Consolidated Kansas

[milomac]

sharol u have my sense of humor I am in the process of my second hatch this year and because of some family issues it may be my last. I can identify with Trish as last hatch I put some of the wrong eggs in the hatcher and when they didn,t hatch tossed them then several hours later realized I had chicks that had hatched in the incubator. Sometimes gaining experience is painful. I also had trouble with marans eggs it seemed several chipped a hole and never zipped. I helped several but after they have labored several hours there is only so much u can do

 

[HEChicken]

I've heard too many times of viable eggs being tossed that I am paranoid of ever doing it. I never give up on an egg until I have candled it to check for movement. Then I tap it with my fingernail to see if it taps or chirps back. Last, I gently break it at the air cell end so I can verify the fetus is no longer alive. Only after all three things confirm the chick is dead, will I peel the rest of the shell away and feed it to my snakes. Just the other day I started to remove 4 eggs that hadn't pipped by the morning of day 22 but as I candled one, it chirped at me. I put it back in the incubator and sure enough, it pipped that evening and hatched overnight.

My first hatch is finally done and my second batch of eggs is started. A couple of the chicks I had to assist are still in the special needs brooder but they're close to going into the main brooder. I had to put shoes on one with curled toes this morning. That seems to be its only obvious "issue" so hopefully the toes will straighten out and the shoes can come off in a few days.

I spent a good bit of time this morning repotting a bunch of tomatoes and artichoke seedlings. They've enjoyed the grow light so much that they're bigger than I've ever grown these things indoors - and we still have a good month before I can think about planting them outdoors. So I had to make some larger newspaper pots and get them transferred. All of them were growing their roots out the bottom of their original pots, looking for more space.

Then I did some work in my barn. When I built the dog run, I only put a gate in one end. At the time I thought that was all I needed and having the other end fastened all the way around provided more structural integrity. But since my LGD pups started sleeping outdoors this week, the run is no longer needed FT for the dogs and it is time to start using it to separate lambs and kids at night. Turning the closed end into a gated end will make it MUCH easier to get the babies into it at night. It wasn't that big a job but I'm glad to have it done - its been on the to-do list all week.

The LGD pups, as mentioned, are now sleeping outside. They are almost 7 months and just turned 5 months and I decided it would be good for their development to have access to the pasture at night. The sheep and goats are still locked in the barn at night and the dogs don't need to actually protect them at this point so it is ideal for them to learn their jobs with no real pressure since they are still so young. They're doing awesome so far. No barking - except when DH got home late last night, which is legit. And no mischief either. And, now that they're more active at night, they're starting to sleep more by day too.

I'm thrilled with the way they have bonded to the sheep and goats already. They passed their first lambing/kidding season with flying colors, seeming to instinctively understand that a new mother is not to be messed with but that she'll relax in time. The youngest lamb is now 3 weeks old and her mother has already relaxed around the dogs. Still, the pups who can be big, gamboling puppies when playing with one another, move slowly and carefully around the lambs and kids. The other day I noticed one of my goat does standing with her tail up to give access to the dogs, inviting them to clean her off. She had some gunk stuck to her from the discharge following the birth of her kids. Both dogs started work on her and I could see the male grabbing chunks between his teeth and tugging to loosen them from her fur. I expected any moment she'd object but she seemed appreciative of the attention and stood stock still for them. I didn't have my camera then, but I did have it with me next day when they decided a ewe needed to be cleaned off. You can see how relaxed she is, continuing to graze, while holding her tail out to give them access, her lamb standing close by.

 

[Trish44]

Well my first hatch is done & I ended up with 49 chicks, not too bad. I have another big hatch coming the 27th so I hope to be able to fill more orders with that one. People have been ordering multiple breeds, so it makes it hard sometimes to get them all at once depending on what hatches. I had about 14 eggs in the end that had quit & one fully formed Speckled Sussex that didn't make it out of the shell. That one was sad, but maybe there was a reason & it wouldn't have made it anyway, who knows.

 

[chicken danz]

I've been gone the last couple days and busy prepping to leave the day before that. Seems like an eternity since I posted. The sale was a bust for me but at least I got rid of about 10 extra ganders in the process. I really lost money on them. I'm getting down closer to the numbers I want now though so I'm still happy. I still have four pairs of geese spoken for if they come get them. I won't sell any more breeders than that. I sold two peahens after the sale so that helped as well.
My first goslings are due to hatch tomorrow. I need to get them transferred to another incubator for hatch. I love the goslings.
I had to clean out my brooder again cause I had mold again. I swear it is so hard to balance air flow and drafts in an enclosed brooder building. I seriously looked at some electric manufactured brooder units yesterday at the auction. But they went over the price I would consider for used equipment. Makes me very nervous to think of buying something that has been used elsewhere. I always disinfect things but still not real comfortable with it.
I had a hatch while I was gone. Seemed to be a decent hatch. I need to move some birds around so everyone isn't so crowded and do a count to see if I can fill some orders.
I lost several chicks while I was gone from my brooder house and I lost one jubilee hen for some unknown reason. I haven't done a necropsy yet cause I just discovered her last night when I got home. I'm still trying to rest up from two days in the cold. I have so much to do today I need to get moving though.
I let Precious out of her kennel when I got home last night. I think she has finished her heat cycle. Since Winston finally figured out how to breed on his own I am hoping for another litter of Pyrs about the middle of May. That will be good timing for them I think. Britt has two more days in her kennel before I can let her out after her spay. I'm sure she is more than ready to get out and run again.
I may have to put a dog in the goose pen as I had some eggs missing yesterday. Some critter may have gotten in and had a midnight snack of eggs.

 

[Trish44]

Ugh danz, goose eggs of all things! I have one Welsummer hen that is insisting on laying in one of my igloo dog houses & the GPs know about it now so I wish I could discourage her from laying there. I may have to move that one.

 

[chicken danz]

I have two broody hens in the layer coops. I think the first one has about a week left. None of her first batch she sat on hatched. I don't think she turns her eggs at all. I guess if the second hen hatches some I can split chicks between them. I really could use some new layers. Some of mine are getting really old.
Yeah I just can't leave goose eggs to nature around here. The odds are against them.
After yesterday I think I should have sold hatching eggs rather than birds. The prices were insane. People were paying as much as $50 a dozen for marans eggs and they aren't anything special. If you don't know who the seller is, you could end up with crap. Maybe next spring I'll just bring eggs and forget caging birds. I wouldn't have to get there a day early to consign eggs either. I'd do it in the fall but I'm not sure they would sell well then, even though that is when I like hatching my own breeders.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Quick question on breed:

this chick (bad picture, I know - Sorry!):


Is now this chick (about a week later). Is it an EE? It is getting what looks comically like a mohawk.

 

[chicken danz]

As I said last last night Spangled appenzeller Spitzhauben. Can't see the nostrils but if they are large that has to be it. Look at Sharols pictures of the Breda fowl. They show nostrils that would be much like what you are looking for. They are supposed to be pretty good layers.
I worked so hard yesterday just trying to get caught up. I spent the whole afternoon out getting every one fed and watered and settled again. I did a necropsy on my hen and she seemed to be in perfect health although much too fat and her heart was very very small in comparison to others I have seen. Normally if there are heart problems the heart is greatly enlarged. Normally I can identify exactly what is going on. I only found one egg in her though which is very unusual for a hen that is full feathered. Normally you find tens of tiny partially developing eggs. It actually made me feel better cause I know she wasn't producing much. She was one of the younger hens I hatched last summer so I have no idea why she wasn't actively laying. There must have been something wrong I couldn't find with the naked eye. I am down to a bare minimum now so I've got to keep a few of these jubilees for myself even though I do have lots of orders. They are probably my best selling birds. I had 10 hens and sold down to 5, and now I'm down to three.
I also found one of my black brahmas with a terrible cold. I have no idea how she could contract one and no one else. I guess I'd better beef up their probiotics for a while to make sure I don't have a sick flock.
I finally moved my buff girl with the infected eye I have had caged and treated for like 6 months or longer. She is in perfect health other than her eye. I operated on it several times but It kept coming back. I guess as long as no one thinks I have a sick hen in with the others it will be okay. Maybe she will lay since none of the others want to bother.
I also moved my partridge brahma who got torn up back to the pen but kept her in a cage cause the other hens were picking on her right off. I'll give them a few days to accept her before I let her out with the others.
Today should be hatch day for my first goose eggs. I think I have 6 of them in there. I never manage to hatch them all but I'm looking forward to it just the same. I love the goslings probably more than any other birds I hatch.

 

[StinkyChicken]

It’s nice to see the Kansas thread still going strong.

A few people have said there is a high demand or a low supply of poultry this year. My TSC has birds but the Orscheln’s has been hit hard. I guess the poultry ban from last year has upped the demand for poultry this year. Well I hope everyone is finding good healthy birds this year. I’m looking forward to seeing some poultry shows this year…..

 

[ladyj02]

It’s nice to see the Kansas thread still going strong.

A few people have said there is a high demand or a low supply of poultry this year. My TSC has birds but the Orscheln’s has been hit hard. I guess the poultry ban from last year has upped the demand for poultry this year. Well I hope everyone is finding good healthy birds this year. I’m looking forward to seeing some poultry shows this year…..

I see you're in Topeka as well! This is my first time having chicks, but I too have noticed that Orschelns seems to never have anything in! TSC south has been hit or miss, but the one up north has been pretty great with having tons of chicks as well as supplies in stock.