Consolidated Kansas

[JosieChick]

I almost forgot! I think it would be fun to hear guesses on Baby's gender... Some people say that you can tell by where Mom carries her bump... What do ya'll think? Boy or Girl?

Hmmm, Boston terrier? The name is misleading as the breed is actually classified as non sporting. I like Bostons, they are sweet, trainable, clever and charming little dogs. They have very short, tight coats, don't bark much, are active and athletic if you want to take them outside.

In our shelters around here you will find a lot of brussels griffon mixes, sheltie type mixes, shih tzu/maltese/poodle/pug mixes which can be kinda high strung and have some coat maitenance needs.

Corgis have insane undercoat and shed like the dickens year round. Just in case you don't like gobs of dog hair all over your house.

Okay everyone, I'd like some input if you will. We have two medium sized dogs right now who fit really well into our family and lifestyle but they are outside dogs and just lately I've been kind of hankering for an inside pet dog. I have never had a small dog - mine have always been 40lb or bigger - so I don't know a lot about the different breeds. Ultimately if I decide to adopt, I'll probably get a mutt from a rescue like I always do but....I'd like some input into what breeds might be compatible with my lifestyle. Here's what I know I don't want:

* A dog that requires grooming. When I look at little dogs on rescue sites, it seems like most of them need to be taken to the groomers on a regular basis (not something I thought about, but just an observation). Dogs like maltese, pekinese, poodles etc., all seem to have beautiful coats that would require maintenance and that is just not my thing.

* A terrier. This is only because of the chickens. Right now I have two extremely poultry safe dogs and I love that they can be out roaming among the birds and it is not a stress factor for me worrying about what might happen when I turn my back. The last thing I want is to bring in another dog that if it tries to follow me out to see the birds - or if someone just lets it out the door to go potty - I wind up losing birds. My sense about terriers is that because they were bred as hunting dogs, most would not be good around poultry but if I am wrong about that, please let me know.

That's actually my total list of requirements, but I realize they narrow it down quite a bit I've never really cared for chihuahuas, dachshunds or pugs (well, pugs are cute but the snuffly, snuffly noises they make aren't). So far the only breed that is on my "yes" list is Corgis but I know there must be others out there that are neither fluffy nor a terrier. When I say "small", I am thinking 10-20lb but that is a flexible criteria. Too small and I would worry about hurting it if I step on it accidentally, and too big and it may as well go and live outside with the other dogs.

So - what do you have for me? Any suggestions?

That is a small coyote! The ones around here are like big dogs! Guineas, they probably would have shot him themselves if they could!

Quote: Don't stress, my nursery wasn't done either! Besides that you won't need half the stuff in there for a while!

Ummm... Well, I don't have any. Mainly because the nursery isn't finished yet. The dresser that we plan to use to store things hasn't been cleaned up and painted yet. Until it gets cleaned up and painted, the rest of the room is in major disarray. There are still a couple of pieces of the nursery set that I"d like to make, but the organizing of the nursery (and packing of bags) needs to come first...

So much to do!

Hi everyone!! I am so far behind, sorry if I missed something important! Danz, I laughed about your ridiculous expedition for that hose! Geez, what a mess.

Here is my moral dilemma for the day: I have a bunch of chicks in the barn that a broody hatched. They are mostly black cochins and mostly cockerels! I think there are like ten boys out there, they are about 3-4 weeks old and I have no need for them. They aren't worth growing out because they will be small even when full grown. What should I do with them? I hate to just cull them and throw them out but what do you do with that many male chicks??

 

[chicken danz]

Josie I have the same problem here. I have a whole group of broody chicks who have now gone independent and I swear they are all boys!!! Then I have these red stars and a couple of other mixes I am hatching. I keep trying to figure out some way I could use them for animal feed. I put an add up for snake food and only got one response and when she learned they were chicks she wasn't interested. It seems so wrong to kill a bird just because it was born male. I used to just grow them up and then let them eat and sell them for eating birds but I can't afford to do that any more. I wonder if if that is what some of the chicken by-products in pet food is???
I'd think a pug and a poodle mix dog would be a puddle.

Yeah that hose ordeal was a mess. Sometimes I think I am loosing my mind but at least I know I had a brain to begin with. Some people just don't!
HEChicken I am glad the turkeys are figuring it all out. Yeah they can benefit from that good feed for sure. I need to get a grow out pen figured out for my turkeys. I have so many of them. I've banished a few boys to one pen so I can keep them straight but it is just temporary. I can only guess at most of them at this stage though.
The RPs are settling in and seem pretty content. They are still confined to a pen but it is 10X20 so it's not like they are crowded. I wanted to move them over to the pen beside them but it is where all the bachelor chickens go to roost at night. Until I have something else figured out I guess they will stay where they are at.
I can't believe how late it is getting in the year and how much I still have to do before cold weather hits.
It hasn't been that many years ago I remember driving to work in 6 inches of snow on October the 8th. Just an unheard of thought right now!!!
MrsDanaMiller good to see you back again.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Hmmm, Boston terrier? The name is misleading as the breed is actually classified as non sporting. I like Bostons, they are sweet, trainable, clever and charming little dogs. They have very short, tight coats, don't bark much, are active and athletic if you want to take them outside.

Don't stress, my nursery wasn't done either! Besides that you won't need half the stuff in there for a while!

My mom has a Boston Terrier that is super active. She loves to play ball and will whine and bark to get you to play with her. SHe has also learned to bark at all kinds of things from the other dogs my parents own... I don't know if she's an example of a typical terrier with the barking and stuff. She LOVES to go outside as well. She has never been around chickens so I don't know how she'd do with them...


About the nursery.... Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one whose gotten so far along and still doesn't have a finished nursery. However, the dresser is what is keeping me from finishing the room... Without the dresser, NOTHING is put away. I also haven't washed clothes and blankets because I have nowhere to put them once they are clean... REALLY need that dresser!!!

 

[lizzyGSR]

I just saw an update from the NWS about weather for this weekend. They're calling for the possibility of the first frost of the season this weekend. YIKES! It doesn't seem possible that it is time to be on the lookout for frosts already! Where has the time gone!?! We've been having gorgeous weather recently... Calm, sunny, highs in the 70's or 80's, lows in the 50's at night. BEAUTIFUL! They say a coldfront will be coming through and dropping our highs to the 50's and 60's. Winter is definitely on its way, and I am NOT ready for SNOW!!!! I am less concerned about snow when it comes to the unknown of Baby's arrival because we have a 4-wheel drive... We should be able to make it to the hospital as long as we can see where we're going. However, there is so much that I wanted to get done before it got cold... Looks like I might have to pair my list down a bit.

 

[chicken danz]

Sounds like the dresser should be first priority after packing your bag, Lizzy. I have no room to talk and no excuse. I have tons of furniture around here I intended to refinish and it's been years. I just spend all my time with the birds.

 

[Trish44]

HEChicken, one of my little dogs is a Mal-Shi, that is half Maltese & half Shih Tzu & she is the most loving dog I have ever had. When she has been outside she hasn't taken an interest in the chickens at all, in fact she might be afraid of them. She is made to be a lap dog & the Maltese were bred to be carried around. mine took after her daddy who is the Maltese & her mom also was a small Shih Tzu, so Bella only weighs between 5 & 6 pounds but she is big enough to see her so she doesn't get stepped on. Yes, she does have to have a little grooming. I keep her cut shorter so as not to have problems with her fine hair getting tangled into knots, but I use dog clippers & do it myself. My DH had always said he wasn't a dog person, that is until we got these two little babies we have now. He fell in love with the Yorkie but the Mal-Shi Bella really captured his heart & wrapped her little paw around his finger. He spoils that dog rotten, really both of them, but Bella the most, she is his baby. She is kind of yappy, but a lot of little dogs are. She's so sweet though that you don't mind so much.

I started cleaning out my main coop this morning & got almost all the shavings out. I just have to go out now & sweep the remaining stuff out of there & I want to powerwash the roosts to get them cleaner. Then I'll let it all dry out before putting new shavings in. I had a hen in there while I was shoveling out shavings & poop & she was yelling her head off at me because I was disturbing her. They're going to be more upset with me before I'm done, but they will have a clean coop afterwards. I plan to go work on cleaning the breeder coop out next, but I don't think I'll get it done today.

 

[ChickieWickies]

Iooks like I might have to pair my list down a bit.

Welcome to the world of motherhood!!! I always say that God gave me children to break me of my perfectionism! Say goodbye to the perfectly clean house, having laundry done AND put away, being on time ANYWHERE, and wearing clean clothes (babies LOVE to spit up on your only clean shirt)!!! With that said, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! --Even if two of them ARE teens now!!

HeChicken, you may want to look into breeds that don't shed, but then you may have to go to the groomer. My folks rescued a Bichon Frise. She is most definitely an INSIDE dog, but she doesn't seem to mind the chickens when she's over here. They aren't in the yard together, but they can see each other through the wire. I think if you start them together, then whatever breed you choose should be manageable.

Chicken news: Two days ago Lacey hatched out a cochin chick early but she's still sitting on the eggs--the rest are due at the end of the week. We also picked up 3 bantams at Atwoods--2 frizzle and an EE we think. They are inside until more hatch and then we're "adding" them in with the others under Lacey.

 

[zigzag45]

Danz and HeChicken, thanks for the feed advice. I think I'll keep them all on grower for another month.

I attempted wing clipping last night. I must not have done it right as the brahmas were on the fence 10 minutes later. I wonder if I didn't take enough off. Was scared of going to far. Probably clipped the top 2-3" off.

 

[chicken danz]

Yeah zig zag that would be my guess. As you spread the wing out you can kind of see where the long feathers meet the shorter feathers. You need to trim fairly close to that edge. I think it would be closer to 6-8 inches depending on how large they are now. Sometimes wing clipping won't stop them but for a big bodied bird like that it certainly should.
I was out feeding and feeling so over loaded. How on earth am I ever going to get caught up. I have to go to a class about 5:30 and be gone a couple hours. The day is going way too fast. I set another load of eggs in the incubator and candled a few that were near hatching. I have a couple turkeys hatching today. That should be about the next to last group to hatch.

 

[HEChicken]

Sharol, I don't know why your posts always show up blank in the multi....anyway, I think I was going to comment that the guess on puggle being pug/poodle sounded perfectly logical to me...

That would be a pugapoo to some Or to me, just a mutt, as my dogs are

LOL. Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a purebred dog either. My only reason for seeking breed suggestions is for the qualities the breeds tend to possess (like long hair, short hair, bred to be hunters, herders, shedding etc). Once I narrow down to breeds that I think will suit me, then I am open to any cross containing one or more of those breeds.

Hmmm, Boston terrier? The name is misleading as the breed is actually classified as non sporting. I like Bostons, they are sweet, trainable, clever and charming little dogs. They have very short, tight coats, don't bark much, are active and athletic if you want to take them outside.

In our shelters around here you will find a lot of brussels griffon mixes, sheltie type mixes, shih tzu/maltese/poodle/pug mixes which can be kinda high strung and have some coat maitenance needs.

Corgis have insane undercoat and shed like the dickens year round. Just in case you don't like gobs of dog hair all over your house.

I know there was more in your post but it didn't multi over but....thank you for your insight - I figured with all the animals with which you've had experience you'd give me something to chew on, and you did. Interesting about the inside/outside dog dilemma....our dogs have always been inside dogs until we moved out here, and then we decided all pets would be outside. I have to say, I haven't missed them being inside and that's why I'm confused about this sudden desire to....look. I do take my two dogs with me as often as I can. In summer they have to stay home since I can't leave them in the car, but the rest of the year, they usually go with me if I am going out in the car and they LOVE to go to the barn. I think what I am missing is the companionship in the evenings so I guess I am really looking for a lapdog.

Oh - regarding your cockerel dilemma....I keep snakes that can eat a meal that is up to about 100g in size. If you are culling anyway, rather than throwing away, if they are around that size, you could put them in the freezer and I could get them from you sometime and use them as snake food. That way they wouldn't go completely to waste. Just a thought....

I'd think a pug and a poodle mix dog would be a puddle.

About the nursery.... Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one whose gotten so far along and still doesn't have a finished nursery. However, the dresser is what is keeping me from finishing the room... Without the dresser, NOTHING is put away. I also haven't washed clothes and blankets because I have nowhere to put them once they are clean... REALLY need that dresser!!!

When I had my first, we were planning an international move as soon as she was born. The first picture taken of her was her passport picture and we expedited the passport, so we could get on a plane when she was only 20 days old. Let's just say....I had no nursery to get ready and when we arrived in the new country, did not even have a home to move into. We were met at the airport by friends with whom we stayed for a few days while we found a place to rent. The place we rented was a 1-bedroom and she co-slept with us. She didn't get her own room until we bought a house when she was about 6 months old, and I was turning it into a nursery for her well after she was already in it. Today she is a well-adjusted teen so....don't sweat not having everything absolutely perfect before baby is born - they really don't care.

HEChicken, one of my little dogs is a Mal-Shi, that is half Maltese & half Shih Tzu & she is the most loving dog I have ever had. When she has been outside she hasn't taken an interest in the chickens at all, in fact she might be afraid of them. She is made to be a lap dog & the Maltese were bred to be carried around. mine took after her daddy who is the Maltese & her mom also was a small Shih Tzu, so Bella only weighs between 5 & 6 pounds but she is big enough to see her so she doesn't get stepped on. Yes, she does have to have a little grooming. I keep her cut shorter so as not to have problems with her fine hair getting tangled into knots, but I use dog clippers & do it myself. My DH had always said he wasn't a dog person, that is until we got these two little babies we have now. He fell in love with the Yorkie but the Mal-Shi Bella really captured his heart & wrapped her little paw around his finger. He spoils that dog rotten, really both of them, but Bella the most, she is his baby. She is kind of yappy, but a lot of little dogs are. She's so sweet though that you don't mind so much.

Yapping....I totally forgot about the small dog tendency to yap. I am so glad I am discussing all of this with you guys - you are definitely giving me things to think about that I hadn't thought about. Of course, last night I saw a Cairn Terrier I really like and I've been a fan of the breed for a long time so I started wondering about a Cairn and then today when talking to a friend, learned that one of her dogs is a Cairn, and that of course started the "it was meant to be" train of thought.

HeChicken, you may want to look into breeds that don't shed, but then you may have to go to the groomer. My folks rescued a Bichon Frise. She is most definitely an INSIDE dog, but she doesn't seem to mind the chickens when she's over here. They aren't in the yard together, but they can see each other through the wire. I think if you start them together, then whatever breed you choose should be manageable.

Chicken news: Two days ago Lacey hatched out a cochin chick early but she's still sitting on the eggs--the rest are due at the end of the week.

You may want to pull those eggs she is sitting on. A lot of times the hen will continue to sit for about 48 hours after the first chick hatches. This is because she "knows" the chicks don't need to eat and drink right away and she is giving late eggs a chance to hatch. But after the first 48 hours, they almost always abandon the nest so they can take the chick(s) and show them the ways of the world. So the eggs she is sitting on, if they haven't hatched by then, will likely be abandoned.

Hmmm...so my choices are shedding or grooming. I hadn't thought about it in those terms....thank you.

One thing I settled on last night is the idea of adopting a senior dog. I've never enjoyed the puppy stage and I decided it would be nice if I am going to do this, to give a senior dog a good home for the last few years of its life. I know that comes with trials of its own but....it feels like the right thing for me to do.

I woke this morning to a new chick in the incubator. When I went to bed late last night there wasn't even a pip, so I wasn't expecting a chick to have pipped, zipped and hatched by the time the alarm went off.