Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Cute chicks sharol, congrats. I love those little chipmunks especially. I can't see them really well, but they look like girls to me. My boys were much darker, you saw the pic I posted of them. Mine are getting to be fat, fluffy little things now & boy can they run fast in that brooder when I open the lid. My BR chicks in the other brooder are getting good sized now & I think soon I'll be able to tell sexes. I sure hope I have some pullets in there as well as a couple of cockerels. I need to replace that nasty guy I have out in the pen & that poor hen in there won't miss him a bit either, he's mean to her too.

It was still really hot today again. There was no wind so it was just hot & still, whew. I saw on the forecast that Friday & Sat. are supposed to be cooler with a good chance of rain. I sure hope that happens. We need a break & some rain, even the weeds are dying.

 

[cherwill]

How cute, Sharol. Congratulations!

I've been making and freezing crushed tomatoes like crazy, and there's a big harvest waiting for me in the garden tomorrow. DH is having a great time now that his Cherokee Purples are getting ripe.

 

[HEChicken]

That reminds me Cherwill, I have a bunch more tomatoes out there that need to be picked, but will be busy today so hopefully they can hold off until tomorrow. I haven't done crushed tomatoes yet but I think I'll give them a shot next time because that is something we can use a lot around here. I've been having a good year for bugs on the tomatoes (i.e. haven't found many) but last night, even from a distance I could see hornworm damage. DH and I started looking and found 2 huge ones on one plant, a third on another plant and later noticed the tell-tale poop on a third plant and found two more on it, though one was only little and the damage to that plant wasn't as bad. So we came in and DH ordered a black light. I really wish we'd just ordered it weeks ago, but at the time we didn't have any to catch with it anyway.

We had sheep excitement last night, as one of my Dorper lambs is having her first heat cycle. Our ram was very interested but so was his son - and the ram was NOT happy with his son trying to beat him to it. We wound up having to separate the young ram into a small holding pen for the night to calm things down. He'll be going to butcher soon anyway, but fortunately the period of the heat cycle where she'll be receptive to the ram only lasts 24-36 hours so I'll be able to let the young ram out with the flock again in a day or two.

 

[sharol]

I love surprises. I thought Danz had give me 3 BR eggs, but there were only 2 marked BR when I set them under Graycie, so I had figured I just didn't remember right. This morning I have 3 little BR's (and if leg color is a factor, at least one is a female) and 3 little speckled sussex. All 3 of the BR eggs hatched, Danz, so your rooster is definitely doing his job.

I can't believe how cute they are.

2 eggs haven't pipped. If she leaves the nest (the oldest is 2 days old), I'll candle them and look for movement. I suspect we are done, but I thought that yesterday.

 

[chicken danz]

I'm so happy for you Sharol but you'd think all those sussex would hatch. I've been getting 100% out of them here recently. I don't need that many, but people want to buy the chicks. I was just going to keep a few more for myself, cause some of my girls are getting older. Yeah I've been getting barred hatch too. Your's were eggs from the pullets but out of about 10 of them the hen was sitting on, she hatched one and the rest went in the incubator. I only threw two away that weren't fertile. Maybe the hens were just taking a fertility break until the pullets got going.
I was gone all day yesterday. I got home and was watering when I saw something right in front of me I had never seen anything like in my lifetime. I have seen little dust devils forever and they are nothing. I was standing there and the air was perfectly calm and miserable hot. All of a sudden the wind started gusting and this thing touched down right in front of me in the driveway. There was no dust until it touched the ground. It was like a mini tornado. It touched down and picked up this big storage box 4 1/2 feet by 4 feet I have outside the gate for packages. It had a large section of slab rock in the bottom to keep it stable and a big chunk of sandstone on top to keep the lid down. It threw it at least 30 feet in the air and tore it apart. The big slab of rock hit the fence on the other side of the driveway. I haven't found the sandstone yet. The bottom ended up in the pasture across the road. One of the doors was in the road. Another piece that laid on the floor ended up on the west side of the driveway and the lid, both sides and the other door ended up about 40 feet east of where it was sitting. It bent the hydraulic hinges in half. I found two packages that had been delivered that were in it and I sure hope there weren't any more cause if there were they are long gone. It would have been something on video but it occurred so fast you would have had to be recording to get it in time. So I lost a $200+ storage box that is smashed beyond repair. It broke all the plastic out where it was screwed together as well so I don't think there's any way to salvage it.
I've been pretty busy trying to get things set so I can sign contracts on my building. It's so much money that I find myself second guessing if I should actually do it. I keep thinking for the same money I could put in a garage. I keep questioning if I am going to stick with it for years to come. I feel I will as long as I can get this done. I know I can't continue to work like I do in the current set up. I'm afraid if I would decide not to build and I'd sell my birds that I would just end up spending the money to replace them and end up right back where I am with tons of pens and coops to care for.
I didn't get a chance to go look at what DH did while I was gone yesterday. He was setting up railroad ties to put my sea van on but then said he has to move them further one direction so the guy can get his truck turned around. I guess I'll have to go look to know for sure what he said.
I have a buyer who appears to be very serious who plans to come from Cincinnati to buy a bunch of my more expensive birds. If this goes down as I expect it will it will be a prayer answered. He plans to drive down and bring a large truck to carry birds home. He is talking about coming mid September. That seems like a ways away but really it's not. Just a couple of weeks or so. It would get me right sized for winter and give me the money to do more work to the building.

 

[sharol]

I'm so happy for you Sharol but you'd think all those sussex would hatch. I've been getting 100% out of them here recently. I don't need that many, but people want to buy the chicks. I was just going to keep a few more for myself, cause some of my girls are getting older. Yeah I've been getting barred hatch too. Your's were eggs from the pullets but out of about 10 of them the hen was sitting on, she hatched one and the rest went in the incubator.ways away but really it's not. Just a couple of weeks or so. It would get me right sized for winter and give me the money to do more work to the building.

 

[Trish44]

I love surprises. I thought Danz had give me 3 BR eggs, but there were only 2 marked BR when I set them under Graycie, so I had figured I just didn't remember right. This morning I have 3 little BR's (and if leg color is a factor, at least one is a female) and 3 little speckled sussex. All 3 of the BR eggs hatched, Danz, so your rooster is definitely doing his job.

I can't believe how cute they are.

2 eggs haven't pipped. If she leaves the nest (the oldest is 2 days old), I'll candle them and look for movement. I suspect we are done, but I thought that yesterday.

Supposedly the female BR's legs are darker than the males. I've been trying to gage that on mine here. Congrats on all the chicks.

danz that is just crazy, sorry about your box that got destroyed. I'm glad it didn't pick you up & throw you though.

I have 3 Jubilee Orp eggs in the hatcher that were due yesterday. I really didn't think any of them were going to hatch but this morning I have one chick & one is pipping so I'm really thrilled. I had a horrible time with these eggs. I purchased 3 sets of eggs & I may only get at most 3 chicks out of those if I'm lucky. Usually I at least get half from shipped eggs but these just didn't do well at all.

I have a broody hen, my wheaten Ameraucana that is sitting on eggs as well. I can't believe as hot as it's been these darned hens want to sit in a nest, but she insisted so I gave her eggs because she had stopped laying. She has awhile yet to go though.

 

[chicken danz]

Well I fed but it's so hot and humid out there I couldn't breath, and started struggling for breath. It's the same kind of thing I went through this spring when the doctor said it sounded like heart problems.
I knew it wasn't going to get better, so I came back in and have been staining the old antique incubator. I finally picked up some stain yesterday. It sure looks dark which I really didn't want, but maybe it will look better when it is dry and finished. I tried just a natural sealer type stain and it did nothing for it. I had asked DH if he would cut the legs off for me several weeks ago and he said no problem but they are still laying there. I really don't want to stain them until they are cut so I can seal the open edges. I asked him to do it because I know if I do something will go wrong and I'll ruin them. I'd rather he ruin them so I don't have to blame myself.

Sharol I hope this sussex hatch for you but if they don't and you need more just hollar.
I had never heard that about the barred rock before. I do know the spot on the head doesn't mean any thing. I've got a couple of chicks that hatched yesterday. Perhaps I should check them out.
We really really need some wind. This still, humid, hot air is death on chickens, turkeys and peafowl.
I need some opinions. I have this really ugly green metal roof on my house. I hate green on buildings. I am trying to decide if I should stick to a green roof on my new building or if I put on another color if it will look bad. I hope some day before I die to replace the siding on my house with something other than white but I have no idea what yet. For the building I am thinking beige or ivory colored so that part won't match for sure ....at least for some time. What do you think. Does the outbuilding need to match the house. My other buildings just have plain galvanized roofs. That I won't consider.

 

[HEChicken]

Well Danz, I'm the wrong one to give you color advice - I'm terrible at it. Plus, I love green on houses! I like a house to be natural colors that blend in with the landscape versus bright colors that contrast with it. So I go for the sort of natural greens that you find in nature anyway. My last house I had built so was able to choose the colors and it was green with a brown roof. After a hail storm a neighbor redid her roof in green (asphalt tile) and I loved it so much I considered doing the same on mine. However her house wasn't green and I was afraid a green roof on a green house might be a bit too much green. Even for me. Then we bought our current house, and the previous owners had just painted it almost the exact same shade of green as my old house LOL.

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well again.

I think the white spot on the head does work for sexing hatchery BR's as they are typically not pure BR but have had another breed mixed in with them that makes them better layers than the heritage. But my experience with these heritage BR's is that you can't tell by the spot on the head at all. Remember when you sent me home with those BR's that you guessed were male based on the spot? And then they grew into pullets? That was a really good test of the theory.

As for leg color, I had never heard that before either but I googled it. I was concerned because BR's are supposed to have yellow legs. What I read when researching just now is that they *should* all have yellow legs. However females will have a more pronounced slate "splash" down the front of their legs. The backs of the legs should still be yellow and males legs will usually be more yellow over the whole leg. That is interesting and something for me to watch for. I have quite a few BR eggs in the incubator right now to try to break the never-ending procession of broody hens.

 

[chicken danz]

I tried going back out to work but I just can't handle it out there today. It's insanely still. That is the way it was yesterday when that dirt devil formed. I was trying to see if there was any chance I could cobble my storage bin back together when I realized I was still missing a door. I finally found it in a ditch. But I am still missing some pieces that broke out and they are pretty important. I don't know if I can come up with some way to replace them or not. All of the screws were ripped from the holes so they won't hold it together any more. When it's not so unbearable out there I'll see if I can make my brain work to rig something up.
HEChicken thanks. I'm really feeling okay in general but it's this high heat and humidity that causes my lungs not to function right. I was back at the doctor yesterday for an appointment and the nurse was all concerned about my oxygen level and my blood pressure. Actually my blood pressure was fairly decent for me. I am sure it's just this darned weather.
I could stand this green roof if I had like a rustic log siding or something. The cabin look would be fine. I like natural colors as well but more along the tones of golden browns and fall colors. I think if the rest of the house wasn't plain white I could live with the green better. I hope to get a more natural wood look siding some day on the house so the green looks more in place. Of course that is all dreaming as well. Let's see.... I could side the house for the money that is going in this building. But that isn't going to make my work easier this winter. I do think while the concrete guy is here I am going to ask him about putting in a footing for my screened in porch off the dining room. It will definitely be a project down the road but I do want to get it done. I want to get everything fiinished so I can get that old garage bulldozed and out of here. Then if I ever can afford to buiId a new garage it won't mean months of work before we can start. It's such an eye sore.