Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

My dogs can still get through the chicken coop door. It is only 12 X 12. They have a hard time squeezing through but they can do it.
I put my roo back outside this morning. He is doing much better. Still a little congestion but much improved. I was tired of the 5:30 crowing in the house. Now I have a huge mess to clean up. How far can one rooster throw straw and chicken feed outside a dog kennel?

It's amazing.
I've got to get off my lazy butt and get busy today. I am so far behind. I've spent too much time doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself lately. No Christmas decorations up, the house is filthy and I'm not taking care of normal business. I need to run some eggs to town and pay my car insurance, then go meet a neighbor and figure out how to take care of his place and his animals while he is gone for 10 days. He is the one that fed my birds while I was in the hospital.
I got a call last night from a stranger. She knows a person, who knows another, person, who knows a person who is married to a guy Dennis sees at work. Through that string of people they heard I had baby chicks. She said they had checked every where and no one had chicks this time of year. She is wanting to get about 4 of them for a gift for her son for Christmas. Obviously not chicken people but at least it will be a few less mouths to feed around here. They want layers so Seramas are out. That's a shame. I have so many of them.

 

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, yeah Jasmine is fine this morning, I went out & fed them & they were happy. I was not at all happy that she ran away from me through the fence, that was not acceptable, so if she does it again I will have to discipline her for that. She's supposed to come to me when I call, not run away. Yesterday was just frustrating with both of them, I know they're just little pups & I have to be patient with them. I'm just not sure they're doing what they're supposed to be, it's hard for me to tell if they're really bonding to my chickens or not.

Danz, well that kind of shoots my theory then of them not being able to get through the pop door when they're bigger if yours can still get in. They're just going to have to learn not to eat the chicken feed then, it's just too expensive to feed two big dogs layer pellets. I don't buy mine in bulk like you do, so it costs me a lot more I'm sure. I can identify with being behind on decorating for Christmas, I've been so immersed in the cleaning out of my attic that I have still got a mess I'm dealing with. It's getting smaller, but not fast enough. I've got to get finished with that so I can at least put up my tree. That's great that you got a referral that way for chicks. I hope they know what to do with them after they get them, but that won't be your problem.

 

[Ivywoods]

Trish the GP's are very sensitive dogs. It doesn't take much scolding at all for them to know you are unhappy. Be very careful with that. If she ran away from you she was probably scared. More discipline would probably just scare her more. She might take a little more time to become more at ease in her new home. Just be patient.

Our GP's got into the chicken feed when it was in the shop. Before I knew it they had eaten 2/3 of a bag! I never tried to teach them not to eat it. I just put the feed where they can't get it. What you might do is put some kind of screen around your feeder that the chickens can get through but the dogs can't, or at least they won't be able to once they get a little bigger.

 

[Dancing]

Hello Kansas!

I'm in SE Kansas (Prescott). About 20 minutes north of Ft. Scott. I'll be looking for some spring chicks. I would really like to get a couple of Polish, maybe a couple of silkies as well as some good egg layers (not really picky about what type).

I'm not one for hatching out my own eggs so will be looking for chicks. Also, I'm not looking for "show" chickens...just "farm" chickens. (does that make sense?)

Please let me know if you will have any chicks come spring.

 

[Trish44]

IVY, yes they do seem a lot more sensitive than other breeds of dogs, I guess it's their nature. Wow, your dogs had a feast didn't they. I will have to figure something out to keep mine out of the chicken feed like you say, I just don't know exactly how I'm going to do it yet. I have PVC automatic feeders in my coop & I know that about every afternoon the pups go in there & have an afternoon snack because I hear them in there fighting over it. I just can't afford to be feeding them chicken feed, so I will have to nip it in the bud quickly. It's not like they're not fed well because they are, they're just attracted to the chicken feed & I don't believe it's that good for them. Dogs are meat eaters & grain isn't good for them, they don't even digest it well if at all. That's why I look for dog food that doesn't have grain.

 

[Myabcs3]

Welcome Dancing!

I am sure many on here will have chicks in the spring to fill your order!

 

[chicken danz]

Dancing, I know I will have chicks and Ivy will have chicks plus probably several others.

Nice to see yet another new face on here. We've got a great group here. Feel free to ask us anything or just chat.
Trish, I've found that rewarding works better with these dogs than scolding. If you tell them NO firmly they get the picture. Anything more than that they get scared. Try working with them to do the right things. Like when they come to you when you call give them a treat. Little milk bones or equivalent off brand treats are great for them and give them extra calcium. Calcium is crucial for these pups while they are growing, so you get two birds with one stone.
I used to buy all my feed as crumbles and pellets and I know how pricey it is. I still buy layer pellets and chick and game bird starter. I just won't skimp on nutrition. However my birds like my own mix better than the processed feed. I think it is fresher. They tend to eat the pellets when the weather is bad and they are bored. I certainly don't get by cheap. I spend about $100 a week average on feed. And I make maybe $20 a week on eggs. Not a good turn around. But selling chicks evens the score when the weather is warmer.
Well poo! I've got to get to town and get some things taken care of.

 

[Dancing]

I joined BYC quite some time back but don't post often. Life keeps me busy. (and all my other critters take up so much time)
Thanks for the welcome though!

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
Hi Dancing!

North of Ft. Scott? Gosh, we have just been looking at the Ft. Scott, Pittsburg area for a possible move in a year or so. Yes, several of us will have chicks in the spring. My sister, Checoukan, lives in the Columbus area and she hatches a lot of chicks, too. She also sets up swap meets and does fund raisers for some of the kids in the poultry club she started. We will probably be traveling back and forth this spring, so maybe we could work something out. We both have show chickens and some barnyard chickens. I've also got some very good layers. They are leghorns, and they are unbeatable with the number and size eggs they lay. I don't have a leghorn rooster, but I could cross them with another rooster and hatch some if someone was interested. I did that recently for someone up here, but I haven't heard how her hatch went.

Welcome aboard and come back often!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
Well then... WELCOME to the Kansas thread!!

Hope to see you around! I won't have chicks, but so many others will!

Danz, hope you get all your stuff done today. I was in the same boat yesterday. I can't function when it rains. It really kills me and I do get in a depression easily. But I spring back just as quickly. And I only put my xmas tree up last week. AND it's still not decorated! I put lights on it, and never drug down the decorations. Ah well. I may not, either. I haven't felt in the mood. My MIL is really hitting the Santa idea hard and I'm already sick of it this year. To hopefully counter act the thought, I've been doing lots of day time and night time praying with the kids and really hitting the xmas story up with them. Making it fun and asking questions about who did what and where they were and that kind of thing. I need my summer sun back!! I'm becoming very gloomy.

Well I think I only have a few more things to buy and I'll be done with xmas. Then it's just getting some small toys (hot wheels, Bubbles, balls, chocolates, mints, gum..) to fill the stockings with. Easy small and cheap.

Good news--- my little Polish is eating, drinking and pooping all on her OWN!

I came home and she had actually made a dent in the feeder. Not by much, but I could tell. She's been standing today, too. Still laying down a lot, but doing some standing for long enough that lets me know she is feeling a lot better. Maybe only a couple more weeks in the house???