Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

It hasn't stopped raining since it started around noon! We needed it so bad! I hope it comes your way, too! Our grass has nearly given up, I'm only watering trees and shrubs.

My DH is running in the Wichita marathon tomorrow. He's hoping to set a PR (personal best) of about 3:30. He comes really close but hasn't done it. If he does, he'll qualify for Boston- even with their newly shortened times! Thinking this will be 17 or 18 marathons for him.. can't remember. Anyway, I hope he does it since I really want to see him run Boston. (that is-- IF he can get wade thru their terrible backed up system of entering)

 

[chicken danz]

Still waiting on the rain!!! The Topeka news last night said everyone would get some. The sky looks pretty darned clear here. We have missed virtually every shower most of the rest of you have gotten. It's unbelievable. Grass? You've got to be kidding! The only green we have is where the few trees we have give shade. Then most of our trees lost their leaves this summer. We have a maple that held on and some old elms that didn't loose all of theirs.
On the wild side of things my daughter posted pictures of snow they got yesterday on her facebook page. She lives in Evergreen, Co. Unreal. Just a few days ago they had a higher temp than we did. It looked beautiful but I think I prefer my dry to cold and snow right now.
I look out and still have lots of chickens and birds. It amazes me how I can reduce so many and still have tons. I can also see I missed a few cockerels that should have gone. Maybe I'll get them out in the next batch.

 

[ChooksChick]

That coop looks fabulous!

We haven't seen any rain here, yet, either. Honestly, we need it soooooo badly, but I want it to wait until I get a little more painting done. I have tendonitis really badly in my right elbow and it's excruciating to do repetitive things like paint, but it needs to get done while we're having a reprieve from normal October weather. We're supposed to have showers overnight, so I'm going to ignore my elbow and paint like mad today.

On those plastic waterers, I have used clear kitchen silicone that says it's safe for eating surfaces. I have also used plastic tape, like the red electrical tape, over the top of the silicone while it's still wet, on the bottom of the crack so that it has a secondary stabilizing surface. That seems to work really well, if you silicone both the top and the bottom of the crack. If you stretch the tape a bit as you put it over the silicone a few minutes into the silicone curing, it will seal fairly flatly.

It's time to collect bags of leaves off of other folks' curbs! I pile them along north and west fences of runs to provide a windbreak (covered in 4 mil clear plastic), while providing a free litter to add to my coops until it's all gone. I prefer leaves when they're available, and went through 50+ yard bags last year. I'll collect at least half again as many this year.

I'll also be doing a last major clean-out on the coops that will have the deep-litter method in use for the winter. Most of my coops will be a modified deep-litter method, and I'll toss in a bit of soil to help the process- it seems the microbes or enzymes help start the process. This provides a minor bit of heat from the composting that occurs, and the depth allows some good insulative assistance against the cold. There has to be VERY good ventilation for this to work, and it's much easier on a soil floor, but I'm not willing to increase the risk of histoplasmosis that a soil floor creates.

I'm off to the farm to paint now! I'm sun-burnt and wind-burnt from so many hours out there yesterday, but I have to take advantage of this non-rainy weather!

 

[chicken danz]

The leaves are a good idea. I never thought of that. I'd certainly want to target yards without dogs or cats in them. Of course not living in town I can't just drive around nearby and get leaves. Out here they just blow away. I'd love to have leaves to put on my flower beds if they'd stay put. Nothing works better for mulch.
I've had a busy day. I spent all day out working in my office trailer trying to get it prepared, so I can convert it to a chicken house. There is a lot more work to be done that I ever imagined. I finally just wore out.
Had a kid drop by with the 4H leader and he took two pair of Seramas. He said he'd be back for more when he gets more pens built.

 

[Myabcs3]

Finally, some light rain! Wasn't much, but even the chickens enjoyed it this morning.

We cleaned coops this weekend and rearranged the flock a bit. Moved the teenage blue wheaten amercaunas to the big coop. Even though they have been free ranging and playing in the big coop all summer, they decided last night they did not want to roost in there! They muttered and paced until we finally put them in. Now this morning, they are all peacefully roosted and don't seem in too much of a hurry to come out

Have a beautiful week!

 

[chicken danz]

We had light mist this morning. It's not enough to even make mud but at least it is a little moisture. We could use so much more but I'm not going to complain.
Blind duck got out of her pen this morning. The gate has been open for two days. She followed a couple other ducks out that came in to eat. I am really worried about her but she should be ok if she can just keep up with the other ducks and not run into things. Poor thing.
Hawkeye, How did Jon do in his marathon?
I've got to go get feed either today or tomorrow. Sure hope it lasts longer this time.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Renee, yikes, sounds like you have a lot of painting to do! I hope you got it all done before the rain came your way. It has rained non stop since Saturday, and we really needed it! So I hate to complain too much that my coop sat there without any work done on it. Sigh.

Danz, poor blind duck! Maybe she will learn to follow the others, i hope! My DH did really good in the marathon! He came in 73rd overall (there were over 1,000 people that ran). He got 3rd place in his division, so he was happy about that, but he still came in about 15 mins over what he had hoped to. He said he hit the wall earlier than he expected. When his second wind came, it was already too late and his pace had slowed too much. So, no Boston! Ah well. Maybe next year! He has another marathon in January. Thanks for asking! This is kind of a big thing in our daily lives. He runs about 10 miles each morning on average, so it's a chunk of time that we work around. I'm a drop out runner myself, I've injured both my heels and need surgery now. Instead, I'm wearing orthodics in my shoes and getting by. I have bone spurs on my heels that is causing the tendons to rub on them, so sometimes just walking hurts. It's really a bummer since I really enjoyed it and we had hopes of running together.

My mare colicked this morning. Fun.

I think she's okay now, and I hope I don't have to call the vet. I am my own mini pharmacy, so we'll see how she does. Just hoping she won't need tubing... she does this a few times a year, and it's getting exhausting. She's back out walking in the pasture again instead of groaning on the ground. I got some good walking in up and down the road with her, so I got my exercise in for today.

She's a mess now, though. She rolled around in the mud and is filthy. I tried to brush her out, but I'll have to wait until it dries so it will come off more easily. It's already been an 'exciting' morning. I'm ready for some non emergency down time.

 

[Ivywoods]

It's DONE! Well, other than a little touch up painting.
First pic-front view. The door on the bottom right is the one I had to piece the wire together for the door because I ran out and was too stubborn to buy a new roll. The wire is just a little wavy, but not bad at all.

Second pic-angled view to show inside a little better.

Third pic-Shows one door open and one of the removable panels partially pulled out.

Now, a little touch up paint, move it to it's home for the winter, put in some shavings, little roosts, food and water and some bantams are going to get a new home.

It's just in time for my seramas I plan to get from Danz and my black bantam cochin pullets that will be shipped soon that I am going to put with my OLD rooster. I'm still trying to decide just what I want to use for feeders and water in there. Once I have this in its permanent home I will install an auto water system.

 

[chicken danz]

Ivy, that pen looks great. I like the divider panels. That is the way my button quail cages are set up. I can't take credit for making them. I bought them that way.
I had a busy day. Went to physical therapy then drove back home and reloaded the truck and went back the other direction to get feed. I still don't have it unloaded. I am pooped. I think I did too much yesterday. I still didn't get my house cleaned.
I wonder if I'll ever get this place cleaned up!!!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Ivy-- OMGosh!!! That is the cutest, and prettiest little breeder pens ever! I love the divider panels that slide out! How smart! You did a fabulous job! I would be soooo proud!! I want one!!! LOL!!! I just LOVE this!! Bravo, and good job!

Danz, I hope you're able to take it easy and relax this evening. Sounds like you do an awful lot of work during the day.

So my horse went down this afternoon and i had a real emergency on my hands. Sigh. And to make matters worse- I called my neighbor to come watch my little kids while I took the horse to the vet. I hitched up my trailer and loaded (barely) my sick horse and took off. I got just down the road and my truck gave out!! It died and I restarted, and then died. I lost power steering while it died- and let me tell you, you don't want to lose power steering with a horse trailer. I barely got it stopped. I have electric brakes rigged up into my truck from the trailer (if you get a couple horses in there, a truck won't stop it on its own easily) So that was fun. I pulled over on a dirt road and called my DH. He was at the dentist. I called my mom and she was just about at the gym, so she turned around and came back and brought up my other truck. I hate driving the other one, because it's a ton dually and sucks gas at 8 mpg. My one ton diesel is much more economic. Anyway, so I unhitched, and then hitched to the truck my mom brought all the while my horse is in the trailer. We got her to the vet and they did a rectal, and nose tubing with oil and some drugs. We got her in a good place and then rinsed her mouth and throat and floated her teeth. I'm HOPING this doesn't happen again in a long, long time. I spent over $300! But admittedly, I did also buy vaccinations for all the horses, and that cost $200 just for those (for 3 horses). We got home and I limped my truck back to the house, and then I gave everyone except my sick mare their vaccination shots. It's been one of those days. After I unhitched the trailer and got everything sorted, I went over to mom's house and we ate chinese and had glasses of vino. I'm in a better mood now... if it weren't for spending all that money. Ick. I was suring hoping she was going to be doing better after she went down the first time this morning. But nope, just kept getting worse. At least she didn't need IV's this time. Last time she stayed in the horsie hospital for 2 days on IV's.

I'm hoping chickens will be less stressful???? Tell me YES. LOL!!!