Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

OH SO CUTE! Don't they look goofy when they first start getting their feathers?

This is the first year I haven't planted any trees since I moved here. I thought, "What sense does it make?" if I'm going to be moving. However, someone gave me a tree,a colorado blue spruce, so I have to figure out where to put it. Since I've moved here I've planted about 20 different fruit trees, cleveland select pear, red maples, scarlet oak, kimberly oak, swamp white oak, emperor cutleaf oak, 2 kinds of magnolia, yoshino flowering cherry, kwanzan cherry, river birch, heritage elm, ginko, tuliptree and there are probably others I haven't mentioned. Several of them are starting to give off some shade.

Today I worked some more on the flower bed and around my wagon wheel planter. I didn't buy enough mulch, so I can't finish it. I needed twice as much as I bought, but it's at a good stopping point. Maybe I can get a picture later. I just came in to put my leg up for a while, but I'll go back out here in a bit.

OOoh, if you want to see goofy, I'll try to take a pic of my little 2+ week old here later. It is UGLY looking right now!

It is getting in pinfeathers and the poor thing...just crazy looking. That is a LOT of trees you planted! I don't have any good assortment like that! I have not been able to find any more Tulip trees here, they are difficult to find. If I ever see anymore, I'll buy two. I don't have any pears or oak, either. I bought a Pin oak years ago and for some reason, it just barely hung on for like 3 years or so-- looked half dead even though I tried everything and watered it. We finally dug it up because it was so terrible looking and people were always asking if it was dying. I've got 2 Jane magnolias-- those are neat. I'd love to the get the saucer kind. Right now, Sutherlands has them and I'm tempted.... But they were on the pricey side, so I was going to see if they marked them down here in a bit. I would love to get some oak, but I'm a little edgy because of the pin oak fiasco!

I do have a cherry-- but it's just the weeping cherry tree that looks like a weeping willow and has flowers in spring. It's neat, but will never be a shade tree. If I got enough shade trees, I'd start buying some more fun ornamental and flowering trees. But we just bake out here in the sun. I have a little colorado blue spruce--- it's like my 4th one, I think. I've killed off the other 3. I keep trying! I try different spots. This time I read more up on them and they like to be in partial shade. But I have ZERO shade here. So I'm going to plant it on the east side of the house and just hope that the house will help block sun for it to thrive. I just got it a week ago. I'm not real hopeful for it. Where did you plant your colorado blue spruce??? I would love to see a picture of your planter!

 

[HEChicken]

My oldest hen died this afternoon. She was in the first batch I got, but was a month older than the others, and had been ailing for awhile. Hasn't laid in a couple of years but I kept her around because I liked her and she was a good flock leader. She started sneezing - a LOT - about three months ago and I treated her for a cold but it didn't get better. Treated her with antibiotics. No change. I couldn't figure out what was going on as none of the others were sneezing so it clearly wasn't something contagious. Over the past few weeks I noticed she was moving more and more slowly, going to bed really early, and generally not doing well. I've been trying to make sure she got plenty of high protein treats. Two days ago I found her collapsed in the coop and since then wasn't able to get her to eat or drink a single thing. I didn't expect her to make it through that night - instead she surprised me by going another 48 hours. It was almost a relief when she finally passed and I know she is no longer suffering. I weighed her after she died and she weighed just 1lb 15 3/4oz. She was nothing but skin and bone. I suspect cancer. She was alert right up until she passed though and seemed grateful to be in her familiar surroundings with her flock nearby. Her sister, Scramble (a month younger, acquired at the same place/time) came to tell me when she died. I know that sounds like anthropomorphizing but she came to me being VERY vocal and seemed anxious for me to check it out. I knew instantly she started talking to me, that Henrietta had passed, and as soon as I went into the coop to check on her, Scramble stopped vocalizing and has been quiet every since.

The cycle of life. One hen dies and another decides its time to be a mama, all on the same day. RIP Henrietta.

 

[cherwill]

All I'm going to say is the discussion about the turkeys is over. I can't discuss it any more, end of story.

Lizzy, those are some great pictures of the wild turkey. How neat to see that.

Hawkeye, your little fluffballs are adorable.

HEChicken, it's tough to lose your old hen. Sounds like the younger one is up to the challenge of replacing her, though. I can't believe you want a broody so much and can't get one. I don't need any broodies, and most of mine are. It's most aggravating!

We may have found an opportunity for moving out to the country, sort of. There are neighbors, but also some space. We love the property, but aren't so crazy about the house. Yes, we could probably do a lot with it. I do love the house we're in. We spent a lot of time and money working on it and the yard, and both are beautiful. We would have to put some money into the house to sell it (floors have seen better days and there's no shower, just a tub). But I'm also picturing what I could do with that acre. Big garden, fruit trees, some more chickens, flowers. Right now we keep going back and forth trying to see if it feels right and if we think we could afford it AND the improvements needed. I'm freaking right out. You'd think I'd be thrilled since this has been a bit of a fantasy for me, but now all I can think about is how do I know if it's the right thing to do? What do I think I'm doing considering so much work when I'm almost 48 and still dealing with a back problem that I'm not sure will get any better than this? What if it ends up costing more than we think it will? What if ..........

 

[JosieChick]

HEchicken-

So sorry about your old girl. It is tough losing them when they have been around for so long. They become such loved pets with names and their own little personalities.

 

[Hawkeye95]

My oldest hen died this afternoon.
The cycle of life. One hen dies and another decides its time to be a mama, all on the same day. RIP Henrietta.

So sorry about Henrietta. Poor thing. That is an incredible story about your other hen calling you to come see. I don't think you were projecting emotion on your other hen, I really believe she was calling to you to come do something.

I've been in and out, now mostly in. I think I've sun burned myself, darn it. I need to finish a couple more things so I can get a move on.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Karen, your set-up is fantastic; add me to the field trip. I love going to see what other people have done and to see what new ideas I can get.

Thanks cherwill, I will! When would everyone like to come by and do you want to come at the same time or separately? PM me with your ideas. Sounds like fun to me!

 

[HEChicken]

Thanks for the

everyone.

Cherwill, I know exactly what you mean about the misgivings. Its been a dream of mine as long as I can remember, to own some acreage, yet I also hesitated after we found our place, for the longest time. I guess I worried that I wouldn't be up to the challenge of maintaining property - after all, there is so much more to maintain than on a city block. Quite honestly, I still have those moments when I ask myself what on earth I think I'm doing. But when I go out there, I just have a sense of peace. I can be in a crappy mood in the morning, drive out to the new property and spend a few hours there, and come home feeling happy. Even DH has noticed how at peace I am when I am there/have just been there. It "just feels right" there - I can't explain it. When I haven't been for a few days, I start to have doubts again, and then I get there and the doubts evaporate, and I know we will make it work and be happy there.

I don't know if that helps at all.

Just cruisin' the Craigslist ads and came across someone selling Welsh Summer chicks. Must be a new breed....

 

[HEChicken]

Thanks cherwill, I will! When would everyone like to come by and do you want to come at the same time or separately? PM me with your ideas. Sounds like fun to me!

If we all come at the same time it would be a chance for a bunch of us to meet. Just sayin'.

 

[medawinks]

I don't show or breed for for color. But my obvious question is: How can you breed a hen of one breed with a rooster of another breed and still maintain it is a purebred chicken? I know that this is done over a period of years and breed backs to produce different colors and patterns but It still makes no sense to me how you can still call a widget a widget if it is crossed with a cog?
Just asking because I certainly don't intend to do any of this. I'm just curious.
On another subject, I got some long awaited hatching eggs from some of the nation's top quality mille fluer d'uccles yesterday freom Rhode Island. He was gracious enough to throw in a few porcelains as well. I've been waiting since November to get some of this guys eggs. Sure hope they hatch well. I will be putting them in the bator this afternoon. His packing job was one of the most secure I had ever seen. Rather than the questionable bubble wrap around the eggs he had them packed in a medium density saw dust/shavings then secured in an egg carton with tons of other padding around them. Those eggs were in better than perfect condition. Now if they are just fertile and nothing screws up.

Cool!!! I have a beautiful little lavender Belgian D'uccle and a Mille Fleur from Renee and a porcelain from the feed store. The D'Uccles are my favorites, so tiny and spunky!! My Mille Fleur doesn't have any white on her at all though,...She doesn't look like the photographs.Neither does the porcelain. She is mainly just white with a few splotches of grey. Will that change when they molt later?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Oh I LOVE trees!! Love planting them!! I like to get neat varieties-- but I mostly shoot for "shade" trees. I have a few ornamental, but honestly, they aren't going to offer much shade and cool this place down. I've never had an Ash tree before, so this is a first. And the globe willows I see everywhere, and those are so neat, I've always wanted one. We have maples and lots of them. That is usually what I buy, because they are fairly decent at growth rate and branch out and will provide the shade I'm hoping for. I'd like to get more tulip trees and Catalpa trees! Catalpa are my FAVORITE! I have one tiny little catalpa I planted two years ago as a seedling. It was like 5 inches tall, and now it's probably 2 ft tall. I have called all over and the nurseries here just don't have them. (or if they do, then they are a 12ft tree and they want $274 for them!!) My neighbor went to a friends house and pulled up that seedling that I have in my yard and gave it to me. Wish he'd go back and pull me up like 10 more!!

Hawkeye and anyone else that is interested in some, I have some Catalpa seeds that I would send to you. I stripped some seed pods early this spring thinking I would scatter some along the pasture fence hoping some would grow and make some shade. I didn't get it done so I have a bunch. I don't know if they will still grow, but there is the offer. The catalpa's are blooming now and they look and smell heavenly.

The seeds are thin and very light weight. A bunch would go in a regular envelope, so no problem on shipping. In the fall, there are usually a ton of black walnuts all over under the 9 trees I have. They would be heavy though and I don't know if the ones out there now would grow. Send a PM if you are interested.