Consolidated Kansas

[Deerfield Acres]

Sunflower, the kids loved it!!!!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Anyone have info on guineas?

 

[Trish44]

maidenwolf, what are you wanting to know about guineas? I haven't had them as long as Danz & some others, but I do know that one won't be happy by itself. They really like to live in groups of more than 6. I have 3 age groups of them right now, that's just how it happened, but each age group hangs out with their own group, they don't mix. I let the oldest ones out to free-range during the day on the days I'm home, but the younger ones haven't been out of the hoop coop much yet. It's really better to get them young in my opinion because then they know where home is. Sometimes you can pen up older ones for awhile & they will stay, but not always.

 

[mommahen10]

Maybe that's what the difference is Maidenwolf, the deer that we recently had was a young buck.

Danz, I'm so glad to hear that your roo is doing better. I hope he continues to improve. I don't know anything about the Oxine but when bleach/water is left in a spray bottle it somehow loses its strength. Maybe your Oxine wasn't too strong with the activator because it wasn't freshly mixed. Also, in the vaporizer, it would weaken as it was dispursed into the air and settle back down. Bleach just goes away after it dries, well sometimes it leaves a powdery film but it's not bleach anymore, you can't reconstite it. Bleach is even safe to use on baby things as long as it has time to dry thoroughly. I'm guessing that because your Oxine was something you already had mixed it was safer and probably weaker, but still safer. OMGosh, the chipmonks are soooo cute. They look like squirrels with stripes. I'll bet they're fun to watch.

Kansas Prairie, I have a styrofoam incubator, I got it at Orcheln's.

I took out my partially zipped egg, got it out and went to look more closely and it peeped and startled me because I was really staring hard and thinking it was dead. Then I hurried to put it back in, I didn't even open the incubator all the way, just enough to reach inside, and as I put it down my thumb crushed the shell. I left it for a couple of hours but kept watching for bleeding. I can't keep opening the incubator, but the chick does seem weak. I can tell it tries to wriggle out but it's not getting anywhere. I'm heating up the brooder and moved the light really close and I will probably just take that one out soon and leave it in the brooder so we can work on this hatch slowly. Nothing else is going on in the incubator. If I only get this one chick it'll be okay it can go with the EEs. Oh, I flipped the tarp off the EEs pen outside today becuase it's so pretty out. They are sooooo precious, they just walked over to the wire and just stared outside. They're so adorable they're mesmerizing. We also moved all of the bigger boys to the one pen and it will officially be the grow out pen for the winter anyway. The general atmosphere in the big coop now seems more calm but the boys all in one pen seems a bit aggressive. I took one boy out, the one that was having a hard time in the big pen from the beginning, he just hid in the corner again. He's really chicken.

Trish, I'm sorry you are having illness too. I hope they get better quickly.

Ha Ha Danz! I was spelling it wrong too just because I was spelling it like you were. I noticed someone else spelled it chipmunks, now I have to retrain. Oh that turkey song was too funny.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

This lady bought the guinea and some chickens and now is moving so it has to go somewhere and I couldnt tell her no. I dont know if I should try it wil my chickens and turkeys or to find it another home. I did end up buying it, I dont knwo much about them or how to tell the sex but I do know it is a lavender.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Tookie is looking a little under the weather today so I started her on antibiotics. Tom is fine and the other birds seem to all be just fine too, so we'll see. I need to lime up the yard so I don't have to worry about blackhead. It needs lime anyway because of all the wood chips.

I'm a new to turkeys, what does lime do?

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I'm a new to turkeys, what does lime do?

Lime will kill disease and bacteria and dry up moisture.People use agricultural lime in the garden and in coops for this reason. But it has to be the agricultural kind.

Guys on the guinea, I want to find it a home, any takers???

 

[HEChicken]

I lost my Wheaten Ameraucana rooster today ..... I feel very discouraged about all of it too.

I'm so sorry - I bet you are feeling discouraged - you've had a lot of bad luck lately. Was this the one with the broken leg?

HEChicken, what is "on a spit"?

I got to get a closer look at the hurt one though. She used to try to peck at her sweet potato and miss it and have to try again. Now she can get it right away, I don't think she's seeing better but adapting to having one eye.

Hmmm...maybe that is an Australianism? I didn't realize... You put a pole through the whole animal, from mouth to um, tail, and roast it over a fire. The "spit" turns so the animal is cooked uniformly. I don't know what word is used here since I didn't realize this wasn't a universal term. Maybe rotisserie?

On the chick with the hurt eye, I think you are right about it adapting. I had a pullet who had poor eyesight, and when pecking at treats in my hand, would miss by about 1/2" every time. I had a little fun with it one night visiting my in-laws. I told my brother-in-law about having a pullet with poor eyesight, and how I had come to realize that. I finished with "So now I'm looking for an Avian Opthalmologist". He just kind of looked at me, not wanting to look disgusted in case I was serious and not wanting to laugh either. It was hilarious. I let him squirm for awhile and then let him off the hook telling him, "That was a JOKE". Anyway, that pullet did adapt and shortly after that I noticed she was able to peck and grab just fine.

Well my main flock now is sneezing & wheezing, so I started them on Tylan in their water this morning.

Oh no!!! I hope they make a quick recovery. I didn't realize Tylan can be used in water - I thought it was purely an injectible?

Thanks Danz I will have to wait and see what you have then. A neighbor brought by 4 turkey poults with what looks like a terrible respiratory thing. Their eyes were swollen and goopy and they had off white nasal discharge and were sneezing up and storm and breathing very heavily.

I don't know a lot about blackhead but it would be worth googling that to see what the symptoms are.

Sunflower just posted this: Pretty cute!
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/11/egreetings/image/01.swf

Oh, that is so fun - I've seen it recently as my mum emailed it to me and I was going to wait until close to Thanksgiving to post it here. Now I've got that song stuck in my head again....

So I made the Atwoods run and while there noticed they had 22 ducks priced at buy one, get one free. So I took all of them! They are already about 2 weeks old so all I have to do is feed them for 4 weeks and then sell the ones I don't keep. They look like Khaki Campbells and Pekins, about half and half. I have them all settled in a breeder pen. I don't think they are going to need any heat, unless the temps really take a dive, because there are so many of them. I put the tarp on the pen so it blocks the wind and they are happily messing around in the pen. Tonight I'll make them go in the house and they will be nice and cozy in there with lots of wood chips and each other to keep warm.

Tookie is looking a little under the weather today so I started her on antibiotics. Tom is fine and the other birds seem to all be just fine too, so we'll see. I need to lime up the yard so I don't have to worry about blackhead. It needs lime anyway because of all the wood chips.

Oh my, what are we going to do with you??? This is Dancizing at its finest, and it sounds like you're giving Danz a run for her money for number of birds kept!

What symptoms does Tookie have? I've been a bit concerned about Ned Kelly the past two days. Most of the time he seems fine - no discharge or sneezing or any of those symptoms. Eyes bright and clear. Eating and drinking. What has me thinking something is "off" is that he seems too tired. Every time I turn around he's lying down, head tucked under a wing, sleeping. Even at 7:45 this morning, when I went to do my first check of the day, he had emerged from the coop and was lying down asleep. That time I was so concerned I approached and was in touching distance, talking to him, before his head jerked out of his wing and he looked startled. I was gone most of the day and when I went to see them late afternoon, there he was sleeping again. But after that he got up and wandered around for awhile, grazing and such, and by then he looked just fine. I guess I'll just keep an eye on him for a few days.

I'm a new to turkeys, what does lime do?

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I didn't realize there was anything you could do as a blackhead preventative.

Danz, those chipmunks are adorable. I don't need any though. I raised rats and mice for many years and really enjoy the antics of small mammals but recently sold my big rat cage when we moved, so I don't think I'll be going that direction again in the foreseeable future.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I dont think it is Blackhead, the discharge from nose and eyes were mot a symptom. They do not have runny poo either.

 

[chicken danz]

Danz, I'm so glad to hear that your roo is doing better. I hope he continues to improve. I don't know anything about the Oxine but when bleach/water is left in a spray bottle it somehow loses its strength. Maybe your Oxine wasn't too strong with the activator because it wasn't freshly mixed. Also, in the vaporizer, it would weaken as it was dispursed into the air and settle back down. Bleach just goes away after it dries, well sometimes it leaves a powdery film but it's not bleach anymore, you can't reconstite it. Bleach is even safe to use on baby things as long as it has time to dry thoroughly. I'm guessing that because your Oxine was something you already had mixed it was safer and probably weaker, but still safer. OMGosh, the chipmonks are soooo cute. They look like squirrels with stripes. I'll bet they're fun to watch.
The oxine I put in the vaporizer was some I just mixed. It is good for 7 days after you mix it. I figure it was dispersed enough that it wasn't a problem. We probably could use some germ killing around here anyway.
Kansas Prairie, I have a styrofoam incubator, I got it at Orcheln's.

I took out my partially zipped egg, got it out and went to look more closely and it peeped and startled me because I was really staring hard and thinking it was dead. Then I hurried to put it back in, I didn't even open the incubator all the way, just enough to reach inside, and as I put it down my thumb crushed the shell. I left it for a couple of hours but kept watching for bleeding. I can't keep opening the incubator, but the chick does seem weak. I can tell it tries to wriggle out but it's not getting anywhere.
If there was no bleeding I would go ahead and help the chick. Are you keeping plenty of water and moist rags or sponges in the incubator? You need to get that humidity up there for a successful hatch.
I'm heating up the brooder and moved the light really close and I will probably just take that one out soon and leave it in the brooder so we can work on this hatch slowly. Nothing else is going on in the incubator. If I only get this one chick it'll be okay it can go with the EEs. Oh, I flipped the tarp off the EEs pen outside today becuase it's so pretty out. They are sooooo precious, they just walked over to the wire and just stared outside. They're so adorable they're mesmerizing. We also moved all of the bigger boys to the one pen and it will officially be the grow out pen for the winter anyway. The general atmosphere in the big coop now seems more calm but the boys all in one pen seems a bit aggressive. I took one boy out, the one that was having a hard time in the big pen from the beginning, he just hid in the corner again. He's really chicken.

Trish, I'm sorry you are having illness too. I hope they get better quickly.

Ha Ha Danz! I was spelling it wrong too just because I was spelling it like you were. I noticed someone else spelled it chipmunks, now I have to retrain. Oh that turkey song was too funny.

I suppose I've spelled chipmunks the wrong way my whole life. I make lots of typos but consider myself a decent speller. Of course growing up I only knew Alvin and the chipmunks. The only time I ever saw any was in a mountain valley in New Mexico when I was about 10 years old.
Quote:

This lady bought the guinea and some chickens and now is moving so it has to go somewhere and I couldnt tell her no. I dont know if I should try it wil my chickens and turkeys or to find it another home. I did end up buying it, I dont knwo much about them or how to tell the sex but I do know it is a lavender.

If the guinea is older you will need to lock it in the coop or wherever you want it to sleep for at least a month for it to stick around. If it is used to being kept with the chickens it will stay with the chickens. I have some that have always been together and those guineas just think they are chickens. You can only sex a guineas successfully by it's call. If it makes a two syllable call it is a female and if it makes a one syllable call it is a male. I always heard the female sounds like she is saying buck wheat. But to me it sounds more like "too wheat." )or (to eat!)The male on the other hand just says "wheat, wheat, wheat". I will always have guineas around. They are awesome bug eaters and mouse eaters.

After chickmama left my allergies started acting up and I had a terrible headache. So I laid down and took a nap for a couple hours. I got back up and finished feeding and watering so I got nothing done. I just don't do that unless I am feeling really crummy.
We were going to go shopping but I ruined that by napping too long.

Beautiful day for working outside! That's where I've been most of the day. We moved the little chicks in with the bigger chicks in the bigger brooder to make way for the chicks that will be hatching this week. Next week, if all goes well, I should hatch a few of my own ducklings, too.

So I made the Atwoods run and while there noticed they had 22 ducks priced at buy one, get one free. So I took all of them! They are already about 2 weeks old so all I have to do is feed them for 4 weeks and then sell the ones I don't keep. They look like Khaki Campbells and Pekins, about half and half. I have them all settled in a breeder pen. I don't think they are going to need any heat, unless the temps really take a dive, because there are so many of them. I put the tarp on the pen so it blocks the wind and they are happily messing around in the pen. Tonight I'll make them go in the house and they will be nice and cozy in there with lots of wood chips and each other to keep warm.
Yeah ducks only need heat for about 3 weeks and with that many if it doesn't get below about 40 degrees I'll bet they'll be fine. I've got a bunch of eggs in the incubator right now. I hope I can hatch about 100 all together for my buyer. I could use the money. Of course I just put some more in yesterday so it will be another month or so before they are hatched.
Danz, I'm so glad your bird perked up! That's awesome! Oh, while we were getting the ducks settled, Lucy made a big pest of herself. She stayed right under foot the entire time. Once she had been held and loved on by each of us, then she decided to dust bathe while we watched the ducks settling in. She is the sweetest little thing. I like bantams but don't love them, but this little girl I absolutely love!
I'm not a bantam kind of person either. I like birds that produce big eggs or meat. I love these olansk dwarfs though because they are super friendly and calm, and I like the d'uccles cause they are so silly looking. I really liked the Seramas when I only had a few but after hundreds of them I didn't have time to get personal with them. I am so glad she turned out to be a sweetheart. I made my money off of them and then was ready for something else. I am so glad she turned out to be a sweetheart.
I tend to get tired of the tiny birds unless I have time to play with them. I guess that is why I decided to sell the bantam polish and the Seramas in the first place.
Tookie is looking a little under the weather today so I started her on antibiotics. Tom is fine and the other birds seem to all be just fine too, so we'll see. I need to lime up the yard so I don't have to worry about blackhead. It needs lime anyway because of all the wood chips.

Sorry Tookie isn't feeling good. I hope it isn't anything bad.
I would just panic if my turkeys got sick. They are such awesome birds.
I didn't like my pekins for the longest time after I got them. I had them penned and they always acted so freaky and scared. But once I let them out to free range they are awesome. They are actually more friendly that the other ducks around here. They particularly come running when I have the hose in my hand. One nice thing about them is they lay really huge eggs.