Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Wish I could help you maidenwolf. Good luck today!!!

 

[Kansas Prairie]

The hawk just killed again, a bigger hen this time. She was in a thin mass of trees under a thicket of blackberry vines. I was outside maybe 1000 ft away, and 5 mins before this I was shooting my 20 gauge to let off steam. He is not scared. I ran back there when I saw him swoop down ( I had been watching him in the tree) I was able to get within 2 feet of him before he back off of her. I could have touched him,he was letting out this low hiss at me, it was creepy. I hit him with a big tree branch and he looked stunned and I was able to grab my hen and he flew away. It angers me so that I cant do anything. If this were a fox or coyote or other dog anything, I could kill it because it was killing my livestock, but the one biggest threat which happens to be WAY over populated is protected? They should open hunting seasons on them like they do deer. Their numbers need to be lowered, and dont get me wrong I love animals and nature that is a huge religious thing for me but something needs to be done.

OH NO!!!! So sorry you lost another hen!

I agree, they should allow us to hunt them. If you have crows, crows chase hawks away.

 

[JosieChick]

Yeah!!! SO glad your back up and running. That is the worst, not having water! Our water pipe in the garage burst last winter and we had to go a whole day without water before DH could get the pipe repaired and it makes you realize how much you depend on running water when it is shut off.

Well we are back in business. We finally got the line cleared last night. It was so good to take a shower. I have a fogger so I closed the door as it is and fogged the basement with activated oxine. I haven't gotten to do any cleaning other than vacuuming up what water was standing but I hope it smells better. Let me tell you that smell yesterday while using the power snake was sickening. I did a load of laundry last night to help run more water down the line hopefully to move anything else that might be loose. I am thinking at some point we should replace the lines with plastic so things can't get through it. We haven't had a problem with tree roots but with the drought I imagine the trees are rooting further to seek water. There were some small pieces of root on the auger. Just a preempt that I might want to nip that to prevent a problem later on. It's always money. This little adventure cost about $350. I guess I can't complain cause it has been over 3 years since we had the tank pumped but it never comes at a convenient time to fork out money. I'm just thankful we don't have to use the basement for living space. Although I certainly planned to when I bought this place. I need to just take many many days and do a thorough cleaning.
Maybe I should start a sewer fund. Put the money in an account I would have to pay for city sewer each month and then it would be on hand for these times.
So the bad thing is I am going to be gone all day and then tomorrow I am going to be gone until 1:00 or 1:30, then my duck guy is coming mid afternoon to pick up ducks. So I have no idea when I will get the cleaning done around here.
I should be out feeding and watering right now but when I can't sit and drink a couple cups of coffee that isn't much of a life.
If I was smart I would stay home today and get caught up. I just can't pass up these peafowl after looking for months.

SO sorry about your birds. I may have missed this in previous posts but do you have a covered run? My runs are just covered with that bird netting you get for berry bushes. It isn't really hawk proof but it was all I could afford at the time and I just strung it together with bright nylon string. I also blast a radio in my big coop and put up old cds with the shiny side up so when the light hits it the reflection off the cd is irritating. I also put up branches and tarps and A frames made out of pallets for the girls to go under. The more "stuff" that is in the hawks way the less likely they are to try for a chicken. It is really hard to hunt something that keeps going underneath things. It looks pretty red neck out there but it works. The only birds I have lost were when I was free ranging them all day and not watching so it was really my own fault. The trouble with the migratory hawks is that they all migrate at the same time to the same regions so while it seems like there are tons of them it is really just because they are in such concentrated areas for feeding. The population is doing really well because of the mild winters we have been having has apparently caused a boom in the population of the several species of rodents they feed on so the migratory raptors are doing well too. I think they are really probably a pretty fragile species that can be easily wiped out and probably are deserving of protection. I read several articles on their population and non lethal methods of making your property unfriendly to them and they really are an important part of the ecosystem. There was some information on how bad the rodent population would become if they weren't around, they actually eat between 3-4 large rodents a day so they do have an important role to play. I know it is frustrating to not be able to let your birds out to range but it is only for a few months and actually they should be moving along here in another month or so.

Hawkeye- 2 hens have been killed my little tiny d'uccle in my avatar and a new hampshire red, quite the difference in size. Both had just started laying so around 21 weeks or so. I hear it up in the trees watching and calling. It is driving me crazy I cant get anything done for fear the hawk is attacking. The good thing is that they all know the danger of hawks and my turkey hens and 3 of my roosters are giving the hawk call at any low flying bird no matter if it is a turkey vulture or heron they are paranoid and that is good. They spent most of their day in the coop yesterday and would come out when I came out to do chores or check on them. I am very glad that they are paying closer attention to that. I plan on building a lean too type shelter for them so when they are on range they have a shelter to run to. Time to get to work.

 

[JosieChick]

Hawkeye- Forgot to tell you! I scored two sets of bumgenius pocket diapers on ebay for about $12-13 a diaper depending on the auction so I have 32 diapers plus the motherease diapers so I am in pretty good shape! I think I still need some waterproof wraps in different sizes for the motherease diapers if you have some of those? I was so excited though.

Someone was commenting on the cost of cloth diapers? Mommahen maybe? Anyway, I thought it was interesting how expensive disposables were. For 2 years of disposable diapers it runs about $1700! For flat or prefold cloth diapers it runs about $250 for two years and for the preformed all in one or pocket diapers it runs about $625 for two years of diapering. I am all set for diapers and I think I spent $355 which I was very happy with and now I have diapers for baby until potty training. Woo hoo!

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Hawkeye,
At first I thought your name Hawkeye was from M*A*S*H*, then after I ranted about hawks I feared you loved hawks.

 

[chicken danz]

Just a quick note Josie then I have to hit the road. Dh is building an enclosure to cut the wind on the sebbies pen using the shelter they always used. Now that the front is enclosed against the north wind they won't go in it. There is a large opening and a 3 foot wide chunnel to get in there but they refuse. What am I going to do to get them to use winter protection??
Any ideas???

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye- Forgot to tell you! I scored two sets of bumgenius pocket diapers on ebay for about $12-13 a diaper depending on the auction so I have 32 diapers plus the motherease diapers so I am in pretty good shape! I think I still need some waterproof wraps in different sizes for the motherease diapers if you have some of those? I was so excited though.

Someone was commenting on the cost of cloth diapers? Mommahen maybe? Anyway, I thought it was interesting how expensive disposables were. For 2 years of disposable diapers it runs about $1700! For flat or prefold cloth diapers it runs about $250 for two years and for the preformed all in one or pocket diapers it runs about $625 for two years of diapering. I am all set for diapers and I think I spent $355 which I was very happy with and now I have diapers for baby until potty training. Woo hoo!

YAY!! That is fantastic! You will love the Bumgenius! Those are great. My go-to diaper was my own brand or FuzziBunz. Bumgenius is good (but hated the velcro) however they perform great, and I loved the BlueBerry brand, but they are expensive. I have only kept one Thristies cover, and it's pink. I'll hang on to it and if you have a girl, it's yours. Or if you don't mind putting pink on a boy, you can have it.

My basement was repaired for leaking before I bought the house but the dumb jerks put in metal supports on the walls and didn't use hydraulic cement so it leaks where they tore into the basement floor. (or did back when we actually used to get rain. I started tiling the floor a few years ago but never finished because we had a big rain and it leaked for the first time then. This is the second time we have had sewer back up. I would love to just rip out the entire basement floor,lower it another foot or so, have a barrier put in, and put in a sewer valve that prevents back ups. But I might as well just build a new house if I am going to go to that expense. So most of the basement is just a storage space and a place for the cat boxes. If I could get all that stuff out of there I would totally wash it down and start over. I would need a moving crew though. I have some monster aquariums down there and lots of excess furniture and tools etc.
I really thought I needed a downsize but downsized too much for all the things I kept.
I just noticed the time. I've got to get my butt in gear. I have a lot of driving to do today.
Trish has worked so hard to find me these peachicks. I owe her.
I also got a message from a guy in Missouri who is buying my cochins I am downsizing and he wants to trade a female white peahen for some of the cochins. I won't really need another one but she is laying age so that helps. I would probably have to put her in with my white eyes pair if I want her to lay next year.

Oh wow! Sounds like it should just stay storage area. But at least you have the room! I would be lost without our basement! Go get your whites! Excited for you!

Hawkeye,
At first I thought your name Hawkeye was from M*A*S*H*, then after I ranted about hawks I feared you loved hawks.

LOL!!! NOooooooo, not a fan of hawks.

I'm a huge fan of James Finmore Cooper! He wrote "The Last of the Mohicans" and I have read that book over and over. Then the movie came out and I have watched that thing over and over!! Hawkeye is Daniel Day Lewis's character! It doesn't really say that in the MOVIE... but if you read the book, that is how he is referred to. He was adopted by the Mohicans and given the name Hawkeye for his skills. So there you go, I'm a nerd. Everyone thinks my name comes from the tv series, but I wasn't really old enough to get into M*A*S*H. I do remember my parents watching it, though.

 

[tntblake]

So sorry about the spider bite, that sounds terrible! Any idea what kind of spider it was? We have those brown recluse in the basement. Freaks me out. I set out the sticky traps and am always putting out new ones when the old ones catch a bunch. I have the traps upstairs, but rarely ever see one up here stuck in a trap. They are mainly in our utility room, I don't see them too much in the rest of the basement-- it's a finished area.


Well, I'm glad that is her only symptom. If she was vaccinated, she should be just fine.


I have Farmers. I think all insurance are about the same, they all don't want to give away their money. My parents have State Farm and they nearly got screwed last year after they hit a dear. They had to fight with State Farm to get what they wanted, and they are still bitter about it. It's ridiculous how we have to fight to get what we are PAYING for.


My insurance is paying because the lying man that pulled a U Turn in front of me said he was making a left hand turn and that I was trying to PASS him on the highway!?!? (what idiot would pass a truck that wasn't using turn signals?!) His insurance believed him, and my insurance believes me. They are going to have to duke it out in moderation. IN the meantime, my insurance is paying out on my vehicle. But they aren't being overly generous, that's for sure. I have a pretty reputable company-- Farmers, so they should not be acting like this. As a rule, I refuse to accept the first offer until I have gone over everything and I make sure everything is itemized out. I have only had one other wreck-- and it wasn't my fault. It was a 4 way stop and it was my turn to go and a woman ran her stop sign and hit me. I had State Farm at that point, and was treated well-- BUT my insurance did not pay for it, so I guess that is NOT a testament for State Farm.





Yeah, my brother is an attorney in Lawrence, and he has been helping me and advising me. Telling me what to say and do. Other than that, at this point, we're not going to court, so there isn't much else to do. But I'm fighting, for sure. Sounds like you got pretty screwed over too. It's SO unfair! I mean, we pay out the nose for insurance, and they should darn well replace what we have! Not give us less because they can find a reason to. I'm so sorry about your sewer saga... What a mess. YAY on white peas!!! You'll have to take pics! I hope they get home in one piece!

Hawkeye did you make sure to include the price for new car seats for your kids? Every time a car seat is in an accident it has to be replaced. The insurance should credit you the money to go buy new ones. If you already knew this, I'm sorry. I am somewhat of a car seat nazi. Lol It is amazing what people don't know about the item that keeps their kid alive in an accident!

 

[LoriO]

Hawkeye, I thought maybe you were an Iowa Hawkeye. I like the Last of the Mohicans explanation much better!

Well, yesterday the dr. said he wasn't sure it was a spider bite on dd's leg. It really didn't hurt much, and it's not ulcerating. She has a sore on her achilles tendon area, and her leg just swelled up from her foot to halfway up her calf. At any rate, the swelling is down, so we'll keep up with the antibiotics, and keep her off it when we can. She's 11, so she understands how serious it was & is good about taking her meds.

Dh rigged up a large traffic cone for butchering. He bolts it to a tree, and uses his leatherman tool to slit their throats. I think he just ends up cutting off their heads, most of the time. Then we do the hot water, plucking, etc. If I was going to do a lot of meaties, I would want to find somewhere to take them to be processed, or get one of those plucking machines.

I forgot one chicken on my list yesterday. We have an Australorp we got with our very first batch of chicks in July 2010. A lady at the Topeka farmers market hatched out a dozen eggs, and gave us 8. 5 of them were roosters, we gave 4 of those back. One of those hens died the first year, one died this summer, and we culled the rooster last summer. So that makes 31 chickens!

Danz, I'm glad you got the sewer problem straightened out. We have two septic tanks with this house, I was totally geeked when I found that out! LOL

I used cloth diapers with my last two, mostly with my youngest who is 11 now. I used fuzzibunz with prefolds, or prowraps, and then I had a few fancy fitted ones, but can't remember what kind. I did have a wool cover that I loved! I could put all kinds of diapers under that thing, no leaks, and great for night time.

I better get moving, I have lots of projects today. I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye did you make sure to include the price for new car seats for your kids? Every time a car seat is in an accident it has to be replaced. The insurance should credit you the money to go buy new ones. If you already knew this, I'm sorry. I am somewhat of a car seat nazi. Lol It is amazing what people don't know about the item that keeps their kid alive in an accident!

OMGosh!! I had totally forgotten all about that! I had 3 car seats in use during the accident. All 3 kid were with me. Great. Another thing I need to call again about on Monday. But yeah, you're right, I need to make sure they add that in there, too. SO GLAD you brought that up! I had totally forgotten. I did know that, but it was the last thing on my mind, and of course, did not show up in the itemization. Sigh.