Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I'm really upset this morning. That fox that we know has been hanging around, got another of my ducks. I've lost count of how many birds it has got recently. The ducks tend to go down to the pond where they are more vulnerable - as long as they're in the coop they're safe. But this one was "special" and typically did go into the coop so I don't know why he was out this time but it only takes once. I really want to get another sighting on the fox and this time, hopefully I can get a shot on him.

 

[zigzag45]

@sharol -- I'd never thought that the milk products could mess with them. Good comment. They go nuts when I bring it out, but they can take a week off and see what happens.
@Trish44 -- As evidence of just how far I've come from having no interest in chickens, I spent way too long studying the chicken poo link. Thank you. I'd have to say what I'm seeing (and stepping, no sliding, in) looks like the pictures under normal and ceacal. Being a total NOOB to birds (I can now pretty consistently tell the head from the feet), I figured something was wrong. I'd still like to get things "tightened" up, but it's nice to know a bird isn't going to flop over dead as a result of runny poo.
@chicken danz -- Thanks for the link. Their website says "Call store" under availability -- figures. At least I know why I couldn't find it. I did buy http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/probiosreg;-dispersible-powder-240-grams?cm_vc=-10005 last time I was there, wondering if it was what you use. I was wrong. How much/often do you use? Do you just follow the measurements on the back and give it to them once a week or so? I'll dig into the specs on both to see if what I have is functionally the same. If not, I'll make a return and ask them to get it for me.
@cherwill -- I'll try the timer thing. We got less eggs in Nov as compared with Oct, even though we had more layers.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Trish44]

HEChicken I hope you get that darned fox! Now that it's found a ready food source I'm sure it will be back.

We had a possum the GPs had cornered last night, they had run it under our BBQ grill by the house that has a big cover on that goes to the ground. I went out there to see what they were "arguing" over & knew there was something under there. I sent my DH out with a flashlight & he came back in & told me what it was. I sure hope those dogs dispatched it when it came out of there, I hate those ugly nasty things & they do kill chickens. I hope to find it out there in the yard dead somewhere.

It's really cloudy today, I was hoping for one more day of sunshine, but no dice. It's still supposed to be 64 today, but it's only 45 right now. I need to get out & get clean water for all of the birds. The ones that got leaves in their pens yesterday scratched them around & got them into their waterers & the turkeys keep walking in their pan so they turn it over all the time. Does anybody have any ideas how to solve that one? I hate it when I go out to their pen & they have dumped all of their water out. They're such clumsy birds, there is nothing graceful about a turkey, they're all just clutzy.

My chickens have been really enjoying this weather, but they really aren't laying much, I have only gotten about 4 eggs a day the last two days out of 30 some hens. Most of them are out of molt now except for a couple, so I don't know why they don't get back to business again, I sure wish they would. I had to turn my neighbor away the other day for eggs.

 

[zigzag45]

@Trish44 -- being a NOOB, I don't usually comment/answer much. But, I will say that I love what I have. I had originally build a waterer for them with heat tape, but then bought a heated bucket and adapted it like this:

My first one froze, I figured it was due to how I'd built it, but then I found my GFI outlet tripped. But, I found that after I had built v2 of the waterer. Should have checked the outlet first. I put in nipples (from AvianAquaMiser) and poultry cups from Cackle. These nipples don't drip, and so between the poultry cups and the spouts (what we call the nipples here), I never have to clean out their water. The heated bucket keeps it from freezing (the cups froze once, but the spouts didn't). I have it on some bricks, but also a chain anchored above it to keep them from knocking it over. Add some water once a day and it's great. I hate cleaning out leafy, litter filled water. In six months it's only gotten grime in it once, the poultry cups stay super clean since they are 12" or so off the ground.

 

[JosieChick]

She's not doing well. Life has been a total upset for her. I haven't heard from her recently but I know it's because she has so much to deal with. Send me the pics and prices if you will.
Guineas will start laying most likely the end of March to maybe as late as the end of April. It's more weather related but they won't begin until spring regardless of age. Then they will lay until the weather turns way too hot or gets cool.
Turkeys will most likely wait until spring but they will lay when the weather suits them as well. In warmer areas they can lay in December or January. I'd expect them to start from March to May depending on the weather and/or the breed. A turkey will continue laying until (a) the weather turns cool or (b) she is allowed to go broody.

I am so sorry, what a bummer. Do you have some ducks staying at the pond at night still? Could you set a live trap? If you don't have one we have one sitting in the barn that was here when we bought the place if you want to use it.

I'm really upset this morning. That fox that we know has been hanging around, got another of my ducks. I've lost count of how many birds it has got recently. The ducks tend to go down to the pond where they are more vulnerable - as long as they're in the coop they're safe. But this one was "special" and typically did go into the coop so I don't know why he was out this time but it only takes once. I really want to get another sighting on the fox and this time, hopefully I can get a shot on him.

Sure was a foggy morning, I am surprised it has cleared up. I have so much to do, sigh. It never ends and my house is a disaster. For Christmas I would like a magic cleaning fairy!

 

[Trish44]

@Trish44 -- being a NOOB, I don't usually comment/answer much. But, I will say that I love what I have. I had originally build a waterer for them with heat tape, but then bought a heated bucket and adapted it like this:

My first one froze, I figured it was due to how I'd built it, but then I found my GFI outlet tripped. But, I found that after I had built v2 of the waterer. Should have checked the outlet first. I put in nipples (from AvianAquaMiser) and poultry cups from Cackle. These nipples don't drip, and so between the poultry cups and the spouts (what we call the nipples here), I never have to clean out their water. The heated bucket keeps it from freezing (the cups froze once, but the spouts didn't). I have it on some bricks, but also a chain anchored above it to keep them from knocking it over. Add some water once a day and it's great. I hate cleaning out leafy, litter filled water. In six months it's only gotten grime in it once, the poultry cups stay super clean since they are 12" or so off the ground.

The problem with that is I can't get electricity to that coop, it's too far out & I already have my max of extension cords out there, so that's why I have to have a rubber pan for them so I can break the ice out of it. I have extension cords going all over the place as it is & I'm afraid if I try to add any more I'll blow a breaker.

Josie, that made me laugh, I need one of those cleaning fairies too!

 

[HEChicken]

I am so sorry, what a bummer. Do you have some ducks staying at the pond at night still? Could you set a live trap? If you don't have one we have one sitting in the barn that was here when we bought the place if you want to use it.

Sure was a foggy morning, I am surprised it has cleared up. I have so much to do, sigh. It never ends and my house is a disaster. For Christmas I would like a magic cleaning fairy!

Most of the ducks are no longer staying at the pond. The ones that were last year's hatch and are now a year and a half old, must have learned wisdom with age and they are ALL in the coop every night. The ones who hatched this year are still at that juvenile age where they apparently believe themselves to be invincible. But even they seem to know to go in the coop at night now. Every duck the fox got was one I hatched this year. The drake that was the last victim is one who did go in every night though, so there are two possibilities. One is that the fox visited during daylight hours, or the second is that the drake went down to the pond and instead of flying back, waddled back. That would leave him stuck on the pasture side of the fence and unable to get back to the coop. We were gone for a few days and if I'd been here, I'd have known to look for him and open the gate to let him out of the pasture but the critter sitter wouldn't have noticed one missing and probably wouldn't have known how to get him back in even if it was noticed that the drake was on the wrong side of the fence.

Thanks for the offer of the trap, Josie - I may end up taking you up on that. We've seen this fox twice in the past few months. The first time it was on my neighbor's property so I was reluctant to shoot, but did finally get a good shot at him and that was the time I discovered too late that the safety was on. The second time he was out at the end of our pasture. So out of range that we were only able to even tell it was the fox through the binoculars. If I had it to do all over though, I would have snuck up on him that day because he was there a good 45 minutes. I might have been able to get in range if I'd only tried. Since then he's got a half dozen ducks so it really makes me wish I'd tried the day I knew he was there. However, since we've seen him twice in daylight hours, it gives me hope that if I stay vigilant, I will see him again and this time I'll be prepared. I'll even take the safety off.

 

[22qZoo]

Ooh, "magic cleaning fairy" I want one too. I don't want one of these deals that I have to clean first before they show up tho. I think laundry is the worst, I hate folding and putting it away, I wish I had a spare dining room table in another room that I could just leave it in and ignore it.
I put a cookie-tin heater in the coop for later this week, sounds like its going to get ugly cold again. These last few days sure have been nice .

 

[lizzyGSR]

Ooh, "magic cleaning fairy" I want one too. I don't want one of these deals that I have to clean first before they show up tho. I think laundry is the worst, I hate folding and putting it away, I wish I had a spare dining room table in another room that I could just leave it in and ignore it.
I put a cookie-tin heater in the coop for later this week, sounds like its going to get ugly cold again. These last few days sure have been nice .

"ugly cold" - that is a good way to put it! The current temperature here is 66*F. The forecasted high for Wednesday is only 23*F and for Thursday is only 15*F. BRRR!!! It's supposed to be windy as well, which definitely won't help it feel any warmer. I am NOT looking forward to doing chores those days! I guess the only good thing is that it is deer season, which means we keep the horses closer to the house and won't have to walk so far to bring them in at night. My heavy coat doesn't fit over both me and the little one (I put him in a Moby wrap to take him with me when I go outside) so I guess I'll be commandeering one of my DH's heavy coats. It's a good thing he has more than one because it looks like it isn't going to warm up for a while.

 

[Bumblefoot Bill]

Deer season! Wear your orange!