INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Indyshent]

FUN GAME!!!

---*RATE YOUR TOP 10 FAVORITE BIRDS*---

if you could have any bird, what are the 10 breeds/colors you are MOST interested in?

I'll start! (1 is most interested 10 is least)

1) isbar
2) olive eager
3) sussex (any color want pink eggs lol)
4) violet laced Wyandotte
5) cochin
6) marans
7) Langhan
8) favorelle
9) flower hen
10) minorca


Now you go!

Brahmas and EEs sometimes give pink eggs too. I get a few/week from mine

This list will change every few minutes from now until the end of time:

1. laughing chickens
2. Ayam Cemani
3. Long Crower
4. Phoenix
5. partridge and/or laced Brahmas
6. blue-laced red Wyandottes
7. Cochins
8. lavender or isabel Orpingtons
9. Dorkings
10. Scot's Dumpy

Honorable mention: Malay

 

[Faraday40]

Oh, I forgot about those laughing roosters!

Definitely have to put them on my list!

 

[Faraday40]

Poor, poor Princess.
It looks like someone had a massive pillow fight in our backyard. All of those white feathers you see came from Princess. They fly off in a trail behind her as she walks. When she's standing still, they just drip off her. DH said she'd be easy to process since she's already mostly plucked.




Tyrion (my EE) is also having an aggressive molt, but she's further along.
She looks so funny with her cheeks, beard, & tail.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

LOL! Mine are moulting too. Its the *gasp* feathers everywhere feeling until you see the hens, ugh. Makes you think you had an attack! LOs molted early and the rest are doing it now.

 

[chick rookie]

Brahmas and EEs sometimes give pink eggs too. I get a few/week from mine

This list will change every few minutes from now until the end of time:

1. laughing chickens
2. Ayam Cemani
3. Long Crower
4. Phoenix
5. partridge and/or laced Brahmas
6. blue-laced red Wyandottes
7. Cochins
8. lavender or isabel Orpingtons
9. Dorkings
10. Scot's Dumpy

Honorable mention: Malay

I lol till I cried......

thanks I needed that.

Went out to check on the pens last night cause it was late when I got the chance ( lots going on here last night thanks to that @!#$#@!#$%^$#@ rooster ) and found my favorite SF hen hid outside under some lumber where I had been working on the main coop. I dug her out and she sounds horrible. Raspy breathing, with her mouth open, and what looks like dried blood on her beck and a few head feathers missing. Don't know if the other birds were beating her up or if a bad critter got her, but I brought her in the house to the chick room ( cause its warm ) she weighed nothing, empty crawl bony, I see her every day out free ranging and at night she is always outside the coop and I have to put her in. I just don't know what to think. I gave her some meds for her breathing and a bowl of water, didn't think she was ever going to stop drinking poor girl and I put some food out for her.
She is going to get her own pen up by the house today her and her sister, If I make a house like I did for waddles to ya think the 2 of them will be able to stay warm this winter?

It will have a front and a back of course.


Specking of Waddles.. one of his girls died yesterday. One of the big hen reached through the fence and pecked her right in the head. I was so mad I chased the hen around for about 5 min!!! This batch of Lt. Brahma's is just the meanest things I have ever seen out of hens. I may end of just getting rid of them all, will miss the eggs but wont miss breaking up the daily fights, even Bob has just wasting his time breaking them up, it does no good.

 

[Indyshent]

I lol till I cried......

thanks I needed that.

Went out to check on the pens last night cause it was late when I got the chance ( lots going on here last night thanks to that @!#$#@!#$%^$#@ rooster ) and found my favorite SF hen hid outside under some lumber where I had been working on the main coop. I dug her out and she sounds horrible. Raspy breathing, with her mouth open, and what looks like dried blood on her beck and a few head feathers missing. Don't know if the other birds were beating her up or if a bad critter got her, but I brought her in the house to the chick room ( cause its warm ) she weighed nothing, empty crawl bony, I see her every day out free ranging and at night she is always outside the coop and I have to put her in. I just don't know what to think. I gave her some meds for her breathing and a bowl of water, didn't think she was ever going to stop drinking poor girl and I put some food out for her.
She is going to get her own pen up by the house today her and her sister, If I make a house like I did for waddles to ya think the 2 of them will be able to stay warm this winter?

It will have a front and a back of course.


Specking of Waddles.. one of his girls died yesterday. One of the big hen reached through the fence and pecked her right in the head. I was so mad I chased the hen around for about 5 min!!! This batch of Lt. Brahma's is just the meanest things I have ever seen out of hens. I may end of just getting rid of them all, will miss the eggs but wont miss breaking up the daily fights, even Bob has just wasting his time breaking them up, it does no good.

You have weird light Brahmas. My girls have always been pretty nice to the other hens and are usually closer to the bottom of the food chain. The biggest of the two LBs I have currently is a lieutenant figure to the dominant SLW hen. They actually break up fights between other birds. Once all of the brooder grade levels were integrated, I had no real issues keeping them in line. A good rooster will also help break up fights. The two I had last year were also close to the bottom, and from what I understand, that's really common for the breed. You may have a bad bunch of girls. If their moody, hormonal adolescent stage is over, and they have a good rooster and are still pulling this, you should get rid of them and start over or just make sure they can't interact with your other birds.

If you need another CX hen, I have some purchased 7/6 or so. All 7 of the CX are really sweet. One of the hens used to let me pick her up and wanted to snuggle extended periods of time on me. I can't tell them apart, but with a little attention and treats, they'll be your friends forever. They're definitely big enough to process now, but we haven't gotten around to it because we have metric tons of other stuff that's just far more pressing.

 

[ellymayRans]

Seems a few of the girls have picked up laying again. Some nice dark ones..but I'm not setting anymore this year. Well not right now anyway! ! I'm not!

I have 3 batches of chicks growing out still inside. 2 are in the garage and a small batch of 5 in the living room. 2 frizzled (1 cochin & 1 olive egger)
1 smooth cochin and 2 silkies. I still have a broody on 4 silkie eggs that aren't due for another week at least!

 

[pginsber]

Does anybody know what predator I have here? I live close to downtown Indy. Five of seven Silkies have disappeared leaving no trace. Yesterday, a tomato was found partially devoured by something with meaningful teeth. This afternoon, I found a turkey egg which had been carried away from the nest (~15ft), broken in half and licked out. Shell was partially crushed.
We discovered a young opossum in a feed container a few weeks ago, but he was relocated quite a distance away.

I think I may need some animal traps. Not sure what else I can do.

How old (what size) were the silkies that disappeared?

This time of year, if you have any tomatoes left, the squirrels will leave them half eaten, sometimes even still on the vine.

Any chance the turkey laid the egg outside the nest and it broke under normal circumstances, and then the birds ate it like they do?

I can't remember your setup, to rule anything out, so the first step of finding the root cause is to consider what's most likely.

Hey I have 2 ducks and I don't know if there male or female:/ oh and I don't know how to do pictures!

If you can't take their pictures, they're most likely females (camera shy)

Went out to check on the pens last night cause it was late when I got the chance ( lots going on here last night thanks to that @!#$#@!#$%^$#@ rooster ) and found my favorite SF hen hid outside under some lumber where I had been working on the main coop. I dug her out and she sounds horrible. Raspy breathing, with her mouth open, and what looks like dried blood on her beck and a few head feathers missing. Don't know if the other birds were beating her up or if a bad critter got her, but I brought her in the house to the chick room ( cause its warm ) she weighed nothing, empty crawl bony, I see her every day out free ranging and at night she is always outside the coop and I have to put her in. I just don't know what to think. I gave her some meds for her breathing and a bowl of water, didn't think she was ever going to stop drinking poor girl and I put some food out for her.

Any chance a dog got her and she got away? A dog could grab her by the body, and squeeze her when they close their jaws. I'm sending good thoughts her way for healing.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Does anyone here have isbars??

I do. I have three blue hens, my blue rooster was killed by another rooster last November. I personally can't stand them. They are super flighty and constantly broody. They are so bad that they refuse to lay in the nest boxes since I take those eggs daily. Instead I have to go on a daily egg hunt to figure out where they are laying. Even if they are locked in the coop/run. Their latest favorite place to lay is under the roosts in all of the poop, I'm sure because I won't dig around in the poop every day so they think they are getting away with nest building.

They are pretty birds and their eggs are gorgeous, but mine are on the list to be processed at the end of October. They are also super inbred so their health is horrible (many in the US have had that issue). I will say, I crossed the Isbars to my Bielie rooster and the offspring are stunning. One of them looks like a blue copper marans. I am hoping they will be green egg layers and have the better personality and health from the Bielie roo.

 

[chick rookie]

You have weird light Brahmas. My girls have always been pretty nice to the other hens and are usually closer to the bottom of the food chain. The biggest of the two LBs I have currently is a lieutenant figure to the dominant SLW hen. They actually break up fights between other birds. Once all of the brooder grade levels were integrated, I had no real issues keeping them in line. A good rooster will also help break up fights. The two I had last year were also close to the bottom, and from what I understand, that's really common for the breed. You may have a bad bunch of girls. If their moody, hormonal adolescent stage is over, and they have a good rooster and are still pulling this, you should get rid of them and start over or just make sure they can't interact with your other birds.

If you need another CX hen, I have some purchased 7/6 or so. All 7 of the CX are really sweet. One of the hens used to let me pick her up and wanted to snuggle extended periods of time on me. I can't tell them apart, but with a little attention and treats, they'll be your friends forever. They're definitely big enough to process now, but we haven't gotten around to it because we have metric tons of other stuff that's just far more pressing.

I know right.... I have always had LB's but this new group is just BAD!! If it weren't for me seeing all this with my own eyes I would not believe someone telling me it was them doing it. and this group ( the older mean girls ) are on the top of the pecking order. Like you I have never seen that happen before either, but they have the best perch spots right next to Bob. They just have to go!! but I cant convince DH he calls them HIS girls.
I really do need another CX Waddles is so lonely, but I just don't think I can get DH to drive for 1 hen, no matter what the reason. I wish.
Waddles is supper sweet, he used to like me to pick him up so he could sit on my lap, but now all he wants to do is sit on my feet.

Seems a few of the girls have picked up laying again. Some nice dark ones..but I'm not setting anymore this year. Well not right now anyway! ! I'm not!

I have 3 batches of chicks growing out still inside. 2 are in the garage and a small batch of 5 in the living room. 2 frizzled (1 cochin & 1 olive egger)
1 smooth cochin and 2 silkies. I still have a broody on 4 silkie eggs that aren't due for another week at least!

very nice eggs.

How old (what size) were the silkies that disappeared?

This time of year, if you have any tomatoes left, the squirrels will leave them half eaten, sometimes even still on the vine.

Any chance the turkey laid the egg outside the nest and it broke under normal circumstances, and then the birds ate it like they do?

I can't remember your setup, to rule anything out, so the first step of finding the root cause is to consider what's most likely.

If you can't take their pictures, they're most likely females (camera shy)

Any chance a dog got her and she got away? A dog could grab her by the body, and squeeze her when they close their jaws. I'm sending good thoughts her way for healing.

I don't think so after the last dog attack we fortified pretty well, we were home all day, just real busy, I had broke up 2 fights yesterday and poor Bob is just being run ragged. and with her having no food or water at all in her I just believe the LB's were to blame. I didn't see it so maybe I just want them gone so bad that I'm using them as the escape goat but I don't think so.
She is not open mouth breathing this morning but she is still rattlely sounding and she has ate and is drinking like a camel still.
It is so damp out today will most likely wait till tomorrow to take her back outside, as long as she continues to improve.