INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

ok guys i have not been on here for.... a while lets just say, so i have some major catching up to do.

Here is my problem... I have no eggs!!!!

I don't know what has happened. At first it was just my two leghorns, but now all 3 are not laying including my Big Red. I am quite concerned as it is now going on like 3 days they have not layed. They have water, feed, and greens! I am getting quite concerned as I do not want them to become egg bound. I don't think anything has stressed them out as far as predator wise. I don't see any broken egg shells either.... Any help would be appreciated!

Also, I know the topic of sand has been covered many times on here before, however I am having a hard time finding "construction" type sand in the Indianapolis area. I have gone to 3 different stores with no luck. All I can find is paver sand, which has teeny tiny little pebbles in them. If anyone in the Indianapolis area knows where I can get the right kind of sand for cickens, that would be great!!
Have a great day!

I kid you not, i got 1 egg, that's right ONE today. And I have a LOT of chickens. Of course it was my BR Mabel, she is my best girl. All the temp swerves up and down, I think have their bodies confused.
Many of my friends locally are having the same problems.

Day 20 in the incubator for my Cream Legbars. 11 eggs left out of 12. Removed one after candling on day7. Today, 7 are pipped and peeping. Man, I can't wait for those lil boogers to hatch!

i still get excited every week, have a hours old Bourbon Red poult tucked in my shirt, hatched way ahead of everyone else, 3 days early! it was peeping pitifully and fully dry So when I added water he went to the brooder. Strong active lil tumblebug

Hoping a few more BR Poults hatch and have royal palm hatching also. More guineas

and a few australorp too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

OK, I'm just going to throw this out there and see what, if anything, happens. As seen below, I made some drips on my rooster stencil and have started corrections using actual white paint that will be painted over with the off white coop stain. When I went inside to clean said stencil, my three and five year old helpers decided that I was not doing enough to the coop and it needed even more white. Can you see it?



Is it bugging anyone? Anyone who might want to fix it that is, lol. Because I'm totally open to the help painting and I have an ENTIRE GALLON of off white stain that could be used to fix this issue.

Oh, and in addition to this, I am also staining the cabin a new color (on the right) where there might be some drippage, so that too is available if you get the urge to paint something (especially if you have scaffolding to reach the back corner)

Pipd, I'd available to help with plants if you ever want to add those too. Your chicks are pretty lucky and I really love how much thought you put into making the base secure. Really good job.

You guys had me cracking up.
Thank you.

I just love your cabin!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Fermented is similar to pickling. and increases absorption of nutrients in their food. There is much less food waste, and makes a difference in how the birds look. Healthy all around and cuts my feed cost about 25-30%..
Moldy feed has been damp and warm, and has mold spores sprout, like an old loaf of bread,

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

233 posts behind and caught up. Ugh, I just cant stay caught up

 

[Mother2Hens]

Actually, the hens have been scratching and dusting in the back-filled dirt around the addition so much, the dripping paint on the outside has pretty much been covered by dirt, just as I suspected it would be. But if it bothers y'all so much, by all means. I have most of a can of paint left.

pipd~ It's just that you constructed such an outstanding addition, made sure it blended with the existing structure, and incorporated the woodsy view. After all of your aesthetic considerations, it was surprising that your painting wasn't as perfected as the rest of your art installation. vickichicki and I will be over to complete the last touches. Victoria, if I'm not there yet, you start without me.

Quote:

Were you a serial killer decades ago?
Originally Posted by Old Salt 1945


I have an automatic door.
There is a 100# test fishing line that goes from the motor down to the door.
When the timer turns on, it raises. When the timer turns off, it resets. When the timer turns on, it lowers. When the timer turns off, it resets.

I have mine set to turn on at 7:00 am and off at 7:05.
At 9:15 it turns on and at 9:20 it turns off.

I'd be afraid that the door would open and a predator would be waiting. Or the guillotine-like door would slip. I'll stick with sending DH out early in the morning to let the flock out.

 

[Too Fast]

A couple of days ago, I put out a Japanese beetle trap. I cut off the bottom of the bag so they would drop to the ground for the chickens/ducks/guineas to eat.

Drat the luck! This appears to be a slow year for the beetles. Nothing yet.



John

So, that's where the UFOs land, in your backyard.

We got a Japanese beetle trap also, per your advice about 5 weeks ago. Not a beetle to be found here either.

I have an automatic door.

http://www.add-a-motor.com/Model D20 Motor for Chicken Coop Doors.htm

It is $100 plus you need a timer or dawn/dusk controller. You also have to make your own vertically sliding door. You have to make your time vs. money calculation.

I have no complaints so far. I think I got it in May or June.


There is a 100# test fishing line that goes from the motor down to the door.
When the timer turns on, it raises. When the timer turns off, it resets. When the timer turns on, it lowers. When the timer turns off, it resets.

I have mine set to turn on at 7:00 am and off at 7:05.
At 9:15 it turns on and at 9:20 it turns off.

With a timer, I have to change the on/off times throughout the year.

There was some training involved. About a dozen times, I had to go out, block the door open, and chase all the birds into the coop until they got the idea that they were supposed to go inside at night.

Morning is no problem. When the door goes up, it looks like the barn is vomiting poultry. There is a mad rush out the door.

John

Wbo needed the training, is what I wonder. I think for those who have flocks bigger than about 15, the automatic doors make a lot of sense. I thought about it too, but since the run is so secure, our pop door stays open 24/7. It's the run door that spews chickens around here, we have 7 in our flock. Looking for a full size frizzle or 2, but no more than that.

The DW told me about a hawk episode yesterday, she was sitting in her usual spot drinking coffee/reading in some shade. She said suddenly the girls tried to run thru the fence, she looked around and saw a hawk about 10'' tall sitting on another chair arm about 10 feet away from her. They had a stare-off, and about 1 minute later the hawk flew off. It may have been the cooper's hawk I posted some pictures of about a 11 days ago, but she couldn't ID it.

OK, I'm just going to throw this out there and see what, if anything, happens. As seen below, I made some drips on my rooster stencil and have started corrections using actual white paint that will be painted over with the off white coop stain. When I went inside to clean said stencil, my three and five year old helpers decided that I was not doing enough to the coop and it needed even more white. Can you see it?



Is it bugging anyone? Anyone who might want to fix it that is, lol. Because I'm totally open to the help painting and I have an ENTIRE GALLON of off white stain that could be used to fix this issue.

Oh, and in addition to this, I am also staining the cabin a new color (on the right) where there might be some drippage, so that too is available if you get the urge to paint something (especially if you have scaffolding to reach the back corner)

Pipd, I'd available to help with plants if you ever want to add those too. Your chicks are pretty lucky and I really love how much thought you put into making the base secure. Really good job.

You guys had me cracking up.
Thank you.

Vicki and I will be right over with our paint brushes to correct anything. John, you can blame her for the whole metric thing. I hated that as an auto mechanic, now I have to have 2 sets of everything. Don't get me started on torx/reverse torx/tamper proof torx/16 point allens/etc. Stupid engineers, ''Hey, let's make a different fastener head. No need to use the proven hex head, let's invent something new. How about a 5 sided bolt? 7 anyone? Why stop there, we can make those people buy a new set of $10,000 wrenches every few years, and obsolete the old ones''. I think they get a kickback from the Snap-On dealers.

 

[Too Fast]

only use food grade, the pool DE is dangerous for your birds. TSC has it in 25 pound bags

I am so glad, I sure like Merlin! He is night and day difference from Red. I can pick him up any time, and he is very sweet and friendly.
He is learning to free range, sorta, he wont wander far from me.

Glad he is having a good time. My son Kyle could pick him up pretty easily. We, on the other hand, could not. Is he a father yet? I'd like to come see him sometime, but I'd probably have to do it without the DW. She'd get upset at not having him around here, but I constantly remind her he is still alive! Let's see. Go to freezer camp, or be happier then a w**** in a hen house.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Oh my, she is lucky you were there!

I agree 100% dubbing of anything is cruel, unless its medically necessary.
I can't think of a medical problem that it would be either.

the only thing i could maybe think of is if there comb got frost bite. but im not sure if dubbing would help that at all.

 

[animallover2202]

found out the people that i gave all my chickens to there dog got a hold of Mr. Frizz glad he had some babys oh and my big dog got a home my kitten and my dog are best friends now lol and im doing good in school i have 1 online class thats going good oh and my family friend got 2 female guine that animal control found in lafayette running lose in the road so now she has them a pearl and a lavandor i think they are pretty but from what she said there mean....how do you get a guine tamed?

 

[bradselig]

From my experience, you can't tame guineas. They aren't really a domesticated species like chickens. Mine would come when called for treats, get close to me, but never let you pick them up or touch them. None of mine ever attacked me though.