Consolidated Kansas

[Prairie Fleur]

Prairie, butchering isn't that bad once you learn the how to's and the tricks. I still hate doing it cause I don't like killing things, but the cones are worth every cent if you plan to butcher in the future.
I wondered if you still wanted your chicks. My araucanas are so back ordered. The dumb thing laid like gangbusters and now only the youngest pullet is laying. Grrr.
How come you are selling your peas? Did you sell the white one?

Finally got done with all the taxes last night. Thank heavens. No wonder I put that mess off every year in spite of thinking I will finish it early. If I didn't have the farm income I have to file because my farmer submits all the stuff to the various agencies I'd be okay. I hate doing that stuff.  I have no desire to include my birds in farm income. It would be a total nightmare to track all that and probably very depressing to see how much I really do loose.

Hi Danz, were seriously looking at moving to Ne and have some other major things going on in our lives. I posted a week ago or so about planning to sell the peas and wondering about prices but didn't get much response. I hate selling them but right now it's what has to be done. Someday down the road after we move maybe they'll be an option again. I've sold the white one and the black shoulder. I still have the pair left, Pride and the peahen I got from KKB a year ago or little more. I really hated selling those two and I'm going to miss having Pride showing off to my hens when the pair sells but you gotta do what you gotta do I guess.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

@HEChicken my husband and sis in law did pretty much everything. I sort of wimped out even tho I was determined I wouldn't. I decided that it was just going to be a little hard since I've only ever once seen anything butchered at all and that was a pheasant DH shot and not something I raised. Next time I'm promising myself that I'll toughen up!!

 

[peachachecha]

Thanks Hechicken. The neighborhood dogs make more noise than three or four hens. I had neighbors that did not realize I had three hens for almost a year. Funny to think that during and after WWII the government wanted every household to have chickens, lol.

 

[ictchickens]

I noticed that the link from the "Wichita Kansas Ordinance" page is broken.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/wichita-kansas-chicken-ordinance

The City of Wichita website has changed things since your last post. Here are a couple of links to replace the broken link.

Animal Maintenance Permit Information
http://www.wichita.gov/Government/Departments/Finance/Licenses/AMP Information Sheet.pdf

Animal Maintenance Permit Application
http://www.wichita.gov/Government/Departments/Finance/Licenses/Animal MP App 09-14.pdf

I sent a message to the person who posted the original Wichita ordinance, but haven't heard back. Figured I should share the info in this thread...

 

[chicken danz]

Hello from city limits of Dodge City. Wish someone would wake up this city to the joy of chicken keeping. If my health permitted I would try and do something. Would love a few ladies again. Lived in a small town in Michigan where they allowed chickens. Miss them

Welcome to the forum. While you plan your attack feel free to join in here. We talk about a lot of things here. See if there are some local facebook pages, like swap and talks. That would be the place to bring this up to get other people involved an wanting to get chickens allowed in the the community.

all this talk about butchering has me nervous.... I know I've got a bunch of roosters out there that I'm gonna have to butcher this fall. I'll have a newborn on my hands, in addition to a toddler and will likely only get help with the first couple of birds (help from a friend whose done it a bunch anyway). My hubby will likely help with most of them. This will be my first time butchering so many birds. The first and only time so far I've butchered birds was at my friend's house. She did "the deed" and walked me through the rest of it, all on her birds. She also butchered my ducks and 100% took care of them for me since I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Lizzy, You just have to keep in mind that if you don't make use of the cockerels, your hubby is going to say no to more chickens later. The flavor of home grown chicken is so much nicer than store bought chicken. It puts a whole new light on things like soups, casseroles, etc.
I have some more boys that need to go myself. I just butchered recently. The rest of them grew up all of a sudden and there's way more to follow. I wish I had a place I could safely just pasture the cockerels. They'd not be an imposition then while they grew. I just can't cull them because they are boys.
I got the fence up around the garden and did some planting. I have DH working on a gate. I decided not to leave a side open for the tractor to go in to till. It would be close to impossible to turn it around in there so I guess I'll use the hand tiller. Once I started planting I could see I had way more seeds than I have room to plant. Oops! I forget what I have and tend to buy way more than I need.

 

[sharol]

You all are a bunch of enablers. I started out giving a few eggs to my little Araucana pullet/hen, and now I have 10 Breda eggs and 14 English orp eggs in the incubator and 4 eggs under my broody. I'm really hoping some of those Orp eggs are Jubilees (since that is what my roo is). At least one is from my white hen, and at least 2 are from the lavenders. If they hatch, at the very least they will be interesting.

Any idea what color offspring will be from a Jubilee roo over 1) white 2) lavender 3)black or 4) mottle? I know they will be good layers, but I'm just curious what to look for.

Fingers crossed. I broke all the rules. 4 of the breda eggs came from the broody (2 days under her) and the rest all went in late yesterday and today. The orp eggs are all from yesterday and today. Criminy, I must be nuts.

 

[sharol]

Lizzy, You just have to keep in mind that if you don't make use of the cockerels, your hubby is going to say no to more chickens later. The flavor of home grown chicken is so much nicer than store bought chicken. It puts a whole new light on things like soups, casseroles, etc.
I have some more boys that need to go myself. I just butchered recently. The rest of them grew up all of a sudden and there's way more to follow. I wish I had a place I could safely just pasture the cockerels.

I'll add that it is a lot easier to butcher a cockerel who is attacking the hens and other cockerels. You sort of lose your affection for a bird that is hurting the others.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

I'll add that it is a lot easier to butcher a cockerel who is attacking the hens and other cockerels.  You sort of lose your affection for a bird that is hurting the others.

Amen on this!!!! I was so glad to be rid of the 3 that we butchered!!! Killing them or rather watching DH kill them didn't bother me but cutting them up did a bit.

 

[chicken danz]

You all are a bunch of enablers. I started out giving a few eggs to my little Araucana pullet/hen, and now I have 10 Breda eggs and 14 English orp eggs in the incubator and 4 eggs under my broody. I'm really hoping some of those Orp eggs are Jubilees (since that is what my roo is). At least one is from my white hen, and at least 2 are from the lavenders. If they hatch, at the very least they will be interesting.

Any idea what color offspring will be from a Jubilee roo over 1) white 2) lavender 3)black or 4) mottle? I know they will be good layers, but I'm just curious what to look for.

Fingers crossed. I broke all the rules. 4 of the breda eggs came from the broody (2 days under her) and the rest all went in late yesterday and today. The orp eggs are all from yesterday and today. Criminy, I must be nuts.

Well Sharol theres several color breeding projects out there. One is a blue jubilee. I don't know if that would happen with the lavender or not. With the white it will depend on if it's a dominant white or not. I think in those lines it should be. You may end up with an all white offspring or a pale jubilee. Or maybe a mottle look with red and black. Many of the mottles were produced by using jubilees and then breeding out the red tone. You will be starting over more or less. The chicks would probably look jubilee.

 

[sharol]

Well Sharol theres several color breeding projects out there. One is a blue jubilee. I don't know if that would happen with the lavender or not. With the white it will depend on if it's a dominant white or not. I think in those lines it should be. You may end up with an all white offspring or a pale jubilee. Or maybe a mottle look with red and black. Many of the mottles were produced by using jubilees and then breeding out the red tone. You will be starting over more or less. The chicks would probably look jubilee.

I'll let you know how many make it to day 10. This sounds exciting. I am staying out of the incubator until then (lesson learned). I really hope the orp eggs make it to hatch this time.