Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

tnt how is your kitty today? I had a friend a few years ago her cat acted the same way and it turned out that the kitty had walked in antifreeze and then cleaned its paws and ingested it. we had her at the vets for a few days with iv and i think it was vit k ingestion's and activated charcoal hope he gets better very soon.


We had a wonderful weekend DH wasn't able to get chemo this week they said he had too much so they gave him an extra week off. Which means he has energy to do things with us and around the house. So we did the pumpkin patch on saturday and sunday was church and the zoo after a great lunch. I tasted frozen custard for the first time and it was wonderful.

I've been looking for a rabbit for my dd birthday but im not having any luck. she wants something fuzzy so i showed her some pictures of lionheads and jersey wooly she wants one of them. Anyone have any idea where to find them close to topeka. I seen some on fb pages but they are to far from me.

I hope your DH is feeling rested and strong and ready to go again. How much longer does he have? I have a friend who has been fighting cancer for years and he had one of his ribs and his arm removed 2 years ago from it. He had childhood cancer, was cancer free for years and then it came back a few years ago. He lives here in Wichita, and I used to work with him at Boeing, but he got too sick to work. He travels down to Houston to the cancer hospital down there to do his treatments and transplants, etc. I LOVE those Lionhead rabbits!! Their is no standard for them, so you can't show them in 4-H or FFA, unfortunately. They are a new breed. I would love to see them added, but I think they are still working out the kinks and for them to breed true? Anyway, that is what I was told by the rabbit lady that is in charge here at Sedgwick county. She knows her stuff!

tnt~~~ sounds like ear mites to me. They get way down in the ear and feed, breed, multiply like crazy!! if you rub the ear gently at the base of the ear directly under the ear, if he leans his head towards you like"OH MY THAT FEELS SO GOOD". When you stop usually they will shake their head like crazy. You will know it is mites. Oh, and the mud you see, that is the mite feces that comes back out of the ear.

Ear mites are so horrible!!!

How do you treat a chicken for ear mites??

Silly chick! Tried hopping out if it's box! A good sign I think! It still can't keep it's balance, but can stand briefly

Poor chickie!!! Love your nails, though!

well i just got home and checked the incubator, and saw that the welsummer chick has made a small pip (about a cm small) in the middle of the egg! i thot that they were supposed to pip towards the top, not in the middle, so that kinda worries me... but at least i know it developed! i havent seen any visible movement from it or any other eggs so i am very stressed out right now! i just hope they get on the ball and all start pippin up the party* hehe. but yah, i can't take this much longer... I really hope this turns out because i don't know if i could handle my emotions if just one hatched and was all by itself

So if this one JUST pipped this late in day 21, how long do you think before it starts to zip? Oh, I hope this goes well...

The humidity is down to 56, but theres not much i can do with out opening the bator ...

Somebody PLEASE tie me to a chair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

They will pip in the top middle, that is where it should be. They don't pip at the top. They pip sort of in the top middle and then after they have rested nearly a day, they will zip around the shell and you will have two halves to your shell! I think 56 is on the low side. I would really try to get some water in there. Use a straw?? You could use your thumb to "pick up" water and drop it in there???

Hawkeye - Thanks for the heads up on Revolutionmama's chickens! I picked up a couple Black Java pullets this afternoon. Beautiful birds. Josie also had a few birds that I'm looking for, so i'm going to really diversify my flock! I'm excited about the birds all over again!

Hope this finds everyone well!

YAY!! Glad that it worked out! Post picks of your black javas! I don't even know what they look like. I'm guessing those are a heritage breed??

It was so nice so see everyone today that came & to meet you WichitaKidd. I truly hope you will try chickens again in the spring, you have that beautiful coop you built for them, so you just need some new chicks now.


I got home this afternoon & sat down for awhile & then went out to do chores & on my rounds found the speckled sussex hen that was acting off last night laying dead on the side of the hill. She only just came in last night acting like she didn't feel well, I had not noticed anything prior to that. She didn't have any signs of respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing, discharge of any kind. I didn't see any wounds on her when I picked her up, just nothing, she just keeled over & died. This was one of my pullets that I got at the end of April, so she was just 5 months old. The others from that group look fine, I looked them over tonight & they were all looking healthy. I just don't know what happened to her. That is the 2nd speckled sussex I have lost this year. I really like them a lot, but they do seem more fragile than other birds.

I finally decided tonight to move two of my young welsummer pullets & what I believe to be a lavender Orpington rooster to the main coop. I moved them after all the other birds were in roosting tonight, so they will wake up together tomorrow. This young rooster just has huge feet, some of the biggest rooster feet I have ever seen I think, so if he grows into his feet he's going to be a monster. I'm trying to uncrowd my grow-out pen some by moving some birds out. I wish I knew what sex all of the Ameraucanas were in there so I would know what I need to do with them, but I'm unsure about two of them still. I think I have two lavender Orp/porcelain isabel pullets & two roosters, that's what they appear to be anyway, so I will have two roosters to re-home in those. I'm trying to get birds distributed to the correct areas before winter. Now if we can only get the breeder coop done, that would be great so I can move birds in there. I got word this afternoon that my roofing I ordered for it is supposed to be in at Lowe's this Friday, so I'm excited about that.

Yeah, it was SO MUCH FUN yesterday!! So sorry about your sussex. Bummer, no ideas, either. I hope the rest continue to do well. I need to get my boys out of my grow out pen now, they are getting mature. I was thinking of using a part of an Xpen to separate it, or move them into the barn. Sigh. Need to figure it out fast!

wow! They can hatch 5 days late! That reassures me about the marans now! The BLRW has made a bigg pip and i can see its beak moving, the australorp has made some progress but i haven't it pip thru the white skin of the egg yet... the welsummer hasn't moved since last night, but i'm guessing that it's resting/absorbing yoke/saving up energy... no signs from either of the marans eggs... but like you said they might hatch late... who knows, i just gotta be patient! It looks as tho the BLRW is about to zip so the suspense is going to KILL me in school today, wanting to know whats going on! I'm gonna miss all the action!

Its so cute, whenever i go down to check on 'em (every 2 minutes) I cheep right into one of the holes in the lid so they can here me! and it never fails, every time i cheep, the BLRW chick started rocking his egg back an forth! I felt like her little cheep* leader! hehe... it was SO amazing... my mom started crying... Happy times right now! BIG smiley face!

That is great! Good luck with your hatch! I love hearing your excitement!!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

ok here is a question... Do I need to grind the chick starter so it is smaller?

 

[HEChicken]

..... found the speckled sussex hen that was acting off last night laying dead on the side of the hill. She only just came in last night acting like she didn't feel well, I had not noticed anything prior to that. She didn't have any signs of respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing, discharge of any kind. I didn't see any wounds on her when I picked her up, just nothing, she just keeled over & died.

I had that happen with a SS a few years ago. I had got her as a spring chick and she grew up and started laying. Then one day in December, I noticed she seemed "off". I was hand-feeding some treats and kept the others at bay to make sure she got some. She slowly ate out of my hand. Next morning I found her motionless under the roost. She was still breathing so I brought her in to keep her warm and she died two hours later. I never did figure out what she died of. She was about 9 months old.

I meant to ask - how did Jasmine do when you let the turkeys out?

wow! They can hatch 5 days late! That reassures me about the marans now! The BLRW has made a bigg pip and i can see its beak moving, the australorp has made some progress but i haven't it pip thru the white skin of the egg yet... the welsummer hasn't moved since last night, but i'm guessing that it's resting/absorbing yoke/saving up energy... no signs from either of the marans eggs... but like you said they might hatch late... who knows, i just gotta be patient! It looks as tho the BLRW is about to zip so the suspense is going to KILL me in school today, wanting to know whats going on! I'm gonna miss all the action!

Its so cute, whenever i go down to check on 'em (every 2 minutes) I cheep right into one of the holes in the lid so they can here me! and it never fails, every time i cheep, the BLRW chick started rocking his egg back an forth! I felt like her little cheep* leader! hehe... it was SO amazing... my mom started crying... Happy times right now! BIG smiley face!

Yay - keep us posted on progress by the time you get home from school.

It was so nice to see everyone yesterday! Hawkeye, the silkies are settling in nicely. I have them in a small run I can move around and keep right outside my backdoor, for now. That way I can go out and talk to them often.

Thank you to the person who suggested ear mites for my cat. DD was out with him last night and came in saying she thinks he has ear mites. I hadn't shared the suggestions from here with her so it was a completely independent idea from her, but stems from her experience volunteering at the humane society where among the tasks she performed, was cleaning up ears infected by ear mites, while animals were anesthetized for their spay/neuter surgeries. So last night she cleaned the ear out as well as she could, while I googled what to do about them. I had read about a pyrethrin formula and was all set to go and buy it today when Danz mentioned olive oil. The article I had read said to only use olive oil under a vet's supervision but didn't explain what the problem might be with using it and I figure it is pretty organic so we're going to start with that. I'll probably still get the pyrethrin stuff next time I am at the store but use the olive oil in the meantime. The article suggested treating daily for weeks to be sure to get them all so I guess we will just add this into our daily routine. Fun times.

 

[HEChicken]

ok here is a question... Do I need to grind the chick starter so it is smaller?

Nope, they'll be able to eat it just fine. The only time I've ground feed was for Coturnix Quail chicks - those come out so incredibly tiny that I needed to grind the food to powder for a few days. But chicken chicks, even bantams, will handle the chick starter very well.

 

[HEChicken]

Tweety, I can't wait to see pics of your Javas - that is a breed I've always thought I'd add to my flock if I had the opportunity.

 

[ChicknBaron]

Great news! The BLRW has hatched and is happily chirpping away!!!!!! Fantastic!!!!! He is curiously stumbling around inside and playing soccer with the other eggs!!!! I stayef home ftom school to keep an eye on them!!!!! VerY EXCITED

 

[chicken danz]

Hechicken. The olive oil is totally safe. My family doctor also recommended using it on one of my babies who had overactive ear wax glands. You wouldn't prescribe something for a tiny baby that wasn't safe. I have used olive oil on my cats since day one and my oldest is 16 years old, another one 15, and the one that just passed at 13. I usually just take a dropper and drop a couple drops right in the ear. I warm it just a tad for comfort first. Then like I said they will take their paw and wipe their own ears or you can give it a little while and use a Q-tip to clean them. The other option is to moisten the q-tip in the olive oil but I think the drops work better although the cats don't enjoy it as much.
Do it again in about 4 days to make sure no eggs hatch. Then once again in about 3 weeks. That should totally solve the problem.
DO NOT use pyrethrin any where on a cat unless you thoroughly rinse every place they have been bathed in it. If it isn't rinsed off it causes nerve damage and can paralyze a cat. Vets and groomers can use this stuff because they know how to use it and how to rinse them safely. It isn't, in my opinion a safe option for a pet owner to use. I use pyrethrin for plants in a corner in my basement and in my greenhouse and totally enclose the treated area in plastic for at least 24 hours to make sure my animals aren't exposed. It's a natural plant derivative but also a very dangerous one if absorbed through the skin.
Maidenwolf a lot depends on what brand of chick starter you use and what size of chicks you have. Some bantam breeds benefit from ground feed. I've found Purina is about the right size for alll but birds like Seramas or Old English. Orchlen's brand food is too crumbly and powdery and becomes very wasteful, but I do feed it when I can't get any where else. Nutro or whatever that other brand that Orchlen's carries is far too course for even big chicks. But most of the feeds you get are sized appropriately. It should be fine right out of the bag with the birds you have.
Put marbles, glass decorative stones or smooth decorative rocks in the waterers for at least the first week. Dip the beaks as you place them in the brooder so they get the idea of how and where to drink. I spread the food on a rough papertowel or rough cardboard the first day or two so they can learn to eat.
Speckled sussex seem to just be very tender birds. But once they get fully mature they seem pretty hardy. I have lost a bunch of chicks from mine for no apparent reason when they've been in the same conditions as other chicks I hatched that did fine. I sure wish my rooster was as big as Karen's though. Mine must be half their size and they came from the same place.
Trish my peacock pen has shelter on the north and a little ways up both sides. The rest of the pen is open. Of course I don't have it all finished so some of the peafowl are in the pheasant pens right now with no protection but a ground house. I keep hoping I'll get the fencing done so I can move them and the turkeys out there.
My road trip yesterday did me in. I was hurting yesterday, but able to function and walk pretty good. This morning I am a hurting unit again. I guess time will ease this up. I hate it when my back gets all inflamed. I'm trying for a goal of going 10 years before another back surgery. I had another neck surgery a year ago next month, but it has been nearly 3 years since I had a lower back surgery. So I've got 7 more years to go. I'm wondering if I will make it. The surgeon told me I would have to have another surgery within 10 years so I am trying to make it at least 10 years to prove him wrong. Sometimes I set some goals for myself just to work harder at getting better.
I have to go get a load of feed today which isn't going to be pleasant. DH is working 12 hour days so he won't be home before dark for the next three days. That means I have to do the shoveling. Not good!!
I am glad to report that JosieChick, her friend, and myself managed to get the ducks off the lake in the park. It went really smoothly at first until one duck escaped. There were some wild mallards with the domestic ducks. The stupid Mallard drake was the problem. He kept freaking out and going back to the water and the last domestic duck would take off with them. Finally we were able to get them convinced to come back up and eat and we got him cornered in a day pen thing. Now the ducks will safely be at a domestic home and be safe. It was nearly 6:00 before I left, but it felt really good to be able to participate knowing that their lives had been saved.

 

[HEChicken]

So glad to hear about the safe rescue of the ducks - kudos to you all for doing this!

Yeah, I'm much happier doing the olive oil, I think. The stuff that has pyrethrin in is specifically formulated for use in cats but it sounded like a hassle to deal with it.

Sorry to hear you are hurting so much today Danz - don't overdo it shoveling feed or you will just make it worse.

 

[JosieChick]

Cherwill- I LOVE mowing! It is so relaxing. I am so glad we have room here for my original gang of girls who are almost 3 years old. I couldn't eat them, they are pets. DH says we shouldn't be feeding them if they don't lay eggs anymore but they lay a little and I am so attached to them that I couldn't butcher them. I did see a wanted ad on the Kansas City craigslist the other day for someone wanting free hens and they said older birds who weren't laying very well were ok. They just wanted a flock of chickens. Obviously I would investigate heavily but there are some people out there that just keep them as pets. I knew of an older lady in Wichita that just had a few old hens that didn't lay and she just cared for them as her backyard pets. So there might be someone out there that could give them a good retirement home.

We might be halfway done with the painting. I got a bit of lecture from the foot doc today about ladders, as well as another foot wrap and he's ordering some sort of device that's supposed to stabilize my foot better. Funny how I looked forward to a day of mowing as a "day off."

Danz, you gave the most important advice about health care -- Even with paper work be sure your family also knows your wishes. They will be your best advocates and won't give up.

I think you're also right about the endorphins and activity helping the pain. I also find that, if I just sit around and take pills and wait for things to get better (which is almost always the advice I get from the docs), I not only don't get better very fast, but I also get depressed. I've had problems with it for years (OK, decades!) and I find that activity, especially outdoor where I get some sun and fresh air, works better than anything else.


DH thinks they should become dinner. I can't bring myself to do it. He tells everyone I can't butcher them because I know them all by name. He's partly right. I also just like them; they're pets and I feel like it's not a very good way to repay them for all the eggs they've given me.

In 2-3 years we're probably going to run into a real problem if we're still living in this house. We really don't have room for more birds, so what happens when all 10 have slowed down so much we can barely put together the weekend brunch?

The funny thing is, I woke up this morning wondering if cats have strokes and then decided a brain tumor is also a possibility. He's been acting "off" lately with a very changed personality. Last night and this morning he was acting more like his old personality but now its the body that is off. Those things seem to fit with tumor. Josie44 also suggested a partial thrombo-something that sounds like it fits. I plan to get him to the vet in the morning.

Congrats chicknbaron! So much fun hatching!

Great news! The BLRW has hatched and is happily chirpping away!!!!!! Fantastic!!!!! He is curiously stumbling around inside and playing soccer with the other eggs!!!! I stayef home ftom school to keep an eye on them!!!!! VerY EXCITED

Well it was so very nice to see everyone yesterday and a big thank you to Karen for having all of us over! Thank you to Danz for helping us catch the ducks at the park afterward too! It was a big success and we got all four of them. We had a minor mishap in that one of the drakes could fly remarkably well for a flightless duck and took off over the ex pen we used to corral them. Unfortunately they were hanging out with some wild mallards who kept taking off so that made it difficult but we got them all. I am glad because it is getting chilly and something already killed two of the original six so they are off to a safe place for the winter!

So I had a terrible experience on my drive home last night. This is moderately GRAPHIC so if you are faint of heart don't read on!

It was about 9:45 and I was driving on 35 North heading home. I came up on a semi that was going fairly slowly so I pulled out around it to pass and we were cresting a turn at the top of a hill. As I came out past the semi a deer was running right out in front of us. I braked hard but I knew I was going to hit it. Just at the last second it wheeled back around out of my lane and ran right back in front of the semi. It was just gone in an instant. Engulfed by the truck. I was freaking out because it was so traumatic to just watch it disappear under the truck and when I got ahead of the truck I looked in my rear view mirror and it was dangling from the underside of the semi!!! It was just awful. I was so upset anyway and then it was just hanging there and the lights from the truck behind it kept catching its eyes and I was just flipping out. It was the most awful thing. I was so upset and disgusted. There was no where for the poor thing to go, it was so traumatic. Anyway, sorry for the awful story but it is still haunting me this morning.

 

[chicken danz]

Josie, You need to look at it this way: You were safe and not injured, and the deer which would have been killed anyway, made a choice to spare damage to you or your car. I am so sorry you had to endure that, but so thankful it hit the semi and not you.
My dogs brought home a skeletal deer head this morning. It was an 8 point buck with a really nice set of antlers. I thought I could save the antlers but Cloud had already chewed most of the ends of them off. Deer often get caught in barbed wire fences around here and die there. It is very sad.