Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

Beautiful baby, Lizzy. Take good care of yourself.

 

[Trish44]

Congrats on the new baby, Lizzy!!! Of course I have to rub it in I was right about the sex. When you have as many kids as I did you get a pretty good eye for that.

Wow King Bee that was quite a score. Our local store will hang on to them without lowering the price until they sit there and rot. That is exactly what happened last year.
Trish, did you say you mixed that wormer in with your FF? I would have to stretch to make 50 pounds of feed work for one day but I could probably do it. I had seen that advertised several places but figured it wouldn't work for my group. Now I am re-thinking.
DH was talking about how much I was going to have on my outlets today. I really need to get some much needed wiring done because I am going to overload the circuits with all the stuff I need to run this year.
What a busy day I had. I actually welcomed the early darkness because I am totally exhausted.
I decided I had to get started on some kind of shelter for the other turkeys. So DH got an idea to use some old metal panels and run another pole across the top of the dog kennel I keep them in. Anyway we decided we could construct an A frame out of panels that way and have some shelter.
I had to get a load of feed so I wrote a check and sent him after it. While he was gone I got the poles installed and attached some metal panels to the west side of the fence. The worst part was I was wiring them. So I'd drill a couple holes in the panels, stick the wire through, then have to go around three pens to go into the peafowl pen to push the wire back through the second hole. Then walk back to the turkey pen to twist the wire in place. I must have made 100 trips around those pens back and forth securing those panels.But that makes the back wall to the A frame. I got the north side put in place then decided we needed at least one more panel on it to make room for all the turkeys I have in there. We attached a 2x2 in between panels. Hopefully that will give me a surface to mount a couple of roosts to. It won't be a lot of room and it will be pretty open but it is the fastest way we could come up with to build a shelter. I think we'll get it finished in the morning if it isn't pouring down rain.
DH was adding the last panel so I shoveled off the load of feed into the barrels so it wouldn't get rained on. My back is never going to forgive me after the last few days. Then I carried in a couple of bags of chick starter. I could smell some ammonia building up in the brooder. So I added a bucket full of DE and a bundle of shavings to the brooder house. I just kind of raked it all around and hope it does the trick. I've lost a couple chicks the last couple days and I suspect it is because it is over crowded. I'm just trying to figure out where on earth to put birds.
I have some in grow out pens that need to go to breeder coops soon but they aren't quite full sized. I don't want them to get picked on. I need to build a couple of high vents into my brooder house to vent out near the top soon as well. It's been okay but I think it could be a lot better.

Danz, yes I did mix the wormer in with my FF & it worked out great. I don't have as many birds as you do, but you mix the whole cannister in 50 pounds or 1 scoop per pound. If you're mixing it in 50 pounds of FF I sure would just try to mix smaller amounts at a time to try to get it distributed more evenly. I just have seen a big increase in laying since I used that wormer. I know it was time to do it, I try to do it at least spring & fall. Some people worm more often, but I don't think they need it more than that unless you're seeing a lot of worms in the droppings & I wasn't. I have only seen a couple since I wormed them, so maybe only a couple of hens actually had worms, I don't know. It's not something I have seen much of here. It sounds like you got your shelter pretty much in place for your turkeys. I wish I could have gotten the plastic sheeting on my hoop coops today, but I just ran out of time after I messed with heated bowls, bases, & extension cords. By the time I got all of the strung out & in place plugged in I had to hurry around & feed & still was in the dark feeding cats & dogs. At least I now have all but 2 rabbits in the garage, so it doesn't matter if it's dark outside, I can feed them last & not worry about it now. They seem very happy to be back in there too out of the wind & all. They really enjoy it out there under the trees in the summer, but in the winter they prefer to be inside. I have to tell you a funny about my rabbits, I had the three males already in there in cages since the critter sitter had already moved them in. The other day when I started moving females in the little males got all excited like oh boy girls! They had been the only ones in there the whole time I was gone on vacation, so they were really glad to see the girls come in. I get a kick out of their personalities, I have a couple that have some attitude.

 

[KsKingBee]

Trish, when using any electrical resistance device like a heating element or heat lamp, the longer the run the more amperage it will pull. Electricity is like water plumbing, the smaller the pipe the less flow you get and the increased resistance cost you energy to push it. The larger the pipe the less resistance you have and more flow with less energy spent. Hold a small cord or the plug at the end when it is being used, if it is warm that is energy you are loosing.

Those big heavy cords cost a lot more but in the long run they will save money and are safer to use.

 

[22qZoo]

LIZZY- That's wonderful ! Congratulations !

 

[KsKingBee]

I get a kick out of their personalities, I have a couple that have some attitude.

When I had rabbits back in the 80's I had a really huge lop eared buck that if I didn't use a shield when I walked into the shed he would flip in a circle and literately throw me a Pee bomb. That was an attitude I could not adjust.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Tweety those peachicks you got are about 3-4 weeks older than these two I have in the picture. They were my last two to hatch. The other ones I had that were the same age as yours are much much bigger and have just been moved to the outside pen.
I have used oxine and vetRX in a vaporizer for sick chicks. I think I would hold off on the vaporizer right now though because the humidity is pretty high right now and you don't want to saturate the air too much. I just put a small glug of oxine in the drinking water. I never measured it.
I would put a little vetrx on her beak near her nostrils and maybe put a little on the water. The birds won't like drinking the water but they will if there is none other available. It won't mix per say, but rather kind of sit on top. 
I'm glad to hear you have a heater. Peachicks are very cold tender for a lot longer than chickens are. I am thinking of putting a heat tape on the roosts in my peafowl house and covering it with carpeting. I have read that helps them keep their feet and body warm in winter. Mine have done just fine without it but they do sit on their feet for warmth. I may try it just in the pen with the 2013 chicks to see if they use it. I would have to find some old carpeting some place to do it but that shouldn't be too hard to do.
I ordered my garlic from http://www.keeneorganics.com/  They sell certified organic garlic if that matters to you. There are many many types available.
It was here in less than two days.
I wouldn't think they would have been infected by anything in the ground if they have never been outside. I would make sure you have plenty of ventilation in the building, because fumes they create can cause breathing problems as well.

Danz, hmmmm... if the pictured peachicks are younger, wonder if I didn't feed mine correctly? I feed mine chick feeds. Should I be feeding them gamebird feeds instead. I feel like an idiot for not asking this question when I got the birds from you.

 

[Trish44]

Trish, when using any electrical resistance device like a heating element or heat lamp, the longer the run the more amperage it will pull. Electricity is like water plumbing, the smaller the pipe the less flow you get and the increased resistance cost you energy to push it. The larger the pipe the less resistance you have and more flow with less energy spent. Hold a small cord or the plug at the end when it is being used, if it is warm that is energy you are loosing.

Those big heavy cords cost a lot more but in the long run they will save money and are safer to use.

I am using heavy duty cords outside, I always have used those.

When I had rabbits back in the 80's I had a really huge lop eared buck that if I didn't use a shield when I walked into the shed he would flip in a circle and literately throw me a Pee bomb. That was an attitude I could not adjust.

Oh wow, I haven't had one do that. I raise Mini Rex & Standard Chinchillas. One of my prettiest does & a very good mother is the one with the most attitude. I have started trying to handle her a little more so maybe she won't get so snappy with me this winter. She is the one that got hold of my hand right in the spot between my thumb & index finger & bit me hard last year, it brought tears to my eyes. She isn't as bad if she's not pregnant, but boy if she is I make sure I watch where she is any more when I reach in her cage. She is a total grouch when she's pregnant. She is a very good mother though & has beautiful babies so I put up with her, she is a black otter if you know what that looks like. Deerfield has two of my rabbits just for pets & the last one she got is a blue otter & he's just a doll.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I think gapeworm is contracted by eating bugs that carry the parasite, if I remember correctly it can be carried by roaches. You can put a couple drops of vet rx around the nostrils or near the nose to help with congestion. If it continues to gape or gasp I wouldn't be shy about starting antibiotics, peas are pretty sensitive creatures and it could be the cold setting in that has gotten it ill. If nothing else it will prevent a secondary infection if it has picked up a virus. 
Well I don't like it getting dark so early! I hate this time of year because I know winter is coming. Ugh. We are off to family pics this afternoon so that will be fun! 

Josie, thanks for the input. I'll give Vetrx a shot. It'll make me sick if I lose the peachick even though they are supposed to be DH's

 

[Trish44]

Danz, hmmmm... if the pictured peachicks are younger, wonder if I didn't feed mine correctly? I feed mine chick feeds. Should I be feeding them gamebird feeds instead. I feel like an idiot for not asking this question when I got the birds from you.

When mine were smaller I fed them gamebird starter, but now that my peachick is bigger she eats with all of the guineas & other peafowl so she eats the FF they get.

 

[JosieChick]

I am not taking the time to catch up on reading. However, I did want to let ya'll know the news!

Ethan Michael was born yesterday. He was 8 lbs 13 oz and was 20 3/4" long.