Consolidated Kansas

[Kansaseq]

Wichitakid, better to keep the younger birds on a non-layer feed. The layer has too much calcium which could potentially damage their kidneys. In the past, before I knew better, I put young birds on the layer and didn't have any problems, but wouldn't do it again.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Hi all, I'm baaaaacckkk.

DH was out of town last week and I was scrambling to keep on top of everything here. It's so nice to have him back and BONUS, he's opening the pool! Today is really the first day I've really wanted to swim desperately so it's right on time. It'll probably take another day, or two, to get it completely clear. Anyway the kids are all out there with their feet in the water gazing longingly at it. Kids are so funny. If they can't swim yet, they'll just stick their feet in. DH had to fix some cracks in the manifold but that's done and everything else is working so we're on our way. It's a salt system and I really like that better than the chlorine we've used in the past. It's so much easier on swimsuits, skin and hair.

Our little duck family is happy as can be down at the pond but they're more relaxed now and wander up the canal and around the yard when they take a mind to. Chopper is such a love. He loves the kids and was most fond of the girls but now the little boys can walk right up to him and pick him up too. He really seems to enjoy their company a lot. He lets them know when he's ready to go and then he's off to be King Duck among the others. He's a character!

It's really getting warm enough now, I'm planning to move the bunnies out into the breeze today. They are still fine but I don't want them to get overheated. I'm going to freeze some of the small water bottles for them to cool off next to in the afternoons. I hope that will help as it gets hotter through the summer.

The chickens are all doing great, they are 18 weeks old, from my shaky calculations. I've photographed all the Alohas and am getting help on the Aloha site as to what to breed with what. I'm going to be really excited when they are old enough! The turkey is just more personable all the time. I gave him some mealworms and he bloop, bloop, blooped at me. I love that sound they make. It's not a gobble, where did they get that? I don't hear gobbling at all just bloops and turkey cheeps. I guess that must come later. I think it's a he because when the little lav orpington tries to ride piggyback he sometimes will knock the little chick off, bring his neck back, hold his wings out to his sides and do a little stompy dance. It's just hilarious! He's growing fine but still he's small enough to make me laugh when he acts big.

I've read up on everyone but am too feeble minded to reply to everything and too short of time. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed catching up. The 23rd still works for me and I think I'll be able to remember it now that we're this close.

 

[chicken danz]

Actually WichitaK, I've read where you shouldn't leave the chicks on medicated feed more than 6 weeks and some references say a shorter time. Most recommend you put them on grower until they are about a month from point of lay, then start the layer feed. Depending on breed, I would switch them to layer at least by the time they are 20 weeks if not a week or two sooner. It is made to condition them for laying and it takes a while to get in their system.
Prairie, I do the same thing with the tomatoes but after the initial freeze I take some of them out of the freezer, run the warm water on the outside to remove the skin, and put them in a different bag. They smoosh really easy then and I smoosh a bunch into bags so I can conserve space. You get the same thing except the tomatoes aren't whole and the skin is already slipped. I do like plopping a few whole frozen in to stew and letting them break down and as they cook in. Anyway hands down it is easier to freeze them and they taste so much better.
I like the idea of freezing greens. I never thought of doing that. That's an awesome idea.
Hawkeye there are lots of canning, freezing, and preserving books out there that tell you every thing to do. It is wise if you do a little research when you are buying seed, like tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers that are hybrid to preserve with. Just because one is good fresh it doesn't mean it will be good for preserving. I kind of stick with the ones I know do well even though I'm sure there are newer hybrids out there that might be better. IMO, I don't think anything is better than home canned and frozen food.

 

[Trish44]

Well just wanted to pop in for a minute & then it's back to bed for me, I'm still feeling poorly & I had a horrible night last night. I think my DH is getting a taste of what he put me through when he was coughing all night. My right ear is so stopped up I can hardly hear & during the night my throat was hurting so bad I could hardly swallow. I haven't had a sore throat like this in years. I don't have tonsils so I know I don't have tonsillitis or anything, I just have a lot of drainage down the back of my throat & it's just raw. I feel like someone ran over me with a semi-truck.

My DH took the granddaughter & got her that new bike yesterday & now she's wanting to come back today & have him take her to get this puppy she is wanting at the store. I told him he can't let her manipulate him in that way, so we're choosing to act as though he did not see the message until later in the day. She told us yesterday that she is leaving the 25th to go stay at her grandma & grandpa's house in Dallas for 3 weeks, so we told her we would have her over before then, but obviously not today when I'm feeling so bad. I couldn't spend much time with her yesterday since I was so sick. I love her to death, but she does have a way of putting the guilt trip on people & manipulating them, I know exactly where she gets that too & it's not from her daddy.

Today my DH is going to start on building the floor of the coop. He plans to build it in the garage & then put it on the truck & drive it down to where the foundation is. We'll see how that works, I'm not too confident about that.

Well I need to go lie down again. I'm getting pretty tired of the bed, so part of the time I have been laying in one of the recliners in the livingroom. At least it's a change of scenery sometimes.

 

[prairie]

That's a great idea and I might try it, also am going to look for that pickled jalapeno recipe online. I love jalapeno's and anything that is pickled!! Thanks for the idea!

Prairie, I do the same thing with the tomatoes but after the initial freeze I take some of them out of the freezer, run the warm water on the outside to remove the skin, and put them in a different bag. They smoosh really easy then and I smoosh a bunch into bags so I can conserve space. You get the same thing except the tomatoes aren't whole and the skin is already slipped. I do like plopping a few whole frozen in to stew and letting them break down and as they cook in. Anyway hands down it is easier to freeze them and they taste so much better.
I like the idea of freezing greens. I never thought of doing that. That's an awesome idea.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Trish44, you can get strep without tonsils and it sure sounds like strep to me. You better get swabbed at the Dr's. We had one of our girl's tonsils out last year because she was getting strep every month. This year she got it and I thought she couldn't but took her to the doctor anyway. He told me she could still get it even without tonsils and swabbed her throat; it was definitely strep.

 

[cherwill]

I freeze tomatoes by just washing them and plopping them into freezer bags and into the freezer. A friend told me this easy method about 30 yrs ago and it is wonderful! When I take them out of the freezer either let hot water run over them or just let them sit on the counter until partially thawed. Then make a slit in the skin and it just slips off. I use them in everything in the winter -- salsa, soups, juice, sauces, etc. I do use a smaller tomato -- not the great big tomatoes.

I also freeze lots of peelings, greens, etc so that in the winter I can pull out a bag of greens and thaw it out and give it to the chickens. They love the little treat when they don't have much green on the ground. Of course I have a huge freezer and plenty of room I don't use.

I freeze tomatoes, too. I dice some, cook them briefly, then freeze them in 16 oz. packages. I use those whenever a recipe calls for a can of diced tomatoes. I also like to freeze salsa. Last year was so horrible for tomatoes, though, I barely got anything frozen.

I like the idea of freezing greens. What other vegetables do you freeze? I prefer freezing to canning because it's so much easier and I have a big freezer. I read that beets could be frozen, but I didn't try it because I'm afraid they'll have that weird texture potatoes can get. Maybe I'll try it if we get a fall crop of beets.

Cherwill. had one of those old wash tub stands. I put it in the chicken pen and it was like their favorite roost. One leg finally fell apart form being outside for years so I just made another one as a temporary prop. It finally got pretty unusable but if yours ever gets to the point it won't hold the wash tubs remember it has an afterlife.
On canning, tomatoes are about the hardest thing in the world to can. You have to really stuff those jars and then make sure that absolutely nothing is left of the top of the jar. If even a minute bit of that tomato fiber or juice is left there it won't seal. If you want to get serious about canning buy a pressure canner. I bought my son and his wife a full sized 7 quart capacity pressure canner, the most expensive canning book I could find, and a kit with all the utensils you'd ever need for just less than $100 for Christmas. I bought from Amazon and I not only got a great deal but I didn't have to pay shipping on any of it. That is something they can use for the next 50 years. I bought my pressure canner nearly 40 years ago. I need to buy a new rubber seal this year because it has been sitting in storage for a few years now. They last if you use them regularly and then lubricate them when you put them up for the year.
The last several years I freeze my tomatoes. It's easier and the flavor in cooked things is out of this world. It's so much better than canned tomatoes. Anything you want to know about I'll sure help you if I can. The secret to pickles is to buy a pickling cucumber. I always bought one called Liberty. They make those small little gerkin sized cucumbers. You can let them grow but the young cucumbers are the ones that stay crisp. You don't want to use them over 6 inches or so long. I am hooked on bread and butter Jalapenos. I've purchased many jars of them and told my son I would make some this year if the jalapenos produce. I've found several recipes on the internet. I use them mixed in cream cheese as a dip. It is to die for!! I actually have 3 jars in the pantry right now cause they had a special at Sam's club around Christmas when the vender was there. I'll bet mine are even better though. I planted both mild and hot jalapenos and think I might make some with a mix of the two kinds.
I was making my Dad some stuffed peppers for his dinner this morning and when I cut the tops and centers out of the peppers I through them out for the chickens. Boy! Talk about happy chicken sounds. I am thinking these peppers need to keep producing if the chickens love them that much. I wish all my other plants would get going a little better. After all, this garden was as much for them as it was for me.
I have a very old apricot tree. I've never gotten fruit off of it before. It either got blown off or froze off each time before. This year there was a bounty crop but of course the wind has blown 90% of them off. I went out and picked one off the tree the other day. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I forgot how wonderful a home grown apricot tasted. Most of them are on the ground by the hen pen. The birds are having fun picking at them. Of course it isn't a dwarf tree so most of what is left is too high to pick.
I was talking to an old friend the other day. We were talking about back when we dated how timing was always off. He is now in a good relationship and of course so am I. Anyway he commented , "Well at least you are doing what you always wanted now." It kind of left me speechless.
I thought, "No, this isn't what I thought I always wanted at all. My long term dreams were entirely different. I had no desire to have 100s of birds and work hard every day when I was this age. I thought I'd be able to live in a nicer place, dress nicely, wear the nice jewelry I never wore because I saved it for good, work on my little craft projects and just enjoy the easy life. But the funny thing is we don't really know what we want. I still think about those long term dreams but in the end I am happier than I've ever been right now. So maybe... just maybe it was what I wanted, but I just didn't know it.

That's a great idea about the wash stand! My chickens love, love, love bell peppers, especially the seeds.

Lizzy, I hope the duck comes back. I've noticed with my muscovies that they really don't like to be separated from the group so hopefully that will be the motivation yours needs to return. I agree that coming inside and giving him some peace and quiet is more conducive to encouraging him to come into the yard when he does come back.

I bought a canner a couple of years ago and have used it a LOT for pressure canning - I love it. I actually haven't done as many batches as I thought I would have by now as my plan last year was to grow so much that I could can enough to keep us going over the winter. Well, with the hot summer, my garden didn't do that well, so I didn't have much excess.

One thing I learned to do that I've really liked, is beans. I like to use dried beans in cooking but by the time I'm ready to cook, I don't have time to do the overnight soak thing. So I took a bunch of different dried beans, and cooked them in the pressure canner. Now I have a ton of canned beans ready to use at a moment's notice. DH thought it a waste of energy to run the canner to do the beans, but usually what I do is get a load of stuff ready to can and if the canner isn't full, add enough jars of beans to fill it up. That way I'm not using any energy I wasn't already going to be using to can the other stuff, and over time I've built up a good collection of beans.

I got my canner on eBay. I knew how much they were on Amazon, so I kept bidding on eBay until I got one for less. I knew what my top bid was going to be and it took a few weeks but finally I got one for about $10 less than the same one on Amazon (and it was new). Plus, the seller threw in a bonus. When FedEx delivered my package, I was expecting only one box, but there were two. The second box contained a case of the large, wide-mouth jars. Such a bonus because I use the wide-mouth jars anyway, so already had the lids.

Lizzy, did you say you're going to be in triple digits this week? Let me just say I'm glad I don't live where you do. It is only forecast to be 90 here today and that is quite hot enough for me, thank you.

Do you cook the beans and then can them, or do they cook in the jars? How do you do it? I like to cook them and freeze them, but I seem to be very good at putting off cooking them.

She's back!!!!!

She is back, safe and sound!!! As you all said, she came back to be with her friends and I just had to open the gate and let her in without scaring her away.

So glad to hear she's back!

 

[chicken danz]

It took me most of the afternoon to finish my chores. Ane I still don't have eggs gathered! I had some people show up about 4:30 and buy a few ducks. I am getting better at vent sexing them. I finally have the hang of it. I need to learn the same for the chickens. I hatched 17 Wellsummers so far. They don't have the distinct eye makeup like the last few I got did. I sure hope they aren't all boys!!! I had the two non-fertile eggs, and so that leaves 5 more that haven't pipped yet. I could live with that number for purchased eggs. I hatched 21 more guineas, 13 more ducks, and one pheasant. In two more days my Orpingtons go into the hatcher. I am out of brooder space again! The guineas are taking a huge amount of space.
Lizzy, that is why I love my ducks. They are so predictable. Unless I have them separated for breeding they just roam the yard free range and I never have to worry about them.
Well then later I drained. cleaned and filled the duck pond. What a nasty mess that was this time! I can't believe all the algaecide I wasted in there and I think it was greener this time than it ever had been.
I got dinner in the oven. I need to get back out and gather eggs and refill water.

 

[prairie]

Cherwill,
I should take the time to dice some but just am too plain lazy. I have frozen salsa and love it --- also last year I tried freezing beets, beet relish and dill pickles and sweet bread and butter type pickles. I always chop and freeze onions, cilantro, peppers. I place them on cookie sheets until frozen then toss into quart freezer bags so that I can use just the amount I want to and not have to use the whole bag. Also freeze sweet corn, snow peas and asparagus.

The beets I really liked but hubs didn't like them. They are a little soft but I found that if I cut them into 1 inch pieces (approx) they are quite as soft tasting. I still love them -- put about 15 little containers into the freezer last week. I save all my little plastic containers so I don't have to buy them (margarine, cream cheese, cake frosting, any type of plastic containers. I made some beet relish and froze it that I love but haven't found the recipe yet that I used-- can't believe that I didn't mark my recipe!!! I have a recipe book on Pickles and used their freezer pickle recipe -- really loved the dill pickles but then I love dill in everything!

I freeze tomatoes, too. I dice some, cook them briefly, then freeze them in 16 oz. packages. I use those whenever a recipe calls for a can of diced tomatoes. I also like to freeze salsa. Last year was so horrible for tomatoes, though, I barely got anything frozen.

I like the idea of freezing greens. What other vegetables do you freeze? I prefer freezing to canning because it's so much easier and I have a big freezer. I read that beets could be frozen, but I didn't try it because I'm afraid they'll have that weird texture potatoes can get. Maybe I'll try it if we get a fall crop of beets.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, I can tell you which ones are what on the Welsummer chicks now. The pullets have much darker & more distinct markings on their heads & down their backs. The little roos are more faded looking & the markings are more blurred. I have had both now, but the one besides the odd white one I'm sure is a pullet. I have more eggs in the incubator, so we'll see what I end up with.

I won more Swedish Flower Hen eggs this afternoon on eBay, so we'll see if I can get a few more for variety. They sure are curious little things, they're not afraid like the other chicks. One of them is getting a crest, it's so cute! I'll have to get some new pics soon of them. I lost another lavender Orp yesterday, I hated that. I wonder if these variations in the breeds just get weaker as you dilute them? It sure seems like they're not as hardy.

KarenS, I really don't feel like this is strep. I'm not saying I couldn't get it, but I never have. Kids are more prone to that than adults unless you're a carrier.

I got my incubator hooked up & we're troubleshooting now. I noticed that even after changing out the thermostat thing I still have the humidity issue. I was hoping we wouldn't have to change out that whole digital command center. But does it sound right to put only a half inch of water in the tray & all the vent holes unplugged & still have 61% humidity? Katen's incubator holds fine at 41% if I have two plugs in. It's just strange how different they are in function, yet are the same model. Her buttons on the command center are slightly different & she has no yellow thermostat, at least that we could see, but otherwise it's the same.