Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Alright girls! Enough with the muscovies! I can't afford anymore mouths this winter that need food and non frozen water. Maybe someday I will have some but I must restrain for now!


Trish- I ordered red broilers from Ideal and I hate them. They are the most awful little birds. I am seriously debating on processing them early even though they aren't very big because they are so darn mean to me and each other. They bite (hard!!) and they won't stop feather picking the daylights out of each other, it is infuriating. I will never buy them again. I wanted a hybrid broiler that wasn't going to get enormous and not be able to walk and these grow a tad slower so are ready to process at 12 weeks. I won't ever do it again though....I might try some freedom rangers someday for meat birds.

Glad to hear you are moving some bunnies. I am sure your pups are doing well and sleeping soundly.

I'm glad you shared that with everyone about the broilers, I was looking at that site the other day. I hate to think of doing the cornish cross, I've just heard they're so gross & fat & eat like pigs & they hardly move at all. I wish they had the kind I raised back in the 80s, but I don't even know now what I ordered. They grew really fast but they weren't like these cornish cross they have now. I know that Shana is doing Freedom Rangers right now, so we'll have to see how she does with those. She said after doing cornish cross once she wouldn't do them again. I heard that the freedom rangers grow slower, but I don't know how much slower. I will have to do some research before we order any in the spring & decide what I want to get. I want to have a pen set up just for those too before I get them, so that's something else to consider.

Yes, I'm so glad after having these bunnies all summer that finally people are starting to think of buying again since the horrible heat is gone. I had a lady come with the other one this evening & she may be coming back for one also, keep your fingers crossed. Then that will only leave one more of those to get rid of if that happens. I told her to try to make a decision before Sunday because I'm planning to take any that are left to the Mulvane Swap meet. I also have a pair of Chinchilla rabbits & one Mini Rex buck to sell also. I just want to pare down some before winter. I really like the smaller rabbits better, they can be kept in much smaller cages & eat a lot less. I got the cutest little buck from Missouri recently, he is a sweetie. He's chocolate brown, really pretty & I named him Hershey because he's the color of a chocolate bar. The people that were here earlier were oohing & ahhing about him. Danz, I can empathize with you when people come & their kids just run all around & get into everything when you're trying to sell birds. This woman had two kids with her & they were already out getting into the rabbit cages before I could even get out the door & out to the cages. The one girl kept changing her mind about which rabbit she wanted so the mom was getting aggravated at her & it was kind of a fiasco. I was sort of glad when they left.

 

[Trish44]

I have a question for you all, has anybody ever used Sulmet 12.5% solution for their birds for respiratory illness? I know it is a sulfa drug, but I'm not sure if it would help my little chicks or not. Josie, do you know anything about this drug? I hope you don't mind us all picking your brain & your DH's all the time. We appreciate your help bunches!

 

[MarcAustin]

Good morning fellow Kansans. Could someone explain to me the proper way to "stretch" hardware cloth ? I mean since it comes in rolls, how do you get it nice and flat? Should I attach it between two T posts and then cinch it up for awhiles?

Also - any swaps or shows coming up in the near term? Anyone planning to be at the State Fair? I'm scheduled to show a horse there and would love to me any of you in person! Thanks all .

 

[sunflowerparrot]

We're thinking of getting some meat chickens next spring, my DH actually is showing an interest in doing that. We have somewhere we can go to process them that has all the equipment, a chicken plucker & all. I think when sunflowerparrot goes over to process her meaties if we're not on vacation then we'll go watch & see how it all works. It was back in the 80s when I processed chickens last & we had to pluck them all by hand, it was a mess. I wouldn't mind it so bad if I didn't have to pluck them.

Well the Vet said no news was good news, so I guess the surgeries went OK. I think I would have rather he called anyway, but he didn't seem to want to.

I sold one of my little bunnies today that I've been trying to sell all summer & someone else is coming for another one in a bit, so yay for that. That will leave me two more to sell, so if nobody buys those by the weekend I'll probably take them to the swap meet in Mulvane & hopefully find homes for them. I have 3 other rabbits I want to sell before winter too, but I'm not sure I want to lug all 5 to the swap meet by myself. 3 of them aren't very big, but the other two are. I'm trying to get down to mostly Mini Rex now with just one pair of Chinchillas for breeding.

I've been trying really hard to resist all the cute little ducks I've been seeing, they're so cute when they're little. I used to have ducks & geese, but haven't had any since I have lived here. I really don't want the mess, so I just have to keep telling myself I have no more pens & no pond for them. I have taken on enough new projects this year, I sure don't need any more. Where I went to get the baby guineas last night that guy just had ducks out the wazoo, all different kinds of them. If I ever decided I wanted any I know where to go get them.

Wow, it's been a busy day today, we took the dogs this morning to the Vet & left them & then my DH had a haircut appt. in Arkansas City & then more errands after that. We came back & I cooked lunch & then had to meet the gal wanting the rabbit & some more errands. I just got home again a few minutes ago & now the other person is coming for the other rabbit & chores come after that. I had hoped to work on my peacock coop today, but it's not happening.

If you want to buy any cornish broilers to butcher with Melinda and me in Oct, let me know - I can call and add more to the order.. but would probably have to do that today to ensure they'll be added in time. This way, you could raise, butcher and eat a few chickens over the winter I have 25 that I'm going to get and Melinda has 25.. after 6 weeks of age, we'll process them.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Alright girls! Enough with the muscovies! I can't afford anymore mouths this winter that need food and non frozen water. Maybe someday I will have some but I must restrain for now!


Trish- I ordered red broilers from Ideal and I hate them. They are the most awful little birds. I am seriously debating on processing them early even though they aren't very big because they are so darn mean to me and each other. They bite (hard!!) and they won't stop feather picking the daylights out of each other, it is infuriating. I will never buy them again. I wanted a hybrid broiler that wasn't going to get enormous and not be able to walk and these grow a tad slower so are ready to process at 12 weeks. I won't ever do it again though....I might try some freedom rangers someday for meat birds.

Glad to hear you are moving some bunnies. I am sure your pups are doing well and sleeping soundly.

Josie, I buy cornish crosses from McMurray and they're ready to process in 6 weeks.. easy birds to raise, simple to butcher (we use a feather plucker - 20 seconds and the bird is feather free!), and they're super tasty

 

[michelleml]

i was reading about animal cruelty charges at the butterball factory. I need to talk with Dh about getting some meat birds so we can do our own processing. Maybe if i watched a few times i could get up enough nerve to do it. We mainly eat chicken anyway i have heard about the plucker things sounds much easier. Does anyone know of a place that process poultry for you? I've asked two meat processing places and they said know one does it anymore

 

[chickmama1662]

Hi, I'm on the Missouri side so it's probably too far for you, but I have an Amish gentlemen that does mine for $1.12 a piece. Well worth the money if you ask me. You might check with the Amish or Mennonites if there are any close to you.

 

[Hawkeye95]

We managed to get the GPs to the Vet this morning, as usual it wasn't a fun job getting them there. I made Jasmine stay in the garage last night & she didn't like that one bit. I went out this morning to find a big mess, she had knocked over things in front of the door so that I had to fight my way in to pick it all up. She moved the two barrels I had by the door that I keep feed in & carried things all over the place then knocked over more stuff on the other side of the garage. My DH was mad because she knocked the garage door sensors around & he had to adjust those. I put her in there thinking it would be easier to locate her this morning & keep her handy to load up, she is a little tricky to round up at times. I wasn't worried about Lily at all, she is pretty easy to deal with & in fact I just went out & put her on the leash & she followed me up to sit down & wait for my DH to load up Jas in the car. When we got there Lily was fairly easy to get in this time, but Jas had to be carried again. Whew, I'm glad they're not bigger & heavier yet! The Vet said he wouldn't call unless there was a problem, so I have to hope everything is OK. I pick them up tomorrow afternoon at 2.

Hope the girls did well!

I am glad to see people going back to cloth diapers at least to some extent. I never wanted any of my kids to wear those other things. I can't even remember the brand of diapers I used to have but I loved them. They were soft and absorbent. They weren't the birdseye fabric though. I kept them around for years and used them for dust rags and mop rags and what have you until they all finally wore completely out.
Well DH is up and around so I'd better get off here.
Processing birds is easy. But for me it requires too much bending. I decided I would rather sell my birds to someone else or in the case of meaties pay to have them butchered. I never got that far this year. All of my meaties killed over our first really hot day. Having help makes a huge difference. My one rule of thumb is I don't butcher and eat the same meat on the same day. Something about that smell kind of gets in your nose and ruins it for me.

Oh yes, the smell. I forgot about that. It's not horrid or anything, but it's not exactly pleasant and does turn me off food a bit. No wonder the older generations that had to butcher their own meats were thin! They worked hard, but I bet after butchering, they didn't have the appetite. hehe!

Josie, I actually make cloth diapers. I have scaled back and don't work the business like I used to.. or like I should. It was getting so big and out of hand, I needed to find a manufacturer to keep up with demand. I hunted around, but it was going to drive up my cost so much, that I couldn't see people wanting to pay the higher prices when they were used to paying a lower one. It was so disappointing, I just scaled back and kind of let loose of that dream a bit.I have a website and let it go offline for the last month and I think I'll turn it back on in another month or so. I needed the break, anyway. My diapers are also sold in brick and mortar stores, too. The ease of these are just very simple! You have a "shell" that looks very much like a paper diaper-- but I use poly snaps (CPSIA certified for babies from a tested supplier) to snap them close. No pins, nothing to ever come undo and poke or hurt baby. There is a very absorbent insert that you stuff the diaper with and it soaks up all the fluids. It can hold a LOT. You change just as regularly as paper diapers-- more often for solids, of course. When it's dirty, you hold the diaper over your diaper bin and shake out the insert (I don't like to touch it if I can help it) and then it's all washed together, but because the middle absorbent part comes out, it gets cleaned VERY well. If you ever decide to have a baby-- definitely use cloth! I have newborn diapers, too. I always keep around 100 diapers here at the house to mail out or restock. You don't need very many, and the same diapers you buy today can be used for the next baby you have. I have diapers I have just thrown out, because I used those very diapers for all 3 kids of mine. By that time, they get pretty well worn, but think of all the money you save doing that! Cloth diapers are not cheap-- the materials and cost it takes to put them together is not simple, but once you have them, you're pretty well done. I've passed on and resold cloth that was in good shape. There is a big market for that, too believe it or not, so you can get a part of your investment back. But even if not, consider it an investment in the safety of your child. Flats are "sheets" of fabric that are folded into easy or complicated ways to make the old fashioned diapers your grandma used. I would not recommend it unless you like extra work! LOL That's why I said Michelle was a saint for using those!

 

[pikeman94]

Good morning fellow Kansans. Could someone explain to me the proper way to "stretch" hardware cloth ? I mean since it comes in rolls, how do you get it nice and flat? Should I attach it between two T posts and then cinch it up for awhiles?

Also - any swaps or shows coming up in the near term? Anyone planning to be at the State Fair? I'm scheduled to show a horse there and would love to me any of you in person! Thanks all .

I am visiting my cousin in Park City and we are thinking of going to the Fair on Saturday.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

i was reading about animal cruelty charges at the butterball factory. I need to talk with Dh about getting some meat birds so we can do our own processing. Maybe if i watched a few times i could get up enough nerve to do it. We mainly eat chicken anyway i have heard about the plucker things sounds much easier. Does anyone know of a place that process poultry for you? I've asked two meat processing places and they said know one does it anymore

How far are you from Winfield? We could do it together if we plan and time things right..