INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I adore my girl! She is so gentle. Gives you kisses and has never been any problem handling, milking and loves interacting. I have had some experience with Holstein and yea. Not so pleased with the demeanor. Our goal is a calf yearly for meat and milk from Fanny. She has 2 blank quarters and that's plenty of milk for us.

 

[flyladyrocks]

Reuben looks like the cover of a henhouse romance novel

 

[flyladyrocks]

The weatherman just said that a year ago today the high was 9 and the low was -5!!!

What sucks is 2 warm days and I'm not home for most of today and all of tomorrow.

What is nice about being in the city is it helps break up the wind at least a little! Yeah, didn't help those derailed train cars, but at least we had no big branches down! Glad noone (at least so far) got hurt in the wind!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Got so much done today!!! Love the warm weather. I can see my guineas pairing and free range roosters settling up who is boss. Holland Turkey are laying. Geese and ducks actively breeding so duck eggs are any time, geese have 1 nest brooding and another started. More eggs from Sumatra, Orps, AMs and Dark Cornish. Going to collect this weekend and set a test hatch Tuesday.
So my neighbor that keeps cows, like 60 years experience. Came over to look at my cow, Fanny girl this afternoon, and said she is doing awesome. Put weight on well, and said she is in great health. If she is expecting, he said its another 45 days most, UGH. Marked the calendar! He also said it will be harder to breed her, longer we wait... He has a young holstein bull, not the bull I want to use. But he has offered to loan him. He may encourage her to breed if she is not pregnant. If I do, he will be staying with us for a month. And he is horned, sooo. That means running hot wire and finishing the second pasture. I won't chance keeping him in with the goats and donkey. My hog pen is also in my current pasture so it would make daily management difficult. I am waiting out the 45 days he suggested, and we will finish that new pasture in the meantime. I won't put myself in a pasture with an unfamiliar bull, no way. Going to discuss with my vet if he can do an ultrasound, something to see if we have a calf. Its a long gestation period, so I want to plan a birth for warmer weather.

I'm sure you know most of this from having goats but here is a reminder:
The smell of the male will help you determine if the female is ready to mate. If you can get the smell of the bull on a towel or old shirt then have your cow smell it every night and that would be very close to just having her around the bull.
Next I'd look into seeing if you could get AI done by someone. The difference in the value of the calf born could pay for the AI. And AI would save you running all that wire.

And yes there have been studies that show that if a dairy goat is bred later in life for the first time it can be harder for her. I guess it could apply to cows too. I couldn't find the link for the studies but I remember reading them.

A vet can ultrasound a goat so a cow should be no problem.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Better pics of her body type is a better indicator than the egg color, as we all know how we can get a variety of shades. They should be a cream tint not brown. Her color and face throws me for not being pure Cochin bantam. Just my 2 cents.

As for the Mereks I know I hate reading about those things, but with allowing the chicks to have been brooded in the flock and them live to the age they did I wouldn't suspect it. But then again what do I know!!!

Oh and wanted to add the olive egger girl hatched with screech you returned, she's laying again and doing great! One was lost to a predator awhile after coming here but the other is just a sweet and healthy as ever.

@ellymayRans

Lacy looks like a Cochin and acts about as silly as Screech did! I'm glad to have any color of egg —even green!
I'm glad to hear that Screech's half sister is doing well!

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Thanks for your input, too. I was thinking that if Lacy is a mix, maybe she'd be hardier than a purebred. But I won't get you started on genetics!
Love your girls with their "hair" blowing for their photoshoot!
I think I have PTSD. When I went into Lacy's bedroom to take her across the street for some foraging fun, I didn't see or hear her at first. She always responds in her funny, scratchy voice (kinda like mine). I immediately thought that she was dead, but found her happily getting ready to lay an egg!

My flock girls enjoyed a field trip to the far backyard. They had such a good time that they even put up with the crazy winds today. They don't like 1. Snow 2. Strong Winds

 

[charleschicken]

our 50 new fuzzy buts arived today I'm very excited.25 welsumer and 25 black copper marains

 

[Hholly]

our 50 new fuzzy buts arived today I'm very excited.25 welsumer and 25 black copper marains

Congrats!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Glad everyone enjoyed the pictures! I need to get out there more often with the camera. Even if it's frustrating trying to convince some of them to pose nicely sometimes, it's just nice to have an excuse to spend so much time with them.

Reuben, on the other hand, looked fabulous in the wind.

Reuben looks like the cover of a henhouse romance novel

Oh my goodness! He certainly would think he belongs there, Mr. Manly Ball of Fluff!

Reuben turned into a very nice beardless roo. He comes from show stock, you should consider showing him.

I was under the impression he would be disqualified for being clean faced? He's a handsome boy and we all kind of adore him, so I'd hate to risk him getting sick at a show anyway.

[quote url="[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7264033/[/URL]"] She just makes me smile so that she can try to peck at my teeth, the little butt!

Hah! My female turkey does the same thing to me. I always though they were curious what the hell was in our mouths. The wind here was also crazy. It flipped our trampoline flight pen - luckily no one was in there! [/quote] I think Elly must think it's food, because she goes for my teeth every chance she gets! And then she usually misses and gets me in the lip or gums. Glad no one got hurt! Nice use of a trampoline! I've been seeing a trampoline coop circling all of my chicken Facebook groups recently, such a neat idea. I think my mom hates it when I see things like that because I get ideas (she pretty much does all the coop building with my help).

our 50 new fuzzy buts arived today I'm very excited.25 welsumer and 25 black copper marains

So many babies!!

[COLOR=8B4513]@ellymayRans [/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Lacy looks like a Cochin and acts about as silly as Screech did! I'm glad to have any color of egg —even green![/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]I'm glad to hear that Screech's half sister is doing well![/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]@pipdzipdnreadytogo [/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Thanks for your input, too. I was thinking that if Lacy is a mix, maybe she'd be hardier than a purebred. But I won't get you started on genetics! [/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Love your girls with their "hair" blowing for their photoshoot![/COLOR] [rule][COLOR=8B4513]I think I have PTSD. When I went into Lacy's bedroom to take her across the street for some foraging fun, I didn't see or hear her at first. She always responds in her funny, scratchy voice (kinda like mine). I immediately thought that she was dead, but found her happily getting ready to lay an egg![/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]My flock girls enjoyed a field trip to the far backyard. They had such a good time that they even put up with the crazy winds today. They don't like 1. Snow 2. Strong Winds[/COLOR]

Gee, why do you say that? I totally get the PTSD feeling, I was getting that after that hawk attack. Especially coming home from class. It's such a helpless feeling knowing there's nothing you can do to stop it from happening. Glad Lacy is okay and just trying to give you a heart attack, the pet chicken's favorite pass time. P.S. Just curious, have you thought of a new name for your Wyandotte yet, or did you decide to just keep it as Lacey as well?

 

[tmarsh83]

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The brooder is all but ready. Just waiting on chicks.

 

[ellymayRans]

@cganote @pipdzipdnreadytogo
My eldest son when he was younger had a parakeet he adored and he would gross us all out by allowing him "Jeffery" to practically climb into his mouth and pick his teeth. Jeffery did it for "leftovers"