INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

I've had a little success in my search for the Bourbon reds. I missed out by a hair on a trio but managed to snatch up a Bourbon hen and a Narragansett tom. The nice woman delivered them to me since she was coming to Martinsville that day anyway. Bonus!

I figured he'd be our tday dinner but nope he's too big!! Now I need to add a Bourbon tom and a Narragansett hen!! It never ends!!!
Still searching for our tday dinner but I may end up processing my palm hen. I don't want to because She's not quite big enough and I really don't think their meat is as good as some others. I'll continue my search and wait until the last possible moment to process her if I have to!

The tom is quite stunning though. They're in quarantine for now and it's not the best lighting but I snapped a pic of them.
I have handled them both and for now they seem pretty docile. I've noticed he doesn't like to let her eat or drink so I am going to separate them tomorrow when I have time. They will have to be penned separate from my flock though because I don't see my tom and him or the peacocks for that matter accepting a full grown tom like him. They all get along but because the turkeys were raised with them.

Egg count here has been weak!
A few weeks ago I was shocked (warmer weather maybe) I was getting 9-13 eggs a day when I was down to maybe 2 a day. Marans, Wyandotte, Olive eggers, Delawares, Silkies and some other brown egg layers that weren't identified. Lol! Now I'm back down to 2-5. I have roughly 20 hens and 10 pullets. I haven't caught any of the pullets laying as of yet but all but 2 should start before spring.

 

[ellymayRans]

I forgot to add I have 2 scovy hens I hatched this spring that started laying! I was quite surprised. It's the 2 chocolate girls that escape my penned area. I found both nests. 1 has been brooding for several weeks. She had 12 eggs. Only 6 developing. The other gal has 6 so far but she's not sitting yet. I'm worried with these cold temps she may not have much success once she decides to. I also expect that the 6 that weren't developed from the other gal was because they hadn't been with a Drake but I started putting them back in the pen to help figure out how they were escaping. Got that figured out then realized she was brooding. So then I had to find the nest. I just found that Friday! Took me forever!

 

[weezerfish]

Feeling pretty lucky after reading the egg count posts. Still getting anywhere from 4 to 6 eggs a day from my ladies (2 RIR, 2 BSL, and 2 Ameraucanas). No supplemental lighting. All six are a little over 7 months old. Hoping they keep it up through winter but will be happy to get whatever they give me.

 

[weezerfish]

So in my coop I have two four foot long roosting bars with one about 8 inches higher than the other. DW said she looked in late Saturday night and saw 5 of the girls crammed together on half of the upper roosting bar, and Cadbury, our outcast RIR, sitting by herself on the lower bar at the other end. I've seen this arrangement several times before but didn't think much about it until just now. My question is, if the other girls won't let Cad up on the roost with them, will she be okay on the cold winter nights roosting by herself? Will the bird on the outside learn to appreciate the extra warmth enough to let Cad join them up there?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I forgot to add I have 2 scovy hens I hatched this spring that started laying! I was quite surprised. It's the 2 chocolate girls that escape my penned area. I found both nests. 1 has been brooding for several weeks. She had 12 eggs. Only 6 developing. The other gal has 6 so far but she's not sitting yet. I'm worried with these cold temps she may not have much success once she decides to. I also expect that the 6 that weren't developed from the other gal was because they hadn't been with a Drake but I started putting them back in the pen to help figure out how they were escaping. Got that figured out then realized she was brooding. So then I had to find the nest. I just found that Friday! Took me forever!

I was very surprised to have so many hatch for the scovys too. Its been a bad year for them, and the geese also. DH is really wanting me to raise turkeys again.. Brought it up again tonight after helping @Indyshent with hers late Sunday afternoon. He also wants me to add new blood to our goose flock. Gee and Angel the White Chinese are going to be 5 next spring, and my Brown Chinese are 4 and 3 now. I am still at the "we'll see" stage!

Feeling pretty lucky after reading the egg count posts. Still getting anywhere from 4 to 6 eggs a day from my ladies (2 RIR, 2 BSL, and 2 Ameraucanas). No supplemental lighting. All six are a little over 7 months old. Hoping they keep it up through winter but will be happy to get whatever they give me.

Mine always slow down, I have considered artificial lighting several times and always talk myself out of it.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So in my coop I have two four foot long roosting bars with one about 8 inches higher than the other. DW said she looked in late Saturday night and saw 5 of the girls crammed together on half of the upper roosting bar, and Cadbury, our outcast RIR, sitting by herself on the lower bar at the other end. I've seen this arrangement several times before but didn't think much about it until just now. My question is, if the other girls won't let Cad up on the roost with them, will she be okay on the cold winter nights roosting by herself? Will the bird on the outside learn to appreciate the extra warmth enough to let Cad join them up there?

If she is in an enclosed draft free coop, she should be ok. With some, its worked to put the outcast at the end of the same roost after dark.

 

[weezerfish]

If she is in an enclosed draft free coop, she should be ok. With some, its worked to put the outcast at the end of the same roost after dark.

Thanks. I'll keep an eye on things and see how they progress into winter. If we get some really cold nights I'll move her up there to be safe..

 

[weezerfish]

Okay...one more question before bed. We got 9 eggs today which really means we got 4 or 5 yesterday that we forgot to collect. Thinking they probably froze last night and got mixed into todays eggs that we collected this afternoon. I searched for "frozen eggs" and as usual found a number of threads with variety of advice on the topic. Always interested to hear what my trusted Hoosier friends have to say on the topic. Being that we don't know which of the 9 stayed out over night, should we pitch them all or just make sure we cook them really good?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Winter planning continues. DH is trying to get to the auctions when able, and buy up as many Tposts as possible. We hope to have at least 2 acres fenced and hot wired before the ground freezes. The more of it we install, the easier it gets. I have learned to test the fence regularly too and walk it for downed tree limbs etc. Its given my goats so much more freedom, and the cows are growing fast!
My cow neighbor said they have "hay bellies" and are looking great. Planning to have my vet out late march to look over the herds.
The chickens love to free range in the pasture too. Sill going through the coops we have and repairing/improving. A couple of my hens keep laying in the corners of the cow's houses, and eggs get stepped on, ugh. Lots of jumbo eggs from the Pekin and with Christmas around the corner, am glad we have them again. Just the best baked goods ever from those eggs.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Okay...one more question before bed. We got 9 eggs today which really means we got 4 or 5 yesterday that we forgot to collect. Thinking they probably froze last night and got mixed into todays eggs that we collected this afternoon. I searched for "frozen eggs" and as usual found a number of threads with variety of advice on the topic. Always interested to hear what my trusted Hoosier friends have to say on the topic. Being that we don't know which of the 9 stayed out over night, should we pitch them all or just make sure we cook them really good?

You can "candle" an egg if you think it may have froze. Bright flashlight in a dark room. Hold it up to the big end of the egg. If it froze you will see cracks.

Don't toss them! If you have pets, cook them and feed them back to the pets, or the chickens. Great protein source. I boil them, and then chop up shells and all. It takes a few hours of sustained freezing temps to make them crack. Betting they will be ok, but candle to be sure.