Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I have not been feeding medicated feed because my Dad says it's too expensive and the regular feed will be fine.

The medicated feed is the same price as non-medicated chick starter. You really need to be feeding it with all the issues you've had with them dying. Its much better to be preventative (feeding medicated feed) than reactive (treating once they are sick).

Cochin? What's this color called? I have 2 like this. I think I might have a male and a female of these, but that's just going off of comb color.

The pics are so small I can't see them very well to guess at breed or gender, but I can tell you the coloring on this one is referred to as Columbian.

Not much happening here - just staying busy caring for animals, tending the veggie garden and making cheese. The milk supply seemingly keeps increasing and I had fewer family members to drink it this week so I decided to research cheese-making more thoroughly than I've done before and I'm starting to understand a lot more about the different cultures and how the same basic process can yield cheese so different just by altering the culture and temperature. I wound up ordering some different cultures and now I'm excited to try making some new varieties of cheese that I've never done before. Some of them need to be aged for several months and to do that, I had to create a "cheese cave". I was fortunate that I already had a little dorm fridge that has been in use until now for medication and seed storage. However by moving things around, I was able to create an area to store cheeses while they mature as well. I put my thermometer and hygrometer in there and adjusted the settings until I got it to about the temp/humidity they recommended. While ordering the cultures, I also ordered cheese wax so I can start waxing the cheeses prior to storage so they are less likely to develop mold.

I thought waiting 3 weeks for chicken eggs to hatch was excruciating. Now I have to wait several months to try some of these cheeses. Luckily I can always whip out a batch of fresh mozzarella that can be eaten immediately, to tide me over while I wait.

 

[lizzyGSR]

The pics are so small I can't see them very well to guess at breed or gender, but I can tell you the coloring on this one is referred to as Columbian.

If you click on them, you should be able to see a larger version.

 

[chicklover56]

The medicated feed is the same price as non-medicated chick starter. You really need to be feeding it with all the issues you've had with them dying. Its much better to be preventative (feeding medicated feed) than reactive (treating once they are sick).

Wow really? Where can you find it? I usually just get my food at Orschelns or TSC and all I've found are the little bags of the medicated feed.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Wow really? Where can you find it? I usually just get my food at Orschelns or TSC and all I've found are the little bags of the medicated feed.

i buy the medicated feed in 40lb bags from Orscheln. Here's a link.

 

[chicken danz]

Moving back into the house today has been as crazy as moving out was the night of the fire but has stressful as it is its so good to be back home in our house with all our feathers furred and quilled children.

Congrats on getting back into your house. I know that has to be a wonderful thing. I honestly can't imagine the upheaval if that were to happen here. Makes me appreciate my problems more.
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I had another chick die this morning, the first in a while. It too had its feathers fluffed up last night and I freaked out. I tried giving it just a little bit of Corid and it drank it fine, but wasn't eating or drinking otherwise. It was probably just too far gone, and I don't think it was one of the ones I had treated. I have not been feeding medicated feed because my Dad says it's too expensive and the regular feed will be fine. Also, I'm broke from all of the replacement chicks, medication, and feed. I went ahead and put the Corid in the water for the rest of the chicks that were in the same pen as this chick when it died.

Should I treat some new ones I just got on Saturday? They are separate from the rest of the bigger ones, but they have been introduced to them.

Absolutely!!! Treat them all because you can transport the oocysts on your hands, clothes or whatever. I've never seen medicated food higher than other food. I am confused. Buy a big bag of food. Don't waste money on those little bags. You can continue feeding it until your chicks are older and it won't hurt them. Once they can get outside and forage they will fill in their other dietary needs.

Moving back into the house today has been as crazy as moving out was the night of the fire but has stressful as it is its so good to be back home in our house with all our feathers furred and quilled children.

I had another chick die this morning, the first in a while. It too had its feathers fluffed up last night and I freaked out. I tried giving it just a little bit of Corid and it drank it fine, but wasn't eating or drinking otherwise. It was probably just too far gone, and I don't think it was one of the ones I had treated. I have not been feeding medicated feed because my Dad says it's too expensive and the regular feed will be fine. Also, I'm broke from all of the replacement chicks, medication, and feed. I went ahead and put the Corid in the water for the rest of the chicks that were in the same pen as this chick when it died.

Should I treat some new ones I just got on Saturday? They are separate from the rest of the bigger ones, but they have been introduced to them.

I took a few pics of my coop and my birds for a friend today (before my camera died on me). I thought I'd share a few here:
I envy your shade trees. After this last incident and this being the second time this huge old tree has destroyed stuff I think we are seriously going to cut it down. It's a shame because it's the tree the animals have always flocked to in the summer and it puts a nice shade on the house on sunny afternoons.
Duck house/run (left) and chicken coop/run (right):

Nice!

Any ideas on breed/gender on these birds?

White rock? Looks like a female white rock to me.


Easter Egger? This bird has "muffs", and I have 2 that look like this. Yes. This one looks female form what I can see.



Cochin? What's this color called? I have 2 like this. I think I might have a male and a female of these, but that's just going off of comb color. This is a light brahma, female. Not a cochin.


Cochin? I have 2 like this. Partridge cochin. I am a little confused. This looks like a cockerel in body form but the feather pattern right is female. So I am going to say female. A male should be showing more solid color and not the partridge pattern at this point.

Phoenix? I have 2 like this and a 3rd that is this size and similar in coloring but not quite the same (2 females and a male, I'm guessing but I have no idea what I'm talking about

) Silver phoenix but unfortunately this feather pattern is a cockerel. The female will have a pattern in different color but similar to the partridge cochin pattern. These guys grow huge long tails and are just gorgeous. Females are excellent broodies although they are small. They are hatching fools.
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Easter Egger? Yep and female.



Are the 2 black/white ones cuckoo marans? Yep and they both look female at this point from what I can see. You can tell them from barred rocks due to the leg color.

HEChicken I have always wanted to make some fresh cheeses. Never had the right supply of milk and never got a milking stand when I had the Nigerians. Not gonna go back there either. Done with them. I'll volunteer to sample for you though!!!

I'm stressed this morning. I am sending out three boxes of goslings to various places. It makes me a total nervous wreck.I worry so much about having everything just right. And then I worry about the geese too.
Later this week I am getting bigger boxes shipped and next week I'll try shipping out older goslings for the first time.
The chicks I won are being shipped today as well. I guess I'll decide if I like that or not if they all survive and I end up with at least a trio to breed with. I like the idea they are very hardy and are good scavengers but not sure they are a perfect fit for my set up.
I've got a customer coming later this afternoon and hope to make some money there as well as move some more birds.
Another busy day ahead but at least it should be warmer.

 

[Trish44]

@lizzyGSR It looks like you have a nice setup there. I have all but my main coop under trees here as well, it sure is nice in the summer. My main coop needs some shade for sure. It's too old to move the building though & I have no way to move it. It would probably fall apart.

@HEChicken I envy you having all of the milk to make cheeses with but I don't envy you the milking, lol. You'll have to let us know how they turn out later on.

@chicklover56 TSC should have the big 50 pound bags of medicated feed. I know the one that HEChicken & I go to has several choices of brands to choose from.

I had my first two guinea keets hatch yesterday & the day before & I have more due on Friday. I've got so many orders for guinea keets this year that even though my guineas are laying better now I bought some eggs from a guy in town who has about 70 guineas. He has more eggs than he can incubate & I needed more, so it was a good deal for both of us. Those things are so tiny when they hatch but boy are they wild & they grow pretty fast too. They're more like game birds, you can never tame them like chickens. No matter how long I have mine they fly around in the hoop coop every time I come in like they've never seen me before. They sure do eat the ticks though, we just don't have any up where they range & they go next door & eat the neighbor's ticks too & he said that's fine with him.

 

[chicken danz]

I think I forgot to mention I hatched my first peachick of the year yesterday. It was a white one.

 

[lizzyGSR]

@lizzyGSR It looks like you have a nice setup there. I have all but my main coop under trees here as well, it sure is nice in the summer. My main coop needs some shade for sure. It's too old to move the building though & I have no way to move it. It would probably fall apart.

We've got two rows of cedar trees around the perimeter of the whole yard. The innermost row are these huge 40-50' trees. The outermost are younger trees that are about 20' tall. We're definitely lucky on the trees, though we have problems trying to plant anything because we have too much shade. Danz, you and I have opposite problems.

Cochin? What's this color called? I have 2 like this. I think I might have a male and a female of these, but that's just going off of comb color. This is a light brahma, female. Not a cochin.

Ha ha! Oops! I didn't realize cochins weren't the only chickens that had feathers on the legs/feet. You learn something new every day!

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Oh, then maybe I have 2 males and a female then. These guys are the same size that the sussex I got from Danz currently are. These guys at least don't pick on the sussex like the other birds do. My camera died before I had a chance, but I think I need to try to get a picture with all 3 of these guys together so you can tell me what I've got, Danz! Same goes with the light brahma birds. I can't tell them apart.

 

[Trish44]

I think I forgot to mention I hatched my first peachick of the year yesterday. It was a white one.

Congrats on the peachick & white at that! I think the white ones are so pretty myself. I first saw them in Puerto Rico when we stayed at a hotel there that had peafowl running loose. The hotel was right on the ocean so it was a gorgeous setting anyway & then the pretty peafowl running around just added to it.

@lizzyGSR There are several breeds that have feathered feet: Cochins, Langshans, Brahmas, Salmon Faverolles, Marans, Sultans, & D'Uccles that I can think of right off hand.

 

[HEChicken]

Wow really? Where can you find it? I usually just get my food at Orschelns or TSC and all I've found are the little bags of the medicated feed.

The others have answered by now but yeah, I get the 50 lb bags at TSC. I don't like the Orschelns feed as it winds up more expensive than anywhere else due to being in 40 lb bags instead of 50. I would not buy those little bags. They are much more expensive per pound than buying the bigger bags. You can feed chick starter to any age, so I would just get one big bag and keep feeding it until its gone. If by then they're old enough for layer feed, you can switch them to layer pellets.

HEChicken I have always wanted to make some fresh cheeses. Never had the right supply of milk and never got a milking stand when I had the Nigerians. Not gonna go back there either. Done with them. I'll volunteer to sample for you though!!!

Its a deal!

@HEChicken I envy you having all of the milk to make cheeses with but I don't envy you the milking, lol. You'll have to let us know how they turn out later on.

I had my first two guinea keets hatch yesterday & the day before & I have more due on Friday. I've got so many orders for guinea keets this year that even though my guineas are laying better now I bought some eggs from a guy in town who has about 70 guineas. He has more eggs than he can incubate & I needed more, so it was a good deal for both of us. Those things are so tiny when they hatch but boy are they wild & they grow pretty fast too. They're more like game birds, you can never tame them like chickens. No matter how long I have mine they fly around in the hoop coop every time I come in like they've never seen me before. They sure do eat the ticks though, we just don't have any up where they range & they go next door & eat the neighbor's ticks too & he said that's fine with him.

I must admit, I really don't mind the milking. It does take a commitment of time but it is relaxing in its own way (remind me I said that next time a hoof gets into my milk bucket!) Seriously though, the goats and cows we are milking are mostly well behaved. They sometimes get impatient and will shift around a little bit but mostly they stand nicely and the hoof in the bucket thing is quite rare. The dogs sure do like when it happens though since there's no way I'm drinking milk after a hoof landed in it

Congrats on the guineas - I know you've been needing those to fill orders.

I think I forgot to mention I hatched my first peachick of the year yesterday. It was a white one.

Congratulations!

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I just haven't stopped today. I came in with another 3 gallons of milk and literally nowhere to put it. So I am making a goat milk tomme style cheese that uses 2 gallons of goat milk. At least that opened up some jars for me to filter my newly milked cow milk into.

I have some ewes that are bagging up so it looks like we'll have more lambs on the ground here in the next few weeks. I don't always catch the ram mating them but one that I did catch, I know is due around May 23rd. Hopefully the others will go around the same time so the lambs will have playmates.

My broody turkey has about a week and a half to go. I have never once seen her off the nest. She's brooded for me a half dozen times over the years and usually I see her take her daily broody break but not this time. I figure she must be eating and drinking or she wouldn't still be alive but....I sure don't know when she's doing it. I only feed once per day - in the morning - and when its gone, its gone. Yet when I go down there to feed in the morning, she never jumps off the nest to come and eat while the food is out.