Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Yes MsDebD different breeds lay at different times and the all are attuned to the length of the day and the weather. Hatchery chickens are stimulated by light to produce when it is most convenient for the seller. Chickens take a rest in the cold of winter and do so for a reason. They need that time to produce feathers that protect them, to replenish their nutrients that laying eggs has used up etc. Those birds stimulated by light to lay all year burn out in a couple years and become dinner. I just can't do that to my birds. I may have hundreds but I do care about them.

It's still snowing here and hasn't stopped all day. I guess you could say it is pretty but it sure makes driving difficult. The only birds out running around today are the geese and the ducks. Their starting to get noisy. I am sure they are getting hungry since all the food is covered in snow. Time to get out and give them a fresh load I guess.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Oh my gosh, Trish, that lamb is so adorable. I'm sure it's a ton of work to bottle feed but what a cutey.

So sick of this weather. We took treats to the birds today to help with the boredom: popped popcorn, green beans, and mealworms. The treats didn't last long! Even with this crazy weather we are getting some eggs without extra lighting, so that's nice. Danz, I prefer to let my hens rest also. I am going to put some eggs in the incubator Monday. I'm hatching pure Buff Sussex and just a handful of Buff crossed with hatchery Speckled just for fun. I have a couple broody hens who will hatch for me later but I have spring fever so had to start collecting eggs for the bator!

DebD, so excited for you. I wish I had started out with breeder birds but live and learn! I am branching out to some Silver Appleyard ducks and Pilgrim geese this year. I also gave up and ordered some Speckled and Light Sussex. I am crazy about Sussex. I started with hatchery Speckled Sussex but am trying to graduate to a nicer quality bird.

It's a mess here. It snowed a good part of the day -- Yuck! Oh my stars. The kids just came in from playing in the snow -- yes it's completely dark. I didn't even know they went out! Time for hot chocoloate! I let the pond go dry so they've been sledding down it's slopes -- sounds like fun to me too, crazy kids.

 

[chicken danz]

Deerfield when I was a kid there was a railroad on a raised incline and a pond at the bottom of it just a city blocks distance from my house. Back then we lived on the very edge of town...There was a wheat field across the street from us. We used to pull our sleds up the hill and slide down across the pond. Your description of your kids on the pond brought back those memories. Thanks for making me smile. It was so much fun.
I think everyone is getting chick fever. Last year the cold weather kept people form buying chicks but this year they are all anxious. I wish I had a way to protect eggs. I have a whole tray on the counter right now I have doubts about cause although they didn't freeze and crack they were really cold. I didn't pick up eggs from the last 48 hours cause I know they are ruined. I guess they'll make good popcycles for the dogs.
I've got to get out reasonably early today and get the birds cared for. I did very little yesterday. I am sure some are out of water by now, even though they have snow to eat. The heated bowls tend to evaporate the water fairly quickly if it stays below freezing.

 

[KsKingBee]

Auction coming up in Gardner in couple of weeks.

Who all is planning on going and tell me what you are bringing!

Wanting to add some to my little flock.

I am bringing cash. I'm hoping that the wire guy will have some more coated wire. Never know if there might be something I just can't live without.

@thndrdancr I know of one person who went to the Yoder auction Friday. There were a few, maybe 100 cages and not a lot of buyers. I think she sold some extra cockerels, some for .50 cents and one for 3.00. It was a buyers market as I suspected.

 

[Trish44]

KsKingBee, yeah I wouldn't suspect there would be that many crazy people who would go to Yoder this time of year. It's a busy auction in the summer though. It's just quite aways for me to drive there & back. We have two swaps within driving distance here again so if I get desperate to get rid of something I may try those. I did sell what I planned to at the Augusta TSC when I went.

Deerfield, yeah I'm going to be busy for awhile bottle feeding this lamb. I sure hope my son appreciates the work it's going to be on his behalf since it's his lamb. He is a cutie but I have to keep remembering lamb chops because that's what will happen later. My other one is growing like a weed with momma. I wish this one had taken her lamb but it's just one of those things that happens sometimes & you can't do much about it. I have two goats that were bottle babies & boy they're characters. I will probably have baby goats at some point too, but hopefully not in Feb.

Everybody stay warm! I saw on the extended forecast it looks like we might have a little warmup soon. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[chicken danz]

KingBee I am hoping to buy some more wire as well. I have 1500 feet of 2X4 wire here for two different pens but figured out I need quite a bit more. When I bought all that I thought I'd never need more wire. When you start building lots of pens and runs you find out it doesn't go very far. I haven't even started figuring needs for chicken wire but I have quite a bit on hand. I also need to own a lumber yard I think.
I am just hoping it warms up substantially in the next couple weeks. I really don't want to sit in the cold for 16 hours!!

 

[thndrdancr]

I bet it was a buyers market, Kskingbee. .50 for a rooster is just sad. Thanks for letting me know.

My nearest swap is almost 2 hours away, and I never can get there early enough to actually sell anything. So not a morning person.
I think they had the big one in Lexington me, too. Wished they were a little later, I just can't get excited bout freezing to death, I love auctions and swaps but not my idea of fun with it so cold. My sister doesn't care for them, not bird auctions anyhow so hard to get motivated going alone.

 

[chicken danz]

I quit doing swaps years ago. It just didn't pay me to get up that early, pack up birds and sit in the cold or heat to barely pay for my gas. The competition has mixed birds or hatchery quality and of course you never get your money's worth out of a quality bird. I'd end up selling whatever I had left for pennies on the dollar just so I wouldn't have to drag them back home.
Auctions are a different thing though and I only go to those that specialize in more quality birds and require not only healthy birds but NPIP birds. I'm on the fence about trying to sell some chicks at Gardner this spring. I've never sold chicks at the auction but it would be a good way to move some excess. I need to get some more detail first I guess.

 

[MsDebD]

Hope everyone else got LESS snow than was forecast. Happy we didn't get much and most has melted! Spring can't get here soon enough!

 

[Trish44]

Well that was strange, I posted earlier & now my post isn't here. Hmmm those gremlins are at it again.

I got my lamb back home from the lamb sitter, we had taken him to be fed & watched while we went for the marathon & then the weather was so crappy we couldn't pick him back up till today. He's now used to sleeping with a puppy & I have no puppy for him to sleep with. I have to get him all used to me again, he has bonded with someone else now. He's probably really confused at this point being shuffled around & he's still looking for his mama.

It turned out the whole marathon was canceled due to weather, whew so now I don't feel quite so bad about not going down there. It would have been really bad to drive that far in bad weather & then find out there was no marathon anyway. This is the first time ever in all of the years they have had that one that they canceled it. No, we actually got what they said we were going to get I think as far as snow goes & the weather was nasty all the way down into Texas when it snowed. We have a little bit more snow & sleet predicted in this area for tonight, ugh. I'm so done with winter too. I keep saying I'm moving where there is no snow & I don't have to wear a coat.

My chickens have just looked out the door today like oh come on we don't want to go out in that either!