Consolidated Kansas

[checoukan]

Well, thought I would change my picture. This is arnie,

he is my leopard Catauhula. About 7 months old. Still bringing his toys that he likes to show me.

Going to show my gps, but casper did not like me with the camera. Earl let me take his picture, but would not face me. Silly dog, both are out with the goats, chickens and ducks. Seem to be enjoying the cold today. BRRRRR. THEY LOVE THE COLD AND SNOW!!!!

Casper is in back with the goats. You can also see my one lone pilgram goose.

 

[chicken danz]

OH! What a day! I wonder just how awful this winter is going to be?! First we are missing Chuck. He is my husband's pet rooster, a partridge silkie that always follows me around every step when I feed and comes when you call. We looked every where and can't find him. Darn chickens have been going out further and further to pick around for food and he might have gotten out too far. We've had a hawk hanging around for days chasing mice and I wonder if he didn't target Chuck cause he is small.
I was then putting my food warmer heater in the doves cage and two doves spooked and flew out. They never fly but it was something new so I guess it scared them. They are hanging around on the tree above the cage but wouldn't come down. Most likely they'll freeze so death. They don't function in freezing temps.
Then to top it all I had a FIRE!

Yep the winter is starting off all wrong! The birds evidently knocked a heat lamp down in the brooder and it of course started burning the shavings, then the floor. I was out feeding and kept smelling smoke, but couldn't see any one burning. As I got to that side of the yard I noticed it was getting a lot stronger. Opened the brooder door and about choked to death. I've got gobs of baby chicks in there and it is a wonder the toxins didn't kill them. Well if it isn't cold enough I opened the door and a window to let the smoke out, then drug a hose in there and sprayed water to put it out. Those chicks were peeping their heads off cause they were getting chilled. So then after I woke up DH who was trying to sleep before working tonight to help me get the burning floor completely cool, and shoveling the burnt shavings out I finally got things put back together. I cleaned the lamp and hung it higher and wired it again hoping this time the birds can't knock it down. It's to cold not to have the second lamp in there.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Checoukan, great picture!! Wow, I think nearly everyone here has a Great Pyr! I feel so left out! hehee!! (j/k) But really, it sounds like THIS is the dog to have to take care of your animals. I would hate for them to get hurt though, our coyotes are baaaaad. They aren't scared and they come right up to my house sniffing around. Well, right now the last thing I need is another dog when we don't even know if we're going to be here. Cute goats, what do you use them for? Do you milk them and sell it, use it? I know that is gaining popularity lately.

Danz, I'm so sorry about Chuck! I would not be happy if I were missing a favorite bird that liked to follow me around. Poor thing. I hope your doves come back down out of that tree too. I hope they make it thru the night tonight. WOW- you just had a heck of a day today! I hope this isn't the start of your troubles this winter. After your brooder fire, I'd say enough is enough! I think winter should be kinder to you.

I'm worried we are in for a heck of a cold winter, too, though. My horses are really furred up and thick. Even my oldest mare that didn't really get her winter coat in last winter-- she looks like a little wooly sheep. I was worried that she was too old to get in a "fur coat" anymore after last year. She had to wear her thick padded neon pink coat most of the winter since she really got cold and shaky. Anyway, I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.

If tomorrow is as nice as they say it is-- (no snow, no freezing day time temps) then I'm going to finish setting up my dog panels and get the chicks in the coop tomorrow. How long have I been saying that?? Geez. I think they'll like all the roosts and the ladders I put in there for them. Plenty of options. We had 4-H tonight and we picked up our packets for our projects. My oldest is doing Poultry- both showmanship and show, and rocketry, and then Food Crafts. They said the county will email us when the project meetings start at the extension office to go to. He got booklets that are like work books- they are divided up into lessons and then you write in and fill out all kinds of stuff in it. Plus there are spaces to put in photos to show your progress. It's really neat! This isn't how we did it when I was a kid. We just made folders and inserted our pages into it to create a "book".

 

[Trish44]

Danz, sorry to hear about your day, I hope tomorrow is better.

I was in Wichita all afternoon, ran some errands, but still didn't make it to TSC to get what I wanted, oh well maybe next trip. I came back pretty late & my little pups were so good, they were in their pen all tucked into their doghouse. I'm so proud of them, they have been really good except for the hole they dug today in my flower bed, but they did stop immediately as soon as I stuck my head out the window & yelled NO. They sure do know what that word means, I'm impressed with such young pups listening that well.

Hawkeye, yeah it's supposed to be above freezing tomorrow, woo hoo, you'd better take advantage of the heat wave!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:

so funny!

your pups really sound amazing! Ha, my little dogs would just go back to doing whatever it is I told them NO about when I wasn't looking.

Zorro is crowing right now, so cute. I hope my VetRX comes in soon! I want to see if that clears up the last little bit. I hope so! I may go after them with the Tea Tree Oil myself and see if that does anything on its own.

 

[chicken danz]

I have to go to Topeka for my post op appointment today. Maybe he'll be able to shed some light on this stupid pain in one of my shoulders. Also maybe I'll get released to drive. That would help a lot although I'm not really feeling like doing it. I just want to be able to do a little Christmas shopping when I feel a little better. Shopping on line isn't cutting it. I have one gift so far.
I laid and worried about my birds all night. I guess having Chuck missing has got me concerned I could be missing others and not know it. I've been letting DH do most of the watering and I haven't taken much time to feed. The cold and my neck just don't mix. I know all of my older breeder birds, but there is no way to account for them since I have so many total chickens now. It would probably take a couple days of actually staying outside for a longer time to feed than I have been. And then there are so many young birds, several of them could be missing and I wouldn't have a clue. To top it off the dogs were going nuts all night. The predators must have been out in force. If only I had my chicken palace complete so I could at least keep the breeders penned up it would help so much.
My dogs do such a great job but they do miss things now and then like that possum in the hen house a while back. I'd hate to start all over at this point trying to replace some of my best birds.
Fret! Fret!

 

[chicken danz]

Quote:

so funny!

your pups really sound amazing! Ha, my little dogs would just go back to doing whatever it is I told them NO about when I wasn't looking.

Zorro is crowing right now, so cute. I hope my VetRX comes in soon! I want to see if that clears up the last little bit. I hope so! I may go after them with the Tea Tree Oil myself and see if that does anything on its own.

I think good behavior is a breed trait. Anything I've told these dogs of mine "NO!" to they stop. I just think they are major intelligent for a dog. Fluff always averts his eyes if he thinks he doing something he isn't supposed to. Like if he doesn't look you in the face you can't see him I guess.
He drug up a deer hide yesterday. Someone's been out field dressing again. He'll be chewing on that and dragging it around the yard all winter. He had a hide last winter. It eventually got torn in several pieces. I was cleaning up stuff out of the yard last spring and loading it on a garden trailer. He actually climbed up in the trailer full of limbs and junk and pulled his deer hide out when I wasn't looking. He took it to the other side of the yard then. I guess he thought I wouldn't notice.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
I hope you have great news and your Dr can explain the pain you are having. Really sorry about the chicken worries. I don't sleep well either when I'm having anxiety about my animals or something going on. I usually end up waking up several times a night and then having night mares. It does sound like your dogs were having a good time last night keeping predators at bay. I'm going to guess my biggest problem are coyotes. I just don't see signs of anything else. I did have that raccoon in the barn over the summer, but even he is gone and has been gone a while now. Do you think coyotes will eat oppossums and raccoons? The large pack I have living in my trees here might actually be eating off or scaring away everything else? Eh, who knows. Anyway, hope you enjoy your trip into town and have a nice lunch while you are out-- maybe even treat yourself with one of your favorite coffee drinks!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:

so funny!

your pups really sound amazing! Ha, my little dogs would just go back to doing whatever it is I told them NO about when I wasn't looking.

Zorro is crowing right now, so cute. I hope my VetRX comes in soon! I want to see if that clears up the last little bit. I hope so! I may go after them with the Tea Tree Oil myself and see if that does anything on its own.

I think good behavior is a breed trait. Anything I've told these dogs of mine "NO!" to they stop. I just think they are major intelligent for a dog. Fluff always averts his eyes if he thinks he doing something he isn't supposed to. Like if he doesn't look you in the face you can't see him I guess.
He drug up a deer hide yesterday. Someone's been out field dressing again. He'll be chewing on that and dragging it around the yard all winter. He had a hide last winter. It eventually got torn in several pieces. I was cleaning up stuff out of the yard last spring and loading it on a garden trailer. He actually climbed up in the trailer full of limbs and junk and pulled his deer hide out when I wasn't looking. He took it to the other side of the yard then. I guess he thought I wouldn't notice.

Oh that is hilarious!!! He pulled his old yucky hide out of the trailer! So funny! Even funnier that now he has a fresh hide to drag thru the mud and chew on and mangle to death this winter. I'm chuckling here. Dogs do love that kind of thing. My neighbor has a big black Lab, and when my ferriar comes out to trim horses, she grabs all the hoof clippings and runs off with those. She loooooves hoof. I've thought of bringing one or two inside for my little dogs, but the hoof clipping are dirty and kind of stink. They have foot odor.

Before my german shepard died (a few years back) I'd save them for her and throw them into her dog pan for treats.

 

[chicken danz]

Mmmm! I love Starbuck Mocha mint latte. DH doesn't drink coffee though so I probably won't get any. He'll be anxious to get back home and get some sleep after working all night.
I've never thought about it but would think a coyote would eat about anything. I guess the advantage coons and possums have is that they can climb trees. That is the one thing I don't worry about here. The dogs hate coyotes and will chase any off within a half mile.
It isn't warming up much so far. Sure hope it gets as warm as it is supposed to.