INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Pollitos6]

I'm glad your grandpa liked what you found and will enjoy the pretty eggs. I know they're all eggs, but i actually prefer the blue eggs. For some reason they seem more gold-yolked and slightly richer taste. It could just be that particular hen's diet. Technically they're all eating the same feed, but perhaps my EE is just better at foraging in the yard.

I still recommend continuing the search for a silkie or two. Not for the eggs, but for the companionship. I personally find them weird-looking, but once you've had one, you'll understand why so many people are obsessed with them. My DD's silkie is beyond spoiled. Her only goal in life is to be cuddled. She whines and stands on my boot to be picked up.


Here's the queen of all chickens: Xansie
View attachment 2276896
View attachment 2276876View attachment 2276877
View attachment 2276887View attachment 2276883View attachment 2276891

Xansie's very 1st spa day. (She's been many colors throughout the years.)
View attachment 2276904

She also goes out Trick-or-Treating every year.
View attachment 2276909
Above: Xansie wore a dress to go as a girl, and DD wore a chicken costume
Below: Xansie made an adorable bat!
View attachment 2276914

Here's a rare sight of a pathetic, wet silkie.
View attachment 2276879

How often to you bath your silkies? I have 4 silkies (less than a year old) and I just provide dust and DE. I understand they have hair instead of feathers and I am new to silkies... are we supposed to give them a bath instead of letting them dust bath?

 

[Pollitos6]

Tomorrow (this morning since I never sleep) the new hatched BR, BCM, LAM will join their flocks. I'm expecting an uprising and hateful act from my 4 adult BRs. All the new birds are 12 weeks and no longer have chick sounds. I'm betting this will not go well and that's fine. Mean hens will get time out. I add new hens yearly obviously so we always have eggs. How do you introduce new hens without issues?

When I introduce chicks to my flock I usually keep them in a large dog crate inside the main coop. That way they all get to see the new members of the flock without touching. I have never introduced adult hens but I am assuming same principal should work.
Good luck

 

[Pollitos6]

Hello all,

I have been disconnected for a few and now I am catching up with all the new posts. We are finally in September. What a year!!! can't wait for 2021 and lets hope is better than 2020.
Sooo I have some news... Luna my buff orpington who just had babies back in May is broody again and guess what? she is hiding a clutch of eggs under my deck. No way we can get her out, and honestly the eggs should be developing by now so might as well let her hatch the eggs. She only comes out once a day to eat, drink and goes back in. I did not want more chicks this late on the season but mother nature called her and the little stinker is hiding under the deck.
The other topic that I would like to comment, vent.... is that I might have to re-home my shih tzu. She killed a baby duckling yesterday and was aiming for the second one but I saw her and yelled at her so she stop. My heart is broken. The baby duckling was still alive and I held him/her (not sure of the sex) and it passed in my arms. I just can't get away from my mind the image of my dog with bloody mouth. She has tasted killing already and I just can't keep her. She is great with humans, very calm and loving but no good with poultry. She is 10 years old, never had puppies, spayed and spoiled. She will be a great companion for a household with no poultry, puppies and small children. She is up to date with her vaccines,taking heart warm preventive treatment and tick treatment. I mean she is well taken care of and I hate to see her go, but she can't stay. If anyone is interested or knows of someone who can offer a good home for her please let me know. I am located in Indianapolis. attached a picture of her.

 

[Faraday40]

How often to you bath your silkies? I have 4 silkies (less than a year old) and I just provide dust and DE. I understand they have hair instead of feathers and I am new to silkies... are we supposed to give them a bath instead of letting them dust bath?

Silkies dust bath like other chickens and generally take good care of themselves. We only bath them if they need it (like got poop on them). The kids sometimes give ours a bath for fun, but those spa days usually end up with dyed and dressed up chickens. (Chickens do not need clothes, jewelry, nail polish, and hair dye!)


Because Silkies have feathered feet, you'll have to check toes and nails regularly. For some reason mine do not file toenails down naturally via scratching, so they need nail clips. They could also get matted poop on their foot feathers.

 

[Finnie]

Hello all,

I have been disconnected for a few and now I am catching up with all the new posts. We are finally in September. What a year!!! can't wait for 2021 and lets hope is better than 2020.
Sooo I have some news... Luna my buff orpington who just had babies back in May is broody again and guess what? she is hiding a clutch of eggs under my deck. No way we can get her out, and honestly the eggs should be developing by now so might as well let her hatch the eggs. She only comes out once a day to eat, drink and goes back in. I did not want more chicks this late on the season but mother nature called her and the little stinker is hiding under the deck.
The other topic that I would like to comment, vent.... is that I might have to re-home my shih tzu. She killed a baby duckling yesterday and was aiming for the second one but I saw her and yelled at her so she stop. My heart is broken. The baby duckling was still alive and I held him/her (not sure of the sex) and it passed in my arms. I just can't get away from my mind the image of my dog with bloody mouth. She has tasted killing already and I just can't keep her. She is great with humans, very calm and loving but no good with poultry. She is 10 years old, never had puppies, spayed and spoiled. She will be a great companion for a household with no poultry, puppies and small children. She is up to date with her vaccines,taking heart warm preventive treatment and tick treatment. I mean she is well taken care of and I hate to see her go, but she can't stay. If anyone is interested or knows of someone who can offer a good home for her please let me know. I am located in Indianapolis. attached a picture of her.

Is there any way you can provide separate spaces for your dog and chickens/ducks? It seems a shame to give up on a 10 year relationship with your dog over this. She only did what her natural instincts told her to do. Not her fault. You just need to keep her away from the poultry. If this is the first time she has killed any, she might not have as high a prey drive as you think, and can possibly be trained to leave them alone. Also, once they are no longer bite-sized, maybe she will not be interested in eating them.

 

[Pollitos6]

Is there any way you can provide separate spaces for your dog and chickens/ducks? It seems a shame to give up on a 10 year relationship with your dog over this. She only did what her natural instincts told her to do. Not her fault. You just need to keep her away from the poultry. If this is the first time she has killed any, she might not have as high a prey drive as you think, and can possibly be trained to leave them alone. Also, once they are no longer bite-sized, maybe she will not be interested in eating them.

I appreciate your advise. I really hate to see her go but right now I am just hurt and sad she killed one of my ducklings. Maybe I need time ... My poultry has a big area fenced and gated separate from my dogs area. We just open their gate sometimes to let them eat the bugs (specially ticks) out of our backyard. Right now their gate is closed.

 

[Finnie]

. Maybe I need time ...

Yes, give yourself some time. You don’t want to make a rash decision while emotions are high, and then regret it later.

My 10 year old dachshund has killed or injured a few of my poultry. They have separate areas too, but the chickens can jump over the fence. So it’s up to me to monitor whether any chickens have gotten in the dog run whenever I let my dogs out. (2 dachshunds and 1 collie) The collie is good, she was easy to train to leave them alone, or at least to stay back when the dachshunds are getting in trouble. For the most part, the dachshunds also know better now after some severe scolding. But hunting is in their heritage, so I can never just rely on trusting them.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Hoosiers in the northwest! Arbor View Animal Hospital accepts appointments for chickens. However they can't perform caponizing . doesn't help me but might help some of you

 

[Finnie]

I appreciate your advise. I really hate to see her go but right now I am just hurt and sad she killed one of my ducklings. Maybe I need time ... My poultry has a big area fenced and gated separate from my dogs area. We just open their gate sometimes to let them eat the bugs (specially ticks) out of our backyard. Right now their gate is closed.

@Pollitos6 , how’s it going today?

 

[man_of_fishers]

We’re well underway here! I hear happy cheeps inside the eggs. That’s 20 days for two of them this time around. Two still have no movement.