all miserable and suffering and it is 90 degrees or a bit more. I think we were spoiled by the mild July. I was really uncomfortable yesterday, and the weather people say our high was only 90. Every day is one day closer to fall.

Of course (if I remember right), last year, August was almost mild after July's awful heatwave.

On a chicken note, Marlena's babies are 5 weeks old today. They are free-ranging in the yard with the rest of the flock all day, but she is still taking them back into the hoop coop at night. I'm letting her decide when to stay in the big chickens' run and coop. I just hope she makes the transition pretty soon.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Guys and gals, cool thoughts... lots of cool thoughts. I melt when it goes above 78F. Sharol is right. I'm spoiled by the very mild (by July statndard) temperature in July. Now this "heat wave" is killing me. My fans in the coop are on 24/7. The humidity is the killer. I even see the broodies panting while sitting on the eggs. Poor thing...

Speaking of broodies, I think I'll need to talk to my neighbors to get a couple of her mutt chicks for each broodies if their eggs don't hatch. Just 1 more week to go and I will know for sure. I am just done with having them broodies sitting on the eggs, taking up precious nest boxes. Of course egg production has gone way done due to the heat, humidity, and molting. Good grief... guess freeing up the nest boxes won't do me any good if the birds don't lay eggs.

With the heat and humidity, I have no energy to even think about doing anything outdoor. I really need to dump the duck pool water and put new water in. Need to clean the coop... I've only done small 5-min clean up here and there. All the birds did was sitting in the shade and under the wild sunflowers to get some relief from the scorching sun.

Need to see who has this incubator. The neighbor down the dirt road gave me a Farm Innovator 4200 with an egg turner. She said she only used it once and decides she wants a big 'ol cabinet incubator instead. She said she has a Farm Innovator 2200 incubator as a hatcher. Anyone has an experience using the 4200? I checked the BYC hatching forum and most people complained that the built in thermometer and hygrometer are useless. But other than that, it did work. Just trying to see if it is something I can use. If not, at least use it as a hatcher and I'll get something else to hatch the eggs with. I currently have a Brinsea mini.

Did I say I like Winter? I really do... Of course Fall and Spring are my favorite seasons of all...

Stay cool everyone. The 7-day forecast is hot-hot-hot-hot-hot-hot-hot... samo-o same-o...

 

[lizzyGSR]

Quick question. I found 3 eggs in the duck house this morning after having not gotten an egg for the last several days (silly ducks are really good at hiding them). It has been almost 100 *F for the last several days. Are the eggs still good to eat, even though I don't know which ones are the oldest? Keep in mind that I am pregnant.

 

[chicken danz]

Just a small update. I put some of the blu-kote on him. They had about 30 minutes of free range outside their cage (which had them seperated) and Apple Jack would do some mock fighting with the other one I think is a male and then back down running away.....but they never actually pecked at him, just chased him a bit. He seemed to be accepted much better tonight

Sounds like it is working. I'll bet they'll all be fine as they continue to grow.

After this evening, I feel much better about taking the horses to town by myself tomorrow.

What a great husband!! I'm glad to hear it went so smoothly for a trial run.
Quote:

Danz & Trish44 , Are you trying to make 94 degrees not sound so bad with all this talk of Christmas ? That's funny , two days ago I started working on my family. This year I want Christmas to be about everything but the presents. I would really just like to experience it,look at it , listen to it, taste it ,cook it, I just don't want to shop for it. I thought if I start working on them now I might get some traction by Thanksgiving. I know I have to do some shopping for the two kids but the rest of us grown-ups really don't need anything and I don't enjoy shopping.

I am going to be forced to cut back this year. I really hate it. My DILs both want me to make some various types of natural soaps for them as gifts. The boys however aren't really interested in that. Of course I'll need to buy some new stuff to get different ingredients. I have enough of the basic stuff though.

Quote:

I might take a road trip to fl this year for xmas.. My aunt is going and i may tag along we will see i guess on how every thing is doing so far im not even sure we are closing on this house on scedual... A guy from winfeld was supposed to come up to appraise it on thurs.. He had something blow up so hes going to try again monday bank guy is out of town till monday of next week and we are supposed to close on that wed.. I have had no luck finding a roofer to give me an estimite which is also supposed to be done by closing.. Omg im so stressed out this is crazy ive had 3 roofers flake on giving an estimate so far and im running out of time and optons... I wont even know if the appraisal went through for enough till a week from monday......

It would be nice to be in Florida but I hate the idea of a road trip myself!! I really hate getting on the highway at all during the holiday period. You might have a blast though if you enjoy your aunt.
Good luck on your appraisal. Sounds like the roofers don't want to work in the heat either.

I think it says something about the mild summer when we are all miserable and suffering and it is 90 degrees or a bit more. I think we were spoiled by the mild July. I was really uncomfortable yesterday, and the weather people say our high was only 90. Every day is one day closer to fall.
Sharol you are right I am sure but that doesn't make it any more pleasant out there for us or the animals. I never even checked our temperature yesterday. I was afraid that since it's supposed to get hotter I'd get really depressed!

Of course (if I remember right), last year, August was almost mild after July's awful heatwave.

On a chicken note, Marlena's babies are 5 weeks old today. They are free-ranging in the yard with the rest of the flock all day, but she is still taking them back into the hoop coop at night. I'm letting her decide when to stay in the big chickens' run and coop. I just hope she makes the transition pretty soon.
Wow! Doesn't seem possible. I have some broodies who hatched elsewhere and most of them bring their babies back to the coop within a couple weeks. I wouldn't think it would be very long. On the reverse I have one girl who hatched in the coop and she moved her babies and is sitting outside the fence. It worries me but I am letting her do what she feels is best. They are just mutt chicks for the most part anyway but I don't want anything to happen to her.

Guys and gals, cool thoughts... lots of cool thoughts. I melt when it goes above 78F. Sharol is right. I'm spoiled by the very mild (by July statndard) temperature in July. Now this "heat wave" is killing me. My fans in the coop are on 24/7. The humidity is the killer. I even see the broodies panting while sitting on the eggs. Poor thing...
I laugh every time I read abouit how you hate the heat. Normally you think of a person being really big and overweight who can't stand the heat. You are anything but that. My fans run all summer in the coops. I know it feels better to me if the air is moving. I think I remember seeing it was supposed to be windy today. That could be a relief.
Speaking of broodies, I think I'll need to talk to my neighbors to get a couple of her mutt chicks for each broodies if their eggs don't hatch. Just 1 more week to go and I will know for sure. I am just done with having them broodies sitting on the eggs, taking up previous nest boxes. Of course egg production has gone way done due to the heat, humidity, and molting. Good grief... guess freeing up the nest boxes won't do me any good if the birds don't lay eggs.
I think I collected like 4 eggs yesterday besides a couple I intended to hatch. It's about the worst I have ever seen it.
With the heat and humidity, I have no energy to even think about doing anything outdoor. I really need to dump the duck pool water and put new water in. Need to clean the coop... I've only done small 5-min clean up here and there. All the birds did was sitting in the shade and under the wild sunflowers to get some relief from the scorching sun.
I noticed yesterday some of my wild sunflowers I have growing along the hoop coop for shade fell over. My goodness they look like trees with huge stalks. I have no idea why they would fall.

Need to see who has this incubator. The neighbor down the dirt road gave me a Farm Innovator 4200 with an egg turner. She said she only used it once and decides she wants a big 'ol cabinet incubator instead. She said she has a Farm Innovator 2200 incubator as a hatcher. Anyone has an experience using the 4200? I checked the BYC hatching forum and most people complained that the built in thermometer and hygrometer are useless. But other than that, it did work. Just trying to see if it is something I can use. If not, at least use it as a hatcher and I'll get something else to hatch the eggs with. I currently have a Brinsea mini.
I think Maidenwolf has the Farm innovator. If you read the instructions for those and the reviews it says that those built in thermometers and hygrometers are for indication only and you should always use a dependable one to check accurate temps. Once you establish the swing then you can use them as a gauge to estimate how far off they are. I always like using a small one with a probe or a little digital one I can set right down with the eggs to get the best reading. Pick up one from Walmart for under $10. Or if you have a harbor freight near by they have a little one that has a probe on the cheap for temperature only.

Quick question. I found 3 eggs in the duck house this morning after having not gotten an egg for the last several days (silly ducks are really good at hiding them). It has been almost 100 *F for the last several days. Are the eggs still good to eat, even though I don't know which ones are the oldest? Keep in mind that I am pregnant.

Lizzy I would crack them in a bowl before using them. I'm pretty sure they will be fine. I don't like taking chances in the really hot weather without checking first. It's not that I fear them being rotten... I fear them developing. If they look normal and the yolk still stands up when you crack them they should be just fine.
I got my big chicken yard divided yesterday. It's 35 feet long by about 16 feet wide so not it is half as wide on each side. When I get out there it is time to move the white rocks and the new hamp out there so I can start breeding red stars. I wanted to get a nest box unit moved out there but I don't know if I can manhandle it by myself. It was a hot and heavy job but I'm glad it is done. I also replaced a panel on a pen across the yard that was torn up, then drug the torn up panel over to the pen to use as part of the divider. I had to wire it together here and there but at least it works now and there isn't a danger of something getting in because it is inside the bigger pen.
I need to put some regular shoes on to move the nest box but I have a rash on top of one of my feet that is very itchy and very sore so I really hate to put shoes on.
It didn't seem as miserable yesterday as it did the day before. I was actually able to stay out there and work with only a couple of cool downs. I sure have been taking a lot of showers though! I need to go get feed again already. I am hoping I can put it off one more day. I still have a lot to get done around here.
I got up really late today. I ate pizza last night and had bad dreams and didn't sleep well. After DH got home this morning I was ready to sleep for a couple hours.
LOL yes talking about Christmas is helping me stay cooler. Actually for once in my life I am trying to plan ahead a little. Planning and doing are two different things though. If I had some semblance of organization I think I could actually start getting some things ready.

 

[KNHKLUCKERS]

I love all the talk about Christmas!! This will be the first Christmas in the new house. I really understand what you all are talking about when it comes to decorating. For several years I went overbord decorating for Halloween, myfavorate holiday by the way. After all the decorating we only had a few trick or treaters. That really bumed me out and kinda burnt me out on decorating altogether. We do have our own family tradition of going to Bell tree farm is Salina and picking a real tree for Christmas. I worked a 16 hour shift at the nursing home last night and am now waiting on my DW to get her hair cut, so please excuse the grammar being that i'm using my phone for this little update..lol...The plans are to finish fixing the riding lawn mower and relax mowing the yard today..I'm super excited!!! I just found out that my oldest step daughter is...lets say broody...so I'm gonna be a grandpa come febuary...I'm mixed with emotion..a little upset..a lot excited..an being a man of 34 thats about all the emotions that I can express without sounding like a little ol hen...as with all of you im praying for cooler weather!!!

 

[lizzyGSR]

First, an update... I just got back from my trip to town with the horses. Everything went flawlessly... well, except for the part about me being able to back the trailer into the driveway on the first try... It's a good thing we've got plenty of room for errors. The horses are happily grazing out in the pasture now, and I am back inside where it is relatively cool.

Speaking of cool, we've had highs near 100*F for a week or more now. That was right after we'd had several weeks with highs no more than mid-80's. It feels REALLY hot out there comparatively, especially this year. It has continued to be very dry here, and this heat hasn't helped one bit. We could REALLY use a good, soaking rain. Once again, we are on track to having one of the driest years on record this year, if not THE driest.

All of this talk about Christmas... This year Christmas will likely be very different in this household, as it will be our first Christmas with more than just the two of us. Baby is expected in early November, so this holiday season will be full of firsts for us! It's exciting, but it also makes it somewhat difficult to plan for things because we honestly don't know what to expect about traveling and such with a newborn, especially when you toss in the uncertainty that comes with winter driving.

 

[chicken danz]

Congrats on making your horse adventure without a mishap Lizzy. Any chance the family will come to you this year?You should really post some new pictures cause surely you are getting a tummy by now! How's the getting ready for baby going anyway? You really haven't said much.
KNHKluckers a new home always presents a new set of options for decorating. I was so spoiled by the possibilities of my old home this one has been a bit of a let down. I said for years Halloween was my favorite holiday. I particularly loved getting costumed up and becoming someone or something else for one night. Since we live in the sticks we don't get trick or treaters. I used to buy treats for friends' kids that dropped by, but I don't even do that any more. It's just another night to me now. I have some wonderful decorations for Halloween just no reason to put them up any more. I have planned for years to make a crank ghost and have all the stuff to do it with. One of these days I'll actually get it done. It's just that fall is such a busy time out here that I can't find the time to get crafty.
I have tons of porcelain village things and love the Halloween village. I am in the mindset I am going to find a place to put it up this year even if no one else sees it. I set it up one year when I was still in town but had few trick or treaters and the ones that did show up wouldn't keep their hands off of the pieces. They are so easily broken and expensive so I was less than delighted. I also have a Thanksgiving village so I was thinking of maybe setting up one village and removing the spooky items when Halloween was over and just leaving the fall items. What I lack is room to do so.
So over the years I have gotten more into Christmas than Halloween. Maybe because the decorations are more infinite and I can indulge myself in whatever idea I have.....If only I had the enthusiasm to get it all set up!

 

[lizzyGSR]

Congrats on making your horse adventure without a mishap Lizzy. Any chance the family will come to you this year?You should really post some new pictures cause surely you are getting a tummy by now! How's the getting ready for baby going anyway? You really haven't said much.

I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to leave you guys out! I guess I was just posting in so many places that I forgot about this one.

I am really hoping that my in-laws will be able to come for Thanksgiving. I honestly don't know about my family, as my sister is also expecting and is also due in November (Nov 27th). It is hard enough to plan around one baby's arrival, much less two! This will be my sister's third child, though, so she probably has a much better idea of what to expect than I do with all of this. I don't expect to see her around Thanksgiving time, unless we go see her. I'm sure it will all be a wait-and-see game as there are so many unknowns surrounding that now.

My husband's schedule usually requires that we only take vacation for one holiday. This year, maternity/paternity leave MIGHT cover Thanksgiving, so we might get to go home for Christmas/New Year's as well. That runs into the possibility of SNOW, though, and I'm not yet sure what I think about traveling (especially so far: about 4-5 hours) with a newborn with the threat of winter weather AND flu. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

I am making steady progress on getting ready for Baby's arrival, though it seems like there is WAY more to do than there is time to get it done. My in-laws were here a little more than a week ago, and they helped my husband move my desk out of the nursery and into the sunroom. That freed up some space for baby-related things in the nursery and simultaneously moved my computer to a place where it will likely be a little safer. We started a "to give away" pile in the room that will be the nursery a while back (think last year) and haven't taken care of it yet, so there is still some clean up that needs done in that room. Meanwhile, I have been working hard on making the crib set and other things for the nursery. I have 3 sides of the crib skirt done, as well as one window curtain. I still have yet to finish the remaining side on the crib skirt, the remaining curtain, the skirt for the twin bed that will be staying in the room, and the decorations for the wall. Here is a teaser photo of the stuff for the nursery. This is the window curtain, folded up and laying on the sidewalk outside. Please ignore the chalk lines on the fabric as the curtain has not yet been washed. The nursery is coming together nicely, and I am starting to get excited!



I have been doing really pretty well, and can't really complain, though I believe I have just moved into the stage where sleep becomes difficult. I have been having a hard and hard time getting and staying comfortable at night. Then, when I do finally get comfortable that is, of course, when I have to get up to make a run to the bathroom... So far, that is my biggest complaint, so I'd say I'm doing pretty good. I actually JUST finished a belly picture collage, and I'll share it with you since you asked.



My first baby shower will be in approximately two weeks! It is difficult to believe that it is almost here already! Gosh, how time flies!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Lizzy, been thinking about you driving the trailer and horses to the vet. So glad everything turned out awesome! I'm with Danz there... have you started on the nursery yet? A November baby! My daughter was born on Halloween. She was a tad early but you have no idea how many people kept asking us if we planned to have a Halloween baby. Duh... if we can predict exactly when a baby will be born (except for planned C-section I supposed), we would be rich by now.

I'm with KNHKluckers, this is the first year we are in this house. All these talks about holiday decorations and what not really got me thinking about how to decorate the house. I have several huge picture windows so it is just a matter of which window I want the Christmas tree at and how much decorations I want to put on the tree. Gotta remember what goes up on the tree will have to come down eventually and it is the coming down part that I dread every year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my most favorite holidays. Part of it is because the weather will be cooler (ya know... I've been looking forward to Fall since Spring...

) and the other part is I love to celebrate and cook. Those 2 holidays give me perfect reason to bake and cook ALL THE TIME! My son is also a budding chef (so he self proclaimed!!) so I think this year's holiday will be extra exciting with him buzzing around in the kitchen with me cooking and baking. As a matter of fact, he was just helping me cook up some soy milk from scratch last night!! I'll be making more soy milk this week too now that he has a taste of it and likes it (he tasted it before but didn't like it).

Oh... cooler thoughts... cooler thoughts... LOL

 

[cherwill]

Just a small update. I put some of the blu-kote on him. They had about 30 minutes of free range outside their cage (which had them seperated) and Apple Jack would do some mock fighting with the other one I think is a male and then back down running away.....but they never actually pecked at him, just chased him a bit. He seemed to be accepted much better tonight

Good! I know my niece said the blu-kote really worked for her duck.

After this evening, I feel much better about taking the horses to town by myself tomorrow. My husband was home this evening. He helped me hook the truck up to the trailer and then stood by and watched as I loaded the horses myself. I then gave the horses a small amount of grain in the trailer as a reward, and he held one of the buckets while they ate. Then, he stood and watched while I unloaded the horses and put them away. It went off without a hitch and only took about 15 minutes to load (roughly, I wasn't watching the clock).

Then, to help me feel better about things, he convinced me to take the truck and trailer for a short drive (sans horses) this evening. He rode along and made comments where he thought necessary but mostly just complimented me on my driving. I still get nervous driving with the horses in the back (maybe I've heard too many horror stories), but I feel a bit better after a short "practice run" today. When I put the horse that's nervous about the trailer in today, she was mauling me for treats... She's obviously not too terribly worried about the trailer if she's begging for food.

I hope it went well. I'd be nervous about it, too. I don't even like driving DH's pickup because of the way it turns, never mind with a trailer on the back of it!

With the heat and humidity, I have no energy to even think about doing anything outdoor. I really need to dump the duck pool water and put new water in. Need to clean the coop... I've only done small 5-min clean up here and there. All the birds did was sitting in the shade and under the wild sunflowers to get some relief from the scorching sun.

I'm not sure if I'm having a harder time with the heat and humidity or with the mosquitoes. I'm so tired of feeling like a pincushion ...

Did I say I like Winter? I really do...

You may have mentioned that before.

I can't wait for fall, bring it on!

It finally dried out enough at the garden to plant that extra plot we were given. I had a bad attack of something yesterday and couldn't go, but DH and my aunt spent all afternoon out there. DH said he had to till it four times to get it broken up enough to plant. I'm not sure what all they planted, but they were planning on trying for a fall crop of scallop squash and peas, as well as wax beans, carrots, beets, and radishes. Tomorrow morning, before it's melting-hot out, I need to go harvest more of the flat green beans and poke around in the tomatilloes to see if they're ready to harvest.

Stay cool everyone!