Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

All the birds were mingling well. The others hadn't been outside more than about a week. I just assumed (my error) that all would be okay. Had I realized the storm was moving in I would have put them all in the coop at dark. It doesn't have a door that shuts but they would have probably stayed if I'd known.
The birds in front of the heater are all just lying there sleeping but so far still alive. I am sure a few of them are in shock and they won't have a chance. I did have one take off who wasn't as bad and I don't know where it went so I have a rogue chick in the house somewhere. But it wasn't one of the valuable ones. I can just hope a few of these in here will pull through...and not just the cockerels!! The two that are doing the best are both cockerels of course. I was really hoping to move some chicks out of here but I would have sure preferred to sell them!!! What a waste. I feel terribly guilty. Regardless of how many birds I have I still valuable each and every one of them.

 

[sharol]

Danz, that is just awful. I'm so sorry. I had to force my 3 6 week olds into their hoop last night since the storm hit here a little earlier than their usual bedtime. They were not pleased, but were at least safe in there. I think the adult birds were surprised at how quickly the storm came up, too. They were piling all over each other trying to get in as it started to rain.

 

[sharol]

These two little guys need a new home. They are 13 weeks old this Thursday. Moms were Marans and the dad is a really beautiful EE. I will list them on Craigslist if no one on this list wants them. They will be dual purpose size soon, and if I could make myself learn to butcher, I would do that, but that isn't happening any time soon (no guts). I think they will be absolutely stunning roosters at some point, but I don't need more roosters, so there you are. They were broody raised and can be handled, but they aren't completely tame.





If anyone can use either or both (somewhere in reasonable driving distance (I'm in the Emporia area)), they are available free to someone on the list. If I list them on craigslist, I'll charge something for them. PM me if you can use a nice cockerel.

 

[Trish44]

danz, I'm so sorry about your chicks, that's awful! I'm afraid to go out & look at mine now, we had a bad storm last night too. It came out of nowhere & almost immediately we lost our power & it was off for an hour. I was so worried because I have eggs in the incubator & brand new chicks in the brooder. I sure hope those eggs will be OK, some are due Thurs. & they're expensive eggs.

sharol, those are nice looking roosters, hopefully you will find someone to take them. It's just so hard to get rid of excess roosters. I have 16 extras right now myself that I guess I'm going to try to take to the auction this Friday. I sure don't want to continue feeding those guys! Some of them are getting close to being big enough to eat, but it's such a shame because they're all from breeder stock & are really beautiful birds. I have Speckled Sussex, BCMs, Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, & Barnevelders. I kept the best BCM for my laying flock since I didn't have a flock rooster any more & am keeping a Welsummer & one Barnevelder as well for a backup for my Barnevelder pen. But I sure don't need 16 more roosters! It seems like when I have hatched eggs I have gotten lately I end up with a big portion of roosters & this was before hot weather, so that doesn't even play into it.

tatinatimom, good work on the addition.

I started building the base for a little tractor yesterday to put my ducklings & goslings in to let them eat some greens. I only got as far as the base though & ran out of time before I had to go feed & then I was out of steam & it got dark as well. When it dries up enough I'll get back to it. I'm going to have to mow my yard too because now that it rained again it looks awful.

 

[Oatbucket]

Here is how we spent our lazy Sunday... We added an area outside of the enclosed run for them to "free range".

Nice work!

Wow that looks like a lot of work tatinatimom.
My work yesterday ended in total disaster. I moved a bunch of birds out to a grow out pen yesterday to make some room in the brooder. I had no idea that there was a storm moving in or anything. I didn't have a radio on or the TV on a local channel. We had a storm move in late and really pour and the wind blew like crazy. The first thing I did this morning was go out to check on those babies. I had hopes they had followed the ones already there into the coop. This was the first time any of those birds had been outside. Well I was in horror. I lost 15 very well started and freathered in babies. These birds were all between 6 weeks and 2 months. I also had them technically sold and sexed. They were smashed in the mud. Almost all of them were the rare partridge brahmas and there was a couple of English orpingtons. I just felt awful. Then of course later I felt sick because of one storm I lost over $300. I still have a handful of them laying on a towel in front of a space heater trying to get them to recover. I think I may save a couple of them with luck. I gave some chick saver to a few but mud ran out of their mouths. That indicates they probably have mud in their lungs and will die as well. Of course the other chickens that had already been in there had picked on some of them making it a bloody scene as well.
I wish I had been awake enough to realize the storms severity and the fact those birds might be out in it last night. It just goes to show you never learn enough to prevent every thing. I always worry about the birds in really bad storms but this was just awful.

On no! I'm so sorry you lost so many babies, Danz. How heart breaking

These two little guys need a new home. They are 13 weeks old this Thursday. Moms were Marans and the dad is a really beautiful EE. I will list them on Craigslist if no one on this list wants them. They will be dual purpose size soon, and if I could make myself learn to butcher, I would do that, but that isn't happening any time soon (no guts). I think they will be absolutely stunning roosters at some point, but I don't need more roosters, so there you are. They were broody raised and can be handled, but they aren't completely tame.





If anyone can use either or both (somewhere in reasonable driving distance (I'm in the Emporia area)), they are available free to someone on the list. If I list them on craigslist, I'll charge something for them. PM me if you can use a nice cockerel.

Very handsome boys you have there. Especially the bottom one.

danz, I'm so sorry about your chicks, that's awful! I'm afraid to go out & look at mine now, we had a bad storm last night too. It came out of nowhere & almost immediately we lost our power & it was off for an hour. I was so worried because I have eggs in the incubator & brand new chicks in the brooder. I sure hope those eggs will be OK, some are due Thurs. & they're expensive eggs.

sharol, those are nice looking roosters, hopefully you will find someone to take them. It's just so hard to get rid of excess roosters. I have 16 extras right now myself that I guess I'm going to try to take to the auction this Friday. I sure don't want to continue feeding those guys! Some of them are getting close to being big enough to eat, but it's such a shame because they're all from breeder stock & are really beautiful birds. I have Speckled Sussex, BCMs, Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, & Barnevelders. I kept the best BCM for my laying flock since I didn't have a flock rooster any more & am keeping a Welsummer & one Barnevelder as well for a backup for my Barnevelder pen. But I sure don't need 16 more roosters! It seems like when I have hatched eggs I have gotten lately I end up with a big portion of roosters & this was before hot weather, so that doesn't even play into it.

tatinatimom, good work on the addition.

I started building the base for a little tractor yesterday to put my ducklings & goslings in to let them eat some greens. I only got as far as the base though & ran out of time before I had to go feed & then I was out of steam & it got dark as well. When it dries up enough I'll get back to it. I'm going to have to mow my yard too because now that it rained again it looks awful.

I saw Winfield was without power for a while last night and thought of you. Hopefully all of your eggs and babies do okay.


Saturday I had a table set up at the Smallville Comic Con in Hutch. I was going to be there both days but ended up selling out before noon on Saturday.

We increased the size of the baby chick area. It was getting so crowded as they got bigger and the days have been so warm. Somehow, I lost two chicks. They are the first I've lost in years. I'm thinking it was just too crowded and they ended up on the bottom of the pile. Now I'm kicking myself for not getting it rearranged a couple of days ago. And of course, the two chicks happened to be my beloved Lavender Orphingtings

At least I still have three and they are perfectly happy and healthy. The two lost were the smallest.

Now they have an area that is at least twice the size (maybe bigger) than their old area. They are really enjoying being able to spread out.

At the same time, we enlarged the baby geese's indoor area. We also finished getting their outside pen built. They're no longer in their A frame day run. They now have their regular run and they are loving it. They of course only stay there during the day. In the evening (or when it's going to rain/storm) they are herded into the stall. They know where they are going, so it's hardly herding. They run straight in there. We keep a close eye on the weather during the day and all babies are shut in at night (lots of screened windows for ventilation) just because of surprise storms. Back when we had horses, we didn't have a way for them to run into the barn. So when we woke to thunder in the middle of the night we were baling out of bed and running through the rain to halter horses and get them into their stalls. Now, with babies, they have their night areas.

This afternoon we took the kids to the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. It was great. Sad in one part, but generally awesome.

Then we stopped at the family run mexican food restaurant here in town (their food is beyond delicious).

So all in all, been a great weekend/Monday around here.

 

[chicken danz]

Well the 9 birds I brought in the house this morning are all still alive but most are still in a daze of sorts. They are just standing or laying around. I'm not sure what to do with them at this point. I am afraid in their weakened condition they'd get picked on even in the brooder. I did see one of them eat though so that was a good sign.
I've been kind of out of it all day. I wasn't feeling good last night and still feel a bit under the weather. Then add today's events and I just haven't been in a mood to do much of anything. I really haven't even fed the birds. I had fed them late yesterday so it's not like they are suffering. I do need to go out and check water and food again though.
I candled and cleaned out the incubators. I am down to two of them and a hatcher now. I did set a few more eggs today. I'm not getting fertile eggs from my light brahma and want to add to my breeding group. So I will incubate those until something happens I guess. Since I lost so many partridge brahma I also set some more of their eggs. Then there were some turkey and peafowl eggs.
Other than the turkey and the peafowl, all the eggs I put in are for myself or my projects.
I guess I'd better get back to it and figure out what to do with these poor birds. I sure don't want to stress them any further.

 

[sharol]

These are my almost 7 week olds. Any thoughts on gender? Of course I'm hoping for pullets

1: The Welsumer/EE (came from a Wellie egg)





2: Blue copper Marans/EE (from a very dark egg)








3: Blue Copper Marans cross/EE (from a medium dark egg) This is the only one with feathered feet.

 

[cherwill]

Who said you can't just talk about what you want? It sure doesn't have to be chickens. Cheryl I always enjoy reading about your garden. To me you just seem like a master gardener and it always inspires me to get out there and work in mine. I still have so much to do out there. This humidity isn't condusive to me getting any gardening done for sure.
I sold a few more chicks this morning. She came for two and took 6. Maybe a few hundred would have worked better!
I need to get back out there and pump and clean the Mandarin pond. It's really green!!!

Thank you, Danz. I always feel like I don't have much to contribute because I only have nine birds.

I WISH I was a master gardener! I have so much to learn. In past years, there were a couple of people out at the garden who'd been gardening all their lives and they loved to share their knowledge. I haven't seen them at all this year. I don't know if they're not gardening there any more or if we just aren't there at the same times. We got a nice pea harvest and I have a few packages of peas in the freezer. My aunt got some sugar snap peas to plant as well, but I'm disappointed in those. They look so nice, and I destringed both sides of the pods, but some of the shells themselves are hard and stringy. They're not enjoyable to eat.

Yesterday I did a little hoeing to try to keep the weeds down, but the ground was still too damp for it help much. I did notice it's time to start picking beans.

Here is how we spent our lazy Sunday... We added an area outside of the enclosed run for them to "free range".

That's very nice. You did a lot of work there! Your birds will really enjoy it, and it looks like they have a lot of shade. That will be great in July and August.

My work yesterday ended in total disaster. I moved a bunch of birds out to a grow out pen yesterday to make some room in the brooder. I had no idea that there was a storm moving in or anything. I didn't have a radio on or the TV on a local channel. We had a storm move in late and really pour and the wind blew like crazy. The first thing I did this morning was go out to check on those babies. I had hopes they had followed the ones already there into the coop. This was the first time any of those birds had been outside. Well I was in horror. I lost 15 very well started and freathered in babies. These birds were all between 6 weeks and 2 months. I also had them technically sold and sexed. They were smashed in the mud. Almost all of them were the rare partridge brahmas and there was a couple of English orpingtons. I just felt awful. Then of course later I felt sick because of one storm I lost over $300. I still have a handful of them laying on a towel in front of a space heater trying to get them to recover. I think I may save a couple of them with luck. I gave some chick saver to a few but mud ran out of their mouths. That indicates they probably have mud in their lungs and will die as well. Of course the other chickens that had already been in there had picked on some of them making it a bloody scene as well.

I'm so sorry about your babies. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the ones you brought in.

These two little guys need a new home. They are 13 weeks old this Thursday. Moms were Marans and the dad is a really beautiful EE. I will list them on Craigslist if no one on this list wants them. They will be dual purpose size soon, and if I could make myself learn to butcher, I would do that, but that isn't happening any time soon (no guts). I think they will be absolutely stunning roosters at some point, but I don't need more roosters, so there you are. They were broody raised and can be handled, but they aren't completely tame.





If anyone can use either or both (somewhere in reasonable driving distance (I'm in the Emporia area)), they are available free to someone on the list. If I list them on craigslist, I'll charge something for them. PM me if you can use a nice cockerel.

They're going to be some gorgeous roos. I wish I could have one, but I'm still in town.

 

[tatinatimom]

Thanks Cherwill! We are new to raising chickens so we are making it up as we go. There is still sooooo much to learn.
My flock will unfortunately be downsizing though. We think 4 of our pullets are roos. We know 2 are for sure. They just turned 13 weeks old on Friday the 20th and they woke us up at 5:30 am Saturday trying to crow. They have practiced every morning since.

 

[chicken danz]

Number 1 and three both look pullet. Number two is questionable. Can't see it's overall body shape.
Cheryl, I used to grow sugar snap peas. To eat the pod you need to pick them early. To eat the peas you pick them later and discard the pod. At least that is what I found. I really liked them because the peas were so sweet and you could get two different products from them. I tried to do a little work in my garden yesterday but it was just too muddy.
I haven't noticed any blooms on my beans yet. Seems the plants are plenty big but they're not producing yet. Guess I'm just impatient. I noticed I really need to get some tomato cages made. The storm knocked the plants down bad.
I'm still not feeling very good today. It's weird cause I can't really put my finger on why.
I lost one more chick during the night. He was one that had been injured by the other birds. I still have a couple that aren't acting 100% but they all are now up and eating. I guess I'll be putting them out today. I'm not sure where just yet. I know there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow and I sure don't want a repeat.
I got my order of shade cloth and top netting yesterday so I need to be out working on pens again. Just wish I felt a little better.