INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

I would have LOVED to see that convo! I am leaning towards Blue black or splash! I may go splash I already have the BAs and the LO's

 

[Old Salt 1945]

I don't get all caught up in food scares or environmental scares. The news people have to have something to sell papers/attract viewers. In the '70's there was "absolute proof" that we were going into an ice age due to global cooling. Now it's global warming. It's all rubbish. What it is is weather. It varies. Warm spells, cool spells. Probably due to sunspots, or duck farts. Who knows.

Food additives, GMO (or is it GMA?), etc. We live longer than ever before. Well, except for the folks that worry themselves into an early grave over this kind of nonsense. All things in moderation and you will be fine. If there is anything that will cause you the least bit of harm, the lawyers will pounce on it to the very last dollar. Some of the preservatives in food might be what has kept me from rotting, yet. Americans are an odd bunch. We see a river catch fire from pollutants being dumped into it and we decide to do something about it. Some years later, we are measuring pollutants in the parts per billion and trying to do something about that regardless of cost or benefit. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

Dad always had a garden and chickens. Sometimes a milk cow and/or calves for meat. I had no interest in the garden and he didn't force me. I was the oldest and got the job of killing, scalding, and plucking the chickens. I was a kid and got a kick out of chopping of their heads and watching them flop around. After messing up a couple of hens, Mom wouldn't let me butcher them anymore. I probably should have messed up the plucking. I didn't like that job. It was tedious. We had a gentle Jersey cow and my brothers and I would lead it over to a fence so we could climb the fence to get high enough to get on the cow's back. Then the others would let the cow go. I was the worst rider. My youngest brother was the best. It was in suburban Dallas. There were cactus and cowpies everywhere. I don't remember any of us falling into either. We would also grab the cow's tail and ski behind her. The middle brother was the best at that. Dad always scolded us to not ride the cow, it would break down her back. Years later, they admitted that they watched us through a window, laughing at our antics.

Home raised veggies and meat are the best, especially when well ridden.

I won't tell you about the sugar sandwiches we ate (buttered bread with about an 1/8" of sugar between slices). Didn't kill us yet.

Chill and be happy,

John

 

[Too Fast]

^^^John, I know about sugar and butter sandwiches. Had quite a few in my early youth also. I love your comment about home raised meat, well ridden.

I was going to chime in about the weather scare of the 70s also, I sure remember all the ''proof'' they were spouting about the next ice age is right around the corner. ''For sure it will happen in the next 10 years.''

For those who are worried about global warming and the dire consequences predicted, just think how bad global cooling would be. A heck of a lot worse than warming.

 

[Too Fast]

So check out the pathetic first attempts, lol:

Our SLW, 10.5 weeks old. 2nd morning of crowing, seems louder the 2nd AM. Hopefully he will only crow about 8x each morning, then shut up.

.................sniff.....................sniff.......................no love or laughter from the Indiana BYC crowd about our SLW Merlin and his first crowing..........................sniff.............he's out there this morning, pathetically crowing, or crying, since nobody has made any comments about him. Maybe he should just go to freezer camp now and get it over with.

Everybody is worried about global warming/cooling/mad cow disease/hormones and not about a sad attempt at crowing.

Seriously, does anyone know if this predicts anything about crowing when he is 4-6 months older than now?

 

[Kiniska]

Exactly, this is why I decided its time to raise my own food. All the weird stuff they feed back to the animals, who knows WHAT we are actually eating. Same with our milk, hence goats in my pasture! The more I read what food, and medications goes into the battery farm animals, the less I want to eat store bought food, or even eat out. I plan to be fairly self sufficient soon, and can avoid everything but vegetables for the table. May do a small garden this year, but it wont be enough to last all year.

Soylent green is people!

 

[CRSelvey]

I thought so too! If it was a girl I might think it looks like Tina Turner

 

[danand]

Old salt- I'd forgotten all about butter and sugar sandwiches!!!. Might just go have one now!! We did toast though!

 

[danand]

Also- Kab, sorry about your loss!

 

[ShawnaScott]

^^^John, I know about sugar and butter sandwiches. Had quite a few in my early youth also. I love your comment about home raised meat, well ridden.

I was going to chime in about the weather scare of the 70s also, I sure remember all the ''proof'' they were spouting about the next ice age is right around the corner. ''For sure it will happen in the next 10 years.''

For those who are worried about global warming and the dire consequences predicted, just think how bad global cooling would be. A heck of a lot worse than warming.

Technically, we are living in a current Ice Age. In an interglacial period, so it is plausible that a glacial period will happen sometime in the future. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but 1,000 years down the road? Maybe.

Global warming is misleading. It will increase the overall temperature, melting the ice caps, which will then put an influx of cold water into the oceans, effectively cooling many places on Earth. The rise in sea levels will disrupt, even destroy many natural habitats. Flooding will occur due to increase rainfall in some areas, while others experience drought. Storms will become more violent, weather in general will be more extreme. We're already experiencing some of the worst storms in history. I'm not saying it's all bad, or that everyone is going to die, but its definately not going to be sunshine and rainbows the whole way.

Sorry about the lecture. I'm sort of a science geek.

 

[Quinstar]

Howdy. I'm John Reckel. I am retired and live just outside of Lebanon on 4 acres. Back in about 1975 I raised a bunch of chickens, ducks, pheasants, quail, rabbits, peacocks, and I don't remember what all. Dogs got my peacocks. An owl killed most of the pheasants (I ate the rest). The ducks flew south. A horrible winter combined with the worst imaginable excuse for a chicken coop (I had children and, thus, no extra money) killed most of the chickens. The quail and rabbits escaped into the wild, likely getting strained through coyotes. Lord I was a lousy at animal-raising.

Recently, my middle granddaughter from my middle daughter hatched 6 RIR chicks and raised them all. One turned out to be an aggressive rooster; the rest are hens. My daughter asked me to take it away; she cared not to where. I took it home and dumped it in the barn, wondering how long it would live before being strained through the ever-present coyotes. Two months later, with "Rooster Cogburn" remarkably unstrained, and remembering how much fun I had had previously raising poultry, I placed an order with eFowl.com for:

16 Indian Runner Ducks (6 Blue, 5 Chocolate, 5 Fawn and White),

5 Silver Laced Wyandotte Pullets,
5 Gold Laced Wyandotte Pullets,
5 Black Jersey Giant Pullets,
5 Buff Cochin,
5 Blue Cochin

Shipping of the Ducks was not timely and 1 Blue, 3 Chocolate, and 3 Fawns were dead.
eFowl.com very quickly gave a refund for the ducklings that were murdered by USPS incompetence.

While waiting for the eFowl shipments, I became enamored with the Buff Orpington chicks at Tractor Supply and bought 12.
A month later the duckling survivors arrived.
A week later I bought 4 1-week old guinea chicks. I put the guineas in with the ducks (much larger, it's amazing how fast ducklings grow) and they get along just fine.
A day later the chicks from eFowl arrived. All survived and are cute as hell. They threw in an extra Buff Cochin.

So now it's a week later, and all is well on the bird front. No deaths.

When I placed the order, I immediately started building a chicken house in one corner of the barn. It is 8' x 16' with a raised plywood floor and 7' ceiling. I sectioned it off, temporarily, with 30" high plywood panels with 1/2 for the 6-week old cochins, 1/4 for the ducks/guineas, 1/4 for me to set on a lawn chair and admire my new critters. The 26 baby chicks are in the basement in a cardboard enclosure until old enough to be put in the henhouse.

I made a temporary chicken yard using 2 x 4 x 48" x 100 ft welded wire and T posts. Big enough for now.

I let the Orpingtons out at around 10 AM and close the door at 8:30 PM. I ordered an Add-a-Motor automatic door.

If the temperature is 80 or better, I take the ducks out, but stay with them. They might get through the fence. The Orpingtons are curious, but mostly leave them alone. Except for one hen that pecked them several times. I caught her and snipped off the point of her upper beak with the dog's nail trimmer.

I made up feeders and waterers from ideas I found on the internet. I am in the process of making treadle feeders. I am installing a window fan for summer ventilation controlled by a thermostat. Since I don't have water in the barn, I am putting a 55-gallon plastic drum in the loft to occasionally fill with a garden hose and use gravity to fill waterers. The fenced pasture are will eventually be 80' x 150'.

I now have many more feathered varmints than I planned, but kept getting stuck with the "minimum order" conundrum. We had chickens when I was a kid, so I know how to turn extra chickens into finger-lickin' good meals.

I still want some colored egg layers, Auracana, EE, whatever, but not 5 of each!

So! There you have it. The old coot has gone bonkers. Half-heimers has set in.


Brand new baby Indian Runner Ducks



Ducks @ 2 weeks; Orpingtons at 5 1/2 weeks



Homemade feeder; works well


Ducks & Guineas getting along well


Rooster Cogburn (the mean neighborhood pet) checking out the new kids on the block.


Week old Guineas


Week old ducks and guineas


Yellow=Buff Cochin, Light Blue=Blue Cochin, Smaller Black= Jersey Black Giant,
Black w. brown=Gold Laced Wyandotte, Black w. white=Silver Laced Wyandotte


Another shot of the week-old babies


The blurs are babies flying. Flock record altitude about a foot.
I need taller cardboard or they will end up in the sump pump.


John

So cute! Love them all and I'm loving your stories too! Keep em coming!

Sooo, I decided to skip the "medium" size coop and run for 10 chickens, and make a big coop. It is 10 foot long by 8 foot wide, and 6 feet tall. How many chickens will fit comfortably? Also, should I make a run attached to it? I am planning on fencing in about an acre for the chickens, so I didn't know if I should just have that, or put a run in it. What is the purpose of a run anyway?

Also, what do I put in a chicken coop besides chickens? Like perches, hen boxes, etc? How high should all that be? I am so lost when it comes to that!
My JRT gets these too! When your JRT lays down, does it look like this:


My vet believes that he gets abrasions on the hairless part of his tummy because of the weird way he lays. I've always thought that he gets hot and likes to stick his tummy on the cold floor.

My English Bulldog lays just like that and my brother's Staffordshire does as well. Neither of them have anything going on with their stomachs so I doubt that's what's causing it, but I could be wrong.

Sad day on the farm. I feel like the worst chicken keeper ever. My little Sparky died today. It was my fault and I feel terrible. Live and learn I guess.

So sorry! She was a Light Brahma right? My Brahma is my sweetest of all of my chicks so far. Sorry you had to lose her.

Also, I saw this pic posted on facebook the other day They were looking for names for this little guy. Isn't he cute? I think I might need one, lol.

Ok, what kind of chick is this, because I really must have one!

So check out the pathetic first attempts, lol:

Our SLW, 10.5 weeks old. 2nd morning of crowing, seems louder the 2nd AM. Hopefully he will only crow about 8x each morning, then shut up.

If someone had played that for me with just sound I would never have guessed rooster. Also, he's stinking cute!!! Are you planning on keeping him?