Consolidated Kansas

[adventerousone]

Hi I am new to the site I live in south Wichita close to Haysville .. My family has 10 Bantam Hens.. and 7 ducks (6 of which are almost a week old) )

 

[cherwill]

For those of you that know about my continuing saga of the broken leg, I saw another specialist today & he said that I most likely have soft tissue damage as well as the bone fracture that is causing me problems. He told me that you don't get this type of fracture without twisting the ankle as well, which I indeed did when I fell. He said that there is a big tendon that runs the length of the bones inbetween them & when I fell I tore that & caused the bone to fracture. So this is not just a simple fracture problem evidently. He put a brace on my knee that runs equal distance above & below the knee & is hinged so it can bend. It's really awkward feeling & it did make my leg hurt a lot more when I was trying to run errands after my appt. It also is hot, so we'll see how I tolerate this thing. If it makes me have more pain than I already had I can tell you it will not be worn. I'm also being sent back to physical therapy again, he seems to think I need that to gain more range of motion I have lost. He did say though he does not want me to overdo it there. Physical therapists are known for pushing you past your limits, so we'll see how that goes as well.

That sounds miserable, Trish. Do try to wear the brace as much as possible, though, even if it's hot. I had some stress fractures in a foot that went months and months without healing because I didn't have a boot to immobilize that part of my foot. I hope it goes well with the physical therapist. Feel free to tell them when you think they're overdoing it.

Hi I am new to the site I live in south Wichita close to Haysville .. My family has 10 Bantam Hens.. and 7 ducks (6 of which are almost a week old) )

We'd love to see pictures of your birds!

 

[chicken danz]

I Took some photos of some of my free-ranging Muscovy ducks the other night and also of a Mottled Java hen that roosts next to the gate of their pen. She has 17 white guinea keets that she tries to cover. Some of them are shown in the daytime photo with her.


We had some strong winds and heavy rain that lasted about 1 hour today. I think it has let up enough for me to see what damage it did.

I can't believe those keets are staying with the chicken hen. I normally just take all my keets and keep them in the brooder with the chicken chicks until they start getting flighty and smelly, or I sell them.
The moisture we got from the storm yesterday ended up evaporating within a couple hours. Pretty much a useless storm and of course the wind just blew more junk around.

Hi I am new to the site I live in south Wichita close to Haysville .. My family has 10 Bantam Hens.. and 7 ducks (6 of which are almost a week old) )

Welcome to the forum!

I got my nest boxes yesterday. KSKingBee and OKQueenBee delivered them. They also took home 3 of my white peachicks. It's so hard to let them go!! You just want to see how all of them will grow up. I have way too many and need to sell some more babies. I may keep a couple more whites for myself though for future breeders.
I left the hens in the basement yesterday because it was getting too hot in the afternoon. I can't find one of them so I am guessing she went under some of my piles of chicken boxes and stuff and died. I need to go down there and organize and find her. I think I'll try putting the other three back out today and see how they do. They seem to be doing okay. I sure don't want her to start smelling!!! Yuk!! I feel pretty fortunate the other three seem to be okay.
HEChicken great pictures. I have had several broodies hatch eggs and raise the chicks. Most of my successful ones hid a nest in the barn and I never know where they are until they emerge with a troup of chicks following them. I had a couple hatch babies this year. I gave them the eggs that the sat on because I got tired of hatching. We have lost a few chicks along the way but I really don't need more chicks anyway.
I had forgotten to check the dog house for eggs for several days and found a huge pile in there yesterday. I checked and several were starting to develop so I moved them to the old garage and marked the eggs to see if anyone ended up sitting on them. If I don't have a sitter today I will just toss them. I really don't want them adding to the pile because I am short on eating eggs in this heat. My eating egg layers are free rangers so they are always laying somewhere but where they should. I don't like to keep them locked up when it is so hot. They do so much better finding their own places to cool down than I can arrange for them.
Trish I sure hope that this newest stuff helps your leg heal. I just left wrap on my ankle yesterday and I overdid it. It was really hurting last night and today my whole leg is sore. My ankle feels a little weaker this morning so I must have strained it a little too much.

 

[Trish44]

Hi I am new to the site I live in south Wichita close to Haysville .. My family has 10 Bantam Hens.. and 7 ducks (6 of which are almost a week old) )

Welcome, we have quite a few people in the Wichita area & surrounding towns on here. I'm a little southeast from you. Feel free to join in any time, we talk about a little of everything here. What kind of Bantams do you have & what kind of ducks? We like to hear about everyone's birds & if you have pics we love looking at those as well.

I can't believe those keets are staying with the chicken hen. I normally just take all my keets and keep them in the brooder with the chicken chicks until they start getting flighty and smelly, or I sell them.
The moisture we got from the storm yesterday ended up evaporating within a couple hours. Pretty much a useless storm and of course the wind just blew more junk around.
Welcome to the forum!

I got my nest boxes yesterday. KSKingBee and OKQueenBee delivered them. They also took home 3 of my white peachicks. It's so hard to let them go!! You just want to see how all of them will grow up. I have way too many and need to sell some more babies. I may keep a couple more whites for myself though for future breeders.
I left the hens in the basement yesterday because it was getting too hot in the afternoon. I can't find one of them so I am guessing she went under some of my piles of chicken boxes and stuff and died. I need to go down there and organize and find her. I think I'll try putting the other three back out today and see how they do. They seem to be doing okay. I sure don't want her to start smelling!!! Yuk!! I feel pretty fortunate the other three seem to be okay.
HEChicken great pictures. I have had several broodies hatch eggs and raise the chicks. Most of my successful ones hid a nest in the barn and I never know where they are until they emerge with a troup of chicks following them. I had a couple hatch babies this year. I gave them the eggs that the sat on because I got tired of hatching. We have lost a few chicks along the way but I really don't need more chicks anyway.
I had forgotten to check the dog house for eggs for several days and found a huge pile in there yesterday. I checked and several were starting to develop so I moved them to the old garage and marked the eggs to see if anyone ended up sitting on them. If I don't have a sitter today I will just toss them. I really don't want them adding to the pile because I am short on eating eggs in this heat. My eating egg layers are free rangers so they are always laying somewhere but where they should. I don't like to keep them locked up when it is so hot. They do so much better finding their own places to cool down than I can arrange for them.
Trish I sure hope that this newest stuff helps your leg heal. I just left wrap on my ankle yesterday and I overdid it. It was really hurting last night and today my whole leg is sore. My ankle feels a little weaker this morning so I must have strained it a little too much.

Danz I hope you find that hen that disappeared, sorry about your loss. I'm glad the other 3 are OK though. It seems like if you can get them cooled down soon enough they recover, but they may be more prone to getting overheated again. I hope your ankle gets better soon. I know mine that I sprained when I fell & broke my leg still swells & bothers me after 6 months.

I do have my brace on this morning, trying it again. It does give me a lot of extra support, but it also makes me walk funny. I guess I'll get used to it eventually. I have to call after while & set up my PT for next week, I'm not looking forward to going again at all. I just hope we can accomplish something or I'm really going to be discouraged more than I already am about it all.

My chickens were all waiting for me on the front porch when I came back from my Dr. appt in Wichita yesterday. I was later than usual feeding since I had been gone & they were griping at me as I was taking their feed out. It's funny how they are, they have such personalities.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

It does sort of look like it's a roo, you'll be able to tell better when the saddle feathers start growing more. They point down at the ground where pullets don't have those.

Well this evening wasn't a good one for me. I went out to start doing chores & decided to move some young guineas into the pen with the adults. They acted like they were going to kill them so I went in & was going to catch them & fell again. I don't think I hurt my broken leg again, but I guess I'll find out Weds. I did kind of hurt my other knee, it was the one that twisted more, the broken one landed on the top of the 2x4 I tripped over. I was laying there thinking how awful it was going to be if I couldn't get up off that poopy ground & had to lay there till 2 a.m. & my DH came home & looked for me. I had a heck of a time getting up from there with trying to be careful of my broken leg. I couldn't put a lot of pressure on it & I can't get on that knee because the fracture is right there beside it. I finally got hold of the cattle panel with both hands & pulled myself up with my arms. Thank goodness my arms still work! I have tried to be so careful, but I'm a danger to myself, geez. Then after all of that I was running late getting the rest of my chores done & had to use my flashlight app on my phone to see to feed the GP in the pen with the lambs, just not a good night at all.

Oh Trish, I hope you are not seriously hurt! So sorry you fell down again.

Hi everyone. I'm new around here. I'm from western Ks between Dodge and Garden. Currently looking for a couple more Wyandotte and Americana or Ameraucana pullets. Also interested in finding a pair of peafowl.
I have 4 BLR Wyandottes and 3 SL. I'm hoping to find a couple more silver laced and maybe some bantam Wyandottes to put in my garden to help with the grasshoppers and other bugs that I'm over run with!

Welcome! We have plenty of chicken, ducks, and other animals people!

Even if they have a hidden nest they will return to the coop to sleep at night unless they are actually broody and sitting on that nest. Most of mine return to the coop to lay but every now and then I'll find a hidden nest. Yesterday DS found an egg in the litter box we have in our 3-season room for the outside cat! (That isn't as gross as it sounds as we use pine pellet bedding for litter and since the cat has access to outdoors he hasn't used it in months, so all that was in the box was pine pellets.)

We had some excitement at 2:30 this morning. I woke to hear a dog barking frantically. For those who haven't met our dogs, we have two 40lb poultry safe mutts who are our unofficial livestock guardians. They aren't true guardian breeds but we have them sleep in the chicken yard to discourage predators from entering. During the day they are general farm dogs. One serves her purpose letting us know any time a strange vehicle dares to turn into our driveway, while the other almost never barks. However at 2:30 this morning when I heard barking, it was unmistakably the bark of the dog who almost never does so I knew something must be up, and put on my boots to go outside. DH heard and followed me with his high-powered flashlight. The dogs were pleased to have us visit them in the middle of the night but as we approached the yard there was the unmistakable odor of skunk. Moving in the direction the dogs were showing interest, I realized the skunk was actually IN the chicken yard. It was behind two of my broody pens and kept going back and forth behind them. It didn't seem fazed that people were there and certainly showed no sign it was going to run from us. There was a 20-minute stand-off before it finally decided to leave and somehow it went under the fence - since we would have seen it go over - and was gone. I cannot see any dig marks or where or how it got under the fence but its the only way it could have disappeared into the hedge - and we could hear it moving around in the hedge. Luckily the dogs avoided getting sprayed. I guess having been sprayed in the past they knew what it was capable of and didn't take that risk again, barking and darting at it instead of getting close enough to be targeted. My birds are locked in at night except for a couple of hens with chicks who are sleeping where a determined predator could get them but I checked on everyone and they were all okay. Good dogs!!!

Good dogs your got there, HeChicken! I think my dogs were skunked 2 or 3 times before the winter was over. They didn't seem to mind the smell but boy did they stink when they came near us!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Prairie Fleur you are so lucky to have gotten rain. We are now getting huge cracks in the ground because it's just too dry.

Well this has been another bad day. I lost one hen that wasn't feeling well first thing this morning. It was kind of a relief that she went.
But I went out this afternoon to water and had 4 of my biggest buff orpington hens down and not responding. I had two others that were laying down but after soaking them down and making them sit in a trash can lid full of water for a few minutes they were okay. I totally drenched these other four hens and their heads were falling over and they couldn't walk. Then I carried them into the house and laid them on the floor by the back door. I gave each one of them a couple drops of pedialite but they weren't swallowing well so I didn't force them to have more. After spending a couple more hours out there trying to get all the birds cooled down to some degree I came back in. One of the hens is up and walking The other three are still laying but did have their heads up part of the time. I fixed a bowl of chipped ice, water and pedialite and tried to get them to drink but they weren't interested. Then I fixed a ziplock bag full of water and ice and just sat it down between them. If I can get their body temperature back down and then get their electrolytes built back up they might pull through. But I doubt it. In the past when I had birds get this over heated they suffered some brain damage and ended up dying anyway after a few days, or the next really hot day. These are some awesome big prize quality girls and it just makes me sick . The two smaller ones seem to be okay out there.
One of my biggest white Orpington cockerels was down as well but he responded well to getting a drink other than being a little wobbly on his feet. I think he will probably be okay. I have plenty of them but of course it's always the biggest birds. I have a thermostat in the brooder house which is sitting between 4 areas where the air vents through. It said it was 101 in there and it was cooler in there than it was outside.
I had birds in the coop in the grow out pen house but it's dark in there and I didn't want to get them over excited in the heat. I may have some losses out there too.
It's days like this I just hate having nice birds. Because if they were just all barnyard quality that I could let free range they would probably be okay.
My male GP was over heated as well and not walking very well. I hooked up a mister under a shade tree and he was there for a short time but I don't know where he went. I hope he is okay. The ducks took over the area and are standing in the mist enjoying them selves.
I have a few broodies I am really worried about because they aren't smart enough to get off the nests. One of those is my oldest India Blue peahen. I think she has about 8 eggs she is sitting on now.
I just feel sick that I still don't have power out there after the damage from the storm. If I had fans going like I normally would in this weather those hens might have been okay.

Danz, sounds like the heat did a number on your birds! These last few days were humid. Could almost cut it with a knife! Good grief!

 

[ChickieWickies]

HEChicken, what so you think of your Muscovy ducks--plus and minus. I'm thinking of getting some for my MIL. She has them in with her geese--would that be a problem?

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Ron Rose, I finally remembered to take my camera out with me this morning and get pics of the broody pens I mentioned last week.

I have two of these. They are about 5x5' and are pallet wood with hardware cloth covering the sides and top. Bottom is open. There is also plastic covering three sides and top, though you can see where the plastic has come loose in places. On one the plastic is mostly gone from the top which at this time of year is a good thing as it creates more air flow. I cover it when there is a bird in there and rain on the way.


I also have two of these. They are about 5' long by 2' wide. The enclosed area is 2x2 (or so) and the "run" is about 3x2. I added the dog kennel top to provide shade and shelter from rain since the top is open. There is a door in both sides of it so I can easily get birds no matter where they are.


All 4 of these pens are for temporary use only. I can use them as a "sick bay" but more often they are used by a hen for the first few days after her chick(s) hatch. Once I know the chicks are bonded to the hen, I open the door and let them out. For a little while they'll return to the pen to sleep at night but after awhile I encourage them to teach their chicks to go to the main coop at night and that usually only takes a night or two before they start going to the coop at night without a reminder.

The smaller ones are really only good for a chicken and I prefer to use them for bantams (I have a few bantam hens as brooders). The larger ones can accommodate a turkey hen with poults.

Hechicken, nice looking cages you got there. I don't remember seeing them last time I was at your house but it has been a while so I may not remember correctly. I saw a few free pallets ads in craigslist and thinking I could get a few to build a temporary sick bay. I'm trying to move my old 12' trampoline frame into the chicken pen and put hardware cloth around it to make a big pen by itself for chicks but it proofs to be a challenge moving it there because of its size. Maybe I will solicit DH's help and get it lifted over the fence.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Hi I am new to the site I live in south Wichita close to Haysville .. My family has 10 Bantam Hens.. and 7 ducks (6 of which are almost a week old) )

Welcome to our board adventerousone! We talk just about anything. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions (if you have any) and we love pictures if you would like to share.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I haven't had much luck with letting broody hens hatch chicks either due to the same problem with contaminated eggs. When the nests are outside especially they're subject to the weather conditions, mud, & whatever. The few times I have actually had hens hatch chicks I had to take them into the brooder to raise them because I'm just not set up for hens to keep chicks, that just hasn't worked well for me either. I guess it's all in how you want to do things & what you're willing to set up for it. I hatch a lot of different pure breed chicks during the hatching season of a lot of different breeds, so it's just better for me to gather the eggs & incubate them, then keep them in the brooder till they're sold.

For those of you that know about my continuing saga of the broken leg, I saw another specialist today & he said that I most likely have soft tissue damage as well as the bone fracture that is causing me problems. He told me that you don't get this type of fracture without twisting the ankle as well, which I indeed did when I fell. He said that there is a big tendon that runs the length of the bones inbetween them & when I fell I tore that & caused the bone to fracture. So this is not just a simple fracture problem evidently. He put a brace on my knee that runs equal distance above & below the knee & is hinged so it can bend. It's really awkward feeling & it did make my leg hurt a lot more when I was trying to run errands after my appt. It also is hot, so we'll see how I tolerate this thing. If it makes me have more pain than I already had I can tell you it will not be worn. I'm also being sent back to physical therapy again, he seems to think I need that to gain more range of motion I have lost. He did say though he does not want me to overdo it there. Physical therapists are known for pushing you past your limits, so we'll see how that goes as well.

Trish, that's such a bummer news from your Dr. I hope the knee brace works. With this heat and humidity, it has to be got with it wrapped around a large portion of your knee. Take it easy!

I can't believe those keets are staying with the chicken hen. I normally just take all my keets and keep them in the brooder with the chicken chicks until they start getting flighty and smelly, or I sell them.
The moisture we got from the storm yesterday ended up evaporating within a couple hours. Pretty much a useless storm and of course the wind just blew more junk around.
Welcome to the forum!

I got my nest boxes yesterday. KSKingBee and OKQueenBee delivered them. They also took home 3 of my white peachicks. It's so hard to let them go!! You just want to see how all of them will grow up. I have way too many and need to sell some more babies. I may keep a couple more whites for myself though for future breeders.
I left the hens in the basement yesterday because it was getting too hot in the afternoon. I can't find one of them so I am guessing she went under some of my piles of chicken boxes and stuff and died. I need to go down there and organize and find her. I think I'll try putting the other three back out today and see how they do. They seem to be doing okay. I sure don't want her to start smelling!!! Yuk!! I feel pretty fortunate the other three seem to be okay.
HEChicken great pictures. I have had several broodies hatch eggs and raise the chicks. Most of my successful ones hid a nest in the barn and I never know where they are until they emerge with a troup of chicks following them. I had a couple hatch babies this year. I gave them the eggs that the sat on because I got tired of hatching. We have lost a few chicks along the way but I really don't need more chicks anyway.
I had forgotten to check the dog house for eggs for several days and found a huge pile in there yesterday. I checked and several were starting to develop so I moved them to the old garage and marked the eggs to see if anyone ended up sitting on them. If I don't have a sitter today I will just toss them. I really don't want them adding to the pile because I am short on eating eggs in this heat. My eating egg layers are free rangers so they are always laying somewhere but where they should. I don't like to keep them locked up when it is so hot. They do so much better finding their own places to cool down than I can arrange for them.
Trish I sure hope that this newest stuff helps your leg heal. I just left wrap on my ankle yesterday and I overdid it. It was really hurting last night and today my whole leg is sore. My ankle feels a little weaker this morning so I must have strained it a little too much.

Danz, so sorry you lost your hen. I guess the silver lining in that you can organize your basement? I still have gazillion boxes down in the basement from a year ago! Good grief. I should really toss most of them since I obviously don't miss them at all this past year.