Consolidated Kansas

[tweetybaby2005]

It sure is nice to be reading posts more often for me. Not quite down time for me yet since I still have this big server upgrade project I'm working on but come late May, I'll feel much better.

Danz... that was fast to sell a house in 1 day! That's awesome! Hope your son finds a new house soon. Speaking of building pens and stuff.... I'm not creative at all and my husband thinks I'm dangerous with a power tool. LOL

But he will just have to put up with me since I'm going to learn to use the power tool no matter what. The bad part is, he takes all the power tools with him in his toolbox when he goes to work, so I think I'll be buying my own in the near future.

Trish... that poor lamb.

He must be terrified. I hope he will get used to being away from his old home soon. Penny and Patches sure are hyper, chasing him around like that. Sounds like they will have the 5 acres to graze all day long and definitely enough space to keep them happy!

Marlowesmama... welcome. Tell us more about your flock. We have a few people up in your neck of the wood.

Friendshipstar... you are quite close to me. I'm just about 10 minutes west of butler county.

I opened up the 2 south windows downstairs in the evening yesterday but forgot to close them. So this morning when I came down to get ready for work, it was CHILLY! I had to put a jacket on just to walk around the kitchen to get my breakfast and lunch ready and head out to work.

it is just plain windy today as well but I shouldn't complain. At least it is not as bad as the other night when I thought the train came into my room. Geeezzz....

I checked on my tomato plants first thing this morning because I left them outside and it was 47F this morning. They didn't wilt or anything so I'm hopeful that they are now completely hardened off. I plan to plant them in the ground this weekend. Lets hope DH gets the ground all tilled up. He has been working on tilling up the ground like forever... I'll just go ahead and plant the tomatoes first and put the concrete wire cages around them so hopefully the dogs won't get the them before we put the fence up. I've red onions and garlic growing now. Some of the potatoes survived and my DH told me he saw them sending up new shoots and leaves so I'm happy. I thought it was all lost after the dogs dug them up and the frost.

On the chicken front... I'm quite happy with the flock now. The dogs are doing great and little Sky (well... not so little any more) is listening to us more about leaving the birds alone instead of chasing them to their death. Found 2 fat ticks on my big Sky so I'm not happy. They are on the monthly flea and tick meds I get from the vet so apparently it is not working. I called the vet and wanted to know if I can put the Virbac Advantix collar on the dogs to prevent ticks in the future and they flat out told me no. I asked why and they said they have seen too many cases of dogs getting poisoned by the collars. They recommended a new flea and tick meds and I told them no. I've heard enough horror stories about dogs on new meds that have adverse reactions to the meds. I'm not willing to risk it. As for the tick collars, I've used it before and lots of people use them without any issue. I either have to check them more often (which is also difficult because they have thick coat and long hair) or let them wear the collars. I like my vet but sometimes they are just not willing to do anything about the issue and the solutions they offered don't sound like good ones either.

Enjoy the nice warm day everyone!

 

[cherwill]

Stopping in to say good morning. It is raining here!!! Not a lot and it probably won't last but at this point I'll take every drop we get. I couldn't believe it last night when the radar showed both NE and OK getting dumped on while the storm did a wide arc around this part of KS. So when I heard raindrops first thing after the alarm went off this morning, I couldn't have been more thrilled.

I spent yesterday working in my garden and planted a bunch of seeds. I didn't turn on the sprinkler last night because I was hoping for rain and I guess that paid off (even though I don't expect we'll get much so I'll probably still have to water tonight). I still have a long way to go on my garden but I am gradually getting it filled up with seeds, at least. I even planted a couple of seedlings out the other day. I hope they survived the strong winds last night.

I had a good turkey hatch on Tuesday. I hatched a few tutors to go with them but the tutors have done such a good job that I think their students are ready to graduate already. When I turned on the light this morning, a lot of turkeys ran out from under the EcoGlow and immediately ate and drank. So last night I revised the role of two of the tutors to be broody breakers instead. I gave them to one hen but another "stole" them and I figured it doesn't much matter which hen is a mother, as long as I have one less broody taking up a nest box, so I let her have them. I moved her to a broody pen after dark and checked in the rain first thing this morning and the little family seemed to be doing fine.

In the pic below you can see two little NH chicks - those are now under the mama hen. Missing from the pic is the last couple of turkeys to hatch - they were still zipping when I took this - and another tutor who hatched yesterday morning. I have one more tutor due tomorrow that is pipped this morning and that will be it for this hatch. Ducklings due next week though….

Look at those cute fuzzballs!

Hello Everyone. My name is Tammi. I live in BuCoKs, about 25 minutes east of Wichita. I own a quilting company.
I have a small flock of HUGE giant Cochins that I purchased from a breeder last June. They are my big babies, and I love them. I have hatched out one incubator full of their eggs with beginners luck. Nearly 100% hatched. My chicks were all sold in less than 24 hours after I put them on craigslist.
I currently have a few cochin eggs, 20 Cream Legbar, and 40 Black Copper Marans eggs incubating. You are still a beginner on the second go around, right? I am praying for a great hatch.
I've read posts on the BYC forum for a long time, but just recently joined. I was elated this morning when I found this consolidated Kansas thread.
If you were hoping for rain, I hope you are getting some. We desperately need the rain. But I for one am hoping that the tornado threats stay away from the land of Oz this weekend.
many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

Welcome! We love pictures, so feel free to share. I'm looking forward to rain, but hopefully that's all we'll get. I don't need any hail or tornadoes.

I picked up a little 6-week old fainting goat kid today and thought the name Boo! was appropriate

I was out in the field with all the goats, lambs, Sam and Holly (My GPs).. Sam started barking; he and Holly took off.. all the goats and lambs went running with them (they always do that) - well, poor little Boo fainted! It was sooooo freaking funny... he just klunked right over! Holly stopped dead in her tracks and came back to Boo and sniffed him...He was down about 4 seconds and then got back up..

Funny story, and that's a great name for him!

When my DH got home last night we got the little lamb into the crate I brought him home in & left him there for the night. The goats could see him, but he was safe. I'm sure the poor little guy was traumatized because he was away from his momma & herd & then got attacked by some big mean goats. They're going to have to get used to each other, I hope the goats realize he is staying soon & leave him alone. He is in the goat pen now & the goats are out browsing in the yard. When we get the fence up in the field they will have a bigger area to graze & be safe.

Welcome to the forum, tell us about you & your chickens if you have any or what you plan to get if not.

Danz, we have 5 acres we're going to put the sheep on that isn't used for anything & the goats can help clean out the brush out there. They should be happy when we get the fence up. My DH has been having to fix some sewer pipe that goes to the lagoon & he's almost got that project done so as soon as he gets all the dirt put back over it we can start on the fencing. We plan to divide up the area out there so we can rotate paddocks & let one rest & grow back while they graze another one. Fencing is so expensive, especially fencing for goats because you can't just put up plain old field fence. They have a tendency to stick their heads in the fence & with horns they get them stuck in there & it's a fight to get them out. So I bought goat & sheep fence that has smaller spaces & they can't get their head in there. The part up closer to the goat pen will be 2x4 fence that is a lot cheaper to buy. It's going to be a project for sure.

Danz, we all would love to see you more often. I'm glad your son's house sold so soon. Did they find a house to buy yet?

I got started on my hoop coop but with all that has been going on I only got the livestock panels hooked on & got no further yet. I need to flip it over now & I really need help with that.

Poor little lamb-- his whole world has been turned upside down! I hope everyone adjusts quickly.

Welcome Marlowesmamma. I'm not from Overland Park...an hour or so from there, but there are a few people near you who post now and then. Tell us about yourself and join in.
Trish and and HEChicken are going to have to buy more land if you keep buying livestock. I do wish my pasture was all re-fenced so I could add a few more animals. Not going to happen on my budget though.
Things are a whirlwind in my life right now. My parent's house sold and we close the 21st on it. Then my son put his house on the market on Tuesday and it sold on Wednesday. They close the 22nd. My brother just moved to Kansas from North Carolina for a new job so we are trying to get him settled for now. They have two homes in N.C.and one of those is going on the market.
Lots of hatching and I hope lots of selling going on here right now.
I hatched my first red golden pheasant of the year this morning. I don't have any more due for at least a week so this little guy will have to live with the turkeys for a while.
I've got to get out and get some more birds moved around today. I have to do a bit more work on a little coop my DH built and move a color in that pen. Someday it would sure be nice to actually be organized!
Tweety it's so good to see you posting again. Since my son and my brother are going to be living down that direction I hope to make more visits soon. You can build if you want. It really is simple. Of course having power tools makes all the difference in the world. The reason I posted framing pictures with the other pictures of that little coop was to give an idea of how I built it. I really like the design I think. I want to eventually paint the metal roof green to give it a "cabin" look. But that will have to wait until I have more time.

Selling a house in a day is pretty amazing!

It sure is nice to be reading posts more often for me. Not quite down time for me yet since I still have this big server upgrade project I'm working on but come late May, I'll feel much better.

Danz... that was fast to sell a house in 1 day! That's awesome! Hope your son finds a new house soon. Speaking of building pens and stuff.... I'm not creative at all and my husband thinks I'm dangerous with a power tool. LOL

But he will just have to put up with me since I'm going to learn to use the power tool no matter what. The bad part is, he takes all the power tools with him in his toolbox when he goes to work, so I think I'll be buying my own in the near future.

Trish... that poor lamb.

He must be terrified. I hope he will get used to being away from his old home soon. Penny and Patches sure are hyper, chasing him around like that. Sounds like they will have the 5 acres to graze all day long and definitely enough space to keep them happy!

Marlowesmama... welcome. Tell us more about your flock. We have a few people up in your neck of the wood.

Friendshipstar... you are quite close to me. I'm just about 10 minutes west of butler county.

I opened up the 2 south windows downstairs in the evening yesterday but forgot to close them. So this morning when I came down to get ready for work, it was CHILLY! I had to put a jacket on just to walk around the kitchen to get my breakfast and lunch ready and head out to work.

it is just plain windy today as well but I shouldn't complain. At least it is not as bad as the other night when I thought the train came into my room. Geeezzz....

I checked on my tomato plants first thing this morning because I left them outside and it was 47F this morning. They didn't wilt or anything so I'm hopeful that they are now completely hardened off. I plan to plant them in the ground this weekend. Lets hope DH gets the ground all tilled up. He has been working on tilling up the ground like forever... I'll just go ahead and plant the tomatoes first and put the concrete wire cages around them so hopefully the dogs won't get the them before we put the fence up. I've red onions and garlic growing now. Some of the potatoes survived and my DH told me he saw them sending up new shoots and leaves so I'm happy. I thought it was all lost after the dogs dug them up and the frost.

On the chicken front... I'm quite happy with the flock now. The dogs are doing great and little Sky (well... not so little any more) is listening to us more about leaving the birds alone instead of chasing them to their death. Found 2 fat ticks on my big Sky so I'm not happy. They are on the monthly flea and tick meds I get from the vet so apparently it is not working. I called the vet and wanted to know if I can put the Virbac Advantix collar on the dogs to prevent ticks in the future and they flat out told me no. I asked why and they said they have seen too many cases of dogs getting poisoned by the collars. They recommended a new flea and tick meds and I told them no. I've heard enough horror stories about dogs on new meds that have adverse reactions to the meds. I'm not willing to risk it. As for the tick collars, I've used it before and lots of people use them without any issue. I either have to check them more often (which is also difficult because they have thick coat and long hair) or let them wear the collars. I like my vet but sometimes they are just not willing to do anything about the issue and the solutions they offered don't sound like good ones either.

Enjoy the nice warm day everyone!

I've been keeping a window or two open as well. It does get a little chilly at times, but it's so nice to get fresh air inside.

DH gave me some kind of cold or something, so I've just been sleeping the last day or two. I'm trying to do this on his laptop and the keyboard is driving me crazy.

My SIL needs to get rid of a duck, maybe two. She had two Chinese crested males, and one was killed by a fox. She ordered more, and the minimum order was for three. Those three males have grown up enough to stop looking up to the original duck and are now picking at him all the time. She was hoping they'd work things out and adjust to whatever new order they ended up with, but they're not. I think it's been a month or two now, and they still pick on him. She needs to find a home for one, and if that doesn't calm things down, she'll get rid of a second one. If anyone wants one or two Chinese crested males, or knows of someone who does, please let me know.

 

[Trish44]

cherwill I hope you feel better, that's the pits to be sick in this nice weather. I like having windows open in the house as well until it gets too hot to leave them open any more & we have to turn on the AC.

I spent the afternoon working on my hoop coop some & just in general cleaning up around the area I'm building it in. There was a lot of sticks inside the hoop coop & I raked all of those out of there & added more from around the area & then burned it all. It was a pretty hot fire there for awhile. I wanted to get more done on the pen but had to stop & go feed all the birds & animals, so I'll work on the frame more tomorrow. I can't wait to get it done so I can move some birds in there.

 

[okjenyp]

It's been a few days for me. Between working and chickens I can't keep up with myself. I thought I would be done with the brooder. But then I decided I needed to get some silkies. And I found a few. I get to pick them up Sunday. I can't wait. I've never seen one in real life before. So I spent this morning moving the little guys out to the coop and cleaning the brooder and kitchen. Not the best place to keep the brooder. But it's the only place not accessible to my dogs or 17 mths old. My brooder is an extra playpen I wasn't using. And I like that after I clean it it folds away!! And if I don't stop getting chickens I may have to build a second coop. I have 20 chickens right now. And 5 on their way. My coop is an old 6x8 metal shed I fixed up.

 

[friendshipstar]

I want to make four or five of those hoop coops and use them next spring to seperate by breeds. If anyone has the measurements used for cutting the boards I would like to have them.

Are you all buttoned up and tied down for the weekend storms that the forecasters have been warning us about? I usually don't fret about the weather. I actually usually get a little charge from a beautiful storm. But my DH is out of state for a fishing tournament until Sunday evening, and the idea of taking care of these animals alone during storms scares the bijeezers out of me. I guess my biggest concern would be losing power and not being able to get the generator hooked up to the incubators in time to save my little candled blips.

Good night. Sleep tight!
Many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Interesting..... I bought 2 dozen hatching eggs a few weeks ago and they are due May 1st. Last night, I heard chirping! One of the chicks has pipped and should hatch out today. I'm assuming this little one had been sat on and the lady didn't know it was being incubated. But what is really interesting is that the 2 dozen eggs sat for about 3 days before I even put them in the incubator. Makes me wonder how that one that is so far ahead of everyone was able to develop without heat/humidity for those 3 days and survived! These are little turkens/turken mixes and I just can't wait to see them

 

[TheDownyChick]

Sally's death this morning sidetracked me. We have a storm coming, and I want to make sure everything is secure. I have a heavy hoop coop made from two cattle panels, so it should be ok, as well as the wooden former dog house in Silkyville. It is the small PVC hoop that concerns me. The back side (east) is tarpped straw bales. The PVC pipes used as ribs are on rebar stuck into the ground. We also used tent stakes to secure the chicken wire to the ground, and attached the tarp with zip ties. It was designed to be quickly erected and quickly taken down when no longer needed. Anything else I could do?

 

[TheDownyChick]

Interesting.....  I bought 2 dozen hatching eggs a few weeks ago and they are due May 1st. Last night, I heard chirping! One of the chicks has pipped and should hatch out today. I'm assuming this little one had been sat on and the lady didn't know it was being incubated. But what is really interesting is that the 2 dozen eggs sat for about 3 days before I even put them in the incubator. Makes me wonder how that one that is so far ahead of everyone was able to develop without heat/humidity for those 3 days and survived! These are little turkens/turken mixes and I just can't wait to see them

What glorious news! I have no idea how that could have happened, but am so encouraged by the concept that, against all odds, as you would expect that such an embryo would not survive, LIFE FOUND A WAY!! This chickie will need a special name, for sure!

 

[chicken danz]

Sad news this morning. We found Sally, our sweet black orpington who has been going through a a hard molt, dead in the nest box this morning.

Aside from her molting, there did not appear to be anything wrong. She had been as friendly ever. I held her and checked her out the day before yesterday. No sneezing or nasal discharge, no engorged crop, no pasty butt. We observed her eating and drinking. She was sleeping in the nest box last night, and looked at me. She usually did not sleep there, but she did occasionally switch things up by changing locations. We found her in full rigor, on her back, with her feet open, legs extended, and the residue of a yellowish discharge around her beak. Nostrils were clear. Does anybody have any ideas on what could have happened? My hubby suspects a seizure. Is there anything I should do to protect the rest of my chickies? Y'all are so knowledgeable and helpful. I am at a loss. Rest in peace, Sally, my feathered friend.

Downy chick she very well could have been egg bound. ...or had egg peritonitis. Usually when chickens (older than chicks) die they go into what I would call a seizure and flop around for a partial minute. I am sure that is why she was in the position she was. in. That would not be the cause of death. That is just something that happens. I have heard that sound all too often when I have a bird in the house because it is not feeling well. I know it is the end.
Of course there are so many things that could have gone wrong. Are you sure she was in a molt or is it possible she had a severe case of mites? Have you wormed them recently?
I always do necropsies on my birds that die of suspicious causes. It's usually fairly evident what the problem was once you get used to chicken anatomy. If the cause isn't apparent you can often attribute it to disease by the condition of one organ or another.

I want to make four or five of those hoop coops and use them next spring to seperate by breeds. If anyone has the measurements used for cutting the boards I would like to have them.

Are you all buttoned up and tied down for the weekend storms that the forecasters have been warning us about? I usually don't fret about the weather. I actually usually get a little charge from a beautiful storm. But my DH is out of state for a fishing tournament until Sunday evening, and the idea of taking care of these animals alone during storms scares the bijeezers out of me. I guess my biggest concern would be losing power and not being able to get the generator hooked up to the incubators in time to save my little candled blips.

Good night. Sleep tight!
Many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

It depends on what size hoop coop you want to make and what size panels you buy. The more common size panels are either 50 or the 52 inches wide. First you need to figure out how many panels you want to use and how long they would be butted up to each other. Figure 8 foot wide on the width. This is the easiest measurement to use and makes the hoop coop around 6 foot tall. There are several different ways to build them. Also figure out how many birds you intend to put in each hoop coop. That will help you decide how big to make it. I make mine about 20 feet long and I think Trish makes hers 16 feet long. I put my panels inside the frame and Trish puts hers on the outside of the frame. It can vary so much. If you decide what size you want to make we can help you along then.
I got several birds sold late yesterday afternoon but I still have a few around. One I thought I was going to sell was a large fowl gold laced cochin cockerel. He is about 5 months. He is going to be an awesome bird like his Daddy was. The guy has decided to just keep bantams cochins. Anyone looking for one let me know. Just a couple more birds should clear out another breeding pen.
I switched out my lavender rooster last night too. I had had it with his aggressiveness. I won't cull him because I need a back up, but he just lost his harem and the younger rooster is now king of the hut. I put him in with my one backup black orpington and when I went out to feed them the black one jumped at me. He has never acted like that before. I guess the lavender put a notion in his head. I was actually secretly hoping the black orp would beat the tar out of the lavender. So in my wishing all of a sudden my back up buff orp rooster beat up my yard rooster early this morning. It's really hard to understand how these guys can live in harmony for months and then become total butt heads with each other just because they get their big boy hormones raging.
I hate spring! Well not really but things about it. I dicovered a couple flies in the house and then I found ants getting into some sugar water I had for a pullet who I am trying to get to grow. Good grief.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

What glorious news! I have no idea how that could have happened, but am so encouraged by the concept that, against all odds, as you would expect that such an embryo would not survive, LIFE FOUND A WAY!! This chickie will need a special name, for sure!

Already have a name... Miracle! It is continuing to pick away at the shell piece by small piece..