INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[twoboystwogirls]

Hello everyone. Just starting our small family flock on our farm near Arcola, in Allen County. I thought it would be great to find others in my area that I might use as a "Mentor." I love this forum and have learn so much already! Jim

 

[SallyinIndiana]

But..... but..... If you heat it gently on the stovetop, they can still get the benefits from the raw milk that you're working so hard to provide them with your goat!

I need to get them to drink it cold or freshly milked if hot is desired. But so far I've had little luck with the children liking cold milk. At least I can get them to drink the goat's milk hot without adding the chocolate every time. My DH likes the goats milk too. BUT I truly need to save up for a real goat milk pump. the jar pump I have now is from a company with horrible customer service or a very cunning owner that got all hard to find parts.

Any ideas on the best and safest way to clear a 2 week old chicks nostrils? I think the thing buried it's head in the fermented feed. I cleared the outer part of the nostrils but I am guessing it has more in there I can't easily get to and probably sniffed some into it's nostrils. That can't be good for it! The whole beak'face'head had a crust of feed on it. I think it probably buried it's head eating and then fell asleep and that gave the feed long enough to dry in the nice hot brooder. It was trying to rub it's beak against stuff to get it off - I just flaked it all off.

I am ultra paranoid about everything right now! We lost 2 chicks - my DD's precious silkie Monday AM and another, a Buckeye, Monday afternoon. Cocci was the culprit. The one Monday afternoon went so fast. Thought we'd lose another when I woke up Tuesday morning, but it bounced back thank God. Got the meds in the water the night before. I did not use Corrid, I used an herbal remedy called Kocci Free. It did the trick! I just started it too late for it to help the first 2 we lost. So Cocci for the first time and AI hitting IN, I feel like I am on high alert and watching every chick so closely. Analyzing poop - my goodness who knew I'd be so concerned with how poop looks!

This may not bee what you want to hear, but I have better results raising chicks when I don't over monitor them. I make sure they have plenty of heat, water, food, and venting about 3-4 times in 24 hours. the 2014 chicks I raised I was checking and checking on them and I think it stressed them out. That batch I had more piling and just more weak scared chickens. After that I changed the feeders and the waters so I could let the chicks just be by themselves for longer. I still get one here or there that is a fail to thrive chick or does not grow fast enough to stay with its age group. But the piling is almost nonexistent now.

 

[oldrooster]

Quote:
try getting a used or cheap new coffee maker, don't make coffee in it, it will cause the basket and pot over time to taste like coffee. just use it for hot water, to make a pitcher of tea you heat the water add water and tea bags to pitcher and viola! tea. instant oatmeal, hot chocolate from a packet a breeze also. instant coffee is also easy.

 

[amwchickin]

Wow, I have missed a lot in the last week. I can't even begin to comment on what is going on with everyone. I hope everyone is well, and those that have had health issues and bad troublesome chicken problems - I wish you the best!

I have really enjoyed the different opinions and ideas, even the little debates. I am a free-ranger person, only in the sense that we originally didn't set up to have all the birds cooped up. And then I went and got all chicken-math crazy. Two years ago, we started with 6 chicks and 2 turkeys, ended up having to put the whole flock of over twenty-some birds after several months of building with "dream breeds" because of coccoidosis. Having to cull those birds was heartbreaking, but just looking at the sickness that was spreading through them made me ache even more. I have determined that fiasco to be poor selling of birds at a swap meet and then poor bio-security on my part. (I didn't think to take a bird from my flock and put it in with the newer ones for awhile before letting them out with the others - no one was sick until after I integrated everyone.)

I cleaned and regrouped after that. Last spring I started with something like 12 chicks again and then met a couple IN BYCers and got birds from them, then chickenfest happened and I got more birds...this spring more...got an incubator...hatched out 1!! Then got some hatching eggs and have hatched 9/12 of those...

I am at around 50 birds right now. Many stay in the main back yard, but my oldest members of the flock go everywhere around our property and even to the horse fields around us and to the neighbor lady because she has started giving them scratch...smart birds.

My dream would be to have at least one large shed-like coop that I can shut the birds in if needed. Right now that won't happen. Having dealt with chicken sickness before, I am on alert for anything else to happen. I take a moment and look at each and every bird every couple days to notice any changes or problems. I know I am doing the best I can for my flock because of what I have learned from everyone on here. I had no idea I would want to learn so much about backyard chicken husbandry. You all have given me great info, a different way of looking at things, and wonderful entertainment!!!

Okay, whew, that was a lot to get out of my brain today. I am sunburned to a crisp, even after applying sunscreen twice. I built a chicken tractor for my meatbirds yesterday, and I'm the one who got baked!!!

I had the little out for some supervised free-range time and at the end of the day when I was putting everything away, my Australian Shepherd, Roxy made me so proud! The week old Marans chicks found their way out of the pen and this is what I found:


The chicks stayed together and Roxy was laying down watching over them! If one went off on its own, she would make it get back to the group. This girl has gone from a chicken-killing pup to the watchful eye of my flock. She even breaks up fights now!

 

[chickiefreak]

I need to get them to drink it cold or freshly milked if hot is desired. But so far I've had little luck with the children liking cold milk. At least I can get them to drink the goat's milk hot without adding the chocolate every time. My DH likes the goats milk too. BUT I truly need to save up for a real goat milk pump. the jar pump I have now is from a company with horrible customer service or a very cunning owner that got all hard to find parts.

This may not bee what you want to hear, but I have better results raising chicks when I don't over monitor them. I make sure they have plenty of heat, water, food, and venting about 3-4 times in 24 hours. the 2014 chicks I raised I was checking and checking on them and I think it stressed them out. That batch I had more piling and just more weak scared chickens. After that I changed the feeders and the waters so I could let the chicks just be by themselves for longer. I still get one here or there that is a fail to thrive chick or does not grow fast enough to stay with its age group. But the piling is almost nonexistent now.

 

[iamfivewire]

havent posted in a while , but have been keeping up reading
wecome to the new people in the group - a great & caring bunch of "extended family" here
sorry for all the illnesses & deaths of the poultry pets - been thru it too & is always difficult
& sorry to hear of personal & family ilnesses
other than that , been busy being overrun with many chickens - need to get rid of a few tho

 

[chickiefreak]

I had a very bad day yesterday, started with the fire next door, had to bring in my silkies cause they ere just to close in my op. got laid off work, that really bites!! Came home to find Lacy ( my SLW ) dead for no apparent reason RIP my beautiful girl and had to rush my Max, ( Baby goat ) to the vet for bloat. he didn't make the trip RIP my handsome little man. I will miss both of them very badly.
The vet showed me what to do the next time one of the goats bloat that bad ( I have only had this happen 1 time before and I got it fixed, but I caught it quick ) Just wish I would have known how to do it sooner, could have saved my little man.
Need to find a way to get rid of clover in my pasture. Vet says that can cause bloat, that or maybe the pine tree bark I caught him eating.

I get up this morning with news that my Aunt ( that I am close to ) may have Cancer. Lord please don't give me any more, I just don't think I can deal with it.
I think someone put a curse on me. Things were finely going great, should have known it was too good to last.

 

[Bawk]

Any ideas on the best and safest way to clear a 2 week old chicks nostrils?  I think the thing buried it's head in the fermented feed. I cleared the outer part of the nostrils but I am guessing it has more in there I can't easily get to and probably sniffed some into it's nostrils. That can't be good for it! The whole beak'face'head had a crust of feed on it. I think it probably buried it's head eating and then fell asleep and that gave the feed long enough to dry in the nice hot brooder.  It was trying to rub it's beak against stuff to get it off - I just flaked it all off. 

I am ultra paranoid about everything right now! We lost 2 chicks - my DD's precious silkie Monday AM and another, a Buckeye,  Monday afternoon. Cocci was the culprit. The one Monday afternoon went so fast.  Thought we'd lose another when I woke up Tuesday morning, but it bounced back thank God. Got the meds in the water the night before.  I did not use Corrid, I used an herbal remedy called Kocci Free.  It did the trick! I just started it too late for it to help the first 2 we lost. So Cocci for the first time and AI hitting IN, I feel like I am on high alert and watching every chick so closely. Analyzing poop - my goodness who knew I'd be so concerned with how poop looks!

Um one of those suction bulb thingies? Oh wait, that's for people babies

 

[Bawk]

My latest set of bugs are now shipped and on their way to my mailbox.   

With the goats being here all winter, I was fully expecting more flies.  So far these little shipped bugs are keeping the flies gone or to a low minimum.  My larger duck and teenage chick area still has the most flies of any pen but at least I'm not seeing any large numbers of flies just hanging around the portable pens.

What kind of bugs?

 

[bradselig]

I still have several white silkie chicks, partridge bantam Cochins, self blue/lavender bantam Cochin cockerels, red bantam Cochin cockerels, and 2 pairs of older partridge bantam Cochins available. Not to mention 5-6 salmon faverolles pullets! 2 are probably close to 3 months old, the remaining are going on 2 months old.mmthe younger ones maybe blue salmon. I can't tell on the pullets. Pm if interested