Consolidated Kansas

[mommahen10]

Again I lost my post. What's up with that???? GRRRR!!!!

I appreciate the information about the orchids. I once had a vanilla bean plant, I'm pretty sure that's an orchid. I kept it in my bathroom thinking it was tropical and the humidity would be good. It grew so beautifully and was huge but it never bloomed. Even if it would have, would I have gotten vanilla beans? Maybe it would need more than one plant to pollenate.

Sunflowerparrot, sometimes you just need a duh day. I'm glad you're enjoying your book.

Danz, sounds like you did a lot. I'm sorry you are hurting. I hope tonight gives you a perfect night's sleep and tomorrow you feel energized and refreshed. My dh is going to take care of all the sales from here on. If someone asks me to come down on the price I will say I need to talk to him first unless it's a no brainer kind of okay thing. I do this all the time. I just can't help myself. I'll agree to babysit for free, or make food for lots of people, sew for someone. I always get myself in too deep that way, I can't say no and I put us out because of it. Even though the chickens are technically my deal we will make that part of the deal his and I'm thinking this is a good plan.

We ate our first fresh chicken tonight. It's very hard but my kids are handling it much better than I am and they're teasing me about it. It did taste good and was tender but I couldn't eat it and just tasted it. It does make me feel more appreciative of our food knowing what is in it and what was sacrificed and I felt good about serving it to my family. We have been eating deer too and it's our first one. Anyone have any vension recipes to share? So we have venison, chicken, pork and eggs all from here. We are getting milk from a neighbor and making yogurt a little cheese too. We canned a ton, about 300 quarts of just tomato products. We did apples, pickles, jelly, corn, green beans, squash. carrots and the sweet potatoes still need to be dug up. If only we could make our own flour and sugar. Our grocery bill is so much more manageble but that wasn't the motive. I just want to know what we are eating.

Goodnight all.

 

[sapphireblu76]

Sapphire, it was so nice to meet you today & we had fun seeing all the goats too. R is now asking Michelle to get goats she loved them so much & I told her that she needs to get some. I said that our next trip up there we need to bring back baby goats. I would like to have a couple just for brush control at our place. The babies are so darned cute! Those little chicks are just so pretty, almost made me want some. We left there & went & got my rabbit I went up to get & I'm really happy with him, so I'm glad we got to come. We had a really nice trip today, it was fun to get away for a few hours. We stopped at Atwoods on the way back & of course they had chicks, ducks, & guineas & we looked but we were good & didn't bring any home. Those little ducks they had were so cute though! We got back to Sunflowerparrot's house & I was going to take the car & back it up to where she has the pallets at so I could take a couple more home & wouldn't you know it I found the only big mud puddle up there by the barn & didn't see it in time & drove right in there. It was like a bog there & my car just sunk. We tried & tried to push the car out, put boards under the tires, rock it back & forth, but I couldn't get out. I could just see me explaining to my DH that I had gotten the car stuck at her house & we had to go get it out, he was going to kill me. So she called her neighbor down the road & the guys came with a big diesel truck & a chain & pulled my car out. Then I had to go to the car wash on the way home & try to get the mud off my car. I went through this stupid car wash in town & it didn't get all the mud off, so I ended up taking a bucket of water out & trying to wash the rest of the mud off, but there is still mud on the tires & in the wheel wells, so I know my DH is going to ask me where I got in mud. I'm not telling him I got stuck though, no way. All in all though it was a good day.

It was nice to meet you all, too! She really was taken with the goats, wasn't she? She seems like a very sweet girl. If you decide you want some Blue Coppers of your own, I should have some hatching out in a couple of weeks. The parents are from Eileen, also from the Bev Davis line.
Gah! So glad you were able to get the car out. Hope he doesn't get too upset about the mud.

My grandfather was an electrician and my brother is an electrician - but I have always been afraid of electricity too. When I was very young - maybe 3 or 4 - I remember plugging in my mom's iron (not that I had any business doing that! lol) and I shocked myself! That scared me so badly and something I never forgot or completely got over when it comes to electricity. I am going to do one of those tin can heaters too.. maybe we can work on that together.

I had so much fun yesterday! I talked to my BF on phone last night before bed and I could almost see him rolling his eyes that I bought MORE chicks!

I am loving my new lifestyle so much and feel blessed that I have this opportunity to experience so many simple joys in life

LOL, I think my hubby is the same way (rolling his eyes under his breath), but I think he really loves seeing how much joy they give me and he enjoys them too. He just isn't *quite* as fanatical as I am. After we got our first batch of chicks 3 years ago, when we lived in town, he took over their care for me without even asking, lol. He just enjoyed it and it helped me. I was doing ferret rescue at the time and we had just had our second baby, so had a lot on my plate. Then, when we moved out here and I wanted more chickens, I was having health issues and told him I would really like to take back my chicken chores so that I would get outside more often. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

maidenwolf, are you specifically looking for splash marans or can they be blue? I know Sapphire is hatching blue copper marans, that is what we picked up yesterday from her. They're really pretty chicks too. I don't know where you're at or how far that would be for you though. It was about an hour and a half drive for us.

maidenwolf-Yep! I should have more in about 2 weeks. Their parents are from Eileen, as well, and have same/similar lines as the ones Danz has. She has great birds, too, though. So either way you would be getting quality birds

Well guys I want either blue or blue copper or splash. I only need a couple this year, but with my order to ideal poultry cant afford it just yet unless I sell some of my dog treats in the next weeks to make money, that is how I make my money for my poultry. Dont give up on me I am working my butt off. So I will repost my for sale add and see what happens.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

I had a difficult time last night getting the guineas to go back into the little coop after their first day ever out of the coop. I read online last night that guineas will often not go into a dark coop, so put a light in there (even if it is a push button kind that you put in your closet). So, I got my big flashlight and turned it on and put it in the coop - then I climbed over the fence and slowly herded them all toward the coop using a big crate as a barrier so they'd have to go into the coop door. It worked! Well - except for one... one was in the trees over my head. I tried to him down... I didn't know guineas hiss.. that thing hissed and lifted his wings and looked like a big ole dragon.. Well, I was determined I needed to get him into the coop too; I knew he'd not survive the night with the predators, his size, and him not flying very well. I shook the tree branch; he took off on the OTHER side of the fence. I totally lost sight of him and felt really bad for his fate.

This morning, I went out to let everyone out/fed/etc. and there in the fence was the lone guinea from last night! He came home So - with that said, day and night 1 of letting the guineas out was a total success! Let's see what day 2 brings.

I would love to hear others' guineas' stories... suggestions? etc? I really don't want to lose these guys (there are 10 total) - but they are so neurotic and spastic that it just doesn't take much for them to freak out.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

maidenwolf-Yep! I should have more in about 2 weeks. Their parents are from Eileen, as well, and have same/similar lines as the ones Danz has. She has great birds, too, though. So either way you would be getting quality birds

Wow I am so excited that would be so wonderful.. I will try my heardest to dig up some money and see if I cam sneak them past the DH

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Wow I am so excited that would be so wonderful.. I will try my heardest to dig up some money and see if I cam sneak them past the DH

Ha! I'm going to get another GP pup soon and I'm wondering if my BF will notice I have 2 pups instead of 1? lol

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Ha! I'm going to get another GP pup soon and I'm wondering if my BF will notice I have 2 pups instead of 1? lol

Lol Good luck! I already have 3 and that they are large dogs. They barely fit in this small house with us. a few years ago I was begging for dogs now I am begging for chicks what a crazy cycle...

 

[chicken danz]

I really have my back in an uproar. I don't know how I'll ever get things done I need to today. It's just a reminder I have way too much on my plate. I spent so much time working on the sea van yesterday I didn't get anything else done.
I need to remove chicks from the hatcher today. They should be done and dried for the most part. Unfortunately I don't see any splash chicks in the Marans. Maybe next time. I haven't done a count yet. I had a bunch of chicks die out in the brooder house in the last 2 days, so I cleaned and disinfected again. I am totally confused what might be the problem. I found no mold or anything. I put some ACV in their water last night just as a preventative. I have no idea if it will help anything or not. Luckily they were just some chicks I had hatched and not anything expensive. But I do have some lavenders and Swedish Flower hens out there. They were fine.
I hope I can get the feed moved with the tractor so I don't have to lift any of it. I just don't think I can do it today. I also need to get another load of my other feed soon. Darn birds cost a fortune!!! Next Friday I am selling a bunch of my polish so that will reduce the number of birds around here a little.
I'm in the mood to buy more eggs for fancy breeds. I need to quit!!!

 

[tweetysvoice]

I have someone coming over in a few to take the ducks and two roos, cross your fingers for me that it all goes well.
It's sad to see the ducks go, but I'm so much more into chickens and these guys are a lot more work than I realized.

 

[ChicknBaron]

Well, the time is near... tomorrow will be the 21st day the eggs have been in the incubator, and i'm very nervous about the whole hatching time. I remember that they said to allow more oxygen in there, the last 3 days, but when i took out the two red plugs for that, like the manual instructed, the humidity went down to 59%. so i put the plugs back in. Now, is it more important to have increased oxygen, or have the humidity at 70%. (right now the humidity is at 67%, but i'm not supposed to open it to add more water). i think thats fine tho. i have noticed that the eggs have been kind of rolling a little, bit, and im guessing thats alright that they roll over a little. I was curious about something: Do eggs gain weight from beginning to hatch? like, the last time i turned them, they felt heavier than when i first put them in... if they do, i cant think of where they would get the weight from, because i cant see how anything could be taken from the air and sucked into the egg... just curious. I haven't noticed any pips in the eggs yet but i'm assuming that's normal. When should i start seeing pips??? and also: i have a small water pan with a sponge in it and a few damp wash clothes next to the eggs in the incubator and i've heard that chicks can drown themselves in it from wanting to return back into a wet surrounding like in an egg, and i don't want to get all the way to day 21 and have 1 hatch and go drown itself. Is this something i should be concerned about? I hear people say to just put marbles in it, but i don't want to open the incubator. How long is it from hatch to fluff, because even tho they say not to, i think i'll take them out once they are fluffed. and finally, one last question: if i leave the red plugs in, is there enough oxygen for the chicks to survive, once hatched?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Hawkeye95]

We got the window fixed, yay! We were able to take the frame apart & take the glass out then put it in the working window. Sunflowerparrot gave me two cranks so I just need screws for them now. I'm hoping he can fix the framing tomorrow.
We also let the biggest guineas out today & put the shock collar on Jasmine. We first had it on 1 & she went right after the guineas. My DH had the transmitter. & he turned it up to 5 & she jumped & stopped dead in her tracks. Then she went away from the guineas & laid down in the front yard the whole time they were out. She totally ignored them, so I would say that was a sucess for the first trial. We put the guineas back in for today & will repeat tomorrow.

oh , Whew! That is great news! I'm so glad that you got it all worked out with the window!!

Sunflower-- I'm a reader too. HeChicken is also. I read all the time, I can cook over the stove and read! I have to squeeze it in when I can with the kids.

Glad you got your window fixed Trish!

I just made my first sale, and I know I totally got taken and I won't even say how much because someone would surely shoot me. She took 6, she took one of my older hens which I don't even know how old she is. I felt totally uncomfortable because my husband is her boss and I kept looking to him to communicate with her and he does all of our stuff when it comes to selling anything. He kept saying I'm the chicken lady and it's my deal and I just said I don't care and whatever is fine. She did sell us 3 pigs really cheap a long time ago so maybe it's fair that way but my heart was racing because I'm sure I have more than that in them just in feed. *sigh* So I talked to him after, I've never been good at that stuff and I we defined our rolls, I'm not a sales person, not even a little, I just freeze up. I'm not good with asking people for money and I always feel like I'm burdening them and as much as I want to make money I want to give them a good deal.

Ugh, yeah, I know, I feel bad about selling things too. I usually try to price my stuff pretty fair to begin with. And since I do a lot of selling and buying on CraigsList, I've gotten better about holding my ground, unless they are just asking for like $5 off on an already expensive item. So I've learned to over price myself by $5. I sold a nice baby stroller this summer and listed it for $45. I sold it for $40. I listed a playhouse slide for $40 and I got $35 for it. People always feel like they got a deal when they get me down those $5, but really, I didn't really want that extra $5 anyway! LOL

Very busy day here for me today. Mouse report of the day. I only caught 42 of them last night. Tonight I baited them with oatmeal and peanut butter mixed together about like cookie dough.

I worked in my sea van all afternoon getting it cleaned out and organized so I would have room for my feed. My back is killing me now. I can barely move my right leg.

Take it easy, and take some asprin! Hope you feel better today. I'm guessing you are headed to church like we are, so you better be able to walk!

We ate our first fresh chicken tonight. It's very hard but my kids are handling it much better than I am and they're teasing me about it. It did taste good and was tender but I couldn't eat it and just tasted it. It does make me feel more appreciative of our food knowing what is in it and what was sacrificed and I felt good about serving it to my family. We have been eating deer too and it's our first one. Anyone have any vension recipes to share? So we have venison, chicken, pork and eggs all from here. We are getting milk from a neighbor and making yogurt a little cheese too. We canned a ton, about 300 quarts of just tomato products. We did apples, pickles, jelly, corn, green beans, squash. carrots and the sweet potatoes still need to be dug up. If only we could make our own flour and sugar. Our grocery bill is so much more manageble but that wasn't the motive. I just want to know what we are eating.

Goodnight all.

It's tough to eat them. Did you eat it the same day you butchered it? We used to let them sit in the fridge for for a few days before eating. I haven't butchered a chicken since I used to help my dad when I was a kid.


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I guess I never hit send before we left for church. So there are probably more posts since then!