INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Very cool, I was very intrigued by snakes, kept them for years. My favorite was a Boa named Buddy, who went to live at Potawatomi Zoo when I relocated in the 90s. My reptile vet worked up there so he knew Buddy very well. (And was pleased to get her too) My biggest was a python that was almost 15 feet, but it took 2 adults to manage her. She also went to the vet at the zoo.
I wound up with her from the closed pet store. She had a burn from a hot rock over 5 foot long on her belly

and she had to be soaked in antibiotics 3x a day until she healed. Glad she was friendly!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Congrats everyone, we Just hit 10,000 posts! John, you win a free rooster

Pipd I am so sorry to hear your dog is not well.

 

[toodlesmom]

Wish we could attend the get-together, but we will be in Cincinnati that weekend. It would have been fun to meet everyone.

Does anyone have advice on the best time to order chicks? We will probably order from Meyer sometime next spring, but that can mean anything from February to June. We are thinking of starting with a mixed flock of 5-6 hens. (No fellers!)

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a new addition to the family! A tiny pygmy doe!

Just precious! I love the face, beautiful markings and lovely eyes!
Is the proud momma an alpine, or oberhasli?

Quote: It really helps to talk about life events.

Don't ever hesitate, everyone, to talk about whats on your mind. It took me several years after my Rommel passed to even consider another dog, and every Rottie I see still brings tears to me.

Quote: It is hard at times to take it all in. The bickering is part of their nature, unfortunately. Hens will bicker between themselves too, and draw blood or much worse. Even the most docile breeds have a pecking order. Grit your teeth and talk to the family, let them know the real truth of the matter. Too many roos will be a bigger problem as they mature.
If you add more to your flock, find out who has had good experiences with hatchery, or private breeder that will sex chicks. My BAs were hatchery chicks from Mt Healthy and I had to find a roo, all 16 were hens. They sure are good layers too, up to over 2 dozen a day on eggs from all my girls, including ducks and guinea.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Once again I fell off the treadmill of fast-paced posts and am trying to catch up!

Originally Posted by danand: Irtehun- I sure hope it does cool down!! Too many things to do and feel bad for the critters!! I've been spraying cold water around the pens and on the roofs every couple of hours when I can. Even the free rangers aren't happy with the heat!

Originally Posted by CCCHICKENS Sorry about your chicks. Today i was at the local fair and I saw people carring out multiple dead chickens. A majority were meat chickens, but they were dropping like flies.


I am so sorry to hear about the heat-related deaths. Last summer I was so excited to go to the 4H Fair (and just like Quinstar) I never dreamed I would look so forward to seeing poultry. I was so angry to find miserably hot chickens/roosters (and other birds/animals) that looked near death. After reading some of the heat-related posts, I wanted to gather and share:
IMPORTANT TIPS TO KEEP YOUR FLOCK COOL DURING HEATWAVE

Buckets of Cold Drinking Water/Hydrating Treats
Use several plastic buckets of cold water placed in shady areas. Buckets are easy to pick up and replace with cold water during the day. You can place a large rock next to the bucket for easier access. If you have a hose in a handy location, use it to refill large plastic (not metal) bowls. Other treats to help hydrate: watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, cucumber, grapes. These can also be frozen in bags so they’re ready when the chickens need a cool treat. Freeze plastic bottles of water to put in water buckets, nesting boxes, and in front of fans. Electrolyte packets are available from farm stores or you can use 50% Gatorade with 50% water.

Keep Coop Well-Ventilated
Use fan(s) to keep air flowing in the coop especially near nesting boxes during the day and perch areas at nighttime.

Fans Combined with Cold Water
As water evaporates it cools the air, so keep a bucket or two of cold water near a fan. Or direct a fan toward misters, sprinklers, or a hosed-down area. Keep the area by the fan shaded. If there isn’t any shade, make some. A patio umbrella, golf umbrella, shade cloth, or lattice all work nicely. Avoid tarps, solid wood panels, or anything that will inhibit air movement.

Cool Off Ground Litter
Pine shavings and hay hold in the heat. Rake everything up, especially chicken droppings which also contributes to an elevated ground temperature. Bare ground is a little extra work for you to keep clean, but a once over with a rake everyday is a small price to pay if it means saving your birds. Construction (coarse, mixed with gravel) sand makes a good, cool ground litter, but depending on conditions, it may need to be hosed down from time to time if it becomes too dry and dusty.

Dust Bath and Cool Dirt Bath
Besides a dust bath area, offer a cool bath area. Dig up a few inches of dirt to create a tub area in the shade. When you refresh the chickens’ drinking water, pour what’s left in the buckets into the dirt tub. Chickens will play in the water then lay in the mud holes to stay cool. Wet conditions are great for finding worms, a chicken favorite.

Heat Exhaustion: What to Do!
A chicken that is suffering heat exhaustion will be lying down, panting, and is lethargic or unable to stand. They lack color and are unresponsive to their surroundings. If you don’t act quickly they will die. Heavy birds such as Orphingtons, Rocks, etc. are the first to show signs of intolerance to extreme heat.

Be Proactive and Act Fast!
Grab one of those buckets of water in the yard, this time find one that is not freshly filled with cold water and place the bird in the bucket of water until it is soaked. Remove the bird from the yard [the others will pick on a distressed bird] and place it under tree or a shady spot, preferably on grass. If it’s not a breezy day, get a fan on the bird, a low setting is best. Stay with the bird and hold the wings away from the body helping it to cool quicker. Keep a plastic baby pool handy near the chicken yard; after the bird begins to show signs of relief usually about 10 minutes, place it in the baby pool with about three inches of cold water. Within 15 minutes the bird should be standing on its own, and most likely looking for the way out! Then return the bird to the shady area near a fan or mister, but under keep it under observation until the sun goes down.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

It will! Already making plans for it! Am thinking it can be in the after 3pm group, so everyone can be a part of it. Am trying to find a bigger pot for the tom turkey that's coming with us, ugh! He is one big boy, and he isn't going to fit into my usual pot for plucking. If anyone has a bigger pot than the typical turkey deep fryer size, please let me know.

I
Quote:

They were beautiful dogs.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Still catching up on posts . . .

Update on Violet, my three month old Lavender with the torn leg tendon:
She is making progress, slowly but surely. She has a good appetite, which seems like a good sign. Violet is sitting up more in a chicken sitting position instead of laying on one side or the other. She seems very determined to get in the positions she wants even if it's a struggle. I check on her often and keep the cage clean. I've washed her bottom half everyday, but have also given her a few total baths after watching a youtube instructional video. I even blow her feathers dry with a hairdryer on low heat. Adeline, the Jubilee helps groom her, which is really cute. Adeline has been so faithful, but I feel bad that she's in the dog kennel a lot of the time. I let her out sometimes to fluff her wings and walk around. I noticed this evening that she kept looking up like she was looking for a place to roost. I'm not sure what to do about that since she wants to be by Violet at all times. It's been so hot that they haven't been outside (while supervised) for a few days. As I mentioned before, a good thing about this whole experience is that I've bonded with the formally skittish girls and I feel like I have more confidence with chickens since I've really had to get my hands dirty and give constant care, give meds, baths, etc. Meanwhile my five hens provide comedy relief by helping me do landscaping every evening. Their backyard area is outfitted with misters, fans, watermelon, etc. so they are coping with the heat.

pipd~ So sorry to hear about your dog. We're all animal lovers here, so this is the place to talk about it. It's truly horrible to have a sick pet or to lose one. You've had a long bond with a wonderful dog. You've both been lucky.


jchny~ When the fermenting topic surfaced again, I was going to suggest that interested people "Search this thread" for all of your great advice. However, a live demonstration would be great! Hope you do the fermenting demo following the massacre at racinchickins. Btw, CRSelvey~ I am SO disappointed that you're going to the "other side." haha "Oh, I can pick feathers." How quickly you changed. ; - )


Sally in Indiana posted: As for knowing the day, start your morning off by calling 222-2222. They tell you the weather as well as the time and day. It is a great way to teach the children about the days of the week too.
Before taking the time to call a phone number to find out what day it is, just look at the day, date, and time on your cell phone or computer. The monthly calendar is a good visual aid. Download the free Weather Channel app to view forecasts by hour, day, live radar map and much more. : - )

Kiniska~ Congrats are your little pygmy~ How a-doe-able!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Still catching up on posts . . .

Update on Violet, my three month old Lavender with the torn leg tendon:
She is making progress, slowly but surely. She has a good appetite, which seems like a good sign. Violet is sitting up more in a chicken sitting position instead of laying on one side or the other. She seems very determined to get in the positions she wants even if it's a struggle. I check on her often and keep the cage clean. I've washed her bottom half everyday, but have also given her a few total baths after watching a youtube instructional video. I even blow her feathers dry with a hairdryer on low heat. Adeline, the Jubilee helps groom her, which is really cute. Adeline has been so faithful, but I feel bad that she's in the dog kennel a lot of the time. I let her out sometimes to fluff her wings and walk around. I noticed this evening that she kept looking up like she was looking for a place to roost. I'm not sure what to do about that since she wants to be by Violet at all times. It's been so hot that they haven't been outside (while supervised) for a few days. As I mentioned before, a good thing about this whole experience is that I've bonded with the formally skittish girls and I feel like I have more confidence with chickens since I've really had to get my hands dirty and give constant care, give meds, baths, etc. Meanwhile my five hens provide comedy relief by helping me do landscaping every evening. Their backyard area is outfitted with misters, fans, watermelon, etc. so they are coping with the heat.

pipd~ So sorry to hear about your dog. We're all animal lovers here, so this is the place to talk about it. It's truly horrible to have a sick pet or to lose one. You've had a long bond with a wonderful dog. You've both been lucky.


jchny~ When the fermenting topic surfaced again, I was going to suggest that interested people "Search this thread" for all of your great advice. However, a live demonstration would be great! Hope you do the fermenting demo following the massacre at racinchickins. Btw, CRSelvey~ I am SO disappointed that you're going to the "other side." haha "Oh, I can pick feathers." How quickly you changed. ; - )


Sally in Indiana posted: As for knowing the day, start your morning off by calling 222-2222. They tell you the weather as well as the time and day. It is a great way to teach the children about the days of the week too.
Before taking the time to call a phone number to find out what day it is, just look at the day, date, and time on your cell phone or computer. The monthly calendar is a good visual aid. Download the free Weather Channel app to view forecasts by hour, day, live radar map and much more. : - )

Kiniska~ Congrats are your little pygmy~ How a-doe-able!

M2H, glad Violet is making progress. Leg issues are so difficult, it does take a lot of time to manage.

 

[irtehun]

Yup she has only great quality stock, but I didn't know she had welsummers. My BAM have great characteristics if I were to show them. She gave me a tour of her chickens but she only showed me her marans and BAM which were pretty. I know the place has a Facebook page and she sells chicks on Craigslist. Hope that helps!

Yeah I seen her ad on Craigslist and contacted her. Might make the drive this weekend


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[countrychristy]

Hello neighbors! 19 in all, 18 hens & 1 lucky roo named Coal. I'm in Corydon, IN which is so south it's practically Kentcky Just got my first egg!! Very excited about this new adventure. I'm loving it & seem to need what I call "chicken therapy" a few times a day. Which is as you can imagine sitting and watching my chickens free range everywhere & even sometimes talking to them.