Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Hurley]

Delisha -

What is your process for preparing birds to show? As in, what kind of training/handling do you do with them in preparation?

I've read that juniors need very well handled birds, but is that true for all show birds? How tame do they need to be?

Just curious.

 

[Bigfamily4me]

BigFam: You have a 180 copay for each visit???!!!! WOW! Or are they coming out to the home daily? Doyou have any support groups in your area? Theny ou could find others that have gone thru the same things you are currently and offer some tips n trick when working with insurance and therapy? Best of luck!

Our copay is $30 per visit. They are going to be here 6 days a week. I'm hoping whatever job I get that the copay is less. The one I'm interviewing for has a $20 copay. But that would save us $60 a week which will add up. I'm SO hoping to have a great interview....

And I haven't signed up for any support groups. I know I need to. I just haven't yet.

Broody chicken is off again. I think she's working up to it. Because she doesn't take very long to lay an egg, and she is spending a lot more time in the box. I'm just gonna call her Faker until she actually parks her butt for a while!

Oh oh oh! I just went and gathered eggs. Got a big grey egg! I was like WTH is this? Turns out a Cayuga mix duck won't lay a black egg, but lays a grey. So cool!

 

[delisha]

Delisha -

What is your process for preparing birds to show? As in, what kind of training/handling do you do with them in preparation?

I've read that juniors need very well handled birds, but is that true for all show birds? How tame do they need to be?

Just curious.

If a Judge is going to like your bird, they just might handle it. A bird that freaks out at being handled is not good. I pick them up and put them on the table, try a few treats. Pick them up and put them in a cage. Take them out of the cage..put them back on the table..etc

All shows are different. Some shows the Judges just look at the birds in the cages. Other shows the judges reach in and feel keel bones and top lines..spread wings to look for color and for split wing..etc..other shows they actually take out the bird and place them on a table and do a thorough exam.

I have not been to many other than the local ones. They walk around with a clip board and once in a while they will open a cage door.

As it gets closer, I will just do it more than I am now. The black pullet I can do any thing to her and she is fine. The Blue is just uncomfortable being handled. She dislikes being taken out of the cage too. Wings flapping..a total freak show. The cockerel is worse. He is such a baby. I am going to get the girls ready first and than focus on him. With him I am just picking him up nightly and putting him on the roost. He hyper ventilates with me doing just that.

A month and a half before the show I change the diet.

The day before the show..I feed really early... I trim nails, get all the gunk out from under, check all feathers..condition legs, beaks..etc than I give a bath. I dry in a clean cage and after they are dry they get put in a dry run with clean bedding.
I do not feed day of the show

 

[Angiebubs]

BigFam: I know its hard to think of adding one more thing to your plate right now but I highly recommend finding a support group. When I lived in Cali I was a specialized foster parent (and eventually adoptive parent to one) then my youngest tunred out to have Diabetes and Celiac. My persona experience is that support groups are a life saver. I didnt attend many mtgs but rather found resources to call when having a rough time and know the person on the other end knew exactly what I was talking about. In Cali-finding therapists, insurance, working with school programs (EBD), to MN with insurance, schools/daycare, copays, Drs etc.
I hear you with the co pays, just with the insulin pump supplies alone, I spend around 500-800 every 3 months and thats with GREAT insurance benefits!!!

BBP: Got your text thanks! Looking her up now!

 

[Hurley]

If a Judge is going to like your bird, they just might handle it. A bird that freaks out at being handled is not good. I pick them up and put them on the table, try a few treats. Pick them up and put them in a cage. Take them out of the cage..put them back on the table..etc

All shows are different. Some shows the Judges just look at the birds in the cages. Other shows the judges reach in and feel keel bones and top lines..spread wings to look for color and for split wing..etc..other shows they actually take out the bird and place them on a table and do a thorough exam.

I have not been to many other than the local ones. They walk around with a clip board and once in a while they will open a cage door.

As it gets closer, I will just do it more than I am now. The black pullet I can do any thing to her and she is fine. The Blue is just uncomfortable being handled. She dislikes being taken out of the cage too. Wings flapping..a total freak show. The cockerel is worse. He is such a baby. I am going to get the girls ready first and than focus on him. With him I am just picking him up nightly and putting him on the roost. He hyper ventilates with me doing just that.

A month and a half before the show I change the diet.

The day before the show..I feed really early... I trim nails, get all the gunk out from under, check all feathers..condition legs, beaks..etc than I give a bath. I dry in a clean cage and after they are dry they get put in a dry run with clean bedding.
I do not feed day of the show

OK thanks, this gives me a better idea.

Do you have training cages you put them in, and for how long/when? Do you go through a month and a half ahead and pull broken feathers, etc. to get full plumage back in for the show like I've read?

 

[babylady4]

Just out of curiosity, when does Obamacare kick in to cover these expenses??????

I am thankful every single day that we have always had medical insurance to cover my oldest DD...... the 60K hospital stay was an eye-opener.... and all she did was sit in the bed for a week hooked up to a EEG. I do not even what to know what it would have cost if the hospital staff actually had to do something with her all the time. Then the cost of her meds..... at one time it was $450 a month for the one medication...

BigFam, you REALLY do need to contact a support group. These people know what you are going through better than anyone else, they know the loopholes and they know where you can get the best help. I am SO happy you have your therapy dog and that you have an interview.

you get the job.

The excitement over here is that I bought a couple of fresh coconuts. The kids thought it was really cool to see how to open it up and to taste the water and the nutmeat. I promised DD#2 that I would make a coconut cake, so the cake is baked, coconut is toasted and everything is ready to be assembled as soon as I make the frosting and the cake cools.

People keep all kinds of animals as pets. There is nothing wrong with that.

Off to go visit my ducks. TTFN!

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I looked at last year's calendar today. I started incubating call duck eggs the first week in Feb. I don't even have a decent drake to breed to my hens yet. And they're in with a mallard drake right now. Ahhhhh!

 

[Hens and Roos]

good morning, yet.. how long does it take to figure out that the Q-back is going to run if you blitz ? same pattern every time.. blitz, open up a lane right down the middle and everybody was "surprised " ???????????? frustrating to watch,,

DrH , that was a mental image even I had trouble with..

You would do well to watch out for some of the responses you get from C-list.. especially the one where they send you too much money, and they trust you to send the change back to them with the person picking up the item..and oh yes,, keep a few extra dollars for your trouble.. this usually involves an American Express check.. don't get involved with that "deal"..

I am going choke cable hunting today.. what kind of lube should I use to keep it from freezing ?
I don't think I will be able to find a coated model with a push/pull knob on the end..

what do you think of smearing the outside of the cable with grease to sort of waterproof it ??
that is what I am going to do if I don't hear anybody say "do not do it"..

Annie broke down and let the two geese have one egg each to hatch.. they have been sitting on nests for over a week with nothing under them..
how can you deny them , eh??

I am thinking of getting rid of all but a pair of my royal palm turkeys.. I have lots of hens and one extra Tom.. I also have two brown type hens.. IDK what breed they are.. I hatched them for a lady and she never came to collect them.. Nothing I have is over 3 years old.. Young for turkeys..

.......jimofftofleetforachokecable...........

My DH says don't do it! He recommends using something thiner such as anti-seize or a lubercant oil

 

[vickiw]

BF4~ Ouch!

that's one nasty copay! Hope you don't mind if I add you to my prayer list about that. I am jealous you are being able to lose med related weight. I was doing great losing weight (of course I didn't know it was because of the heart issue

) Since they changed my meds I've gained nearly 15 lbs! Eating like a pig thru the holidays had nothing to do with it of course

. Still can't do much in the way of exercise but at least I think I put the stops on the gain. Now I have to figure out how to get back on the losing track (never been one of the toothpicks to begin with). Got a freezer full of diet dinners for starters.

Delisha~ After a full day of research and narrowing down my choices, you sold me!!! I like everything about the GLW's and think they would be a perfect fit with my setup and girls.
Please take a look at the "full" description of the GLW's on the PurelyPoultry.com site and let me know what you think. Sounds like his breeder is putting out some good (if not show quality) birds. I've sent him a note to find out if I can pick up the chicks although $20 on the shipping for 12 isn't bad either. I don't need more than 2 or 3 but I think my neighbor might take some if they all do well.

Speaking of my girls, it's 18o and flurries today so I didn't let the girls out til this afternoon to go play in the greenhouse for awhile. (surprisingly it was still 30o in there even tho there was no sunshine). I got busy and had forgotten about their dinner until my hubby drew my attention to the fact I had 4 hens standing as tight as they could get to the back door looking up at the window!!!

I really didn't think they would come out of the greenhouse so I didn't bother to close the gate across the steps to the porch. Does anyone else have chooks that can tell time???

I quick put their warm mash together and off we go to the coop with my hubby in the window saying he wanted to watch the parade

. Just one more example of who has trained whom.

 

[CasieD]

BF4~ Ouch!

that's one nasty copay! Hope you don't mind if I add you to my prayer list about that. I am jealous you are being able to lose med related weight. I was doing great losing weight (of course I didn't know it was because of the heart issue

) Since they changed my meds I've gained nearly 15 lbs! Eating like a pig thru the holidays had nothing to do with it of course

. Still can't do much in the way of exercise but at least I think I put the stops on the gain. Now I have to figure out how to get back on the losing track (never been one of the toothpicks to begin with). Got a freezer full of diet dinners for starters.

Delisha~ After a full day of research and narrowing down my choices, you sold me!!! I like everything about the GLW's and think they would be a perfect fit with my setup and girls.
Please take a look at the "full" description of the GLW's on the PurelyPoultry.com site and let me know what you think. Sounds like his breeder is putting out some good (if not show quality) birds. I've sent him a note to find out if I can pick up the chicks although $20 on the shipping for 12 isn't bad either. I don't need more than 2 or 3 but I think my neighbor might take some if they all do well.

Speaking of my girls, it's 18o and flurries today so I didn't let the girls out til this afternoon to go play in the greenhouse for awhile. (surprisingly it was still 30o in there even tho there was no sunshine). I got busy and had forgotten about their dinner until my hubby drew my attention to the fact I had 4 hens standing as tight as they could get to the back door looking up at the window!!!

I really didn't think they would come out of the greenhouse so I didn't bother to close the gate across the steps to the porch. Does anyone else have chooks that can tell time???

I quick put their warm mash together and off we go to the coop with my hubby in the window saying he wanted to watch the parade

. Just one more example of who has trained whom.

I would have loved to see a pic of those hens waiting on their supper! lol