Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

That does sound like fun, but I quit camping when I was in my mid twenties. I decided I really liked my creature comforts without bugs. Having electric would be helpful though.
I went to Physical therapy today, then came home with a whopping headache. So I decided to belly down and paint my hallway one more time. I think I finally have the bright green covered now. Thank goodness.
I guess I could leave my chickens for a few days if I didn't let them free range and I didn't have so many of them. My dogs would need to be fed though, cause any left over dog food gets eaten by the birds.
I've got to button down the hatches tonight. It is supposed to be really cool. I sure don't want my chicks to get chilled. I just hatched another batch yesterday. Some more of those eggs that some one laid here and there instead of in the nest boxes.
I found another nest with a broody today. She is sitting under a half plastic barrel cut lengthways I had used to feed goats in. It is upside down and she is underneath it.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
You must have tons of chicks around! Every time I read the incubator section on the board, it sounds like people have bad luck hatching- like out of 30 eggs, they'll just get a few. Sounds like you really know what you're doing! So funny about your broody that is under the feeder that got flipped. Congrats on covering up all of your neon green paint. I love painting, but it is definitely a process, I feel like I need to block out the entire day to do it. But I still find time- I can't tell you how many colors my hall bath has been... we built this house 11 years ago, and I think I've painted it about every three years- different colors. I just painted it this July and now it's grey, got a shower curtain and new towels in bright green to contrast it- because they have the grey trim on them. You'd think it would be dark, but we replaced the lights in there with new fixtures and it's really light and pretty now. Our house is (or was) all the 'builder grade' lighting, so we've been going room by room changing out lights and upgrading as we go with fixtures, etc. OH- and camping in October is nice- it's cool, and hardly any bugs at all! My favorite lake to camp on is Kanopolis Lake, because they have turn out pens for the horses, a really nice bath house with heated water, hand dryers, etc. You can plug in hair curlers, etc and it's really close to the camp sites, so it's no biggie to walk there at night. Every time we go, there must be about 30 other horse people up there, it's very popular. Sometimes we have a hard time getting in (we try to call ahead for availability) and have to work around all the people that flock there. Even on a really quiet weekend, we'll still have about 10 other campers, but usually more than that. The horse community is really a lot of fun, too!

 

[justinwrites]

So glad to hear I'm not the only one finding errant eggs. I just added 3 more nest boxes. That makes 5 for 13 layers. Maybe now I won't find hens stacked 3 deep lol.

 

[chicken danz]

I have 30 nest boxes in my hen house and usually have eggs in about 6 of them and one nest they made themselves in the litter under the boxes. They just have their favorite spots to lay. My birds free range all day so many of them just find their own spots to lay. Since the weather finally cooled down they have changed spots. I have two hens that are laying in DH's shop. (I don't know how they ever find a place big enough in the mess to lay. There are actually a couple of plastic grocery bags on the floor that they lay on!)
My ducks are even worse. They don't like sleeping in their house in the summer so they lay in any patch of tall grass or sometimes just out in the middle of the yard.
If I could just stay home and not have places to go, I need to get busy on building another duck house. I hate starting a project then having to stop in the middle of it.

 

[Ivywoods]

I just had a scarry incident. I was sitting on the step outside my layer's coop. I was hand feeding the chickens and guineas some treats, so they were all milling around. All of the sudden the guineas sounded the alarm, the chickens were squawking and before I knew what was going on they all ran and flew into the weeds, under the coop or wherever, scattering in all directions. Within an instant I saw the cause of their fright. A small hawk of some kind swooped down right over the area where they were feeding, within a couple feet of my face! It suddenly turned upward and away, and that was the last I saw of it. I think it must have seen me at the last second and changed it's course, that or else the chickens all scattered before it had a chance to take a final aim at one.

They are all still out there hiding in the weeds and under the coop.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
WOW!!!! that was a close call!! One brave hawk for going after your birds with you there. I was just reading a similar incident on the board a few days ago! Someone said that a hawk dove in to her backyard while she was out there and it grabbed a chicken less than a foot from her- she ran up and kicked the hawk and it reeled off the chicken and took flight without it's dinner. Her chicken was fine. I'm starting to see the real necessity of having my run covered! I'm so glad no one was hurt or taken.

 

[chicken danz]

I've had several hawks and some turkey buzzards lately trying to get chickens. If it weren't for my guineas my dogs probably wouldn't know in time. I'm about ready to sit in the yard with a 22 and take pot shots. I wonder if they are being more aggressive because the heat has been hard on their food sources?
I know that the mice and rodents are crazy thick around here so you'd think they'd have plenty to eat without coming in to nab a chicken. And there's a million starlings and sparrows they could eat. Are chickens just easy prey?
It was a bad morning here. I lost 3 young pheasant. I am sure it is because they got cool and suffocated each other. My mamma salmon faverolle was clucking for her chick this morning but I couldn't find it anywhere. One of my young guineas that the mothers are raising drowned in the water dish. I have a regular chick waterer out there for them but it apparently got knocked over. I had one Serama chick that died, but that isn't unusual. They have a gene that causes them to die sometimes and I assume that was the culprit. I used all my feed this morning and my mix won't be ready until late tomorrow morning. Maybe these guys can eat some of the stuff they have thrown out of the food troughs for a change.
Hawkeye, as far as my hatching it has taken a lot of practice and experimenting to get it right. I candle my eggs before they go in the hatcher and toss those that don't have chicks in them. My chicken hatching is usually 90-100% My ducks are pretty much 100%, my pheasants and button quail are much less; Maybe 50%. Many of them just don't pip. I have experimented with humidity and stuff but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[chicken danz]

Anyone going to the Gardner Auction Saturday? I need to go pick up a couple birds I've traded. Never been there before but would like to go see what it is all about. I hate going any where that I don't know people.

I feel so out of place.
Would love to meet some of you if you are going.

 

[Hawkeye95]

incubating sounds like a LOT of fun! I looked at the ones Atwoods has this afternoon. We went in to buy the heat lamp for the chicks soon to arrive. They had new baby chicks in there- pullets and straight run. Some guy came in and bought every one of the straight run up. There must have been about 15 of them left. I was surprised! The only thing left now are 3 baby ducks and a handful of pullets and a TON of guinneas. Since I've been trying to learn what the breeds of chicks look like... I could tell there were 3 barred rocks... that was all!! LOL The rest were a yellow, or a light tan color. Who knows what they were!

Can I use newspaper in my brooder when the chicks come? I really, really want to use newspaper. I have a lot of it... so it'd be a free material for me to use. But I keep reading on here that people say NOT to use newspaper. Is there a really good reason for that, or are they just being picky? I'd rather not go out and buy bedding. Okay, so I bought the lamp and bought a 2 pack of bulbs. They look like they are white, I guess. I did see a red light.... are the lights I bought going to be fine? I noticed that Atwoods was using the ones I bought in their brooders. They were on sale for 2 bulbs for $3.99, and I bought the light with clamp for $8.99. I have some left over medicated chick starter from my turkey--- that stuff doesn't go bad, does it? I bet it's about 2 months old now, and I sealed it up. Anything else I should know?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
Where is the gardner auction? I meant to say earlier and I got distracted, that I'm so sorry about all your chicks you lost. This was one heck of a bad day.

But all of it sounds like it was just accidental stuff that could happen to anyone. We have chicks drown on us too. Well... turkeys. It seems like my dad's baby turkeys would always go drown themselves in the "big" water'ers. (i really don't know how to spell that!) LOL! Anyway, it's always sad. I hope your day takes a nice turn for the better.