Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I've got some poultry food bags (the water resistant kind) that I put underneath the cage, and I kept the plastic thing in the bottom of the cage. Then, I put straw in there with them so they wouldn't slide around quite as bad.

Can I suggest cutting a piece of the rubbery shelf liner to put on top of the plastic tray and under the straw? That would really help them to keep their footing. Afterward you can either throw it away or hose it off, throw it in the washing machine and then save it for next time.

He always made me laugh, though, because every snake he saw was a rattler and every spider was either a black widow or brown recluse. I rarely even think about those things. I just think, "dang it, another spider."

I used to work with a girl from Georgia who was terrified of tornadoes. I kept thinking, but you have hurricanes in Georgia! I guess it's all in what you're used to.

I actually did LOL at the two things above. When we first met, DH used to comment about any raised, itchy welt, that it must be a "spider bite". I laughed the first time, then grew increasingly confused the more times I heard it. The only spiders I've ever known who bite don't leave a mark like a mosquito bite - they make you seriously ill! Then his sister saw an itchy lump on DD's leg and commented "Oh, it looks like you have a spider bite on your leg". Then I realized - their mother must have raised them with the notion that ANY bite was a spider bite. All they ever had was mosquito or flea or chigger bites but if you've been raised by someone telling you they're all spider bites, of course you're going to think every spider must be killed before it can do that to you. It has taken some serious retraining on my part to get my DH to understand that there are only a couple of spiders we need to be concerned about and they DON'T leave a mosquito bite on your arm or leg! At my old house, I had a Black Widow that lived in the garage. I used to check on her all the time and compliment her on the size of her egg sacs and how many young she produced. Over time, I saw a number of her mates become her victim and leave their lifeless bodies in her web. She also produced a number of egg sacs (either she lived a long time or her daughters took over her web and left theirs). DH kept telling me I needed to kill her but I lived there for years and she (or her progeny) were there for years and none of us ever got bitten.

I would love to buy some meat from Yoder, but my DH won't spend the money up front to buy a quantity at a time. He really doesn't understand how much healthier it is. I have in the past raised a steer & pigs too & had them processed. That was the best meat I ever had & I knew what they had eaten. I would do it again if he was on board with it, but he doesn't want to put up fences or pens or have to deal with having someone have to feed more animals when we have to go out of town.

Therein lies the rub. I would also like to raise more of our own meat but it certainly does complicate one's life, doesn't it?

Some people haven't even cut their boars and are selling them as meat hogs. That is just nuts in my book.

Learning/teaching opportunity here: what does the above statement mean? Are you saying that hogs have to be cut before they can be raised for meat and if so, why is that?

.. but, I don't know what I'm going to do with her during the day. Putting her somewhere inside a building with no AC wouldn't be good for her.. putting her outside isn't good for her.. am so open to suggestions.

Do you have a dog pen? If so, perhaps you can put her in it under a tree so she has shade during the day?

Okay, regurgitating a chicken: Lay chicken on its right side in your lap with head angled down. Massage gently in an upward motion (toward its beak) for 3 to 5 seconds max. (You don't want the chicken to inhale while doing this) Sour crop is when hard to digest grasses ferment in the crop and a fungal infection ensues. The crop will feel very soft and spongy like a water balloon. Some birds are just very prone to it and don't do well free ranging at all. They just have to eat regular pellet feed. My poor birdie was so bad, I only noticed it because she was huge on her crop side and I knew that wasn't right. She was still up and around and didn't seem sick. Sour crop smells, well, sour. It's noticeable if you're up close and personal. Since it is a fungal infection you actually give them monistat or lotrimin after helping the bird regurgitate the fermented grass and liquids which are toxic. My poor birdie had approx a pint of liquid in her crop! It was really awful and I felt terrible that I hadn't noticed anything wrong beforehand. She didn't make it through the night. Heartbreaking. I just couldn't believe she was gone so fast. Now I'm watching all the birds for signs of crop problems in the morning when I let them out for the day. Their crops should be empty at that point so it should be pretty easy to spot, now that I'm aware of it.

I hate being ignorant.

Thank you for that information and I'm sorry your hen didn't make it. This is all a big learning adventure and each time we see something different or new, we learn something from it, so don't beat yourself up too much. Next time you will know what to look for and by sharing your experience, now we will know what to look for too.

 

[Hawkeye95]

It's not done-- still lots more work to go into it and a lot of missing parts in it, etc... Some of it is still just outlined and not really painted-- like the middle balustrade.

Here is what I was working on today:

Sorry, it's not about chickens..... Just had a fun day being creative. Oh-- this is in a private home, not a public building.

 

[HEChicken]

It's not done-- still lots more work to go into it and a lot of missing parts in it, etc... Some of it is still just outlined and not really painted-- like the middle balustrade.

Here is what I was working on today:

Sorry, it's not about chickens..... Just had a fun day being creative. Oh-- this is in a private home, not a public building.

Seriously? You did that?

That is truly amazing and I had no idea the talents you were hiding!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Seriously? You did that?

That is truly amazing and I had no idea the talents you were hiding!

Thank you! You should see the mural I did in the downtown church-- I painted an entire wall that was about 16 feet in length with a garden scene! When you stand in the room, it's like you are almost outside. Even I was impressed with myself on that one! LOL I've always considered myself a fine artist but didn't want to be a "starving artist" and go into fine arts in college. So I went into Graphic Design which led me in a lot of directions, but it's been fun. But painting and drawing is still my passion.. just can't really make a career out of it.

I'm hoping we can start working on the permanent pen for the chickens soon. I need to have my DH hook up the auger so I can get holes dug for the posts. I hope it goes faster than my coop did! LOL

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Do you have a dog pen? If so, perhaps you can put her in it under a tree so she has shade during the day?

I don't have a dog pen... but I think one is going to be needed. I might make a trip to Atwoods next Tuesday since I'm going to be in Derby in the afternoon... The coop will be "dog ready" (but not chicken ready just yet) tomorrow... I'm glad I have some time to find something for the day; I want her to be as comfortable as she can be, but most importantly, she needs to be safe. I do have a little fenced area that I can keep her in during the day... will ask Trish what she thinks of that since she has seen the area I'm talking about.. (I forgot my camera today when I visited - will take photo of her tomorrow... prepare for super sad puppy eyes!)

 

[sunflowerparrot]

It's not done-- still lots more work to go into it and a lot of missing parts in it, etc... Some of it is still just outlined and not really painted-- like the middle balustrade.

Here is what I was working on today:

Sorry, it's not about chickens..... Just had a fun day being creative. Oh-- this is in a private home, not a public building.

VERY nice.. You could always put a little flock of chickens in the field lol

 

[lizzyGSR]

I seem to be full of questions today. This time, it's not a happy topic... I noticed earlier today that two of my ducks seem to have runny noses. They had just been playing around the water bowl, so I thought I'd check on them later. I just checked on them again, and the same two have runny noses. I k now they say n ot to give antibiotics to ducks. So, is there anything I can do for them? I'm planning on butchering two of them tomorrow (not the ones that have runny noses). Is that a bad idea? I'm also planning on getting more birds when I'm on my way back from my work trip next week. This will be the ONLY chance I have to get the birds I want for quite some time because they're not available in Northwest KS. Is it a bad idea to bring new birds home, especially since I have no good way of isolating any sick bird(s)?

Suggestions please!!!!

 

[cherwill]

Jasmine finally forgave me last night & came up wanting some sympathy though, so I gave her some attention for awhile & she is OK with me again. Isn't it funny how they can blame you for things that happen to them, just like a person.

Well, my oldest mare has foundered. I'm sick, sick, sick about it. My farrier came out and looked at her and did some trimming and he is going to come back out on Saturday and do some more and we might need to start with corrective boots or shoeing. That is going to SUCK!!! I know it's going to cost me $160 just for the boots or shoes-- not even counting his fee. Shoot me now. LOL

The last time she foundered, we had to have her set for over 6 months! So that was $160 a pop each time, and that is like every 4-6 weeks.

I hope it's not that bad this time.

It's not done-- still lots more work to go into it and a lot of missing parts in it, etc... Some of it is still just outlined and not really painted-- like the middle balustrade.

Here is what I was working on today:

Sorry, it's not about chickens..... Just had a fun day being creative. Oh-- this is in a private home, not a public building.

It's beautiful. I'm so impressed with your many talents!

I actually did LOL at the two things above. When we first met, DH used to comment about any raised, itchy welt, that it must be a "spider bite". I laughed the first time, then grew increasingly confused the more times I heard it. The only spiders I've ever known who bite don't leave a mark like a mosquito bite - they make you seriously ill! Then his sister saw an itchy lump on DD's leg and commented "Oh, it looks like you have a spider bite on your leg". Then I realized - their mother must have raised them with the notion that ANY bite was a spider bite. All they ever had was mosquito or flea or chigger bites but if you've been raised by someone telling you they're all spider bites, of course you're going to think every spider must be killed before it can do that to you. It has taken some serious retraining on my part to get my DH to understand that there are only a couple of spiders we need to be concerned about and they DON'T leave a mosquito bite on your arm or leg! At my old house, I had a Black Widow that lived in the garage. I used to check on her all the time and compliment her on the size of her egg sacs and how many young she produced. Over time, I saw a number of her mates become her victim and leave their lifeless bodies in her web. She also produced a number of egg sacs (either she lived a long time or her daughters took over her web and left theirs). DH kept telling me I needed to kill her but I lived there for years and she (or her progeny) were there for years and none of us ever got bitten.

I bargain with spiders. I don't like them at all, but I like that they catch flies and mosquitoes, so I make them a deal: You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. I make the same deal with wasps. It's worked pretty well so far.

HEChicken, would you pm me your Yoder connection for beef? I've been meaning to find a good source this fall but have been craZY busy and haven't even begun to look.

x2 please.

Karen, I'm sorry your bird didn't make it. I've heard the term, but didn't know what it meant. I learn a lot from this board; I'm glad I found it.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I seem to be full of questions today. This time, it's not a happy topic... I noticed earlier today that two of my ducks seem to have runny noses. They had just been playing around the water bowl, so I thought I'd check on them later. I just checked on them again, and the same two have runny noses. I k now they say n ot to give antibiotics to ducks. So, is there anything I can do for them? I'm planning on butchering two of them tomorrow (not the ones that have runny noses). Is that a bad idea? I'm also planning on getting more birds when I'm on my way back from my work trip next week. This will be the ONLY chance I have to get the birds I want for quite some time because they're not available in Northwest KS. Is it a bad idea to bring new birds home, especially since I have no good way of isolating any sick bird(s)?

Suggestions please!!!!

OK, now I'm beginning to think that I"m just stressing out and am seeing things that aren't there. Just after posting my previous post, I went out and fed my birds and then watched them eat. When they were done, I watched them play in their water. The two birds that had the "runny noses" had "runny noses" again after playing in the water. So, I caught one of the two birds I was seeing it on and held her for a while. Sure enough, the water dried on her beak and there was no longer any evidence of a runny nose. I can honestly say that I'm stressed about tomorrow (the day I go through with my decision to butcher my two drakes) and am feeling very guilty about it. Maybe I'm looking for excuses NOT to go through with it, I don't know... But, the good news is that I think my birds are fine.

 

[chicken danz]

It's not done-- still lots more work to go into it and a lot of missing parts in it, etc... Some of it is still just outlined and not really painted-- like the middle balustrade.

Here is what I was working on today:

Sorry, it's not about chickens..... Just had a fun day being creative. Oh-- this is in a private home, not a public building.

Lovely Job Hawkeye! I used to actually paint pictures to make some money on the side. I did what I was requested, not necessarily what I would have chosen. I made most of my money painting dog portraits but my favorites were always snow scenes and flowers. After 3 wrist surgeries it is very hard on me to paint. I just recently bought some new oils because my SIL asked me to paint her a picture. She loves one my sister has in her front room I painted and one my mother had hanging in their front room.
So sorry to hear about your mare. I know you take excellent care of her. Maybe not being able to get a farrier out on time contributed to this.
Quote:

I seem to be full of questions today. This time, it's not a happy topic... I noticed earlier today that two of my ducks seem to have runny noses. They had just been playing around the water bowl, so I thought I'd check on them later. I just checked on them again, and the same two have runny noses. I k now they say n ot to give antibiotics to ducks. So, is there anything I can do for them? I'm planning on butchering two of them tomorrow (not the ones that have runny noses). Is that a bad idea? I'm also planning on getting more birds when I'm on my way back from my work trip next week. This will be the ONLY chance I have to get the birds I want for quite some time because they're not available in Northwest KS. Is it a bad idea to bring new birds home, especially since I have no good way of isolating any sick bird(s)?

Suggestions please!!!!

You can use Baytril on a duck. I just completed a round of shots on one 2 weeks ago. But the first thing I would try is using some VetRX on them. Just squirt some in their nostrils.

Karen, I'm sorry your bird didn't make it. I've heard the term, but didn't know what it meant. I learn a lot from this board; I'm glad I found it.

Oh so am I! That is so sad! Darn birds anyway! Wish they had more sense about what to eat and what not to.

I should let dead dogs lie, but I don't think anyone has posted anything to scold any one. It's all in how you read it. We all learn from experience,often which includes a lot of our own heartbreak. No one here has any intent of being mean or heartless when some one is upset, nor do they mean to sound that way. Everyone is free to express their feelings, tell their stories and woes. And normally this works really well. We bounce opinions off of each other and all is good. Yes I remember a few times I felt I'd been picked on a little in the past, but I just decided that was a difference in personalities and the way people express themselves. I remember one person who disagreed and argued with anything and every thing I said in recent months. (Not currently posting on here.) I was starting to feel infuriated. But then I decided that was that person's nature to debate. I got over it after laying on the floor kicking and screaming and saying bad words!

I've not known anyone on here that intended to be mean other than the one evil person who had a remarkable chicken that could cross counties all by herself.

I believe we are all friends here and have been and will be here for each other. Otherwise, I would spend my time elsewhere. In example, I have learned tons of things about chickens from Ivy and Checoukan I never knew. I have learned gobs about treatment and geese from Josie. I've learned gobs about horses from Hawkeye, hechicken, and several others of you. I've learned about genetics in chickens from many. I've learned a lot about rabbits from Trish. I like to think I've shared some experience with all my birds,my dogs and what have you with some of you. Sunflower has taught us that those invasive cattails can be put to a many good uses. And many of us with dogs have tried to help her learn about owning a dog.
That is simply all it boils down to. No one is scolding any one or saying they aren't doing the right thing. We are just trying to do what we always do....discuss and try to help.
Please try to take what is said in the spirit in which it is intended. Don't try to read more into it.
Our hearts all go out to Sunflower and her dog, and Karen and her hen, and Trish and her sick chicks, etc etc.