Still no rain here!!! It rained in town last night, second time in a week and didn't rain out here. I am getting desperate. My yard is more like a desert than a yard. At least I don't have to mow!
Consolidated Kansas
- Thread starter ChooksChick
- Start date
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Hey Hawkeye Been following this thread for some time now and I just want to chime in on the postal thing.
My wife is a rural route carrier in Smithville, Mo. and has been delivering for about 14 years now. I've been to her post office (and even helped her deliver mail) and it's air conditioned, although her Jeep is not. Her pervious Jeep had AC, but really didn't do much good having it on because she had the window down all the time to deliver mail. It mostly keep a cool breeze blowing in her face and legs during the really hot days and it's really tough on the vehicle's engine during extreme conditions. Her old Jeep just wore out and we had to buy another used one. She places packages in the back and uses a marker placed in her bundled mail so she can keep track who gets what package.
I feel so bad for her out there during this hot weather. She comes home just exhausted from the heat sitting inside that Jeep. She puts more than 150 miles on that thing a day. I'm always replacing tires and slapping breaks on it along with fixing other minor things. It's a constant battle to keep it going.
She has told me about her post office receiving chicks all the time. They take great care to place them in the optimal spot and if they come in over the weekend, they call the customer so they can come in and pick them up. The biggest detriment to shipping live chicks are the central processing hubs and semi-trailer trucks. Those environments can get very extreme. Your Post Master's suggestion to oder your chicks in October is very wise. I wish the USPS would put some AC in that building, but with all the cutbacks in the postal system right now, I doubt he'll see it anytime soon. My wife has a mail count coming up in September. Of all the mail counts she's had, all but one yielded in lower pay. I swear they hold mail back during this time just to screw her out of more compensation.
Hey Hawkeye Been following this thread for some time now and I just want to chime in on the postal thing.
My wife is a rural route carrier in Smithville, Mo. and has been delivering for about 14 years now. I've been to her post office (and even helped her deliver mail) and it's air conditioned, although her Jeep is not. Her pervious Jeep had AC, but really didn't do much good having it on because she had the window down all the time to deliver mail. It mostly keep a cool breeze blowing in her face and legs during the really hot days and it's really tough on the vehicle's engine during extreme conditions. Her old Jeep just wore out and we had to buy another used one. She places packages in the back and uses a marker placed in her bundled mail so she can keep track who gets what package.
I feel so bad for her out there during this hot weather. She comes home just exhausted from the heat sitting inside that Jeep. She puts more than 150 miles on that thing a day. I'm always replacing tires and slapping breaks on it along with fixing other minor things. It's a constant battle to keep it going.
She has told me about her post office receiving chicks all the time. They take great care to place them in the optimal spot and if they come in over the weekend, they call the customer so they can come in and pick them up. The biggest detriment to shipping live chicks are the central processing hubs and semi-trailer trucks. Those environments can get very extreme. Your Post Master's suggestion to oder your chicks in October is very wise. I wish the USPS would put some AC in that building, but with all the cutbacks in the postal system right now, I doubt he'll see it anytime soon. My wife has a mail count coming up in September. Of all the mail counts she's had, all but one yielded in lower pay. I swear they hold mail back during this time just to screw her out of more compensation.
i am going to make up another roost today -have the lil pool set up to sit in when it gets too hot those chicks are so lucky - cause i dont go out in this heat any more than i have to
went to home depot for the wood - the west home depot (and the lowes) gives a discount of 10 percent to ALL military and vets - so remember that if you all are building this year - that 10 percent does add up when buying a lot of stuff .... all you have to have is an id - or in my case - i just have a copy of my dd214 - and i got out back in 86 - they still honor it
went to home depot for the wood - the west home depot (and the lowes) gives a discount of 10 percent to ALL military and vets - so remember that if you all are building this year - that 10 percent does add up when buying a lot of stuff .... all you have to have is an id - or in my case - i just have a copy of my dd214 - and i got out back in 86 - they still honor it
Loralee, Your chicks will be just fine in October. Call your PO the day before you expect them and they will call you nice and early in the morning so you can pick them up. I understand that your nest boxes are going to be mounted to the outside of the coop so you won't be going in there to gather eggs. You could set them just about any height you want. Since you have that configuration I would keep them rather low though because my birds sometimes lay under the nest boxes and I only have maybe a foot underneath them before shavings. I don't clean out my house all the time, once or twice a year is plenty. I use the deep litter method. It works great and saves a lot of time, effort and money. You can read up on it by doing an internet search.
Also start reading up on how to care for the chicks. In October you will need a draft shield and a heat lamp for them. Not trying to add to your stress. You can do this reading when it is too hot to be out there working.
I do want to point out one thing to you. You are worrying like I do about all this stuff. I am one of those people that lays awake at night worrying about whether every thing is just right. Just remember, other than the basic building you can make changes later on. Roost and stuff like that can be added at a later time. If they are like most chickens if it is warm enough for them they are going to prefer to be outside most of the time anyway.
The one thing I would suggest that most people don't think about in their coops is to install an electrical outlet. It's simple and inexpensive and worth it's weight in gold. I hook up a cord to my outlets that have a male plug in, (most have been cut off an old extension cord) that run out the side of the house. Then you can simply plug it into an extension cord when you need power. I could write you up a tutorial on how to do that if you like. Or your hubby could do that for you if he has done any electrical stuff at all.
You will need power for heat lamps, lights, fans, or any number of things. If you plan ahead then you don't have to leave open doors or windows to run extension cords through. It will cost just a few dollars. I recycle everything so most of mine don't cost anything.
Also start reading up on how to care for the chicks. In October you will need a draft shield and a heat lamp for them. Not trying to add to your stress. You can do this reading when it is too hot to be out there working.
I do want to point out one thing to you. You are worrying like I do about all this stuff. I am one of those people that lays awake at night worrying about whether every thing is just right. Just remember, other than the basic building you can make changes later on. Roost and stuff like that can be added at a later time. If they are like most chickens if it is warm enough for them they are going to prefer to be outside most of the time anyway.
The one thing I would suggest that most people don't think about in their coops is to install an electrical outlet. It's simple and inexpensive and worth it's weight in gold. I hook up a cord to my outlets that have a male plug in, (most have been cut off an old extension cord) that run out the side of the house. Then you can simply plug it into an extension cord when you need power. I could write you up a tutorial on how to do that if you like. Or your hubby could do that for you if he has done any electrical stuff at all.
You will need power for heat lamps, lights, fans, or any number of things. If you plan ahead then you don't have to leave open doors or windows to run extension cords through. It will cost just a few dollars. I recycle everything so most of mine don't cost anything.
GeoKan, sounds like your wife has a tough job and works hard. I know my mail carrier does. I think they have an awful lot in common! I guess with all the cut backs, they won't be seeing much improvement to the building. Our PO is really charming and cute! It's the old fashioned building, who knows when it was built. All brick and you walk right into the small waiting area that has all the boxes. The boxes have the old fashioned doors with little windows, and they have the old fashioned key holes that look like skeleton keys might open them. For all I know- the boxes aren't even locked. The postmasters window has a real fancy iron gate that slides down when he's gone. It's all very cute, and yet, really, really small! Just the two of them work there.
chicken Danz, I will be asking my husband to make up one of those outlets! I didn't know you could do that, but what a great idea! He is great with electrical, he has an electrical engineering degree and he wired up our basement, so I'm sure he could tackle something like that. I asked him if we could just hardwire electric in, but he doesn't want to do it. He said he didnt' want to rent the trench digger. Our neighbor is a plumber, and I'm half inclined to ask him if we could pay him to trench it for us. He owns his own machine... but my DH already thinks this is going to cost more than he wants to spend anyway. (i'm sure it will!) Worst case, in another year, we could go that route if I already have the spot for the box installed.
I've been lazy this morning. I need to run to get grain for the horses and catch up on other chores before working on the coop again.
chicken Danz, I will be asking my husband to make up one of those outlets! I didn't know you could do that, but what a great idea! He is great with electrical, he has an electrical engineering degree and he wired up our basement, so I'm sure he could tackle something like that. I asked him if we could just hardwire electric in, but he doesn't want to do it. He said he didnt' want to rent the trench digger. Our neighbor is a plumber, and I'm half inclined to ask him if we could pay him to trench it for us. He owns his own machine... but my DH already thinks this is going to cost more than he wants to spend anyway. (i'm sure it will!) Worst case, in another year, we could go that route if I already have the spot for the box installed.
I've been lazy this morning. I need to run to get grain for the horses and catch up on other chores before working on the coop again.
- Thread starter
- #4,436
For anyone ordering chicks in rural areas, we get our mail VERY quickly, straight from the hub here in Lawrence. I have gotten birds at 5 am that were sent the previous evening.
If you want to have them sent here, I'll watch them and you can come to Lawrence to get them, because I have sent eggs to Wichita and had the trip take 3 days Priority!!! It only takes 8 hours to get eggs to Alaska!!
I just hate the idea of them being on a truck so long.
Are you all enjoying this springlike weather? 90s! Amazing!
If you want to have them sent here, I'll watch them and you can come to Lawrence to get them, because I have sent eggs to Wichita and had the trip take 3 days Priority!!! It only takes 8 hours to get eggs to Alaska!!
I just hate the idea of them being on a truck so long.
Are you all enjoying this springlike weather? 90s! Amazing!
Quote:
Thanks Chookschick! My plan is to try to catch them at the airport sorting center before they are sent out. When it gets closer, I'm going to call them up and see if they can just give me a call or we can arrange something to bypass another truck ride out to my rural PO. But thank you for the offer! If I do this again, I might take you up on that! I'm hoping that in October the heat won't be too much of a consideration at that point. And with ordering 10- and it being cooler, hopefully the conditions will be more perfect. We shall see!
Thanks Chookschick! My plan is to try to catch them at the airport sorting center before they are sent out. When it gets closer, I'm going to call them up and see if they can just give me a call or we can arrange something to bypass another truck ride out to my rural PO. But thank you for the offer! If I do this again, I might take you up on that! I'm hoping that in October the heat won't be too much of a consideration at that point. And with ordering 10- and it being cooler, hopefully the conditions will be more perfect. We shall see!
Quote:
Hey Hawkeye Been following this thread for some time now and I just want to chime in on the postal thing.
My wife is a rural route carrier in Smithville, Mo. and has been delivering for about 14 years now. I've been to her post office (and even helped her deliver mail) and it's air conditioned, although her Jeep is not. Her pervious Jeep had AC, but really didn't do much good having it on because she had the window down all the time to deliver mail. It mostly keep a cool breeze blowing in her face and legs during the really hot days and it's really tough on the vehicle's engine during extreme conditions. Her old Jeep just wore out and we had to buy another used one. She places packages in the back and uses a marker placed in her bundled mail so she can keep track who gets what package.
I feel so bad for her out there during this hot weather. She comes home just exhausted from the heat sitting inside that Jeep. She puts more than 150 miles on that thing a day. I'm always replacing tires and slapping breaks on it along with fixing other minor things. It's a constant battle to keep it going.
She has told me about her post office receiving chicks all the time. They take great care to place them in the optimal spot and if they come in over the weekend, they call the customer so they can come in and pick them up. The biggest detriment to shipping live chicks are the central processing hubs and semi-trailer trucks. Those environments can get very extreme. Your Post Master's suggestion to oder your chicks in October is very wise. I wish the USPS would put some AC in that building, but with all the cutbacks in the postal system right now, I doubt he'll see it anytime soon. My wife has a mail count coming up in September. Of all the mail counts she's had, all but one yielded in lower pay. I swear they hold mail back during this time just to screw her out of more compensation.
Hi there! Where ya been? Hope all is well. Did your girls enjoy the fair? How are the chicks doing?
As far as postal service goes, I've had mixed results, but mostly good. Our local post office does all they can to get eggs and chicks to you ASAP. They also call me from the hub in Topeka to let me know they are on their way to Hiawatha, and they do their best to not let them sit in Topeka overnight. I sure can't complain. My local post office calls me as soon as they are in, even if it is 5:00 in the morning.
I had one shipment of chicks in March where there were a lot of losses. It looked to me like they had gotten cold and had crowded and trampled each other. The breeder that sent them to me said he had TERRIBLE luck that week with all of his shipments with a lot of losses, so I have to think the problem started early in the trip from where they were shipped. Subsequent shipments had no losses.
I don't know about the air conditioning, but I know most breeders will not ship this time of year, either chicks or adult birds due to the heat.
It rained off an on all night. We have now had 5 1/2" of rain in the past week, with more predicted. If I could, I'd send some of it to some of you who are having dry dry weather.
Hey Hawkeye Been following this thread for some time now and I just want to chime in on the postal thing.
My wife is a rural route carrier in Smithville, Mo. and has been delivering for about 14 years now. I've been to her post office (and even helped her deliver mail) and it's air conditioned, although her Jeep is not. Her pervious Jeep had AC, but really didn't do much good having it on because she had the window down all the time to deliver mail. It mostly keep a cool breeze blowing in her face and legs during the really hot days and it's really tough on the vehicle's engine during extreme conditions. Her old Jeep just wore out and we had to buy another used one. She places packages in the back and uses a marker placed in her bundled mail so she can keep track who gets what package.
I feel so bad for her out there during this hot weather. She comes home just exhausted from the heat sitting inside that Jeep. She puts more than 150 miles on that thing a day. I'm always replacing tires and slapping breaks on it along with fixing other minor things. It's a constant battle to keep it going.
She has told me about her post office receiving chicks all the time. They take great care to place them in the optimal spot and if they come in over the weekend, they call the customer so they can come in and pick them up. The biggest detriment to shipping live chicks are the central processing hubs and semi-trailer trucks. Those environments can get very extreme. Your Post Master's suggestion to oder your chicks in October is very wise. I wish the USPS would put some AC in that building, but with all the cutbacks in the postal system right now, I doubt he'll see it anytime soon. My wife has a mail count coming up in September. Of all the mail counts she's had, all but one yielded in lower pay. I swear they hold mail back during this time just to screw her out of more compensation.
As far as postal service goes, I've had mixed results, but mostly good. Our local post office does all they can to get eggs and chicks to you ASAP. They also call me from the hub in Topeka to let me know they are on their way to Hiawatha, and they do their best to not let them sit in Topeka overnight. I sure can't complain. My local post office calls me as soon as they are in, even if it is 5:00 in the morning.
I had one shipment of chicks in March where there were a lot of losses. It looked to me like they had gotten cold and had crowded and trampled each other. The breeder that sent them to me said he had TERRIBLE luck that week with all of his shipments with a lot of losses, so I have to think the problem started early in the trip from where they were shipped. Subsequent shipments had no losses.
I don't know about the air conditioning, but I know most breeders will not ship this time of year, either chicks or adult birds due to the heat.
It rained off an on all night. We have now had 5 1/2" of rain in the past week, with more predicted. If I could, I'd send some of it to some of you who are having dry dry weather.
Quote:
Sounds like a quaint little rural PO. I just adore the old-fashion appeal. Our Troy office was remolded about 20 or so years ago and my grandma bought one of those old post-office boxes. They're so ornate. That gate you describe must of been placed there in the 20s. I love to see it sometime.
Quote:
Hey Ivywoods!
Sorry for the absence. Been quite inundated with work. My boss decided to take 5 consecutive weeks off. Been having to go in on weekends. Worked 9 days in a row.
The chicks don't seem like chicks anymore. LOL I've got 2 roos and the rest are hens. I'm spoiling them with cool watermelon treats and table scraps. I've also been trying to get their run done, but the heat has gotten the best of me lately as I'm sure most of everyone here can attest to.
I hope to make more progress tomorrow. Need to clean the coop. Built a temporary run for them in the shade. They seem to like it.
Sounds like a quaint little rural PO. I just adore the old-fashion appeal. Our Troy office was remolded about 20 or so years ago and my grandma bought one of those old post-office boxes. They're so ornate. That gate you describe must of been placed there in the 20s. I love to see it sometime.
Quote:
Hey Ivywoods!
Sorry for the absence. Been quite inundated with work. My boss decided to take 5 consecutive weeks off. Been having to go in on weekends. Worked 9 days in a row.
The chicks don't seem like chicks anymore. LOL I've got 2 roos and the rest are hens. I'm spoiling them with cool watermelon treats and table scraps. I've also been trying to get their run done, but the heat has gotten the best of me lately as I'm sure most of everyone here can attest to.
I hope to make more progress tomorrow. Need to clean the coop. Built a temporary run for them in the shade. They seem to like it.
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