Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I've made egg noodles my whole life. Yep I leave them laying on the counter, table, draped on the back of chairs etc. It usually only takes a couple hours on each side to get them dry enough to use or freeze. They are simple to make but time consuming as far as time to cut and dry. You can freeze the excess and use them later. Perfect for turkey and noodles after the holidays. It is messy though.
I had friends who made stands out of dowel rod in between and hung them over them to dry. They made serious amounts though. Like enough for several families for a year or so at a time.
I give eggs back to my chickens all the time. I don't cook them either. As long as they are broken when they get them they don't seem to take up egg eating as a hobby from it either.
I've never had egg eaters at all until this year and it's been my breeders in the building. I think it has been because of boredom not any other reason. And incidentally, I've never given them eggs. Just the outside birds. A friend of mine told me he blew out eggs and filled them with mustard and/or dish soap and they never touched another egg. I think I'm going to try that.

 

[Trish44]

My mom made egg noodles a lot when I was growing up. She left them to dry on newspaper & never had a problem. I have never made them myself. We got a pasta attachment for my big stand mixer & we have made pasta one time with it so far. We learned there is a learning curve to it for sure, we'll try another recipe next time.

We've got an abundance of eggs right now that are too small to sell so I've been trying to make things to use up eggs as well. Yesterday I had some ground lamb & sliced new potatoes left over so I just stirred eggs in & we ate that for lunch with a salad. I copied your custard recipe HEChicken, I need to make that as well. I like it & I know my DH will too. I'm just getting back into cooking much again since my surgery, I have had so much trouble standing in one place for long, my knee just aches. I can walk around much longer than I can stand.

I used to can a lot of things from my big garden when I lived outside of Derby but that was a long time ago & I just don't have the energy now plus I don't have a big garden any more. With my arthritis I just can't handle it by myself & my DH likes to eat the stuff but not help maintain the garden. I'm going to have to fence off a small area this year to put the tomatoes in because the goats just crushed my tomato cages last year & ate the plants anyway. I'm hoping to not have them out in the yard for awhile at least with the new field we fenced. I re-seeded my other paddock & there is new grass coming up in there so I have to try to keep them off of it as much as I can.

My chick hatch is finally over but I still have ducklings hatching. There were two hatched this morning & there are still two pipping in there & then that will be done as well for now. I had a pretty big hatch of chicks again & I can fill one or two orders but still am waiting on some breeds. It seems like that's always the way it is.

We got rain again last night here too. I was kind of hoping it would clear up for a few days, it's pretty wet out there. I have to work on my new pen today to put some reinforcement on top to hold up the shade cloth I'm getting. I need to get the pen done soon so some of the older chicks can start going in there. Right now they're hanging out in rabbit cages in the garage. They seem to be doing fine in there so I think they might be OK to go out to the pen when it's ready. I do have an igloo dog house in there for shelter & I'm going to put another crate or another dog house in there as well when I get more chicks in there. I have BLRW chicks in my brooder that I'm going to grow out & will be raising those next year. This year everyone has been looking for them, they're hard to get even at the hatcheries. Mine are from a breeder & they look like they're going to be really nice birds from what I can tell so far. I do have a few replacements for my laying flock too since some of my hens are getting old. I noticed one old hen isn't doing well so she probably won't be around too much longer. She has been the best hen, a good layer, so calm, & really pretty too. I will miss her for sure.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

Week, I finally cut the lock off the shed I'll be converting into a coop. It's attached to the garage/shop in the back corner of my half acre. The landlord said a previous renter built it to store a folding wing airplane. It's 6' wide and 20' long. It will take some work, on account of the missing roof tin and rotted out floor. That said, I'm looking forward to it. Got some other projects to work on today though. Everyone have a nice day!

Chad

 

[venymae]

Hello Folks!

I went down to our local co-op to see if they sold chicken food and they do! They sell Layina (from purina) for ~$14 and a crumble for ~$10 (50# bags). I bought the crumble, which is called "Game bird and poultry feed" it's 20% protein. My girls get oyster and eggshell, but since this is not a layer specific feed do they need anything else? Besides greens, they do get those.

 

[venymae]

Week, I finally cut the lock off the shed I'll be converting into a coop. It's attached to the garage/shop in the back corner of my half acre. The landlord said a previous renter built it to store a folding wing airplane. It's 6' wide and 20' long. It will take some work, on account of the missing roof tin and rotted out floor. That said, I'm looking forward to it. Got some other projects to work on today though. Everyone have a nice day!

Chad

This looks awesome! How convenient to have a half built coop already. Post update pictures when it happens!

 

[Trish44]

@JiltdRoyalty it looks like at least you have some good bones to work with. I also converted an old storage shed for my first coop that I'm still using for my laying flock. That building is getting really, really old now but so far it's still standing. I had to add lots of windows & some vents to make it usable at all for chickens. In the summer I leave the people door open as well to let in more air but I have an attached run that is closed up at night as well as two GPs that guard the place.

 

[HEChicken]

JiltdRoyalty that looks like a great start - keep us updated with pics as you complete the conversion.

Well, I had a nice surprise today. My neighbor was over visiting and looking at my veggie garden and as we were talking she looked over my shoulder and said "Your asparagus is looking good". I figured it was a joke because I'm there every day lately and last I looked there was nothing to be seen, other than the mulch I lightly covered the patch with. But I turned to look anyway and was amazed at what I saw - Asparagus shoots that are 18" high, several in full leaf!!! I can't believe they came up that fast and that I didn't notice them before she did

I have a problem. I free-range all my birds and they live harmoniously in one coop. Turkeys and chickens have been together for years with no issues. Two years ago I hatched some German New Hampshire Reds and had two cockerels that looked equally good. Unable to decide which should be culled, I kept both, thinking if anything happened to one, I'd have a backup. Yesterday I noticed one of them off by himself in the lagoon area. I went to check on him and he seemed fine so I left him to it. But, last night, when everyone was headed to bed, he was out, wandering around the backyard. I tried to herd him towards the chicken coop but he was very reluctant and kept doubling back and running back up to the house. That's when I noticed my turkey tom was standing near the chicken coop and I wondered if my now-full-grown rooster was afraid of the tom. Sure enough, as soon as I finally did get him herded to the chicken yard, the tom took off after him and chased him around.

Today that rooster is again by himself - at the far end of the chicken yard where other birds hardly ever go. I finally felt sorry for him and carried a small feeder and waterer out to him and he immediately dove in and started eating.

I can't understand why after two years, this rooster is suddenly afraid of the turkey - or why the turkey is singling this guy out and leaving the other roosters alone. And, I'm not sure how to solve it. He's been a good rooster for me - beautiful and respectful and treats the hens well. But, if he no longer has the confidence to be around the hens and mate them, he isn't much good to me. He is the sire of all the pure NH chicks I am currently raising, as I had him penned with the hens to collect their eggs. In fact, I'm wondering if that's where my problem stems from. After being in the pen with those hens for several weeks, I let him out and he and the other NH immediately got into it. I figured it was just roosters re-sorting the pecking order and left them to it. But now I'm concerned by sequestering him, I totally blew him out of the pecking order and he's now so far down that he won't be able to regain any status.

I hate to tell you, I'm thinking about culling him and keeping one of his sons to replace him (assuming they turn out okay). Any other ideas for him?

 

[chicklover56]

Hello everyone again!

Still on the chicks issue, I had another one die today. It was a Speckled Sussex. I checked the food and there is no mold. I poured it all out into a bucket. No foul smell, nothing. I treated them with both the Tylan 50 and Corid. Was this one just too far gone? The end of both treatments was last week on Friday. I am cleaning out their pen regularly, and I even seperated two of my older (a little meaner) ones just in case they were stepping on them or something like that.

The Speckled that died today didn't look like the other ones when it did though. The picture that I put before of my New Hampshire Red is what all of them have looked like when they die besides this Speckled Sussex and the Breda Fowl that I had. When they passed, their feathers were all fanned/spread out... I don't really know how to explain it.

Any help would be great - sorry that I've been posting so much on this.

 

[Trish44]

@chicklover56 Sometimes chicks just aren't healthy to begin with, they can have things wrong with them that we can't see. I don't know if that is what is going on in your case but I think you have tried about everything to save them & if they die now I don't know what else to tell you to do. If they're not thriving & are weak anyway you wouldn't want them to grow out because they'll just die later on & it would be even harder. I'm sorry you're having such a horrible experience.

 

[chicken danz]

Week, I finally cut the lock off the shed I'll be converting into a coop. It's attached to the garage/shop in the back corner of my half acre. The landlord said a previous renter built it to store a folding wing airplane. It's 6' wide and 20' long. It will take some work, on account of the missing roof tin and rotted out floor. That said, I'm looking forward to it. Got some other projects to work on today though. Everyone have a nice day!

Chad

I'm not as optimistic as other people I guess. You have some basic structure there but obviously not built with properly spaced 2 X4s and correct roof line. Hopefully the base will still be good enough that you can still construct something out of it. My concern with things like this is that many people don't use treated lumber and build directly on the ground. If nothing else at least you have some lumber and OSB and metal to use over if you have to rebuild. I recently tried to rescue a shed that was in poor repair and ended up just burning it because it was a lost cause. I didn't have much left to work with. The upside is that you have a structure in place and permission to rebuild so you can do what you can afford.

JiltdRoyalty that looks like a great start - keep us updated with pics as you complete the conversion.

Well, I had a nice surprise today. My neighbor was over visiting and looking at my veggie garden and as we were talking she looked over my shoulder and said "Your asparagus is looking good". I figured it was a joke because I'm there every day lately and last I looked there was nothing to be seen, other than the mulch I lightly covered the patch with. But I turned to look anyway and was amazed at what I saw - Asparagus shoots that are 18" high, several in full leaf!!! I can't believe they came up that fast and that I didn't notice them before she did

I have a problem. I free-range all my birds and they live harmoniously in one coop. Turkeys and chickens have been together for years with no issues. Two years ago I hatched some German New Hampshire Reds and had two cockerels that looked equally good. Unable to decide which should be culled, I kept both, thinking if anything happened to one, I'd have a backup. Yesterday I noticed one of them off by himself in the lagoon area. I went to check on him and he seemed fine so I left him to it. But, last night, when everyone was headed to bed, he was out, wandering around the backyard. I tried to herd him towards the chicken coop but he was very reluctant and kept doubling back and running back up to the house. That's when I noticed my turkey tom was standing near the chicken coop and I wondered if my now-full-grown rooster was afraid of the tom. Sure enough, as soon as I finally did get him herded to the chicken yard, the tom took off after him and chased him around.

Today that rooster is again by himself - at the far end of the chicken yard where other birds hardly ever go. I finally felt sorry for him and carried a small feeder and waterer out to him and he immediately dove in and started eating.

I can't understand why after two years, this rooster is suddenly afraid of the turkey - or why the turkey is singling this guy out and leaving the other roosters alone. And, I'm not sure how to solve it. He's been a good rooster for me - beautiful and respectful and treats the hens well. But, if he no longer has the confidence to be around the hens and mate them, he isn't much good to me. He is the sire of all the pure NH chicks I am currently raising, as I had him penned with the hens to collect their eggs. In fact, I'm wondering if that's where my problem stems from. After being in the pen with those hens for several weeks, I let him out and he and the other NH immediately got into it. I figured it was just roosters re-sorting the pecking order and left them to it. But now I'm concerned by sequestering him, I totally blew him out of the pecking order and he's now so far down that he won't be able to regain any status.

I hate to tell you, I'm thinking about culling him and keeping one of his sons to replace him (assuming they turn out okay). Any other ideas for him?

Once in a while in breeding season a Tom will get really obnoxious and start going after any male animal he sees. I think your Tom is the problem, not the New Hamp. If you don't need the rooster you could cull him but chances are you'll have the same problem next spring with another rooster.
I've been moving birds around and need to cull a couple of roosters as well. Those older birds aren't great for eating cause they get so tough unless you cook them forever. I've got a couple in my freezer now I probably will just make soup broth with for that reason. I need to have butcher day again soon too but there really is no more room in the freezer right now.
Originally Posted by chicklover56
Still on the chicks issue, I had another one die today. It was a Speckled Sussex. I checked the food and there is no mold. I poured it all out into a bucket. No foul smell, nothing. I treated them with both the Tylan 50 and Corid. Was this one just too far gone? The end of both treatments was last week on Friday. I am cleaning out their pen regularly, and I even separated two of my older (a little meaner) ones just in case they were stepping on them or something like that.

The Speckled that died today didn't look like the other ones when it did though. The picture that I put before of my New Hampshire Red is what all of them have looked like when they die besides this Speckled Sussex and the Breda Fowl that I had. When they passed, their feathers were all fanned/spread out... I don't really know how to explain it.

Any help would be great - sorry that I've been posting so much on this.
I'm sorry you are having so many problems. I think it all began when the hatchery birds were weaker and therefore managed to get Coccidiosis which of course spread to the others. I doubt this sussex had it since it didn't show the fluffed feathers and such. Once in a while a bird dies for no apparent reason... unless they got chilled and piled up a little.
What do you have left now? Maybe if you can get your Dad to bring you down before too long we can get you some about the same age that are doing fine and haven't been exposed to anything. I feel so awful you are having such a hard time. It has certainly been a learning experience for you though, hasn't it?
These are tiny precious little creatures and it takes so little to weaken them.
You've had a huge percentage of loss and it's very unfortunate.
Well hopefully we won't have more rain today. I still need to sort some more chickens here and there. I've got to pull out some cockerels and figure out what on earth to do with them. Too small to butcher but not worth the time it takes to grow them out.