Consolidated Kansas

[checoukan]

Well, I am just west of Joplin about 20 minutes . We use 69 hwy all the time going back and forth to Butler, Mo.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

What an ordeal maidenwolf, that's crazy. You shouldn't have to move because of them though, that makes it even worse.

Danz, I'm betting now that you declared war against that darned owl you will send him on one way or another. I can't believe he did it right through the fence, he's gutsy.

Trish, don't you just love duct tape? It works for everything. Yep, it sure is cold out now, but while you all are closing the house up I'm opening it up and it sure is freezing in here. I will explain in a bit.

checoukan, congrats on your new land purchase. Retiring early sounds like a fun plan, it'll give you more for other things, like cows and chickens. That does sound like more fun to me anyway.

Well, I did something really stupid this evening. I wouldn't normally blab about how dumb I can be, but it seems that half of my family knew better and half did not so if I can save someone else from doing something similar then I have to tell. I have these chicks in the house, I haven't been able to find my usual waterer I use in here, so we've been improvising, no big deal. Well, I found the missing waterer so I wanted to wash the feeder and use it for feed again and set it all up right. So I washed the feeder, but I wanted it to be completely dry before I added the feed. I didn't want it sitting on the counter while I was cooking dinner, I needed it done so I can move on with my chores. Silly me, or idiot me, put the galvanized metal waterer on the stovetop to dry it with heat like I do the cast iron skillet. OMGosh! It stunk so bad. I instantly got a headache, my throat started hurting, and I noticed the smell and that it was discoloring and I turned the stove off. The kids were all outside directly outside the kitchen window which was open. My 8 yo called for me, her throat hurt. I knew what it was, this was seconds after mine started hurting. My 15 yo came in, saw what I had done and started yelling to get everyone out of the house, which he and I were the only ones in the house but they all came in to see what the fuss was about. He was saying it's extremely toxic, you can't heat galvanized. So, we got everyone out of the house, the chicks were all asleep at this point which I thought was weird but I walked right past them. We talked on the deck a bit to figure out what to do, decided to go get the ipad to look it up and we did and then decided to call poison control to be sure. Poison control said that it's not likely we would be harmed by such a small exposure, plus the windows were open, plus the kids were outside and I was the one most exposed and I just had a headache and sore throat. We were advised to open the house and leave for a few hours and that's what we did.

The kids got in the van, I went back in and opened the windows and turned on all fans, left the doors open, lights off to keep the bugs away. I grabbed my sleeping chicks, and basically shoved them in the outdoor brooder, which it's not in that room yet so I wasn't ready to do that at all. They have a light on, but now the chick with the hurt eye is in with them all. Talk about shocking them. So we left and intended to go to town to a friend's house to bathe kids and get them ready for bed so we could still be on a reasonable schedule. We didn't get very far at all and my 4yo fell asleep, it was very early for this but I still didn't think too much of it. Then not 10 minutes later he started throwing up and I got so scared. No one has been sick, he had been fine all day long. We went directly to the ER and spent a few hours there. He continued to throw up, they gave him meds. The dr. said that it is probably due to the exposure to the metal toxins but that there is nothing they can do other than treat symptoms. We are home now, and my poor dh got the couch because the little one is staying right beside me tonight. We are to follow up with the dr. tomorrow. I still have a headache, but my throat isn't sore. The house didn't smell at all when we got home, but it's still very cold in here. I had my dh go out and check the chicks, he said they were all huddled together under the light but a couple of them out eating. I'm so worried about them too. I will probably bring them back in tomorrow. The chick with the hurt eye seems fine still, I'm just worried they will start pecking at it again. It looks better today than it has since we got her. I'm wondering if it didn't start draining to begin with and that's why they started pecking at her. Still, we don't need that nonsense.
I'm going to go out and check the chicks myself, I can't possibly rest without knowing they're alright.

Tomorrow is lockdown too.

Hope everything is going ok today please keep us informed. My ordeal is nothing compared to yours, but please dont take it out on yourself, if I could change all the dumb moves I have made that has negatively effected someone we would be here for weeks. The good news is you had people with you that did know. We are moms, we are super women , chefs, teachers, doctors, maids, prize winning "I told you so"er's, but we cant be expected to know everything. You are doing a great job , focus on the human and feathered children and put this as a notch in your "I learned something today" belt.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Well, I am just west of Joplin about 20 minutes . We use 69 hwy all the time going back and forth to Butler, Mo.

Then you have probably seen the exit to drexel it is 359th st. How wonderful. None of my family or friends have chickens. My family did along time ago but they are all gone now. So that is the reason I joined this forum so I would have people to talk chicken with. I really have been looking for people close to join up with and pick their brain and gather wisdom.

 

[checoukan]

OH MY GOSH!!!
mommahen, I knew heating galvanzed metal really stunk, but did not know it was toxic!!! So Glad everyone is ok!! Wow, what a close call.

I have some galvanized feeders, but for the most part all of my small waterers, and feeders are plastic so they can be disinfected. Anything porous cannot be disinfected well.

Oh man its supposed to be really windy here to day. Ivy said it is already blowing about 40 mph up at Hiawatha, she is chopping at the bit wanting to get out of there. She will be stopping by danz's friday morning before coming down here. I am getting danz bantam polish. I shouldn't but oh well I have cut down, and out of some of my other breeds so, this will be one of my fun projects. HMMM silky's, and polish.

What a combination !

 

[checoukan]

maidenwolf, just "peck away"!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

maidenwolf, just "peck away"!

Thank you.. You may have regreted that lol I can go on and on sometimes

I will try to keep it down

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Ok guys I am looking for a hen turkey. Any breed, I dont have much to pay for her but if anyone can give me a deal I could give you a deal on some chicks when I hatch next spring. Doesnt have to be a chick, woulod be nice to know that it is a hen. If anyone has any info plese let me know

 

[chicken danz]

Wow! Mammahen that was an experience. I never knew galvanized would do that. Lots of the water heaters are made of and for galvanized so it must be a particular temperature that makes it become toxic. I need to read up on that. Thanks for letting us know. When you share things like that we all benefit from them.
HeChicken, I am almost positive it was an owl that did this. This one owl has been a terror. I had been out with the flashlight that night because I heard it in the trees along the fence line between my fields. It is a barn owl, not a hoot owl like we normally see. They've been hanging around this area and actually living in my loafing shed some winters. It is far back on the property. I had the owl in the garage which wasn't characteristic, then DH caught it walking on the ground where some chickens roost under a carport thing two nights ago. I had that bias tape strung across there so it couldn't fly in, so the thing was walking on the ground. My plans were to put some fencing there to keep him out but I spent my fencing time working on the big pen that I thought was secure. Who'd have thought this peachick would be sleeping in the front of the pen in the first place? It was picked on by the other peas when Josie had it so it kind of stuck to itself. But I figured it would go roost at night. We even have a light hung in the building to deter predators for now, but this was out where the light wouldn't shine. I guess I'm back in the market for a female peachick!! My poor little pullet sleeps on the ground by herself while the white peachick sleeps on the roost. Those two are inseparable except at bedtime. I need to have one of his own kind with him.
I don't think anything on the ground could get near those pens cause the geese would let the dogs know immediately.
I worry about my ducks and my geese but they haven't bothered those yet. Neither one of those have covers over their pens. I don't think the geese are under much danger but the ducks sure could be taken.
The wind is really blowing hard and my allergies are kicking up even inside the house.
I moved the chipmonks to their monster pen today and they look tinier than ever. I still have a lot to add to it and little changes to make but I was afraid they were going to escape that tiny little cage they were in. I need to make a couple of nest boxes and fill a bin with some borrowing material. I put a bag of stove pellets in a bin for them to borrow in but they aren't showing any interest. Maybe they are too dense. I think if I had a bin full of dry clean leaves it would be perfect for them. They have an old towel which is getting torn up but they love borrowing in it. I'll see if I can get some pics later today.

 

[JosieChick]

Sorry all, I am so far behind on reading, I will get caught up.

Danz how sad about the pea. Do you think its an owl. When I went out this morning something had eaten the head off my male crested duck.

He was still in the pen and under an a frame I built out of pallets for them to go under. I haven't dragged him out yet but it looks like it just ate the head???? And everyone else in the pen is fine? What ever it was it was in the pen and somehow managed to get him over the divider fence and into the uncovered half of the pen and under the A frame? I can't imagine an owl doing that? I don't know what else would come in and kill the duck and only eat its head and leave the rest unless it got interrupted? I think Molly is going to get shut in their tonight in case it comes back. Do you guys think a coyote would jump a fence and kill one duck but not take it with it? That pen is right where Lucie chased the coyote away the night she got hit....I just don't know what to do.

 

[HEChicken]

I wish I knew what to suggest regarding the owl - I haven't had to deal with them so far. The funny thing is, in the house in the city, we had an owl lived close. I never saw it, but we heard it almost every morning, softly hooting. I haven't heard one since we've been living out here, but we do see a large one occasionally at the barn where we keep our horses.

If you or your DH see it on the ground again, would it help to call the dogs over? Perhaps if it had a sense of danger from hanging around it would find somewhere else to hunt?