Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

I hope I'm in the right place we just moved to Kansas a little over a month ago and so far we are loving it. I'm not crazy about all the bugs but i guess with time we will get over it. I'm from TX and a city girl so living out in the country is a big change for us. We currently have 4 buff orpington and kids love having them


Michelle

So glad you are here and you found our thread!! We LOVE new people!!! Jump right on in! I have some family in Texas-- they are Houston. Have you noticed a change in cost of living from where you were to here? I'm always astonished at prices when we go visit. Where at in Kansas? Congrats on your BO's! Any pictures of your beauties? (chickens....) hehe! We're chicken obsessed here.

 

[Ivywoods]

I hope I'm in the right place we just moved to Kansas a little over a month ago and so far we are loving it. I'm not crazy about all the bugs but i guess with time we will get over it. I'm from TX and a city girl so living out in the country is a big change for us. We currently have 4 buff orpington and kids love having them


Michelle

Yep. You came to the right place.

Feel free to check in often and hop in anywhere you are comfortable. We are a pretty friendly group and many of us have gotten to know each other. Glad you are here.

HEChicken- Yes. Let them play! I think it will help her realize where she belongs and for her to feel more comfortable. I think she is going to adapt well.

Well, my little turkey poult seems to be doing fine this morning. Yesterday evening he seemed kind of stressed, but before I left for work I noticed he had eaten quite a bit of the scrambled egg I had made for him. I'm still hoping another one hatches. There are two hens sitting right now, so just maybe.....

 

[HEChicken]

I hope I'm in the right place we just moved to Kansas a little over a month ago and so far we are loving it. I'm not crazy about all the bugs but i guess with time we will get over it. I'm from TX and a city girl so living out in the country is a big change for us. We currently have 4 buff orpington and kids love having them


Michelle

I don't know where Hoyt is - I'll have to map it on Google Maps. We have people from around the state here, although most are on the eastern side of the state. How far out in the country are you and how much land do you have? Did you bring the BO's with you from TX? That is a long trip for them!

I just moved a month ago too, from the city to a 10-acre property just outside of the city. We're still settling in but really like it out here overall.

Anyway, jump on in any time - this is sort of like an ongoing conversation.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I wouldn't think teaching the dog to be tolerant of your birds would interfere with his ability to retrieve and do his job while hunting. Hope you continue to have good luck with your free ranging.

The real problem is that he was never really trained how to hunt or when NOT to hunt. He LOVES hunting and thinks he should be hunting 24/7. That wasn't an issue until I got my birds. It became one when I started trying to teach him not to hunt/chase MY birds but that hunting in general is okay. He has been doing REALLY well and stays away from my birds, so I guess it wasn't as much of an issue as I thought. He chased a barn cat out of the yard yesterday, so I think he's gotten the idea.

I hope I'm in the right place we just moved to Kansas a little over a month ago and so far we are loving it. I'm not crazy about all the bugs but i guess with time we will get over it. I'm from TX and a city girl so living out in the country is a big change for us. We currently have 4 buff orpington and kids love having them


Michelle

Welcome to the Kansas Thread! You're definitely in the right place! If you have a question, just jump in! The people here are really friendly and are more than happy to answer questions!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Pikeman94, nice work on that coop!

HEChicken, I'm enjoying learning about LGD's too. I really appreciate having the information so if, and when, DH and I get ready to bring one home, I'll already have lots of info!

I started writing & then lost everything, how aggravating! HeChicken, my pups play during the evenings when it's not so hot out, GPs are big dogs & aren't past the puppy stage totally until they're past 2 years old, so I don't see anything wrong with them playing. GPs are known for being food aggressive, so I wouldn't take a chance on your dogs getting into a big fight over food even if they're not right now. Mine are sisters & they can't eat together or they will fight. I used to feed them in the dog run, one on one side of the dog house & one on the other, but now I have turkeys in there so I feed one on one side of a rabbit hutch & one on the other. They sound like they're going to kill each other when they fight, but it's mostly posturing. They will fight over anything, dog houses, bones, even though we have two of everything, they're like kids. Yes, Josie is right they do bark at everything, my mail lady is terrified of them, she doesn't realize that their bark is used to intimidate, not to be aggressive, but they are big dogs. I have had people come here & not want to get out of the car until I come out. I can't blame them really. My pups sleep most of the day because they're up most all night long barking & running things off. I had wondered if it would bother me to have dogs barking all night, but actually it makes me sleep better most of the time because I know if they're barking they're doing their job out there & it makes me feel better about my birds & rabbits being out there. Now that I have chicks, peacocks, & turkeys as well as my older chickens I know that they're all watched over with the dogs out there & even if I don't get home right at time to shut the run door I know the chickens will go in by themselves & the dogs will be there. I think the GPs kind of watch over everyone & everything they're put in charge of, people, animals, & birds. Mine check everything out every time I bring something new home, it's like they have this inventory they keep of what belongs here, it's pretty amazing.

Josie, most of the predators are out there during the night, so that's when the GPs are the most active. You would expect them to sleep some time & I don't feel bad when mine crawl under a bush or some other shady spot & sleep during the heat of the day. But don't kid yourself, if something comes around that they don't think belongs there they will get up. I think Lily kind of gives Jasmine a break more because she is the leader & is more active & I do see Lily a little more during the day than I do Jas. I have two really different dogs, one is really friendly & wants attention, that's Lily & the other is more shy & reserved & doesn't take to strangers at all.

KarenS, my Swedish Flower Hen eggs are due to hatch the 12th, I always candle when I'm getting ready to put eggs into lockdown so I can eliminate any that didn't develop. I'm hopeful I will get a few more this time than on the last hatch, but then I had more eggs too.

How exciting to have a hatch so close!!!!!! I'm really excited about my Swedish Flowers, can't wait to see the little peepers!

Yep, them old bad roosters. Sometimes you just gotta CHOP their heads off!

Sad, but true. It would be so much more fun if they would just behave themselves. It's such a relief when one of the naughty "teen" roos actually adjusts his aggresive behavior and becomes a really good roo that is protective of the flock and a joy to watch at work. That's the miracle of the whole thing. Just when you think a young roo is hopelessly ornery and aggressive and then suddenly something happens and he turns out to be fabulous.

 

[Hawkeye95]

But say, if I drove to the Wichita area and could get several people at once I'd probably just take donations for my gas and serum. I doubt I would use that much serum. I could give you all the forms and the letter to get the flock number and let you handle that angle of the expense and sending it in, which isn't much.
The key to getting it done is being able to have the chickens brought to me one after another and not having to wait to have them chased down. If I have to wait that limits me to getting only one or two flocks tested in a day (depending on the size of the flock of course) which isn't practical.

If you come out, count me in.

I'm wanting to sell and possibly ship, so I will need that NPIP. oh-- tell me about the bands-- do you list every single band number, or is it a general flock count? Where do I get my bands? I was about to buy some bands for my birds, and then wondered if they would be acceptable for NPIP, and so figured I'd better wait to buy them before I got the wrong kind. I was going to get them through randal burkey.

 

[HEChicken]

Thank you all for the advice re LGD's. Tory didn't bark once last night which surprised me. I certainly do like the aspect of people guardian as well. I already have one who barks at anyone who comes in the driveway. She even gets her hackles up but wouldn't actually bite. Our regular mail lady and our UPS guy don't seem concerned by her and just hop out and deliver their packages. But the regular lady must be on vacation and all of last week an older guy did the run. He was really nervous of her. I met him out there one day and told him the dog won't bite but he said when he saw the hackles raised, he wasn't so sure. I can't blame him - I'm sure it is a hazard of the job. Yesterday a package arrived while Tory's owner was here getting her settled in and both my dog and Tory barked at him. They weren't even close to him (Tory was on her leash under a tree far from his truck) but I could tell he didn't want to get out of the truck so took pity on him and walked over to get the package from him.

So, since Tory barked at the mailman and at the jogger last night, I do feel confident she'll bark when she has to and if she doesn't bark at nothing, that is fine by me too.

I'll keep an eye on feeding. I did feed them all together this morning and there were still no issues but I did stand right there with them to oversee. Actually, they're funny how respectful they are of one another's food bowls. All three dogs wanted to look/smell the other bowls to ensure no one was getting something special, and once they'd determined each was getting the same thing, they returned to their own bowl to eat.

Next question: I know some of you have said that for a large dog they don't eat as much as you'd expect. But just how much is that? My dogs are about 40lb apiece and get a level cup morning and night (I.e. to the top of a 1-cup measuring cup, not to the 1-cup mark). I've doubled that for Tory and she is licking the bowl clean. Should I feed a little more even, since she may still have a little growing to do?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Well, my little turkey poult seems to be doing fine this morning. Yesterday evening he seemed kind of stressed, but before I left for work I noticed he had eaten quite a bit of the scrambled egg I had made for him. I'm still hoping another one hatches. There are two hens sitting right now, so just maybe.....

So glad to hear your turkey is doing well and eating. I had no idea they were harder to raise up. I guess when I got my royal palm, she was already a couple of weeks old and past the point of worry. I hope you get more babies!

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

Great job on the roof!!

The real problem is that he was never really trained how to hunt or when NOT to hunt. He LOVES hunting and thinks he should be hunting 24/7. That wasn't an issue until I got my birds. It became one when I started trying to teach him not to hunt/chase MY birds but that hunting in general is okay. He has been doing REALLY well and stays away from my birds, so I guess it wasn't as much of an issue as I thought. He chased a barn cat out of the yard yesterday, so I think he's gotten the idea.

oooooh, okay! I was thinking your DH has trained him and he was worried about you un-training him! We have a friend who is a serious hunter and he has a black lab who he has taught to retrieve when the birds drop. He has worked on getting him a lighter mouth. He's shown us that he plays games with his dog-- he throws a toy, the dog gets it and brings it back and he told us you never take it from his mouth, because that could encourage him to clamp down on the bird, so the command was to "drop it". SO interesting. I'm not a fan of big dogs, though. I love my tiny little indoor doggies, but I certainly appreciate what the larger dogs are used for. Our neighbor has a black lab and she is a pest sometimes. She doesn't want to eat my birds (thank goodness) but she will come over and be in the way for sure. She did pull some tail feathers off my turkey when my turkey was getting in her face a while back.

 

[HEChicken]

HEchicken, I would let your dogs play. All of my dogs play when it is is cool and I love watching them have fun rather than having to be serious all the time. They will work all night and sleep most of the day but don't let them fool you. They have very keen hearing, and will wake up on a dime and be ready to work. My two adults can be sound asleep and if the chickens or the guineas let out alarming noises the dogs are up and headed that direction. I can be out working in the yard with the dogs sounds asleep and drop something or hit something and here comes the dogs barking and ready for action.
GP's are sweet loyal dogs and I think they are probably some of the best family dogs you could have. They will place themselves between you and anything or anyone they see as a potential threat. They can be totally loving up to someone who comes to visit but if you watch you will see their placement is between the two of you and they will watch that person very carefully even though they are being petted. At some point most will relax or if they have a certain command like "It's ok" or "Enough" or whatever you choose to use they will know what you mean after a few times. Akbash a little more laid back so yours might not be quite as human protective. Bond with the dog and I think she will be though.
I would continue to separate the feed like you did if I were you. GPs are very protective over food. There is always going to be the lead dog and even though the pup isn't showing food aggression at this point I think as she becomes more comfortable she will to some extent. And yes they like to graze over their food but they will protect their bowl from anyone and anything even if they don't want to eat right then. Make sure the dog has it's own bowl that it knows is hers. I have no idea how Akbash are as far as feed goes so you may not have that trouble but I would certainly just take a precaution and set the routine early.
I think the dog will be fine by itself out at night. Marshmallow worked alone for at least 2 years before I got Fluff. Lots of people say you need 2 dogs but watching her I know she gauged her range to go out where she could still monitor the stock. If you had a large acreage and lots of animals to protect in different areas then definitely 2 dogs or more would be in order.

That was amazing. I caught up on the thread and then went to write a post of my own, submitted it and then thought I'd better check someone didn't submit one in the meantime and there were about 8 new posts!

Thank you also for this information. Yesterday I was surprised that she was sleeping under her tree and I went to get something from the car. The garage door was wide open and she was about 40' away but there was no sign of life from her when I opened the door and closed it again afterward. I was wondering if she didn't hear, or just didn't think that was a sound that was worth reacting to?

I am encouraged about Marshmallow doing okay on her own for two years. Our property certainly wouldn't offer enough work for two dogs, and since we have two "pet" dogs and she is enjoying playing with them, I was really hoping she'd do okay working on her own at night.

Oh Josie, you asked if the pet dogs are penned at night and the answer is yes. We don't have an actual dog pen but there was an addition done to the house after-market that is more like a 3-season room in that it is not heated or air-conditioned and in fact can't be accessed from the main house - you have to go out the backdoor and then in the door of this room. So we have been putting the pet dogs up there at night so they can't roam, bark or otherwise be a nuisance. I plan to continue to put them up even after Tory is acclimated to us. For the next few days I will continue to tether Tory at night but with the plan of letting her be off more and more during the day so she gets to know her boundaries.

 

[chicken danz]

I have some numbered bands. If you are going to ship you will need them. Most people just put cable ties on and only number band the ones that have positive tests. I plan to number band my own just so I can keep records. I know the national site requires all birds be number banded but Kansas doesn't for the flock. However if you ship they should be number banded. Does that make sense?
I ordered bands from cutler supply. I would suggest getting bands that don't require tools to put on. They are a pain anyway but why add to the hassle and expense.
When you record for a flock you list the breeds, number of males and number of females, and the total number of birds tested. The band numbers are used for the 4-H thing on the exhibition sheet I believe. You would know more about that than I do.
Rob, the coop is looking great!
Michelleml, Welcome to our little group. Jump in anytime.
Hechicken I have a big scoop. I feed each dog a scoop and there is always some left. Try a couple cups full of food. I'm not sure about her,but my girls weigh around 85 pounds and Fluff weighs about 130. I am sure Cloud will get much larger as she grows though. Marshmallow has always been small for a GP.