Consolidated Kansas

[justinwrites]

I definitely sympathize regarding the garden. My chickens have pulverized a bed of hostas after I forgot to close the garden gate one day I found all my low hanging tomatoes to have oddly beak shaped bites out of them. And duck holes... there was something I was not prepared for. Bill-sized holes, generally close to where the water bucket is that day.

I have two ducks. I started with one until I discovered that you really can't brood ducks with chicks (and the chicks hated the duck). And the poor thing got so lonely I had to go get another. They generally get along with the chickens now. Mostly the big boy duck has intimidated the two roo's I have. And the roo's are kind of touched anyway.

 

[rittert3]

Hello from manhattan area

 

[Hawkeye95]

Thanks Danz! I'm here... or rather, I just got back! We went up to Colorado Springs and stayed with family so that my DH could run the Pikes Peak Ascent. Although, I'm not sure "run" would be the right word for the insane hiking ascent straight up the side of the mountain. (it takes a typical person to hike this trail in 8+ hrs) He did it in 4:07 hours to the summit- the race started in Manitou Springs in the town, so they had a couple miles of running before they hit the trail. Anyway, we drove up a few days early so that he could acclimate to the altitude and do some runs up on the mountains ahead of time. We spent some time sight seeing too, as we don't get up there too often. His aunt and uncle are about 10 minutes from Manitou Springs and live on the side of the mountain- so, we stayed with them.

We had a pretty bad storm come thru last Wed. It took down a shed (tore it apart!- the pieces are flung all over) on the back of our property and it tore apart our nice redwood playset. My mom sent me pictures of it while we were gone. The kids are upset their clubhouse and swings are gone.

It ripped apart some of our pergola and uprooted a pretty big White Pine tree in the front yard. It wasn't a tornado- my mom said it was just flat line winds. She was here when it hit "rescuing" my turkey and getting the horses in the barn and locked up. I already called our insurance, and it's covered, we just have to meet deductible. Anyway, my mom said that she had just parked in our drive way, when the playset/clubhouse came out of the ground and was lifted into the air- it hit her new car!

So she'll have to get her car fixed, too. I feel really bad since she came over to take care of my animals and then she gets hit by debris. My neighbors have been slowly bringing pieces of playset or shed back to our place from their properties while we've been gone. They have made a big pile in the front lawn. Sigh. So sad. One of them called me a couple days ago to tell me they were still working on clean up at our place.

On the UP side... the chicken coop made it! LOL!! But I am going to go buy hurricane clips to screw the roof on with! In fact, I'm going to go get more braces, etc to reinforce everything. This damage is highly unusual for us, but we do get those wind storms a lot and for some reason, we get a lot of small tornados, too- they usually land in the field behind us and dissipate before getting any bigger. We're sort of in a pocket where we see a lot of action- more so than anyone around us. Anyway, I guess I'll be cleaning up tomorrow (there is lumber and plywood that was flung up against the house) I can't believe no windows were broken.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:

Welcome!! I used to live up there! Lived in Jardine (KSU housing). Used to LOVE Vista Burger and having picnics near the dam on Tuttle Creek.

 

[msjfrizzle]

Hawkeye- So sorry about all your damage! I'm not surprised your coop is ok- you're making it SO sturdy! It makes me wonder if my coop roof is really strong enough (probably not). I live just north of the confluence of the big and little Arkansas Rivers. Legend says that the rivers protect the area from tornadoes, but legends are just that- legends!! I don't think the legend says anything about straight line winds.

 

[chicken danz]

Quote:
Welcome. My son and his wife live in Manhattan. I really like that town! I used to live in Council Grove.

 

[chicken danz]

Quote:

Welcome!! I used to live up there! Lived in Jardine (KSU housing). Used to LOVE Vista Burger and having picnics near the dam on Tuttle Creek.

Hawkeye, I'm so sorry about your damage. I think most of the weather skirted us other than it blew two of my pens that had tarping on them several feet. I think the tarps acted as lifts for them. They were modular pens I could move. We still got very little rain. Darn it!
I don't think your house will go anywhere. With all the weight and the posts in the ground it should stay put.
Congrats to your DH.
To others, I had a very disappointing day. I have been negotiating with a guy for some Seramas for a couple months. I made a special trip to a swap meet in N. Topeka this morning just to sell him the Seramas he requested. He avoided me until I finally walked up to him at the end of the meet when he was leaving. He said they weren't as small as he expected. I had chosen the colors he wanted and got him ones that were good breeders. The DA had no idea what he was dealing with or he would have known more about the breed and what to look for. Anyway I sold him one pair for $10 after making a trip for a special group for $40 thinking it would pay for my gas. Had I not sold a bunch of guineas at a giveaway price it wouldn't have even paid for my gas. My DH was mad at me for selling the guineas so cheap but I needed the room and had to pay for my trip somehow. Never again. I'm done making special trips for people to make deals unless they are someone I've dealt with before.
I also scored a trade with OzawkieBantams who wasn't there, through Kansaskid. He called him on the phone so that was 6 pheasant I didn't have to bring home.
Just when I believe in human nature some jerk reminds me it might not be a good idea. I've been to that N. Topeka swap two times and both times I ended up getting dished. Think I'll avoid that one at any cost.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Danz, oh, so sorry about your rotten luck with the swap meet!

I'll have to look up samas.. or whatever you said and see what those are! Chickens??? Off to find out! Glad that Ozwakie could make you a deal- at least that worked out.

 

[Hawkeye95]

wow- those are really pretty birds (seramas). They seem kind of small, right? What do you do with such small birds? (just curious) I'm chickens to lay eggs... so I'm guessing these guys have a purpose to.

They are so, so PRETTY! Do their wings always go straight down like that? (looking at pictures here) I love that! They look really cocky and sure of themselves.

This guy wanted them to be even smaller than they were?? They already look pretty small to me!

 

[Hawkeye95]

wow- those are really pretty birds (seramas). They seem kind of small, right? What do you do with such small birds? (just curious) I'm getting chickens to lay eggs... so I'm guessing these guys have a purpose to.

They are so, so PRETTY! Do their wings always go straight down like that? (looking at pictures here) I love that! They look really cocky and sure of themselves.

This guy wanted them to be even smaller than they were?? They already look pretty small to me!