Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Lizzy I hate short coops but that is what I have for my ducks and geese. I just use straw and don't use deep litter for them. It is very practical for chickens but ducks just poop too much and are naturally wet. My ducks coops were more to make use of available materials than anything. For chickens though I really like being able to stand up. Crawling around just doesn't catch it any more. I have one makeshift chicken house that I have to get down on the ground to get the eggs. I hate it. Beggers can't be choosers though. It was originally built to house guineas but I got desperate for housing.
I hear you on "so little energy" I do okay once I start, but drinking coffee and taking it easy in the morning is the only part of retirement I really get to enjoy.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Lizzy I hate short coops but that is what I have for my ducks and geese. I just use straw and don't use deep litter for them. It is very practical for chickens but ducks just poop too much and are naturally wet. My ducks coops were more to make use of available materials than anything. For chickens though I really like being able to stand up. Crawling around just doesn't catch it any more. I have one makeshift chicken house that I have to get down on the ground to get the eggs. I hate it. Beggers can't be choosers though. It was originally built to house guineas but I got desperate for housing.
I hear you on "so little energy" I do okay once I start, but drinking coffee and taking it easy in the morning is the only part of retirement I really get to enjoy.

I have fatigue issues with all the meds I am on and the fibromyalgia and RA slow you down so I have my coffee that gets me going and then I just have to stay going because no matter what they still need me so that gives me a boost at least. I do pretty good staying on the move once I get there lol some mornings are tough though and this winter is going to be killer like always but atleast I have the chicks to help get me around.

 

[Hawkeye95]

I can't keep up, so until I'm feeling better, I don't know how often I'll feel like posting. I'm still in a lot of pain from the stupid accident I had with the guy that flipped a U Turn in front of me. CRAZY guy!! And the fact he's lying about it (he says he was simply making a left hand turn)-- he told me at the accident he was a good Christian man, and boy, was that a big fat lie. I wish he'd ADMIT what he did and be done with it!!! Anyway, I can barely turn my head left or right, and I have nerves that are sending shooting pain down my neck, back and shoulders. I have a headache that won't stop. Lots o' fun here.

MamaHen-- WHOA-- that sounded bad about your boys finger and the pumpkin. They will learn by doing, but that was a pretty bad experience. I sure hope he will keep feeling in it and it will heal right. I feel really bad for him, because it sounds like it's going to be a lot of hassle. What a mess with your heater too-- you're right, when it rains, it pours.

I'm in a bad place right now too with insurance and it's a big mess that is really not helping me try to stay stress free. UGH.

I need to wash silkies today!! With my injured wrist. Great.

Okay, heading off for my pity party...

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I can't keep up, so until I'm feeling better, I don't know how often I'll feel like posting. I'm still in a lot of pain from the stupid accident I had with the guy that flipped a U Turn in front of me. CRAZY guy!! And the fact he's lying about it (he says he was simply making a left hand turn)-- he told me at the accident he was a good Christian man, and boy, was that a big fat lie. I wish he'd ADMIT what he did and be done with it!!! Anyway, I can barely turn my head left or right, and I have nerves that are sending shooting pain down my neck, back and shoulders. I have a headache that won't stop. Lots o' fun here.

MamaHen-- WHOA-- that sounded bad about your boys finger and the pumpkin. They will learn by doing, but that was a pretty bad experience. I sure hope he will keep feeling in it and it will heal right. I feel really bad for him, because it sounds like it's going to be a lot of hassle. What a mess with your heater too-- you're right, when it rains, it pours.

I'm in a bad place right now too with insurance and it's a big mess that is really not helping me try to stay stress free. UGH.

I need to wash silkies today!! With my injured wrist. Great.

Okay, heading off for my pity party...

Sorry you are going thru such a terrible thing. What a jerk to be trying to make it not his fault. I hope it hurries up for you. Pain is no joke I live with it everyday, I feel for you. Just try to stay calm and recover. It is so hard to rest when you have lots that needs to be done I get that. DH constantly yells at me to "sit down awhile" lol. You should get help with the silkies you are going to injure yourself further.. It is great to hear form you, get some REST!!!!

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye you are in my prayers. Take care of yourself and you will get better. I can't believe that guy is sticking to his story. I would think the point of impact at the accident scene would show that he is lying. I'll also pray that God will weighs heavy on his heart. I had a fender bender and the guy claimed preexisting damage was my fault and cost me $1200 out of pocket for it. All I did was crack a parking light in a parking lot cause his vehicle was angled in wrong. I hate liars and cheaters, but I hate worse you got hurt.
I must feel like spending money. I just bought 4 more gallons of oxine. It seems every day I find more uses for it. Thanks to Karen I am fairly sure that is what has healed my little Olandsk. I am still treating him with the vaporizer. I do think in the future this might be my first line of defense against sickness. I have started using it for all my cleaning projects around the house too.
I haven't done a thing today. Talk about worthless!

 

[Joe Jordan]

Well, the ducklings started to show signs of being picked on. The crested one especially. I brought them inside from the chicken run and put them back in the brooder but then the chicks started immediately picking on them where the two Orpingtons had already done a little damage. In the bathtub they go! haha Going to spend the rest of the day trying to figure out what in the world I'm going to do with these two ducklings. Think I may integrate the Orpingtons into the coop tonight when everyone else is asleep and put the ducklings back into the run with a brooder light for warmth in an enclosure. I dunno, we'll see.

Wish me luck!

 

[mommahen10]

That's exactly how he looks at it, Kansas Prairie. He just laughs about it.

Danz, your morning routine may be the only part of retirement you get to enjoy but sometimes I think that all of this work is what keeps us all going. Besides that fact that it just HAS to be done, it also forces us all to do things we probably don't want to do or feel like doing but is good for us anyway. I can't image what life would be like without work, I've decided that people are just meant to work.

I'm so sorry Hawkeye. I wish I could come help. You're just going to have to let things go for now. Don't do anymore than you absolutely have to. It's always the worst to feel good enough to see what needs to be done but not well enough to do it, that is sooooooo frustrating and overwhelming. I'm sorry you are dealing with this liar and the insurance. I would get everything in writing and deal with both of them in writing but I don't know how you can possibly be typing with all of the injuries. Grrrr, is there anyone that can help you?

We've been really busy too, painting the trailer and the inside of the brooder pen that's finished. I forgot that I bought paint for the front door and was waiting for nice weather, I think I need to wait again now until the cold/rain is over. I'm worried about how the little chicks will do with the cold weather. We took one more try with the furnace, I know it has to be something ridiculously simple at this point but we just can't figure it out. We blew the converter thingy trying this am, I told my ds to just go ahead and undo every wire we did so the repairman can come put them back together right. It's sooooo annoying, it just seems like any intelligent person who can read should be able to figure this out. So, the repairman comes tonight and I'm sure we will catch heat for messing with it but I'm anxious too to hear what he has to say. Last night when I did a chick check in the middle of the night, there was one chick who was really struggling to walk. It's legs looked spasdically contracted, super straight and stiff. It's wings and feet were also all tight. It would try to walk all straight legged and then fall over and end up on it's back, and struggle and thrash around for a bit then give up and lay there and let the others walk on him without responding. Then he would sort of come to and start scratching it's head quite violently to the point it's little ears are looking raw. I've never seen this before. This morning, it's legs still look a bit stiff but it's walking and eating and drinking more coordinately. I've seen it scratch it's head again but not so hard. I'm not sure there is anything to do but wait and see I just can't really tell what's up.

Sigh, I need to get back to the dishes.

 

[mstng67]

Hello everyone. I've been following this thread for several months, but generally prefer to stay in the shadows. I have a question on the gender of a couple of birds however that is forcing me to make my presence known.

I got a number of birds 6 or 7 weeks ago including a few pullets. I am now questioning the sex of two of them. Perhaps you can help, as I can't have Roosters within the Lawrence city limits.

The first I believe is a Splash Wheaten Amerecauna:









I am not sure what the second bird is, but here are a few photos.












Thanks for your help,

Dan

 

[checoukan]

Danz you are not worthless!! STOP talking like that. Ok, now you have me curious, where did you get the ozine? Guess I am going to have to get some. The polish are settled in, trying to figure out the hen/pullet with the crooked beak, why the ends of her toes are black. They almost look like they have been frozen, but It has not been that cold. Ivy looked at them and she thought the same thing. Gotta keep digging.

Hawkeye, take it easy, don't push, or you may not be able to make your show!! Hope the "TRUCK DRIVER" see's the light, and tells the truth, surly your BIL seen him pulling off the road to the right before he started to make the U turn in front of you?

I have been kinda slow too, but I lay the blame on the lazy days of fall. Its been beautiful here, but now this crazy wind has just about taken all the fall leaves off the trees. Not ready for the rain and cold coming, but, on the other hand I am very excited about cooler temps, as I want to go hunting this weekend.

Before I get to do much hunting, Friday evening having a get together with the 4H poultry kids, we are gong to watch movies, play games, snack on whatever everybody brings. Then, we are going to one of the other 4H clubs fund raisers, they always have a spook trail called spooky woods. Can't say the poultry kids don't support the other clubs and groups!

Ivy is on her way North, they are trying to get the house ready, they have someone REALLY interested in that house. They want to get it sold. When they do, they are going to go ahead and finish moving, and then she will try to get a job here then......

 

[HEChicken]

Mommahen, so sorry about your son's finger - hope it heals fast.

Lizzy, congrats on bringing your horses up in just two weeks - I bet it will be good to have them with you and have the crazy barn-building days behind you.

Hawkeye - thinking about you everyday and hope you are able to get things resolved quickly and to your satisfaction. Does the statement from your BIL's car behind you not have any impact? If you get a chance to check in, hopefully this will make you smile. One of the silkies has proved to be an excellent cricket catcher. The sink in my barn has such steep sides that crickets get in and can't escape, so every few days I collect them and since they're so small, yesterday I took them to the chick pen. The chicks were afraid of them, stepping back, chattering their anxiety that these little critters might attack them. But one of the silkies swooped in and grabbed a cricket. It took her several tries to eat the first but she got the hang of it and ate the other four very quickly. Yay for silkie cricket catchers!

Maidenwolf and Danz, I hear you on the lack of energy. I always have so many things going on and want to get way more done than I ever do. Yesterday I did finally get some more of my painting done so I am almost ready to put together my raised beds and start filling them for planting in the spring.

I am still concerned about Ned Kelly. His beak turned out not to be an issue but he is still acting "off". I wish there were more definite symptoms. He seems to spend way too much time lying down and sleeping. Other than that though, his eyes are clear, he is vocalizing and has no congestion or discharge. I saw him poop yesterday and it looked pretty watery but one watery poop isn't going to send me into a panic. On the other hand, I didn't see him eat anything all day yesterday and that did have me concerned. He may have eaten when I wasn't there but he sure didn't when I was. And, when he did walk around he seemed to be stepping carefully and seemed a little weak. So last night I grabbed him and put him in a separate pen with probiotics in his water, and some of his gamebird feed. I worried that he was weak because all he's been eating lately is the 18% All Flock. His gamebird feed is 28% so a huge difference. This morning I did observe him eating, and he was pacing, looking for a way out. I waited until after lunch to let him out and he immediately found a place to lie down (after a getting a drink out of the regular waterer without all those nasty probiotics in it - ugh). Anyway, until he shows other symptoms, I don't know what else to do other than continue to make sure he has access to the higher protein food and good water. And hope.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed roundworms on the poop of a hen. I mean, active, moving, roundworms - quite a few of them. Ugh. And, if there are enough to be expelled, I figure there must be quite an infestation going on inside. I dosed the whole flock with Wazine, even though I know its not the greatest wormer - but its what I had on hand. They are due for their second dose of Wazine but the time in between doses gave me the chance to research to figure out a better solution. As a result of that research, I've just treated with Ivermectin so I'm really hoping this will get rid of the remaining roundworms as well as any others they might have. Valbazen came up as the best wormer overall, but I would have to order that and was able to get the Ivermectin at Atwoods without waiting for it to be shipped so I decided to go ahead and do that.