INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Mother2Hens]

I have at least 5 broody hens at the moment and a couple nights ago I pulled every egg and candled. There had to be well over 50 eggs! Some have been having new eggs added etc and the stages of development were all over the place. I tried grouping them and slipping certain ones under specific hens but I noticed quite a few withe detached air cells. Many clears which I only have 4 LF roos with the girls and I've had an unreal amount of predator losses in the past 2 weeks.

2 of my original 3 hens that were 5 yrs were lost. My EE and my SF. Very sad.

My dog killed 2 opossums and bother had babies. The first had 8 pinkies and the 2nd had 5 pretty good sized. He got her about 4 days ago and right around 2pm while we were working in the garden. Surprised me but the birds I've been losing have been during the day and a couple of times I was right outside not 20 feet from the action and I didn't see a thing. There's a mulberry tree in the tree line they're visiting and now I think it was that momma opossum...??!!

Really crazy and has just devestated my flock!

So sorry for your recent predator attacks!

Very sad to lose your original flock members. That's weird about the opossums; maybe motherhood caused them to seek hearty food during the day.
Another possibility. I read that opossums sleep during the day in brush piles, hollow logs, crawl spaces, etc., so it could be that your dog smelled and discovered where they were sleeping.
I don't mean to question your guess. I know you're trying to find out what happened. That's the worst part--not knowing! Here's that predator chart again…
(Predator ID chart can be found online: The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference Go to "Look Inside" and scroll to pages 211 and 212).

I picked up a chocolate cuckoo Orp cockerel and a solid chocolate Orp pullet earlier today from @Junibutt. They are so cute and my color and pattern range for next year has exploded! Many colors of cuckoo plus mauve and chocolate solids will he possible. These are LF Orps, too.

I continue to really enjoy putting faces to names from the thread. We're a great bunch of people!

Oh, I'd love to see photos of your new chicks! I never seen a chocolate cuckoo Orp. Are they Bantam or LF?

 

[Mother2Hens]

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day. I created this graphic to go along with a client's Facebook post. The business owners don't have human children, but are big animal lovers. Plus, I know that it's perfectly normal to be parents to pets! Sorry to feature a chicken predator, but father owls are devoted dads.

 

[ellymayRans]

[COLOR=8B4513]Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day. I created this graphic to go along with a client's Facebook post. The business owners don't have human children, but are big animal lovers. Plus, I know that it's perfectly normal to be parents to pets! Sorry to feature a chicken predator, but father owls are devoted dads.[/COLOR]

Thanks for the info! Great pic as well! Yeah, it's a tough one. When my dog was walking carrying it I was surprised I never heard him make any commotion over it. Which I would have expected. I've never known him to not bark at something first unless he was trying to catch it by coming up on it. I think if it were in a hole or hidden he would bark first before trying to get at it. He's done that with turtles and snakes he's found hiding. Bark and bark until he gets the nerve to reach in after it. Who knows. I just keep watching to see if I have any more losses. You can be at ease though the 2 girls that came back from you are still doing great!

 

[hogster160]

Good morning, and a belated Happy Fathers Day!

We have poults this morning! Woke up yesterday to 2 pipped, those same 2 were still pipped last night about 8, but larger holes, and 3 more pipped at that time. This morning at least 1 is hatched, which is all I could see. Egg #2 was the only one not pipped last night. This morning its pipped and cracked, but looks weird. At first I thought the egg went bad, so I took a smell, and its good, but it looks more like a hard boiled egg, does not look right at all. But as I raised it to take a listen, I could hear the poult tapping at the shell, so I put it back. Then mama didn't want me there any more. I will post picks as soon as they are done!

Oh and my broody tom, he was harassed by the other toms, and a huge fight started. I had to lock several up. Each time I let them out, they went back to fighting, and I locked them up for 2 days! In the meantime, we had a community nest for a while. A chicken hen would lay on them, then a turkey hen, back and forth all day. Its like they all want this nest to hatch. Now I have a blrw who is sitting on the nest, and she will not let anyone near her. Hissing and pecking if anyone or thing gets close. I have closed her off to keep her calm and to let the others know to leave them alone. I will candle if I can, but not sure if she will let me. She's the mama who killed a baby poult last year. But in her defense, she wasn't isolated until late in the sitting, first time mama, and my birds picked on her. So I'm not real sure how this is actually going to go. I guess only time will tell.

Elleymay, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. Give that dog of yours a great treat for getting the property clear! Do you have some live traps you could set up to help with the problem?

Deb

 

[ChickCrazed]

So sorry for your recent predator attacks!

Very sad to lose your original flock members. That's weird about the opossums; maybe motherhood caused them to seek hearty food during the day.
Another possibility. I read that opossums sleep during the day in brush piles, hollow logs, crawl spaces, etc., so it could be that your dog smelled and discovered where they were sleeping.
I don't mean to question your guess. I know you're trying to find out what happened. That's the worst part--not knowing! Here's that predator chart again…
(Predator ID chart can be found online: The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference Go to "Look Inside" and scroll to pages 211 and 212).


Oh, I'd love to see photos of your new chicks! I never seen a chocolate cuckoo Orp. Are they Bantam or LF?

Thanks for posting this! It is interesting that all of my hawk issues have been in the middle of the day, not at dusk or dawn as stated in the chart. I must have really stupid hawks that missed that memo!

 

[hogster160]

Mama let a couple come out to get their pics taken

 

[iamfivewire]

cuteness !

 

[bearbottom]

I need some help my fat face (chicken) has a swollen eye. Looks like she got pecked at by another chicken. Yesterday it was just red above the eye and today it's got a little goop in her eye. She trys to keep it closed but, will open it from time to time. Is there anything i can do for her? Or dose anyone know the number or name of the vet in Valparaiso Indiana that works with farm animals?

 

[daskhan]

anyone interested in milie fleur roos or silver seabright bantam roos im trying to get them plus about 5 hens from a person off craigslist but they want me to take all and i already have to many roos

 

[chick rookie]

Good morning, and a belated Happy Fathers Day!

We have poults this morning! Woke up yesterday to 2 pipped, those same 2 were still pipped last night about 8, but larger holes, and 3 more pipped at that time. This morning at least 1 is hatched, which is all I could see. Egg #2 was the only one not pipped last night. This morning its pipped and cracked, but looks weird. At first I thought the egg went bad, so I took a smell, and its good, but it looks more like a hard boiled egg, does not look right at all. But as I raised it to take a listen, I could hear the poult tapping at the shell, so I put it back. Then mama didn't want me there any more. I will post picks as soon as they are done!

Oh and my broody tom, he was harassed by the other toms, and a huge fight started. I had to lock several up. Each time I let them out, they went back to fighting, and I locked them up for 2 days! In the meantime, we had a community nest for a while. A chicken hen would lay on them, then a turkey hen, back and forth all day. Its like they all want this nest to hatch. Now I have a blrw who is sitting on the nest, and she will not let anyone near her. Hissing and pecking if anyone or thing gets close. I have closed her off to keep her calm and to let the others know to leave them alone. I will candle if I can, but not sure if she will let me. She's the mama who killed a baby poult last year. But in her defense, she wasn't isolated until late in the sitting, first time mama, and my birds picked on her. So I'm not real sure how this is actually going to go. I guess only time will tell.

Elleymay, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. Give that dog of yours a great treat for getting the property clear! Do you have some live traps you could set up to help with the problem?

Deb

I had a BJG that was a great mom last year but ate her eggs this year 2x so she went bye bye!!! I just cant tolerate a hen eating eggs or killing babies.

had an incident today with a leghorn hen, really surprising. She actually pushed a muscovy out of the nest, and was broody. Thats not ok.. if she is a good mother i can work with that, not the case!
She pecked a mutt chick that hatched, later died, and terrorized both ducks sitting. She is now in a crate, will remain there for a few weeks to break her. Both ducks returned to their nest of misc mutt chickens and ducks. This hen will likely not stay here. Not ok to kill helpless chicks and steal nests

Candled eggs between this mess and my scovies are good mama's several more developing. Not sure that I want to keep Leghorn next year, the hens are just not flock friendly.

I had leghorns last year, I found them to be mean as well. I got rid of them and wont get anymore, likes the white eggs and the sz was great too but just too mean.

I have at least 5 broody hens at the moment and a couple nights ago I pulled every egg and candled. There had to be well over 50 eggs! Some have been having new eggs added etc and the stages of development were all over the place. I tried grouping them and slipping certain ones under specific hens but I noticed quite a few withe detached air cells. Many clears which I only have 4 LF roos with the girls and I've had an unreal amount of predator losses in the past 2 weeks.

2 of my original 3 hens that were 5 yrs were lost. My EE and my SF. Very sad.

My dog killed 2 opossums and bother had babies. The first had 8 pinkies and the 2nd had 5 pretty good sized. He got her about 4 days ago and right around 2pm while we were working in the garden. Surprised me but the birds I've been losing have been during the day and a couple of times I was right outside not 20 feet from the action and I didn't see a thing. There's a mulberry tree in the tree line they're visiting and now I think it was that momma opossum...??!!

Really crazy and has just devestated my flock!

sorry about all your losses. We had a opossum with babies come out in the afternoon too, wonder if it has anything to do with the babies??

They are welcome here if you don't find takers.. DH really likes the ducks, and they are easy to keep for us since we have the pond.
I heard calf prices were pretty good there. Its just such a long drive for us its not worth it figuring in the gas.

Calf prices are stupid high right now here. Bottle calfs are 200 and up. To me that is outrageous.

No I'm more worried about the adult birds and cocci! It is really muddy!

x2 We are under water here, the chickens and the Goats are living on little islands right now. Worried to death. Had to go out last night in the middle of a down poor and rescue the LaManchas they were standing knee deep in water, the baby was up to his belly and none was Happy at all. So now I have all breeds of goats in the barn. Have never had this problem before and dont ever want it again!!! This rain dont stop I am going to have to put everyone in a ark... No joke.

Sand! We elevated our coops and put sand in all the runs. It dries really fast. I do have some of my birds on cocci meds right now precautionary, its a flippin' mess here.

Wish I could afford to put sand everyplace!!!!

Every Brahma hen I have is broody! I broke 2 of them a month ago and they are broody again!

None of my Brahmas have ever gone broody, but I did get a surprise broody from one of my White Rocks. Didn't know they would go broody.



I put 30 eggs in the incubator the other day, yes I am trying it 1 more time lol, did some research and am trying some new things.

hope all you fathers had a great fathers day.