Consolidated Kansas

[checoukan]

Hechicken~~~WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!!!!!! Wow, I bet you will like her, give her time, don't rush, she needs to accept where she is and who you are. I am excited for you~~~

 

[checoukan]

Hey Sis, you know when Ry-Ry is coming down yet?

 

[Ivywoods]

Hey Sis, you know when Ry-Ry is coming down yet?

No, not yet. I hope he lets us know soon!

Well, I now have a royal palm turkey poult living in my dining room! My DH went outside (I didn't even know what he was going to do) and he retrieved that poult from the hen. He said she was really p*ss*d. Fortunately, one of the barn cats ambled by, the hen went after the cat, the poult crouched down and DH was able to get it.

Since it is the only one, I didn't want to put it in the basement where I usually keep the birds until they get a little older and can go outside. I hope she hatches at least one more so this one will have some company. It's too small to put with my older poults. I'll just hope for the best.

 

[chicken danz]

Speaking of predators, we have a NEW one hanging around. A golden eagle. I wasn't sure that was what it was, because I have only seen eagles around here during the winter. I thought maybe it was one of our many buzzards (turkey vultures) that hangs around. Britt, our youngest GP tends to hang around the house more than the other two, which works out great. She has been barking at something in the trees just south of the house lately. Today when I went out with the little dogs I saw it take off and then fly right back into the trees. A little while later I saw it take off and fly to the north, and it is out there soaring around north of the barn right now. I looked at it through the binoculars and I'm pretty sure it's a golden eagle.

When my DH came by, I told him about it. I also told him I'm afraid I may have lost a turkey hen and was thinking the eagle might be the culprit.. I hadn't seen 2 of them for 2 days, but knew one of them has been sitting on a nest. He came back in and told me the hens weren't lost, but they were both on nests and one of them has hatched a little poult! This will be the first turkey I've had hatched by the hen. I need to go out and get it and put it in a pen and give it some electrolytes, etc. DH said the hens were really hissing at him when he went out. I'm not too excited about trying to get this poult away from two BIG mean mommas. I'm generally not afraid of much, but the thought of getting flogged by two big turkey hens is not very appealing. Wish me luck on that!

Yes I forgot Lizzy you will love your purchases. I'm a power tool freak! Love them.Congrats

Well I do know quite a bit about eagles because they nest on Wolf Creek lake and they hang around in the winter rather than migrate because the water is warmer from the discharge, and they love eating fish.
Every now and then they will fly over here probably because we are very close to the lake.I learned a lot about them both from watching them and learning from the plant environmentalist. Eagles mate for life unless one of the mates gets killed then they will choose a new mate. They don't breed until they are 5 years old. They will build a nest one year when they are courting and then lay in it the following years for life unless the nest gets destroyed. They will then build another nest in the close area.
Not disagreeing Ivy, but what you saw was probably an immature bald eagle rather than a golden eagle. Bald eagles don't get a white head until they are mature. I believe the environmentalist told me the head color changed at about 2-3 years old. They are simply the brown color all over while they are young.
Eagles normally migrate and cover a large area for the right conditions. But because it has been warmer around here in winter recently they are starting to stick around the area more. They will hunt many miles from their nesting spot but like chickens usually go back to that close vicinity to roost at night in the trees.
They normally only hatch 3-4 chicks each year. That is why you don't see tons of them. Think of it; 5 years to lay eggs then only a few chicks after all that time. But they do have a long life span if they aren't killed.
I love eagles and have always had a passion for them, so to have them live so close to me in large numbers is a real trip.
They soar overhead here once in a while but always fairly high up and have never come down to hunt, thank goodness.

Well, I know I've been a little coy about the details but I didn't want to say too much in case it didn't work out. Josie kindly offered to watch out on CL for LGD's for me and it didn't take her long. The very next day she contacted me about a dog available in my area. I have been in touch with the owner ever since but we decided to take it slowly. DH isn't keen on the idea of adding another dependent. And I don't want to go behind his back and force him to come around. I raised some of the points you all had made and he understands, but is also concerned that well, basically, people don't often give up great dogs. Usually if they come available for adoption, it is because they are not working out one way or another, and he didn't want us to end up stuck with someone else's problem. He also feels an LGD is overkill on our little property, guarding our small flock. I can't disagree with that in some ways. On the other hand, I don't want to go through that devastation too many times.

So, the current owner kindly agreed to allow us a trial period. If it isn't working out, they will take her back, no questions asked. We can take as long as we want to see how she is fitting in with us.

Tory is a 16-month-old Akbash/Great Pyrenees. The father was full GP, the mother full Akbash. 16 months is, I'm hoping, old enough to be through the worst of the puppy stage, but young enough to bond to us, our property and the animals on it that need protection. The Akbash makes her shorter haired than a GP.

She arrived this morning and we spent 2 hours showing her around our property, talking, asking questions, discussing what might work for her and what might not. The owner felt encouraged after seeing our place that it is a good environment for her. Although they have more acreage, none of it is enclosed or fenced and she felt Tory was confused about what property she should protect and how far she could roam. She thinks since ours is visibly marked by fencing and a tree hedgerow, it will be clearer to her, where she is supposed to stay. We took her down to the chicken yard - not in it - just around it, and with a fence between her and the chickens, she was very calm. She was also very good with our two dogs.

So, she is staying for the trial period. With no dog pen, I currently have her tied to a tree in the front yard where she has shade all day and her big water pail next to her. I am going out every hour to do a perimeter walk with her, so she isn't tethered for too long at a time. I'm afraid when it is all so new to her that if I let her off, she will roam off the property and since she is not my dog yet, I would really hate to make a call to the owner to tell her I lost the dog. So, although I don't like tying a dog and have never done it before, this is how its going to be for a few days until she is used to us.

She is so calm and gentle - I'm really impressed with her. She seemed to take to me right away - the owner said she likes women best. I'm

she will work out well. Anyway, here are some pics of her. These are the pics from the CL ad - not my photos.

That is great! I was told by a vet that the GP's were originally bred from the akbash for colder weather areas. They are not quite as aggressive as a GP which is good particularly if you are on a smaller property. I think she will be a perfect choice. That's awesome that Josie was on the lookout for you. And that is still young enough she should bond to you easily. Congrats!

Karens, you know I'd be glad to do your birds anytime. I owe you anyway. You just say when.

 

[HEChicken]

I had a miracle last night- I have a mostly blind Isabel Orp roo who is just a doll and can't mate the girls but is a good companion...well, one of my daughters didn't close a gate yesterday while we were out at the farm in the afternoon, and we got out there really late last night to close up. I noticed the open gate, but thought I saw everyone when I looked in on the Orp house. Turns out, Blindy slept out in the pasture last night under the giant sunflowers, and the trail of feathers we pulled up to this morning dropped my heart...but he's fine. I guess he got away despite his blindness! Dunno what he fought with, but I'm tickled he made it.

I am so glad he made it! If I can suggest checking him ALL over for wounds. My Cuckoo Marans at first glance had nothing wrong with her but when I picked her up and started going through her feathers, I found four puncture wounds. They were small but it looks like the fox got two bites in and the wounds were where the top and bottom teeth punctured through the skin. I squeezed liberal amounts of Neosporin into all the wounds and she seems to be recovering okay. I think without that treatment, she might have survived the attack only to die from infection afterward. I'm not calling her out of the woods completely yet but this morning I saw her run 3 steps and while we were introducing Tory to the flock, she stretched her wings and flapped them a few times so I really think she is on the road in the right direction.

I've been to the dentist and now have a dazzling smile.

Oh good grief, bobcats too! I've seen only one in this area before, so I know it's possible around here as well. I think I'll have coats of armor made up for the birds, wait that would give them heat stroke for sure!

More dazzling than before?

This morning my contractor, on hearing the story of the fox, cheerfully told me we get bobcats in this area too, and that was just about exactly my reaction to the news.

I think it has a lot to do with the dogs being desensitized early on...I wouldn't dare get a normal mutt and try to mitigate nature's urges...I think that's what's special about LGDs.

Either early on or its just not in the nature of some dogs. We adopted both of our current dogs on the proviso they would be good with the chickens. We had a trial period from the rescue organization purely to determine that. They are both so - yes, bored is a good word - that the chickens are completely relaxed around them. My little 5-week-old broody raised chick can get out of the run because he is still so small and he darts around between their legs and under their bellies, and they never pay him any heed. I am so used to my dogs being around the chickens that I didn't even consider them a factor when unloading crates of birds from my car on Friday upon returning from Karen's house. To my consternation, all of the birds panicked and started jumping around the dog crates in a frenzy. It took me a moment to realize they had spotted my dogs and were terrified. I told the dogs to stay in the garage while I carried the dog crates to the coop and all became calm again. Now, after only 3 days here they have already relaxed and figured out the dogs will not hurt them. But its always good to be vigilant when you're a chicken, right?

Well, I now have a royal palm turkey poult living in my dining room! My DH went outside (I didn't even know what he was going to do) and he retrieved that poult from the hen. He said she was really p*ss*d. Fortunately, one of the barn cats ambled by, the hen went after the cat, the poult crouched down and DH was able to get it.

Since it is the only one, I didn't want to put it in the basement where I usually keep the birds until they get a little older and can go outside. I hope she hatches at least one more so this one will have some company. It's too small to put with my older poults. I'll just hope for the best.

Are turkeys not good moms and that's why you are taking the poults from them?

Well I do know quite a bit about eagles because they nest on Wolf Creek lake and they hang around in the winter rather than migrate because the water is warmer from the discharge, and they love eating fish.
Every now and then they will fly over here probably because we are very close to the lake.I learned a lot about them both from watching them and learning from the plant environmentalist. Eagles mate for life unless one of the mates gets killed then they will choose a new mate. They don't breed until they are 5 years old. They will build a nest one year when they are courting and then lay in it the following years for life unless the nest gets destroyed. They will then build another nest in the close area.
Not disagreeing Ivy, but what you saw was probably an immature bald eagle rather than a golden eagle. Bald eagles don't get a white head until they are mature. I believe the environmentalist told me the head color changed at about 2-3 years old. They are simply the brown color all over while they are young.
Eagles normally migrate and cover a large area for the right conditions. But because it has been warmer around here in winter recently they are starting to stick around the area more. They will hunt many miles from their nesting spot but like chickens usually go back to that close vicinity to roost at night in the trees.
They normally only hatch 3-4 chicks each year. That is why you don't see tons of them. Think of it; 5 years to lay eggs then only a few chicks after all that time. But they do have a long life span if they aren't killed.
I love eagles and have always had a passion for them, so to have them live so close to me in large numbers is a real trip.
They soar overhead here once in a while but always fairly high up and have never come down to hunt, thank goodness.
That is great! I was told by a vet that the GP's were originally bred from the akbash for colder weather areas. They are not quite as aggressive as a GP which is good particularly if you are on a smaller property. I think she will be a perfect choice. That's awesome that Josie was on the lookout for you. And that is still young enough she should bond to you easily. Congrats!

Great info on eagles - thanks! So far, still so good. We've walked the perimeter a few times now and I thinks he is getting bored with doing that and just wants to stay in the shade. I guess I can't blame her. She has always been an outside dog but walks well on leash, and the only time she resisted being led was when the current owner tried to get her to come up to the back door to show her the water bowl I have set out for my dogs. She refused to get that close to the house because she was afraid we'd make her go inside. (The owner said the car ride was quite an experience too, reminding me of your experience getting Marshmallow spayed.) Anyway, I have her set up with her own water pail under her tree so now she doesn't have to fear being made to go in the house. I wonder what she thinks is IN there????

 

[JosieChick]

Quote: Slippery floors!!!!

They will take on a pack of coyotes but those gosh darn linoleum, tile, wood floors will get a big dog everytime!! We have seen bob cats up the road from us a few times. They are remarkably large in comparison to a house cat, kind of scary.

Chooks- So glad Blindy is ok!! What a lucky boy!! Hey, I have a pic of a pullet that I hatched from you and am wondering what color she is? She is a lovely girl, this picture doesn't do her color any justice. I don't know if you can see it well but she has an almost cream colored lacing over the lavender color.



Oh folks it is rumbling out there!!! Why doesn't it just rain. Maybe I need to go back out and do my dance again!

 

[Ivywoods]

Danz- You very well could be right. I studied up on goldens and immature balds a few years ago because we had a bunch of them that were coming to a frozen deer carcass about 200 yards from our house. I couldn't tell for quite a while what they were. It's hard to tell them apart. It turned out those were all immature bald eagles. I only thought this might be a golden because I had never seen the balds here during the summer. I don't know if it is going to nest around here or not. I hope I can get a better look at it sometime.

HEChicken- I have no idea if they are good mothers or not. This is the first poult I've had hatched by a broody. I just know my birds tend to stay outdoors. This poult seems to be more than a day old, and I don't know how it survived all the rain yesterday. All of the turkeys were soaked. I don't have them penned up, so lord knows what might happen. They have a house they can go into, but they don't.

The last guinea I tried to let raise her young ended up loosing all of them.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Speaking of predators, we have a NEW one hanging around. A golden eagle.

IVY, wow that's interesting that you have an eagle, you just don't see those that much in KS. We have some that nest usually every year by the river in Winfield, but they usually come back to the same spot each year. I'm glad you found your turkey hens & that's great about the little turkey poult, good luck with getting it away from the mommas! I had enough trouble getting a chick away from my broody hen, let alone turkey hens.

We have several bald eagles here in Lawrence. DH and I have seen a couple circling our neighborhood this summer. That's one of the main reasons that we decided to put a cover over the whole run. I don't think I've ever seen a golden eagle. Maybe I have and just thought they were hawks...

I have a Lab, btw...meant to mention it with all this talk of breeds. Henry is absolutely bored with the birds and will bark a few times to protect them, but isn't about to do something energetic. He let a hawk eat a duck right in the backyard in the middle of town this spring. He wouldn't dream of paying enough attention to one to bother it, so the birds climb all over him and try to get his bones. It's really comical.

That totally sounds like my black lab! LOL. Mind you he's deaf and 13 yrs old right now, when he was younger, he was so laid back that we'd get a couple half-assed woofs outta him and that's it when someone came to the door. Not much of a security dog. He's still the sweetest dog I've ever known. Darwin, our American Bulldog, is our protector. I'm not sure what he'd do if something was attacking the birds, but he generally ignores them.

So MultiQuote isn't pulling everything in for me.. grr -

HeChicken: That is one gorgeous dog!!! I really hope that Tory works out for you!

Oh folks it is rumbling out there!!! Why doesn't it just rain. Maybe I need to go back out and do my dance again!

We actually got some rain here in Lawrence - mind you it was just about 30 minutes of it, It was a little slice of heaven!

 

[pikeman94]

Coop v2.0 update - The roof and nesting box are complete. The shingles are on. I will wait until Fall to stain the outside. Here is the updated album:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/album/view/id/6215133/user_id/66378

 

[lizzyGSR]

We used to have two labbies. They were sisters and lived till they were 12 and 13 years old. We loved those dogs! Congrats on your saw bargains! That's great. Does DH enjoy the birds too? I can imagine how much work it would be in the hard clay soil here and am hoping that's not what you have, but sounds like it.

No, my DH doesn't enjoy the birds nearly as much as I do. He laughs at some of their antics, but I think he would rather just not have them. The lab is his dog, and we had the lab first, so I knew when I got the birds that if I wanted to keep them long-term that I had to get the dog to leave the birds alone without discouraging him from hunting. If it comes to the point where I have to choose between the dog and the birds, I know I'll have to choose the dog, which is why I've been so cautious and have been taking it so slowly with introducing the birds to the dog (I got my first ducks in March and am just now attempting to let my flock free-range). He's been doing well with my birds and seems to know which birds are mine and which are wild (he chases wild turkeys off the property when he sees them). I guess we'll see how successful I've been when turkey and/or pheasant season comes around this year.