Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Trish, FWIW, you probably should go to the marathon. Here on BYC, we all understand the pleasure chicks give us but he is your life partner and if this is important to him......the chicks will be fine for a day by themselves and then they will grow up and there will be more chicks and they will grow up and....your DH will still be there for you. Also, he'll be more likely to support your interests if you support his

 

[HEChicken]

Rvroman, after all the warm, dry weather we've had, it is a shame to get the much-needed rain over Spring Break - sounds like you're making the best of it though, building it inside.

 

[chicken danz]

rvroman, watch the size you are building your coop. It would be a shame to have parts of it that you can't get out the door!

Yep it's still misting here. I just got through feeding and gathering eggs and my much boots were so heavy with mud I wasn't sure I had the strength to get back to the house.
I found something really weird. Has anyone heard of this before?? I was cooking eggs (described below). I cracked an egg and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. In place of the yolk there was actually a small round egg with a hard shell. That egg was in a larger egg with the white around the little egg, and anothe hard shell around it. I wish I hadn't been dropping them into a skillet or I would have gotten a picture. It was crazy unbelievable.
I'm thinking I'm probably going to downsize a little on chickens soon. Once I get all the purebreds separated and get my new layers from K-state I might just sell most of my others. I just have so much to care for and not enough buildings. I spent a couple hours this morning unloading and loading incubators and cooking eggs I hadn't gotten sold. I never keep anything over a week to sell. The dogs and the chickens had a grand treat though. I probably cooked at least 20-25 dozen eggs.

 

[rvroman]

I spent a couple hours this morning unloading and loading incubators and cooking eggs I hadn't gotten sold. I never keep anything over a week to sell. The dogs and the chickens had a grand treat though. I probably cooked at least 20-25 dozen eggs.

I wish I would have known you had that many eggs, there is a big celebration at my church tonight for spring and one of the traditional spring foods is... EGGS!!! I am boiling quite a few right now, I do love eggs of all sorts! 20-25 dozen though, that had to be an interesting site to see in the kitchen!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Ah-Ha Hawkeye! So you have begun "Flippin Chickens"????
I have never done that, course I don't have that breed of "Fuzzy Butts". Mine seem to manage to take care of that by themselves. Thank goodness.
Just looked at the rain gauge, and we have had 3 3/4 inches of rain since noon yesterday. Spring River is getten up pretty good, and I have not heard anything on the Neosho River yet, but I bet its gonna get out before long, that is if it has not already done so. Not much going on down here, hope to start the new barn by May 1st, Iam so ready for it. Got all of the U of A Chicks out to the kids and everyone seemed really pleased with the babies. Ivy, I will take some of those you have up there with you, and I will get them out to the kids, Maybe we could meet half way or something?

Hawkeye, are you able to come to Wichita today? I will be passing thru later, and I have something that I would like to give to you. I know you like suprises, so I will leave it at that. If you can let me know. If not, I will leave it hear as we are going to blow thru Wichita pretty fast.

Hope all is well with everybody. Prayers for all who need them. Be thankful for the rain. We very well may need it this summer. I am very thankful as all of our ponds are full and running over, so fresh water in the ponds. All the pastures are saturated, and should have a good spring hay season. Be gone a few days, so all take care!!!

OH no!! I wish I had seen this before I left!! ack! I'd have sent you my phone number so you could call me. I was out running errands today. Not in WIchita, but close enough that I could have driven up to Wichita no problem! *sigh*

 

[Hawkeye95]

RvRoman, this rain is really throwing off our spring break, too. Bummer! I'm okay with a day of rain... but two days of non-stop rain/flooding. ARGHHH!!! Yes, our little online community here is the BEST!!

Trish, oh, you should totally go to your DH's marathon! WOW-- I didn't even know he did marathons! That's awesome!! I wonder if he knows MY DH??? My Dh is a runner too! He's done 18 marathons and runs in all the smaller races around here, too. He is in the Jogger and Laggers running group and is always at "Run Wichita" meetings and helps plan the next running events. He has a running blog if your DH is into that and reads other's runner's blogs. Anyway, I always make a big deal of his running and we plan mini weekend vacations to his marathon destinations. Last year he ran the Pikes Peak Ascent, which was awesome! We've gone everywhere for him to run marathons-- Myrtle Beach, SC, and all over. He's been considering the San Francisco marathon-- I think it's in Aug, but it's always on the cool side (temp wise). We get up to SanFran every now and then-- I used to live up in Roseville, CA and it's a fabulous area! I bet your babies will be okay for a day?? Where is his run at?

Rosie--- still kicking myself for not checking this before I left for today!! ARGH. I LOVE surprises!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sapphireblu76]

Rain, rain, rain, rain....and no room in the garage. Guess the coop is getting put off a little longer :/ So much to do and so much motivation....I LOVE the rain, but it sure is hard to get anything done in it. Sounds like most of us are in the same 'boat'...hahaha

Thank you for confirming my duckies. I'm glad my impulse purchase was the type of duck I have been wanting to get anyway

They grew overnight, I swear! It seems they are twice the size they were when I got them just a few days ago. They're so funny, too. Anytime they see me with a feeder or water fount, they start peeping at me very obnoxiously, even if it's not theirs and theirs are in their pen.
Poop in the water doesn't really bother me, just gets washed down the drain. But it puts me off that they are drinking the water and splashing it all over creation when it's so nasty, lol. I knew ducks were messy, but I didn't realize they poop so MUCH!

Here's something I thought was very odd: Hubby was out helping me on the dog/chicken pen the other day. He found a place where the chickens have been hiding some eggs and apparently hanging out long enough to make a large manure pile. He reached in to get the eggs for me (Mr. Longarms) and a few minutes later his wrist was bothering him. I looked and there was a red welt and the skin on top was ashy. It looked like a chemical burn, but I thought maybe he'd been bit by a spider (any spider bite gives him a reaction). He thought maybe he had brushed against the Virginia Creeper that grows out there (he has a sensitivity to that, too), but it didn't look like the rash he usually gets from that. Later, that night, the ashy area started turning purple/black and the next day it was all black, but hadn't spread. Turns out it was an AMMONIA burn from brushing his wrist across the manure pile while getting the eggs! Poor guy. He's not in pain, and its a dime-sized area, but he says now, two days later, it itches like crazy. Hopefully that means it's healing. Has anyone else ever had this happen??? I will be cleaning all that mess out of there and blocking it off so they can't get back in there, as soon as it stops raining.

 

[HEChicken]

Last year he ran the Pikes Peak Ascent, which was awesome! We've gone everywhere for him to run marathons-- Myrtle Beach, SC, and all over. He's been considering the San Francisco marathon-- I think it's in Aug, but it's always on the cool side (temp wise). We get up to SanFran every now and then-- I used to live up in Roseville, CA and it's a fabulous area! I bet your babies will be okay for a day?? Where is his run at?

Too cool! Mine too - he has done the Pikes Peak Marathon several times. He starts training for it about 6 months before, by running up the stairs of a 26-floor building several times every lunchtime. Since it is so flat around here, its the way he builds up the muscles needed for the uphill of Pikes Peak. He did NY a few years ago but it was a really warm day and he had to quit about 23 miles in because he had heat stroke. Bummer. He's a much better cold weather runner.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Hello all,

I have 4 4x4 boxes built and 2 3x3 boxes built. Only 2 of the big boxes even have dirt in them. I am trying the square foot gardening approach this year. I have all these awesome little plants growing in my spare shower turned grow house, waiting to go out the garden. I love the rain, and am really glad it decided to rain on my freshly seeded barespots in the yard, but sheesh I've already lost 2 days!

rvroman - I'm doing the square foot gardening this year as well! We'll have to compare notes! I got mine planted last weekend (all except for the ones that aren't ready yet, like tomatoes, peppers and melons) - I'm just hoping that this rain isn't going to wash all the new plants out! They are already starting to sprout though!

Here are my gardens - I'd love to see a picture of what you did with yours!
:

Here's something I thought was very odd: Hubby was out helping me on the dog/chicken pen the other day. He found a place where the chickens have been hiding some eggs and apparently hanging out long enough to make a large manure pile. He reached in to get the eggs for me (Mr. Longarms) and a few minutes later his wrist was bothering him. I looked and there was a red welt and the skin on top was ashy. It looked like a chemical burn, but I thought maybe he'd been bit by a spider (any spider bite gives him a reaction). He thought maybe he had brushed against the Virginia Creeper that grows out there (he has a sensitivity to that, too), but it didn't look like the rash he usually gets from that. Later, that night, the ashy area started turning purple/black and the next day it was all black, but hadn't spread. Turns out it was an AMMONIA burn from brushing his wrist across the manure pile while getting the eggs! Poor guy. He's not in pain, and its a dime-sized area, but he says now, two days later, it itches like crazy. Hopefully that means it's healing. Has anyone else ever had this happen??? I will be cleaning all that mess out of there and blocking it off so they can't get back in there, as soon as it stops raining.

I've never actually had this happen to me, but working in the Emergency Room, I've seen this several times. Older patients that come in from really bad homes have burns like that after sitting in their waste for over 24 hours. It doesn't take much, actually. Usually the dr's treat the wounds just like any other 2nd degree burn, so if it's itching - I think you are right and it's healing now. That's a scary thought that it happened to him so fast. Maybe he is just hyper sensitive to things like that.

 

[tweetysvoice]

If anyone is looking for more laying birds - I just saw an ad on craigslist for 35 hens and one rooster in McClouth for $70 bucks: http://lawrence.craigslist.org/grd/2913129339.html