INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

They are currently confined to the coop/run at night since it's quite predator proof and their food and water are inside the coop. I'm planning on putting a feeder and some water under the coop as well since it's raised, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I've found a few eggs on the ground when mine first start laying, but usually by the 2nd or 3rd egg they start laying in the nest boxes.

 

[gunchief25]

I don't suppose there is any way to "train" them to return to the nesting boxes to lay? What if I placed a few around the property? Do you think they might use those instead of random spots? At least then I'd know where to look.

I got mine to start using the nesting boxes by placing a plastic Easter egg in the boxes for a few days. I thought the guy that told me to do this was nuts but it worked.

 

[racinchickins]

I bought 2 2-month pullets of the Crested Cream Legbar persuasion.

I invite knowledgeable comments, good or bad, on their adherence to the CCL standards and their suitability for breeding.

Too Fast, that's for KNOWLEDGEABLE folks...........Oh, OK, go ahead, if you must.

To my eye, the one on the right has no cream color on the neck. Also, I thought it was to extend down the chest.

They are young, so it may develop, but I don't see it.

John

I'm starting to look at mine too. I have 7 now, and I have noticed that about half of them look like yours (two of them should, they came from the same place.

I'm also thinking they are closer to 12 weeks than 8) and the others have the same barring on their necks varying from grey to gold, but the bodies seem to be mostly a dark grey color. All of the grey ones seem to have some sort of crest, but so does one that look like yours. The males at this point look similar to barred rocks, with some bits of brown starting to show on their wings. I'm going to join the Cream Legbar club and see if I can get a standard from them, as well of pictures of 'This is good' and 'This is not good'.

 

[pginsber]

Sesame now has a private room (in the garage, closed. In a cat litter box full of bedding). Food and water within reach as she doesn't seem to be standing much just kind of flopping/flapping/kicking along. She's pretty much only a keelbone at the moment but she eats like a champ and is pooping regular. I figure as long as her appetite is healthy we'll keep trying... *shrug*

How's Seasame?
JLo, our 23-wk old Cream Legbar pullet, has seemingly similiar symptoms as Sesame.
We've been giving her watermelon & oatmeal sprinkled with crushed Vitamin B complex and Polyvisol (without iron) infused dried mealworms every day for 6 weeks. She has a great appetite, but her mobility and stamina are limited.
We had brief improvement mid-August. She actually left the coop and went into the chicken run a couple of days. In the attached video, look at :27 second mark, the right side of the video. The sprawled leg chicken is JLo.

JLo used to be quite a spitfire. She would charge the fence anytime the dogs came around. Now, she doesn't leave the coop floor. She hobbles/gimps around on the coop floor enough for poo-ing purposes, and eating layer crumble & drinks from the water nipples.
She's vaccinated against Marek's, living in a brand new coop and brand new run, the first generation of chickens for us. No other pullets are symptomatic. We got 3 pullets from the breeder that hatched JLo and the rest are doing fine. All the other pullets are growing & progressing as layers, but her growth seems stunted somehow.
We give up--don't know what else to do. We plan to take her to the Vet @ All Wild Things, probably this week.

 

[Mother2Hens]

I bought 2 2-month pullets of the Crested Cream Legbar persuasion.
I invite knowledgeable comments, good or bad, on their adherence to the CCL standards and their suitability for breeding.
Too Fast, that's for KNOWLEDGEABLE folks...........Oh, OK, go ahead, if you must.

To my eye, the one on the right has no cream color on the neck. Also, I thought it was to extend down the chest.
They are young, so it may develop, but I don't see it.
John

They're pretty pullets! The next thing we know, Old Salt will be on the Poultry Show circuit.
pginsber~ Sorry about the problems with JLo! Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Mother2Hens]

CRSelvey~ I'm ready to order a load of coarse sand/gravel for the coop floor and for a large sandbox that we made under a tree, in a shady, secluded area of the yard where the hens like to hang out. I looked online at Mulzer Crushed Stone, which has a location locally and the options include: Fill Sand, State Sand, Washed Pea Gravel. What did you purchase when you ordered a truck load? Maybe I should do a mix of the pea gravel with sand? I have no idea what State Sand is.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I don't know if it's because I'm looking at the picture on a tiny cell phone screen or what, but those birds look more like cream legbar cockerels to me, especially with combs like that at two months old...

 

[bradselig]

I don't suppose there is any way to "train" them to return to the nesting boxes to lay? What if I placed a few around the property? Do you think they might use those instead of random spots? At least then I'd know where to look.

I place golf balls in lay boxes. I free range mine and they all lay in atleast the coop. Most lay in the boxes but the newest lay on the floor. After a couple times laying they go to theboxes.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I used wooden eggs in the nesting boxes.

 

[CRSelvey]

CRSelvey~ I'm ready to order a load of coarse sand/gravel for the coop floor and for a large sandbox that we made under a tree, in a shady, secluded area of the yard where the hens like to hang out. I looked online at Mulzer Crushed Stone, which has a location locally and the options include: Fill Sand, State Sand, Washed Pea Gravel. What did you purchase when you ordered a truck load? Maybe I should do a mix of the pea gravel with sand? I have no idea what State Sand is.

I gave the location in Evansville a call and told them I had 23/24 sand and they said it was the same as State Sand. Its a little bit of everything. When I was trying to figure it out, I just went over for a quick look before getting someone to deliver it to me. They said its about $8-$9 per ton picked up at the site. I was going for a 4" layer in the 6x8 coop and 8*14 run. I had five tons delivered but I have walkways and other uses for it if I don't use it all in the coop (it can help my clay garden drain better ;-) ). I really like it but I need to get the right sized mesh for cleaning faster. The mesh I put on my pitch fork was just too small and caught all the bigger rocks. I'm still using a giant kitty litter scoop. Its been the most effective so far. You could probably get 2-3 in a truck, but I'm guessing.

Also, I was going to send you a message this morning but I got sidetracked with a tetanus shot. My Cochins from John are the buff...he couldn't part with any of his lovely blues, lol. They are full sized and so sweet. I was lucky enough to bring home one of his GLWs too. They don't all appear to be friends on closer inspection, but they still won't hang out with my Ameraucana. I was waiting for you to steal some of his blues while he's out at the poultry shows. I'll show you where they are

. It will just make room for him to get even more pretty birds for his future in showing.
Little Ameraucana Mom- I'm just curious, is Bella supposed to lay blue eggs or could they be something else?

The thumb is much better and gloves are a great idea! I just never think of them until after the fact. Instead, I drove to Plainfield to get a tetanus shot and antibiotics Rx. The doctor said I punctured the tendon and it will start bending again soon. YEA!!!