INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[browncow15]

Busy week this week! I've been canning strawberry jam and the kids have vbs.

Caught another rat last night! Maybe it's the one I saw in the coop last week? Hopefully they're gone now that I've caught a pair! Anyway it makes me feel a little better about the chicks my broody will be hatching later this week! I'm thinking I may still try to find a game camera to set up just to make sure they're gone.

 

[lilrider]

Well we were doing so great not a single lost chick and no raccoon incidents and then the smallest chick disappeared somehow somewhere yesterday. I left the barn shut up yesterday and the coop inside the barn shut because of the torrential downpours but the chicks found a spot where they could slip out of the coop. So last night I found them all huddled in the corner of the barn except the smallest one who was supposedly barred rock but I suspect mislabeled and was bantam. Thing is I can't find it anywhere. I searched high and low. No where to be found. No feathers or anything suggesting a struggle though the barn should be impervious to predators and there would be more than one tiny chick missing. I thought maybe snake but no way it was too cold and rainy yesterday and the big snakes are rare around here mostly just have garter snakes.

So I'm at a loss! I mean the reason I picked up 8 chicks is I figured I might lose one maybe two especially buying from a feed store they're not always the best health. But it bothers me that this one just poof and disappeared.

Good news is I found someone close by selling midget white turkeys. Poults and half grown. So picking some up Thirsday.

 

[lilrider]

Some of the babies last week

 

[browncow15]

Well we were doing so great not a single lost chick and no raccoon incidents and then the smallest chick disappeared somehow somewhere yesterday. I left the barn shut up yesterday and the coop inside the barn shut because of the torrential downpours but the chicks found a spot where they could slip out of the coop. So last night I found them all huddled in the corner of the barn except the smallest one who was supposedly barred rock but I suspect mislabeled and was bantam. Thing is I can't find it anywhere. I searched high and low. No where to be found. No feathers or anything suggesting a struggle though the barn should be impervious to predators and there would be more than one tiny chick missing. I thought maybe snake but no way it was too cold and rainy yesterday and the big snakes are rare around here mostly just have garter snakes.

So I'm at a loss! I mean the reason I picked up 8 chicks is I figured I might lose one maybe two especially buying from a feed store they're not always the best health. But it bothers me that this one just poof and disappeared.

Good news is I found someone close by selling midget white turkeys. Poults and half grown. So picking some up Thirsday.

How old are they? I had chicks disappearing without a trace and it was rats.

 

[Bawk]

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So this is the week I am to get hatching eggs from two different breeders. Exciting!

Now the issue stressing me out..... The one sending Mottled Houdans and Gold Brabanters, I haven't heard from since last week. Projected shipping date was this past Monday. Getting on edge that I haven't gotten a confirmation nor heard a peep. The other shipped yesterday, 6 Cream Legbar eggs..due to arrive tomorrow. Exciting!

Getting concerned that we have not heard from the other breeder. We have plans for our Mennonite friend to hatch the eggs in her incubator. We can't do two separate lock downs. Not sure what to do. Stressed.

 

[Bawk]

We had issue with rats when we first started off. We got those poison maze traps and put them a ways away, didn't seem to bother the chickens but took care of rat issue. Afraid to use it if your chickens eat the rats/mice. Now have concrete floor in chicken house. Helps a lot more, no more tunnels.

 

[Acornewell]

Since changing the bedding to the peppered horse stall bedding I have not had. One issue with coccidia.

Also while on the topic has anyone used the coccidia vaccine?

Hmmmm...peppered horse bedding? I have never heard of this.

I'm curious about this as well.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Hmmmm...peppered horse bedding? I have never heard of this.

I'm curious about this as well.

I think he meant pelleted horse bedding, I use it as well. It looks like large grain pellets but is compressed sawdust. When it gets wet it absorbs the moisture and breaks apart into normal sawdust - and is no longer wet. Once the broken down pellets get wet again you clean it like normal bedding. It isn't as dusty if used correctly and is larger, so I don't think new chicks are as likely to eat it. I use it in my horse stalls as well.

 

[Acornewell]

Quote: HAHA! I was wondering, peppered chicken? LOL JK

This sounds like something to try for sure! SOLD!

 

[DuckiesGarden]

Some of the babies last week

Cute!!!