Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

I just saw them out on my loafing shed. The birds were all yelling. I'm thinking tomorrow I am either going to move guineas somewhere or get DH to move the trailer where they can still find it. I think they would probably be in there if it weren't for all the other birds yelling. I put dog food and grain and peanut butter in there because their old Dad said they loved peanut butter. Worst case scenario with that is if the dogs find the peanut butter and move into the trailer. He said they've been readily going into the trailer for a few days to eat except the peacock daddy. And he was there this morning. Since he is the one I still have captive maybe, just maybe they'll all move in there to eat at some point. I was just relieved to see them again. They can roost in the barn or the shed for the night if they don't feel comfortable going to the trailer.
So It looks like my tomorrow is going to be busy too.
I went out and hung a heat lamp in the PVC tractor and threw an old quilt over that corner so the baby ducks could get out of the wind if they wanted. I hope that gets them through the night until I can get the tractor hooked up and move their pen tomorrow.
I had my second Sabastopol hatch today but he pipped and got stuck in the shell. I had to help him out. I hate doing that. It makes me really nervous. I have one more egg and it is pipped but just barely. Looks to me like they grew a bit too large for their shells. I might have to try any future hatches in one of the bators that doesn't hold the humidity quite as high, although I made sure to put it in the range that was recommended.
I cleaned an mopped the floor in here before I went outside. Chopper found my box of egg shells again and made a mess with them and of course when I thought he would be sleeping he pooped about 5 times too. He is so funny but he is worse than any other animal I've ever had to keep up with.

must be blind-- just saw this post! LOL Oh, SO glad that they are hanging around still and haven't taken off for the hills. So the guy said they have willingly gone into the trailer on their own?? I think that's a great thing. I bet if you move it a bit out they will be able to find it. Especially if the male is calling to them! Crossing my fingers for you that they go back in! Glad you got your baby duck out of it's shell. Need to get Chopper a diaper! I keep thinking I'm goign to work on that design and see if I can get it working.

 

[cherwill]

Karen, congratulations on the chick, it's so cute! Mine are in their awkward teenager phase. I need to take another set of pictures of Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Stan.

Tweety, your garden beds are gorgeous. I long for something so organized and decorative, but DH thinks it's a waste of time. His mother never did it that way, so no one else needs to. Grrr! I did manage to get my planting beds weeded today, but I didn't want to overdo it since my back is finally mostly recovered from last weekend, so that's all I did outside today. I've got some planting lined up for Sunday, though. More beets and some radishes, and I don't know if I'm going to plant anthing else or wait a bit longer.

 

[rvroman]

Hey all! Haven't been posting lately - been super busy this past week! I've been following along, so sorry if i've missed any congrats and sorries.

Got the rest of my garden planted. I'm pretty sure it's not going to frost anytime soon - Earl May thinks i'm safe as well: I love tending to new plants!

Your garden beds look amazing!!! What are you using for your hoops? Is it PVC pipe? I am going to be transplanting and planting all weekend as long as it isn't pouring outside!

 

[Trish44]

tweety, I love your gardens, they're beautiful, good work! Now do you want to come do mine? I haven't even started yet. I've got to get mine ready to do something with & figure out how to keep the chickens out of it.

Hawkeye, good luck with your hatch, I hope you get some chickies out of it, sorry about your power outage, but I agree that hens do sometimes get off the nest for awhile, so I'll bet those little chicks are more hardy than we think.

Danz, I'm so sorry to hear about your birds excaping! I hope they will come back in for you at some point. They're probably just freaked out right now due to being moved. Maybe when they get more comfortable they will come back to the male.

I've been in a long rural water district meeting tonight & just got home a few mintues ago & now rain is moving in & I'll have to get off here soon. I won't have much computer time tonight. I was so disgusted at my GP Lily today, three times she got ahold of one of the baby kittens & was tossing them up in the air trying to play with them. I kept getting after her & taking them away & the last time I just had reached the point with her I was done messing with her. I dragged her down to the dog pen & made her stay in there the rest of the evening. I was so mad at her, I just can't stand to see an animal hurt & especially from something like that. I know they're still pups & she probably wasn't meaning to hurt them, but it upset me. I don't think any of them were hurt bad, but I couldn't stand it if she killed one of them playing with it. I can't believe the momma cat didn't growl & spit at her when she came to get them. I don't know how I'm going to teach her not to do this trick now.

 

[JosieChick]

Danz- Such a bummer!!!! Hopefully they will head back in the morning for some food and to visit with the peacock?

Tweety- Love your garden!! Can you come over my house next?

Hawkeye-Incubating will get easier, I freaked out A LOT when I first started, now I just go with the flow and have had much better hatches. Sorry I misunderstood the stage your eggs were at, I thought they were close to hatch for some reason. I would think if you saw veining and then there was nothing you should see a blood ring where the really early chick died. Usually I can't see veining on any eggs until at least day 4-5. Don't give up, you can do it!!

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye I think most of us have had the mishaps with electricity etc. I just leave it alone or cover it with a blanket or something to keep heat in and never open it. You know how many chicks I hatch, right? I still fret. Like with this goose today. I knew he was stuck in the egg shell but I have tried to help before when it was too early which can cause a chick to bleed to death. My standard rule is not to help because if a chick a chick doesn't hatch it is usually weak and won't thrive anyway. BUT....I lost a chick that last goose egg I hatched cause it was stuck and I was gone and wasn't there to monitor it. So I was all freaked out. I used the very tip of the tweezers being very careful not to hurt the chick and moved ever so slowly. At the first sign of blood I would have stopped and prayed I didn't kill it. There was no blood but it still had a little belly yolk. Thank goodness he absorbed that while I was outside working and he was drying in the hatcher. I was kicking myself while thinking I had to do it. It never gets easy but it gets easier.
I still don't like candling eggs as long as I have incubator room. I just figure every time I touch them I reduce their chances of being viable.
I got the third incubator out and cleaned it up yesterday. I need to figure out where I can plug it in. With the guineas and pheasants beginning to lay I need the extra room. Just my electric bill for running 4 GQFs is going to be ridiculous. I just hope I'll be needing to hatch some peafowl eggs too!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Tweety, I wondered where you were! Your garden is lovely!

 

[ChooksChick]

Hawkeye I think most of us have had the mishaps with electricity etc. I just leave it alone or cover it with a blanket or something to keep heat in and never open it. You know how many chicks I hatch, right? I still fret. Like with this goose today. I knew he was stuck in the egg shell but I have tried to help before when it was too early which can cause a chick to bleed to death. My standard rule is not to help because if a chick a chick doesn't hatch it is usually weak and won't thrive anyway. BUT....I lost a chick that last goose egg I hatched cause it was stuck and I was gone and wasn't there to monitor it. So I was all freaked out. I used the very tip of the tweezers being very careful not to hurt the chick and moved ever so slowly. At the first sign of blood I would have stopped and prayed I didn't kill it. There was no blood but it still had a little belly yolk. Thank goodness he absorbed that while I was outside working and he was drying in the hatcher. I was kicking myself while thinking I had to do it. It never gets easy but it gets easier.
I still don't like candling eggs as long as I have incubator room. I just figure every time I touch them I reduce their chances of being viable.
I got the third incubator out and cleaned it up yesterday. I need to figure out where I can plug it in. With the guineas and pheasants beginning to lay I need the extra room. Just my electric bill for running 4 GQFs is going to be ridiculous. I just hope I'll be needing to hatch some peafowl eggs too!

Just remember: when you decide you need the $ and not the extra incubator, I'm your girl!

 

[tweetysvoice]

Your garden beds look amazing!!! What are you using for your hoops? Is it PVC pipe? I am going to be transplanting and planting all weekend as long as it isn't pouring outside!

Yeah, it's just cheap ole' PVC Pipe. I put that up there to add bird netting if he birds start getting in and/or to put plastic over for storm protection.
Thanks for the kind words all. I can't take credit for how good they look. I got all my instructions from the squarefootgardening book. It is so much easier because they are all 4x4 squares, you can reach into the garden without having to step on the ground at all. The soil is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 peralite, and 1/3 mix of 5 different types of compost. It's so loose and moist that I shouldn't have to ever till it!

 

[chicken danz]

Great looking garden. They look so tidy. I would try something like that but if I am going to get a garden in it is going to be a larger one so I can feed me and the birds from it.
I couldn't sleep last night. Between worrying about those peafowl and my aching joints I was awake at least 80% of the night. My last Sabastopol egg hatched without a hitch during the night. Yippee! He is still drying in the incubator. Knowing my luck I will probably end up with 3 males! I'd like to hatch just a few more eggs if I can get them so I can have a nice selection.
Josie how is your drake doing. Is he getting all well again?