INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[BackyardBitten]

Oh my, I feel very humbled to see I was awarded the BYC friend badge! How exciting and thank you!

Way to go!!!

Very well deserved indeed!

 

[BackyardBitten]

All I have is a picture of the chicks, all of my bigger birds were bought. Ive been calling them Orpinghorns but really they are similar to the Tetra Tint that Tractor Supply sells, just with gold instead of red. If you look closely at the pic you can see their faces are a darker gold, when they feather out the girls have gold heads and shoulders with white bodies with sone gold streaking. The boys are mostly white with gold streaking.

Orpinghorns, I love it!!!

Its a very cute name for what you describe as some nice looking birds. For kicks and giggles you should trademark it lololol

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have not posted in a while, lots of things always going on in life and BYC is one that seems to get pushed aside. Looks like everyone is having fun with their chickens as are we still. Can't believe this spring our pallet coop will be 3 years old. It is holding up well and no water leaks or any other structure problems, and have only lost one chicken (to a possum, scared the crap outta my wife when she went to lock up the girls one night last fall) to a predator. Our original flock of 8 that we raised from babies are now getting old, and the occasional egg we get from them is huge! Of those 8, we have 3 and also a favorelle. So we still have 4 from then.

We did get 5 golden comet pullets and are expecting egg production to start around the end of January or at least be the end of February. We had to do something we have not done in years, buy some store eggs. My 10 y.o. son called them "stupid eggs" lol. Can't wait for real eggs again!

Great to see you! I totally hate store bought eggs too.

All I have is a picture of the chicks, all of my bigger birds were bought. Ive been calling them Orpinghorns but really they are similar to the Tetra Tint that Tractor Supply sells, just with gold instead of red. If you look closely at the pic you can see their faces are a darker gold, when they feather out the girls have gold heads and shoulders with white bodies with sone gold streaking. The boys are mostly white with gold streaking.

y

Adorable!

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

Looking for buff silkies or showgirls in or around Corydon, Palmyra. If anyone knows of someone, can you help by pointing me in their direction please. I am having a hard time finding nice buff silkies. Looking for a few lovely ladies like this girl.

I have 5 buff silkies and I am looking for 3 or 4 more but I would really like to find a buff showgirl

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Regarding semester workloads: Ah, I envy this. I kept trying to get into Orgo, but alas, I have to take yet another semester of Calculus (the engineer type; everyone else in the class is going into engineering, I appear to be the only vet-in-training). Heck, I'm not in classes with other science people at all (except my second semester English for Science Writing class, but I'm still the only vet). the most horrible one is turning out to be Education Psychology. Professor told everyone the day before Christmas to read all of Tuesdays with Morrie and half of How Children Fail before the first class meeting. I was a late addition, so I didn't get the message until THE DAY BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS. Dirty, rotten expletive of an instructor STILL EXPECTED ME TO HAVE READ THEM. And I wanted to punch him in the face. Of course, he also wanted everyone to write down deep stuff about themselves and form our permanent groups for the semester based on deep stuff... and everyone in the class except me is a teacher-in-training, so everyone already knew everyone else, and me walking around, pimping myself out and trying to get to know people just made me feel even more rejected when nobody picked me... then the instructor made it worse by forcibly splitting apart a group of friends and making one of them join me. So I'm reading really inane books that have nothing to do with my major because of a stupid gen-ed requirement.

Ah, me and chemistry haven't had a good track record... I had to take general chem twice, I just didn't get it the first time. So I guess that's why organic has me put off. And unreasonable instructors, ugh! I haven't had the pleasure of being stuck with one since I finished all my gen-eds, though. It sucks, but you just have to get through them and then you get into the interesting stuff.

Concerning Elda, yup, we've gone through that with "The Green Girls" (the BB turkey hens we raised this year). Vermithrax always had a bit more 'tude. Falkor was the first to strut (after the tom, of course), and when he went through the "beat up on girls to show them you love them" phase, well, she was there to hand him his fancy butt on a gilded platter. But Saphira? Nope, she was the faultlessly sweet one, never nipped a soul, took treats politely, very good girl... until her lap was repeatedly usurped by the more demanding girls. Then, sometimes, the green beastie within would glimmer forth from her eyes, and she'd nip someone's butt feathers. Quoth the turkey: "That's MY lap!" Then the bumblefoot happened, and sh'es had a lot less patience with everyone than she normally does. I'm sure she'll go back to her sweet self once she's not in mind-numbing pain with every step.

 
Aw, poor girl! Hope she feels better soon!

The Dorkings are both lacking the 'tudes. I think my Fayoumi and Barred Rocks have the corner on attitude! Poor Dorking gals are too sweet for their own good! I guess it's good that Elly's getting a bit more pushy, for her own good. Of course, she's only getting pushy with a teeny-tiny one-pound duck who is probably less than 1/4 her size... But that's beside the point.

Regarding babies: I have 41 eggs in a borrowed incubator (favorite hen was eaten on the nest by a stray dog; five eggs survived). Mixes should be absolutely crazy. Of roosters I had during that period of laying, I had one birchen sumatra, one black Sumatra, one gold birchen Sumatra mix, one BLRW, one SplashLRW, two dark Brahmas, one black Breda, one black Cochin. Of hens, I have two SLW, one GLW, one black Cochin, one mottled Breda (haven't seen any white eggs, so I don't think she's laying--or she lays the wrong color. They're late bloomers, as the breed goes), four EEs, two Welsummers. two light Brahmas, one dark Brahma, two Australorps, two buff Orpingtons, four gold penciled Brahmas, one Lemon Pyle Brahma (or a Cochin, she has a straight comb, but most of the birds she came with were Brahmas), one CX. I have a SLRW and BLRW hen, but I don't think the laid for this trip. One EE lays green eggs, two lay blue, and one lays big, light blue eggs. Everyone else lays brown eggs. One Wellie has hoarded a few of her own (and one of the fallen hen's that I snuck under her) and gone broody, so I'll likely have seven or so Welsummer mixes, in addition to the three in the 'bator. There are 8 EE eggs, several Cochin eggs (she lays surprisingly dark eggs surprisingly often), and one turkey egg. Saphira's been sneaking off and laying her eggs in the garage (up to five, plus a random brown chicken egg that a groupie gave her).

I'm hoping to sequester my buff Colombian Brahma boy over four light Brahmas this spring. Yay, sex-linked Brahmas! Not sure if the BLRW is going to stick around long enough to get some sex-linked beauties over my SLW hens. 

Wow, so sorry for your loss! Sounds like it'll be a colorful hatch, though! So you don't think any of the eggs are hers?

And sexlinked Brahmas should be fun!!

IOoh those Dorkings are gorgeous! I need more land lol. So kind of like the Barred Rock male and female are slightly different colors? Even though that difference isnt as dramatic lol. Last time I tried to explain this with my chicks I was saying the mother passes certaincloring to the son, and father to the daughter. Ah well maybe one day I'll grasp it lol.

Yes, come to the Dork side!! Personally, I have the land, just not the money to build coops!

Yes, it's kind of like that, although that has more to due with the fact that the barring gene is sexlinked; females can only carry one allele, so they only have thin white bars, while males have wide white bars because they have two barring alleles. As well, as Daskhan posted, they are kind of able to be sexed at hatch, but not as accurately as autosexing breeds or sexlinks are. I've heard there are some lines that are easier to tell and some that are just impossible until the chicks are older.

You are correct in how sexlinked inheritance happens: in the case of sexlinked genes, fathers pass them to their daughters and mothers pass to sons. It gets a little complicated, but it has to do with the ZW chromosome system of birds and how sexlinked genes are inherited from them. As I mentioned before, the barring gene is sexlinked, and that's because it exists on the Z chromosome and not the W chromosome. Females have ZW and males have ZZ, which is why males can be double-barred and females can't. Putting a non-barred male over barred females makes sexlinks because he passes on his Z without barring to his daughters, who also get a W (which, again, cannot have a barring allele on it) from their mom. Mom sends her Z with barring to her sons, so they are barred.

Sorry, I get a bit long-winded when it comes to this sort of stuff. Hope I didn't confuse you too badly.

Basically if you have full blooded barred rock chicks and some are lighter/darker in color don't worry it probably indicates male vs female but not always ... I second the needing more land I've been to a few rare breed farms and boy am I in love

 

[funnyfarmmom]

Ah, me and chemistry haven't had a good track record... I had to take general chem twice, I just didn't get it the first time. So I guess that's why organic has me put off. And unreasonable instructors, ugh! I haven't had the pleasure of being stuck with one since I finished all my gen-eds, though. It sucks, but you just have to get through them and then you get into the interesting stuff.
 
Aw, poor girl! Hope she feels better soon!

The Dorkings are both lacking the 'tudes. I think my Fayoumi and Barred Rocks have the corner on attitude! Poor Dorking gals are too sweet for their own good! I guess it's good that Elly's getting a bit more pushy, for her own good. Of course, she's only getting pushy with a teeny-tiny one-pound duck who is probably less than 1/4 her size... But that's beside the point.
Wow, so sorry for your loss! Sounds like it'll be a colorful hatch, though! So you don't think any of the eggs are hers?

And sexlinked Brahmas should be fun!!
Yes, come to the Dork side!! Personally, I have the land, just not the money to build coops!

Yes, it's kind of like that, although that has more to due with the fact that the barring gene is sexlinked; females can only carry one allele, so they only have thin white bars, while males have wide white bars because they have two barring alleles. As well, as Daskhan posted, they are kind of able to be sexed at hatch, but not as accurately as autosexing breeds or sexlinks are. I've heard there are some lines that are easier to tell and some that are just impossible until the chicks are older.

You are correct in how sexlinked inheritance happens: in the case of sexlinked genes, fathers pass them to their daughters and mothers pass to sons. It gets a little complicated, but it has to do with the ZW chromosome system of birds and how sexlinked genes are inherited from them. As I mentioned before, the barring gene is sexlinked, and that's because it exists on the Z chromosome and not the W chromosome. Females have ZW and males have ZZ, which is why males can be double-barred and females can't. Putting a non-barred male over barred females makes sexlinks because he passes on his Z without barring to his daughters, who also get a W (which, again, cannot have a barring allele on it) from their mom. Mom sends her Z with barring to her sons, so they are barred.

Sorry, I get a bit long-winded when it comes to this sort of stuff. Hope I didn't confuse you too badly.

Thank you so much for trying to explain it to me lol. I usually get the what happens, just not the why lol.

I totally should trademark that name! Hehe. So far 8 of the little buggers have hatched . I

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Something to consider with spring coming, and new additions to your flocks and herds. I teach all my new hatches and livestock key words. New additions that come to our farm are also taught ASAP.
Making a daily habit of giving a treat to my cow, donkey and goats Since they have over an acre of pasture now. Alternating apple slices and carrots. I want to have a general "call" to bring them in from the pasture and its definitely working. I yell "Ladies, come here ladies" and all 4 come running! I use the same method for my flocks, just a key word for different species. The chickens, its here chicky chickies.. guineas come to ginny ginny, geese answer to WEEEweees lol. Ducks are duck duck, I usually have no problem with the turkeys they just love people and come running as soon as I walk outside, LOL! But the turkey call is yup yups. Pigs are piggy piggies. Sounds silly, yes, but its seriously helpful to make sure your animals come to you when you need them to.
Its very helpful and frankly vital to having any flock or herd come when you call. A good example is when my hogs had trampled the fence and got out in the wee hours of the morning last year, oh geez! Fortunately all that was lost was a few eggs. Used about a dozen coaxing them back to the pen. I was able to repair the fence and got them right back in the pen without issues. For my chickens and other poultry and waterfowl, It helps me take a head count to make sure everyone is accounted for that free ranges also. A gate left open or a damaged fence that lets your flock out can be managed much easier with a flock call, they will know its safe to come home to you.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Oh my, I feel very humbled to see I was awarded the BYC friend badge! How exciting and thank you!

You're more than a Friend; you're our Fearless Leader who started this thread! I have certainly been enriched by my Indiana Thread experiences. Thank You, Janet!
@pipdzipdnreadytogo ~ I've been tucking my only Silkie, Smalty, between my Jubilee Orp, Adeline, and my bantam Orp, Bonbon. My crazy bantam Cochin, Screech, is relegated to the perch at the edge of the poop box! Screech has plenty of feathers except for on her head where they've been pecked out since she's too headstrong.

I could relate to your assessment of you "feeling broody." I've been trying to fight those feelings since winter is not the optimal time for chicks. Since my other Silkie, Ditzy, was murdered in Oct. and Eliza just died, I only have 7 chickens— 4 LF and 3 different sized bantams. A funny flock. I hope Bonbon goes broody in spring since she was such a good surrogate hatcher and mother. Otherwise, I'll have to get motherless chicks. I know that I want a couple of Silkies and hope to buy eggs or chicks from @kabhyper1 . I would love a black/white cuckoo Silkie. (oooh -- I just looked ahead and saw @Momma 2 silkies post/photo and think I see one!) And I'd like a Frizzle anything. I love my crazy, but very loving Bantam Cochin, Screech, from @ellymayRans , so I'm curious about a LF Cochin. And I loved my Jersey Giant, but I know that I can't count on another one with my Jersey's personality. You need to work on that in your genetics class!! After I think about breeds I like, then I tell myself to try something new. Tell us again why you love your Dorkings. Are they sweet as in liking to be held? They are great looking, and I like their large combs. I only have one chicken left with a large comb— my flock leader BR, Tweedy. I also like the look of this silver Barnefelder, which would complement my SLW and BR. Seems like someone added this breed—maybe @ChickCrazed or @racinchickins ? (This photo is from Greenfire's site).

I have not posted in a while, lots of things always going on in life and BYC is one that seems to get pushed aside. Looks like everyone is having fun with their chickens as are we still. Can't believe this spring our pallet coop will be 3 years old. It is holding up well and no water leaks or any other structure problems, and have only lost one chicken (to a possum, scared the crap outta my wife when she went to lock up the girls one night last fall) to a predator. Our original flock of 8 that we raised from babies are now getting old, and the occasional egg we get from them is huge! Of those 8, we have 3 and also a favorelle. So we still have 4 from then.

We did get 5 golden comet pullets and are expecting egg production to start around the end of January or at least be the end of February. We had to do something we have not done in years, buy some store eggs. My 10 y.o. son called them "stupid eggs" lol. Can't wait for real eggs again!

@Too Fast ~ It's so good to hear from you! I remember how hard you worked on your coop to make it like Ft. Knox. Things happen, though. I lost a Silkie last fall, presumably to a raccoon, when I let the chickens out in the morning and it was still kinda of dark that day. It never occurred to me to check around first.
Congrats on your successful coop and chicken raising!

 

[racinchickins]

I have not posted in a while, lots of things always going on in life and BYC is one that seems to get pushed aside. Looks like everyone is having fun with their chickens as are we still. Can't believe this spring our pallet coop will be 3 years old. It is holding up well and no water leaks or any other structure problems, and have only lost one chicken (to a possum, scared the crap outta my wife when she went to lock up the girls one night last fall) to a predator. Our original flock of 8 that we raised from babies are now getting old, and the occasional egg we get from them is huge! Of those 8, we have 3 and also a favorelle. So we still have 4 from then.

We did get 5 golden comet pullets and are expecting egg production to start around the end of January or at least be the end of February. We had to do something we have not done in years, buy some store eggs. My 10 y.o. son called them "stupid eggs" lol. Can't wait for real eggs again!

Great to hear from you!

Quote: I second that. You are definitely a friend to everyone on here!

 

[racinchickins]

Ok. This is ridiculous. Even my heated waterers were mostly frozen this morning. ugh. I'm grateful it had been unseasonably warm for so long, but I'm ready to get back to it. This cold sucks!