Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

I like the first one for a t-shirt. The 2nd one would make a good bumper sticker.

I just came in from rounding up my birds for the evening, and now I need to go take a shower... I'm sitting here at my desk thinking that I must be covered in fresh duck poo 'cuz I STINK!!!!! I'm going to go take a shower while all of you pick yourselves up off the floor after falling off your chairs and rolling on the floor laughing at my unfortunate circumstances...

Don't laugh too hard, you know you can see yourselves doing the same thing!

OMGosh!! I've had days like that with horses getting loose and running down the road, or what not. That sounds like quite a night you had! I actually wasn't laughing, because I think at this point, I can relate too well! I just chased down a horse at 3am not two weeks ago!! Dumb me-- didn't lock the gate. Only one realized it. I hope they learn fast for you!

LOVE this pic, two cutie pies!

Love the shirt, very nice! You should get some for the kids too and you guys can all match.

Well, not much going on here. I need to get my behind in gear and list some birds for sale. I also need to list a couple pairs of juvenile seramas on auction. My other buff laced brahma hen was acting funny last night so I brought her in and gave her everything but the kitchen sink. She seems brighter today so I gave her more antibiotics and started the roo as well because I **thought** I heard him wheeze a little.

These birds may be the death of me with this kind of stress. Now I am picking everyone up and listening and looking over them in some kind of freaked out paranoia about illness that is lurking just below the surface. I even had a bad dream last night that I went out and my favorite orp hen was dead, geez!

Well, need to go finish a few more things before I call it a night, take care everyone!

Thank you! My little girl is my helper with the birds. My oldest is too, when he's here (not at some kind of practice). I know how you feel about listening to chests! My silkies are all feeling pretty good, but I hear a sneeze every now and then. So I randomly pick them up and listen to them. Sheesh. No other symptoms, but I'm more alert now than I ever used to be!

Sunflower I am intrigued by your idea of using the lagoon. I had the same idea and started a thread on it back in June:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/681281/ducks-on-sewer-pond
In the end, DH and I did decide not to do it because he was concerned that their getting in and out of the pond might cause deterioration of the banks, and since the lagoon serves such a vital purpose for us, we decided not to risk it. We only have muscovies, who don't like to swim as much as mallard-based breeds do, and they seem very content with their wading pool for now, where they are always able to touch the bottom.

I spent the day on an all-day trail ride in the Flint Hills. It was so beautiful, with lots of rolling hills and the landscape had so much texture I had to keep reminding myself it was Kansas. My horse loves getting out and doing that kind of thing so it was a good day for both of us.

OH good point about ruining the sides of the lagoon. I didn't think of that. I mow in there, but I don't cut it too closely, because when we built this house, the guy that built it for me said that the grass is what is holding my berm together. We've had some erosion of the soil and we've had to plant new grass in there to get it to stop. So we're a lot more careful about the berm now. I would hate to have it re-dug. They are expensive!! I am SO ENVIOUS that you got to go on a trail ride!!! ARGH, I want to get out and go somewhere! I've been so insanely busy, I just don't know when I could have fit it in. But I'd love to talk my neighbor into going to Kanopolis this Fall. If I do, I'll tell you when we're going! Do you have a trailer? If we do manage to swing it, I could trailer you up if you don't have one. That's a very big IF though... seems like something always comes up.

Oh Hawkeye, I meant to say - great pics of the silkies and the kids and I love the design. I agree with everyone else about the first design, and love how it came out on the shirt itself.

Thank you!! I tweaked the design again like TNT said and changed it to Hawkeye.

Do you want it to say Hawkeye's? It seems kinda hard for me to say with the double S's on Hawkeye's Silkies. I think Hawkeye Silkies is much easier to say. Maybe that is just me though! I love that they are your silkies on the shirt! Super cute design! I wish I had a talent like that!

THANK YOU!!! My DH came home last night and I showed him the design and he said the SAME thing! LOL So then we got to talking back and forth about it and the more we said it over and over, we sort of lost sight of which we liked better. But his initial reaction was the same as yours. So I figure I better change it, and so I did. Now there is no "s" in Hawkeye. I've looked at it and I think I like it better. Glad you mentioned that! I think I'm going to go ahead and order the shirt this morning before I head out.

Hawkeye, I agree with cherwill, I like the silkies in the 2nd one, but not the border. That would be cute to have a shirt to wear when you're showing, how fun.

Well I didn't make it home till after dark since I stood & talked & then had to stop at two places on my way back for feed.I couldn't believe how strong he was when I took him out of his crate I brought him home in & carried him to the pen. He almost overpowered me, he was fighting so hard with me holding onto him as tight as I could & he's only 3 months old. Can you imagine how strong they must be full grown?

I have someone coming in the morning to hopefully buy the Chinchilla rabbits I'm selling, I sure hope they buy them anyway.

My little chicks that I have been treating in the cage in the garage are improving. In fact the little Cream Legbar rooster was well enough I put him back out in the grow-out pen this afternoon. He had really perked up a lot in the last couple days. The Swedish Flower hen is also looking better, so maybe soon she will also be able to go back out. I think that Sulmet is finally helping them. Now if if Cream Legbar pullet will get well we'll be going OK. I'm still treating the ones out in the grow-out pen, I want to make sure they're all cleared up totally before I stop the antibiotic.

Oh wow, sounds like a long evening/night for you! Bummer you had to stop at two feed stores. I'm glad it wasn't too hot for the drive home so the bird did well. FUNNY you picked up more guineas! I hope you get your rabbits sold today! Good luck! I'm glad that your chicks are doing better! How is sulmet used?? Is this something you put in the water? Maybe I should buy some of that too!! LOL! I'm a walking pharmacy here!! But better to be prepared than to end up in a mess with dead birds or in a panic. I have a pharmacy for my dogs, too. Everything from anti-nausea meds to antibiotics. I keep Baytril in the pill form on hand and ampicillin for the dogs. Naturally, I'm the kind that if I learn there is a good drug for whatever I'm raising, I'm going to run out and get it! hehe Do you think the Sulmet made a drastic change in their health, or do you think it has been going on long enough, they were starting to come around, anyway and the Sulmet boosted them? Would love to hear feed back on it.

 

[HEChicken]

....I also think I've been putting the birds away too late in the day. By the time I get out there, it's getting close to dark, and the inside of the duck house is already dark. Tomorrow, I'll try putting them to bed an hour earlier so the duck house won't be dark.

Oh - this reminded me of when I got restarted with a new batch of chicks three years ago, and they weren't roosting in the coop, but just huddling in the corner. Eventually I figured out it was so dark in the coop (it was an A-Frame with no windows so the only light was what came through the open door) they couldn't see the roost well enough to jump up on it. I had a little battery powered light that put out about as much light as a nightlight, so I set that on the roost for a few nights, and apparently it provided just enough light for them to see and feel confident jumping up on it. Once they were used to getting up on the roost, they didn't need the light any more. Perhaps you could try a nightlight of some kind in your coop to help the new ducks find their way in?

My lagoon isn't even completely (or half for that fact) full yet. I've only lived here since the end of June and everything is completely new construction. With the lack of rain, the poor lagoon hasn't had much chance to get too full. I've ran the hose into the piping for 2 straight nights when I first moved here and that helped a lot, but then the lack of rain and 100+ temps for so many days in a row caused most of it to evaporate. It is doing fairly well now. By next year, I am hoping it will have enough water so it doesn't get too low to the pipe like it is now. I guess this all takes time.

The drought is causing problems there for sure. The level of ours is lower than I would like but at least it does still have water in it (I haven't felt like wading in to measure the depth in the center - not sure why

) but both of my neighbors' lagoons have completely dried up. I asked my next-door neighbor about it and she said they haven't changed anything - they are still pumping everything out to it and it doesn't even smell bad which is kind of weird, but it can't be good for it ecologically. I'm actually really surprised hers dried up because she has two teenage sons but in addition, she hosted some baseball players this summer, so she said she had to do laundry every day because they needed their uniforms clean every day. Plus, the extra people in the house meant more showers, running the dishwasher more etc, so if her lagoon dried up with all that water being pumped to it, I'm really surprised ours survived without drying up as we pump quite a bit less to it. I did mow around it but wasn't able to get the mower right down to the water's edge for fear of getting bogged, so perhaps there is just enough grass around the edge to keep it from evaporating so fast. I dunno.

I am SO ENVIOUS that you got to go on a trail ride!!! ARGH, I want to get out and go somewhere! I've been so insanely busy, I just don't know when I could have fit it in. But I'd love to talk my neighbor into going to Kanopolis this Fall. If I do, I'll tell you when we're going! Do you have a trailer? If we do manage to swing it, I could trailer you up if you don't have one. That's a very big IF though... seems like something always comes up.

I keep Baytril in the pill form on hand and ampicillin for the dogs.

Unfortunately I don't have a trailer so I am at the mercy of my sister (who does) and can only go on the trail rides if she is going. I would love to go to Kanopolis with you sometime if we can arrange it. The group we ride with goes to Kanopolis from time to time so next time we are going, I'll let you know and if it works out, perhaps you can join us the same day!

Where do you buy the Baytril? That's something I've thought would be good to keep in my pharmacy but I haven't seen it for sale at any of the feed stores, unless I'm just looking in the wrong places.

 

[HEChicken]

Okay everyone, do you think it might be time for another get-together? I would like to propose a pot-luck at my place. The date is flexible so I thought I'd see what works best so that as many people as possible can make it. A two-week lead time might help for people who have to rearrange a schedule to come so let's plan on one day the week starting either Sept 24th, or Oct 1st. If everyone can either reply or PM me with a couple of choices of day that works better for them, I will try to narrow it down to the day where the most people are able to come.

I am located northeast of Wichita, between Augusta and Towanda, if you want to look at Google Maps to get an idea of distance. I am hoping that will be doable both for people coming from Wichita and surrounds, who will be driving north-east, and for people north and east of me, who will drive south-west.

Let me know your thoughts?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Lizzy, I have been going through the same type thing here with the ducks and new housing. The new anconas have been in the pen I put them in when I got them. They outgrew it and they needed to run more. I had decided to put them in the chicken house at night and allow them free range during the day. Step one: free range was easy, just let um out. They loved it, went back to the old pen that night which meant I had to get them to the big "pen" where the chicken house is. No problem, with a feed bucket, they followed like a bunch of ducks following a leader, I was thrilled, until the feed bucket went into that dark hole that went into a strange building. Well, ducks can really put on the brakes, let me tell ya. The "big pen" is about 30 by 50 or so feet. It goes to the pasture at one side and into a smaller pen at the other side. My arthritis did not like the walking/chasing that followed their realization I was going against their rules. I kept closing off the space as well as I could so they had less space to get away into, but still, by the time I got them all in, catching and putting most of them in because on top if it all, the chicken house sits almost a foot off the ground and they simply did not know how to jump up even if they tried. Long story a bit shorter, day by day, things improved. Some learned pretty fast how to get up and in to the waiting food. I learned a few more things I could do to reduce their space outside of the chicken house and to get out there earlier so it was lighter and they could see better. I think the battle is over, I hope. Last night, they had spread out so some were in the pasture and some in the yard. I have the geese so they go to the smaller pen to their food, so they are not in the "ducks go to the chicken house" situation. But still, with the ducks separated, I was concerned. I go out with the bucket of feed calling ducks as I went through the yard - all ducks head for the chicken house - YEA!!! The ones in the yard following me and the ones in the pasture going through the gate into the pen. As I am putting feed into the feed pan in the chicken house, ducks are scrambling over my feet to get in. Fantastic!!! Some still struggle with the height of the door, but even the last one I thought I would have to help made a final effort and made it in.

 

[chicken danz]

The drought is causing problems there for sure. The level of ours is lower than I would like but at least it does still have water in it (I haven't felt like wading in to measure the depth in the center - not sure why

) but both of my neighbors' lagoons have completely dried up. I asked my next-door neighbor about it and she said they haven't changed anything - they are still pumping everything out to it and it doesn't even smell bad which is kind of weird, but it can't be good for it ecologically. I'm actually really surprised hers dried up because she has two teenage sons but in addition, she hosted some baseball players this summer, so she said she had to do laundry every day because they needed their uniforms clean every day. Plus, the extra people in the house meant more showers, running the dishwasher more etc, so if her lagoon dried up with all that water being pumped to it, I'm really surprised ours survived without drying up as we pump quite a bit less to it. I did mow around it but wasn't able to get the mower right down to the water's edge for fear of getting bogged, so perhaps there is just enough grass around the edge to keep it from evaporating so fast. I dunno.

You guys are making me feel very fortunate to have a septic tank as opposed to a lagoon. I never thought about dry weather affecting a lagoon. I just figured if you kept doing your normal stuff it would stay fairly full. Wish my septic tank could dry out some! My dogs love wading through the black water to cool down.

Where do you buy the Baytril? That's something I've thought would be good to keep in my pharmacy but I haven't seen it for sale at any of the feed stores, unless I'm just looking in the wrong places.

You have to get Baytril from a vet unless you order from an out of country pharmacy. I just told one of the local vets what I wanted it for and he sold me some. Pretty pricy stuff but it works good.

Okay everyone, do you think it might be time for another get-together? I would like to propose a pot-luck at my place. The date is flexible so I thought I'd see what works best so that as many people as possible can make it. A two-week lead time might help for people who have to rearrange a schedule to come so let's plan on one day the week starting either Sept 24th, or Oct 1st. If everyone can either reply or PM me with a couple of choices of day that works better for them, I will try to narrow it down to the day where the most people are able to come.

I am located northeast of Wichita, between Augusta and Towanda, if you want to look at Google Maps to get an idea of distance. I am hoping that will be doable both for people coming from Wichita and surrounds, who will be driving north-east, and for people north and east of me, who will drive south-west.

Let me know your thoughts?
Great Idea! You are talking a day time thing... not an evening thing right? This old woman doesn't like driving at night.

I keep wondering how many times I repeat myself on here. I think all the time over and over about this and that but have no idea whether I have already posted it a million times or never. I'm too lazy to go back and read my old posts to see.
I went to Topeka yesterday in spite of the heat and really didn't buy much for my granddaughters for their birthdays. Got them each a little baby doll set. One has a grocery cart and groceries and the other has a little bassinet, bottles, bibs, teether, baby dish spoon and fork and they each have a baby doll with them. I really wanted to buy them some big things like a complete baby doll nursery with a bed and high chair and chest, and a complete kitchen for the other one. But I am sure both sets of parents would have been very unhappy with me for buying large items that take a lot of space. I still think of the things I always wished I had when I was little.
Then I went to Kohl's and bought them each a new outfit with really soft curduroy looking jeans and different but matching tops. They were purple...my signature color. I also bought myself a top I fell in love with this spring. It was finally marked down enough I decided I could afford it. I never even tried it on. You know how you see something and fall in love with it? It was one of those. I may hate it now that I own it. But I just hate trying on clothes in stores.
I bought myself a cheap pair of shoes to slip on around the house. I like shoes I can slip on and off easily especially in winter so every time I go in and out I don't have to stop and tie them.
I can't ever find any that aren't black unless they are those flats with the tiny toe area. I hate those. These were black but I liked them anyway.

Wow! When I went out to let the chickens out first thing this morning I swear it felt like winter out there. Unbelievable after yesterday.
I was hoping DH would have set some more posts last night after work but he didn't. I am getting really stressed about getting things done and having shelter for my birds. Now he says he has to dig out the post holes cause they aren't straight. Duh! That was why he didn't want me to drill them ... cause he didn't think I would get them straight! He just doesn't hurry with much of anything.
I need to go out and hang some plastic on a couple of pens before the rain comes in. I don't want any more casualties if we get another heavy storm. If we get rain, that is.

 

[checoukan]

So, sounds like everyone has been busy. Ivy is in the process of moving some things. But she is going thru and sorting EVERYTHING, and some stuff comes to Oswego, and some stays for the auction they plan to have. They went ahead and turned the internet off, so until she gets settled in the new home you will not here from her, unless she gets on my computor.
Every thing is going well here, I have had some trouble with resp. problems in the chickens, but I think it was because everything was so dry, and dusty.

Trying to get every thing together to finish out the 4H year, and get my yearly turned in to the extention office.

The first Saturday in october, is Columbus days. They have a big Hot air ballon show, and this year down at the fairgrounds, they are having old Timers day. Have team horse demonstrations, antique tractors and implements, and they contacted me to have a free poultry swap. So if you are looking for something to do, come to Columbus and join in on the fun. I think they have around 21, or 22 hot air balloons, it is something when they have the balloon glow Friday evening, and then when they all lift off Saturday morning ( weather permitting) very pretty site.

Thanks trish, I will get over to KPS.
Hope all is well. Ivy and I are doing just fine. Just super busy!

 

[ChooksChick]

Ohmigoodness you guys have already left me in the dust...I can't keep up in the few minutes I have, so I'll just let you all know I think Friday is the day I'll be going to Oklahoma, so if anyone needs me to pick up birds from Heirloom Orpingtons for them, let me know so we can make plans to hand-off.

I'm hatching like crazy now and will have many culls from projects that I'll simply be selling as barnyard crosses. If you're interested, let me know- they'll go cheap..

Also, we have found that Thayer Mill in Thayer has great organic grains and will mix up feed very affordably. If you're in that area you should consider getting in touch with them.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, LOL, yeah, I was so set on thinking a daytime/lunchtime kind of thing it didn't even occur to me to put that detail in specifically. My bad.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Lizzy, I have been going through the same type thing here with the ducks and new housing. The new anconas have been in the pen I put them in when I got them. They outgrew it and they needed to run more. I had decided to put them in the chicken house at night and allow them free range during the day. Step one: free range was easy, just let um out. They loved it, went back to the old pen that night which meant I had to get them to the big "pen" where the chicken house is. No problem, with a feed bucket, they followed like a bunch of ducks following a leader, I was thrilled, until the feed bucket went into that dark hole that went into a strange building. Well, ducks can really put on the brakes, let me tell ya. The "big pen" is about 30 by 50 or so feet. It goes to the pasture at one side and into a smaller pen at the other side. My arthritis did not like the walking/chasing that followed their realization I was going against their rules. I kept closing off the space as well as I could so they had less space to get away into, but still, by the time I got them all in, catching and putting most of them in because on top if it all, the chicken house sits almost a foot off the ground and they simply did not know how to jump up even if they tried. Long story a bit shorter, day by day, things improved. Some learned pretty fast how to get up and in to the waiting food. I learned a few more things I could do to reduce their space outside of the chicken house and to get out there earlier so it was lighter and they could see better. I think the battle is over, I hope. Last night, they had spread out so some were in the pasture and some in the yard. I have the geese so they go to the smaller pen to their food, so they are not in the "ducks go to the chicken house" situation. But still, with the ducks separated, I was concerned. I go out with the bucket of feed calling ducks as I went through the yard - all ducks head for the chicken house - YEA!!! The ones in the yard following me and the ones in the pasture going through the gate into the pen. As I am putting feed into the feed pan in the chicken house, ducks are scrambling over my feet to get in. Fantastic!!! Some still struggle with the height of the door, but even the last one I thought I would have to help made a final effort and made it in.

Feeding them in the duck house... That's a good idea, but I've been avoiding doing that because I used the cheaper wood on my duck house and am worried about them playing in their water, making a mess, and causing the floor to rot out. I've been giving them a couple inches of water in the bottom of a bowl every evening but will have to stop that when it gets cold (no way to keep it from freezing and don't want ice all over the inside of the duck house). I'm sure my ducks will learn eventually. It's just a lot of work and frustration on my part until they do.

I was hoping DH would have set some more posts last night after work but he didn't. I am getting really stressed about getting things done and having shelter for my birds. Now he says he has to dig out the post holes cause they aren't straight. Duh! That was why he didn't want me to drill them ... cause he didn't think I would get them straight! He just doesn't hurry with much of anything.

I'm in the same boat as you are, but I'm worried about getting the barn for the horses done. It's a 13'WX45'L pole barn, and so far we only have the ground leveled and the holes dig, and we are supposed to be moving the horses out here by/in November. Plus, we have a carpenter friend who is helping us with it, and we've had lots of problems with conflicting schedules.

 

[cherwill]

Okay you all!!! I think I have my design sorted out! I want to sleep on it, but I think I am going to order this: UNLESS you think of anything else! LOL

Don't laugh too hard, you know you can see yourselves doing the same thing!

That is completely true, but still funny!

Well, not much going on here. I need to get my behind in gear and list some birds for sale. I also need to list a couple pairs of juvenile seramas on auction. My other buff laced brahma hen was acting funny last night so I brought her in and gave her everything but the kitchen sink. She seems brighter today so I gave her more antibiotics and started the roo as well because I **thought** I heard him wheeze a little.

These birds may be the death of me with this kind of stress. Now I am picking everyone up and listening and looking over them in some kind of freaked out paranoia about illness that is lurking just below the surface. I even had a bad dream last night that I went out and my favorite orp hen was dead, geez!

Well, need to go finish a few more things before I call it a night, take care everyone!

LOL, we're constantly giving our chickens the eye and trying to determine if something is a problem or not. I think I mentioned the bumblefoot incident -- after everyone here was talking about it, I mentioned to DH that we should check our birds. 20 minutes later he came back in and said they were all fine. He'd gone right out and turned ten chickens upside down to examine their feet!

Well you can't go by the bins without looking can you?

Yep, I have the same problem. It's why I have 4 EEs a year earlier than I'd planned.

My little chicks that I have been treating in the cage in the garage are improving. In fact the little Cream Legbar rooster was well enough I put him back out in the grow-out pen this afternoon. He had really perked up a lot in the last couple days. The Swedish Flower hen is also looking better, so maybe soon she will also be able to go back out. I think that Sulmet is finally helping them. Now if if Cream Legbar pullet will get well we'll be going OK. I'm still treating the ones out in the grow-out pen, I want to make sure they're all cleared up totally before I stop the antibiotic.

I'm glad to hear they're improving.

I keep wondering how many times I repeat myself on here. I think all the time over and over about this and that but have no idea whether I have already posted it a million times or never. I'm too lazy to go back and read my old posts to see.
I went to Topeka yesterday in spite of the heat and really didn't buy much for my granddaughters for their birthdays. Got them each a little baby doll set. One has a grocery cart and groceries and the other has a little bassinet, bottles, bibs, teether, baby dish spoon and fork and they each have a baby doll with them. I really wanted to buy them some big things like a complete baby doll nursery with a bed and high chair and chest, and a complete kitchen for the other one. But I am sure both sets of parents would have been very unhappy with me for buying large items that take a lot of space. I still think of the things I always wished I had when I was little.
Then I went to Kohl's and bought them each a new outfit with really soft curduroy looking jeans and different but matching tops. They were purple...my signature color. I also bought myself a top I fell in love with this spring. It was finally marked down enough I decided I could afford it. I never even tried it on. You know how you see something and fall in love with it? It was one of those. I may hate it now that I own it. But I just hate trying on clothes in stores.
I bought myself a cheap pair of shoes to slip on around the house. I like shoes I can slip on and off easily especially in winter so every time I go in and out I don't have to stop and tie them.
I can't ever find any that aren't black unless they are those flats with the tiny toe area. I hate those. These were black but I liked them anyway.

That sounds like a pretty good day, and a productive one too.