Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[WiscoChiko]

Thanks F.M. I did that just now after some reading I had some dust here from the garden and dusted them all nicely. Dusted the beds n coop n run! Need to do some reading thanks again!! W.C.

Can I just stop using the dura and start w/ corid?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Hey W.C. and Annarie sorry to hear about your birds...

, it's never fun when they are sick or don't make it. Here's hoping that the sick ones recover

W.C. dog flea and tick powder also works-we used that on our birds that DD took to fair this year so they didn't bring home friends!

Just about finished with the house we were working on, it's looking very nice, DH just has to paint 6 doors white and put them back in. Keep me busy for the last couple of days along with DS(5) only going part days to kindergarten-he starts full days Friday!

Guess I need to go get a crate ready to move the 6 Welsummer chicks into-they are fast out growing the small animal cage they started out in! They will now move out to our detached garage! My kitchen will be empty and feel huge!

 

[Sweetfolly]

WiscoChiko - What kind of dogs do you have (just out of curiosity - my Heeler/Anatolian cross is my life too!)? There are some poultry diseases that can spread to dogs, so I probably wouldn't let the dogs near the chickens at all. I got really worried when my Indian Runner ducks were sick a week ago (they're looking healthy now, and gaining weight back!), because dogs can get the same strain of botulism that ducks get, and it causes the same awful symptoms. So - keep them separated, just to be safe.

It wouldn't hurt to mix an electrolyte in their water (the chickens, not the dogs!

), to try and help their immune systems fight off whatever they have. I like Merrick's Blue Ribbon Poultry Electrolyte. It's less than $2 at pretty much any farm store.

Also - I like this website for looking up symptoms: http://www.welphatchery.com/poultry_health.asp

 

[bigzio]

Evening to All...really busy day here on the hill. Dug the last row of spuds. Suzie canned another 25 pints of stewed tomatoes for her mom...picked another ice cream pail of broccoli....

Actually lice and mites can cause death to the flock. Sounds to me that was the real problem. Yep they suffer that that bad til death. It is so important to dust often with 5% sevin dust to keep them all away.... They truly can be killer vermin!

Keep the coop healthy... ~ bigzio

 

[Dr HaHa]

Great Fall Like Morning Everyone! 40* here. WC so sorry to hear that your start into chickenhood is a rough one. There are so many things that can go wrong so fast. Anyone that has chickens learns the hard way that bad things can and will happen. We've all been there my friend and it just hurts so bad! A true chicken lover/good person always blames themselves for what happens to some degree. You always feel so helpless and stupid after the fact. But you also learn and that's what getting up in the morning and going out to face the world is all about. Hang in there it'll get better! BL4 Even though I'm up early all the time I stil get 7-8 hours of sleep. Sometimes less. Your going to need a new book case pretty soon. I've always liked to bake and cook, unlike other things you get some real satisfaction out of what you did. You get to eat it!

Bigz thinking with the gardens winding down and the cool weather has your thoughts turning to the woods and enjoying the scenery and the possible bounty it can provide. Today is beyond a doubt an outside day. Yesterday I closed off the communal nest with chicken wire and last night the slw's went right up on the roost

But Brownie my fav red hen walked back and forth on the bar in front of it pulling on the wire. She has taken to sleeping with the slw's because the other girls pick on her. Only 2 eggs yesterday but it's better than none! Enjoy your day!

 

[BigBadCryBaby]

WC Sorry to hear about your birds, there is a learning curve here in chicken ranching that no amount of reading seems to help. I read all about predators and I still ended up screwing up and losing five great birds early on. As far as the lice go, sevin really does the trick for me, I keep the coop clean and dust pretty regularly. By the way, welcome and it's great having you here.

Bigz good to see you again, Mate...sounds like all is well by you!

Doc H Yeah it was a chilly one this morning...but oh how I love this weather! Those SLWs are the most consistent layers I have and they've got a beige egg on the small side so far...yours are coming soon. I just wish I hadn't lost three of those birds early on. People just can't believe how pretty the SLWs are.

Now that we're getting lots of eggs everyday and everyone is going gaga over how pretty the birds are, Mom has definitely become Chicken Mom. She was not happy this past spring when I had 28 chicks in two brooders in the sunroom...not happy at all. But she reluctantly put up with all of it and has seen how happy it makes the girls and Dad. Now she knows all the breeds and went to the county fair and state fair with us as we ran to the chicken barns and looked at all the great birds, and well, the chickens have definitely gotten under her skin. So, she's all for me doing meat birds starting next spring! I'm excited about that and I've got plenty of family and friends that want organic cage free chicken meat, so I'm going to cordon off more of the barn and do a meat bird set up for some cornish crosses or freedom rangers starting in May '11.

I also wanted to say hi to Annarie good to see you again, glad to hear the ducks are doing great. Amyable, congrats on your new addition and I was getting caught up on my reading and saw the pic of you and your family, what a happy, beautiful flock you are! I sure did love when my kids were young, gosh now they're both in college. It goes fast, girlfriend! H&R sounds like you're chugging along with your home projects, good on you and your hubby!

Well, Jerry Lee is going to a new home tonight, courtesy of the hmongs that work in the fields around here. They've got a vegetable stand down the road a piece from here, and the one girl who works the stand speaks english fluently...so I went down and asked if anyone wanted a rooster, and the three old hmong women who were standing by all nodded their heads like bobble dolls and they're coming tonight to pick him up. I offered to slaughter him prior, but they want him live...until they get the pot ready, I suppose. Well, he's too aggressive and went after Mom and the girls three times yesterday, so there is no debate, but my little girl sure loves him and is walking around with a sad expression today. She's so darn good with those birds, I call her our Chicken Whisperer. You'd love to see how she rolls up her sleeves and works with them, cleaning out the coop and helping me examine them and collecting eggs all that good stuff. I am so proud of her, and feel so bad here favorite rooster is getting culled.

Next post, pics!

 

[babylady4]

Dr. H I have a library of cookbooks you would love! Everything from Bon Appetit' to Amish cookbooks.

Interview with Hydrite Chemical in Oshkosh at 11 this AM.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Dr HaHa]

BBCB those are some really cool stories! Thanks for sharing! Glad things are coming together for ya! It's always nice to hear things on the positive side. This morning when I opened up the coop Brownie was limping pretty bad figure she must have sprained her leg trying to get in the nest box

But she's a lot better now! Checked her and couldn't find any damage and just now gave her leg a deep muscle massage that she seemed to enjoy.

Just walk it off soldier! Can't believe how well everything went this morning crossed off everything on the list already except for mowing out back that'll wait till it drys out more. Now have to go back past the crossed off stuff to the things I've been ignoring

 

[Dr HaHa]

BL4

on the job! I bet I would love to peruse your cookbooks. Have anything on authentic Mex spicy pork? L's daughter called her a couple of weeks ago all proud that she made a meatloaf. L couldn't hold back the laughter as she told me about it. Ended up to be basically a jumbo burger with catsup on it. To me putting catsup on a meatloaf before it's cooked is blasphemy! So I told her that one of the things going on their Xmas list was a Betty Crocker cookbook. Maybe that'll get them headed in the right direction. Oh look you can add garlic, onions, green pepper or stuff with broccoli, ham, and cheese! Or...... Hopefully that will put an end to their survival on Hamburger Helper!

 

[Amyable]

Aww, thanks BBCB! Life is exhausting in a good way. I must say you're a dedicated fellow to catch up on this whole thread - no small feat! Also looking forward to pics of your flock...too bad about Jerry Lee but safety trumps roos.

WC, I really hope your birds recover quickly. That's rough. Same to your little Cochin, Annarie. Ya know, you've got the disease worse than any of us - just one more hatch, yeah sure!

Anyone devised a 12-step program yet? Chickens Anonymous? Poultry Anonymous? Wouldn't do any good, there's no cure!!!

So DrH and BL4, can you recommend any cookbooks for the Slow Food philosophy? Shortcuts are nice once in a while, but I dont like to cook with things like packaged dough or cake mixes. Just not the same taste, or wholesomeness, as totally homemade. My BH&G cookbook is my standby, but I'd like to find a good book with older recipes; like grandma used to make.

Betty Crocker is a great one too, my folk's favorite. But I don't have that one.

Good luck on that interview, BL4!