INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Old Salt 1945]

I looked out the window and saw at least 5 hawks circling my yard. I was able to get all but one production hen and one rooster back into their tractor coops. I'm hoping the two left can evade the hawk as well as they did me. There is water available to them even though their main watering station is locked in the tractor with the other chickens. I also left one of the isolation / breeding tractors open for cover. Even the cat was also spooked. By the time I got my Chicken Shoes on and went outside all of the chickens were taking cover except one production red, it had chosen to dart into the live trap. And the cat was trying to break into the house. I could barely get the door open without hitting him in the head. I'm not sure but A trapped chicken might have been drawing more hawks. At least she was really easy to relocate to the tractor. I had to bribe the others with food. Of course since I plan on keeping them cooped up today and tomorrow they will need more food anyway.

Those might have been crows. I have seen several in my area. They are looking for dead stuff and downed corn. They scare the h*ll out of chickens though. The guineas freak out, but the crows just keep circling and waiting for something to drop dead (a chipmunk, for instance

).

John

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Just say a hawk circling the bean field beside my house. The hawk cant get my chickens because they are all in the barn. I havent built runs yet. For once I can say I saw a hawk without one of my chickens attached to it.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I will try and get some pictures of each kind of RIR I have. It might be a day or two. My chickens act like my tiny camera is a 22 long rifle. I do have pictures of my HRIR loaded in my user profile from posting them in the HRIR thread. None of my HRIR are mean or agressive. In fact my production hens will try to attack my HRIR rooster who is twice their size and he just walks away. But an outline of big differences between HRIR and PRIR.
Size ~ my HRIR are much larger than my PRIR
Color ~ My HRIR are very very dark redish with nice dark dark tails. My production reds are more the color of a a leaf turned redish orange. Meyer hatchery has a good picture of a production RIR
Attitude ~ PRIR hens are not nice to other chickens at all, they chase every rooster I have had except for the PRIR roosters. These PRIR were like mini guard dogs that attack their owners. When I was very unhappy with a contractor I did not bother caging my PRIR roosters. He could not get into the back yard unless he carried a rake and all of his other stuff. My HRIR are sweet and a touch timid since they are not fully mature, but they will not turn out mean. Young children can easily hold a full size rooster. I saw this at the 4H chicken show and it was funny looking the rooster was almost as large as the child.
Egg Laying ~ PRIR for me started laying around 24-28 weeks but were raised in the winter, if hatched in the spring they lay closer to 18-20 weeks. Once laying it was not uncommon to get 6-7 eggs a week until the heat / molt started. My HRIR will be early layers if they start by week 30. They will lay larger brown eggs perhaps darker but that is not a given. My HRIR should lay 3-5 eggs a week close to the 3 mark in the winter for sure. My HRIR will turn broody every so often as their nature demands it. PRIR typically do not go broody ~ Leah's Mom got a broody one it sits about once a year if I remember right. I had over 20 PRIR and not a one went broody.
The breeds from the hatchery most likely have leghorn mixed in which creates floppy combs and faster burnouts. My HRIR should lay well past age 5 or even 7 yrs. My production layers will be considered ancient at 3 yrs old and most of their eggs will be laid in the first 2 yrs. Also the Production layers are more likely to have egg bound syndrome, causing death or a lot of work for the owner.
My HRIR chickens are better at free ranging. They willingly eat more bugs/ grass. My production hens will only forage if they are not fed in the morning.

The differences between heritage and production will vary by breed too.

I was d
Quote: I have a crossed rooster that is BCMaran and Ameraucanas. He is a pretty rooster.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: not crows, much to large and the crows were making a huge racket in my trees. The crows were why I looked outside. The corn around us is still standing but the crows do fly really low over it. I'm sure they are trying to get some.

 

[racinchickins]

I was d
I was doing some reading on OEs too and they suggested crossing black copper Marans with Ameraucanas to get a good olive color. The dark brown of the bcm was supposed to help. Are the welsummers similar?

Might it be easier to order one or is it more fun to make one?

Welsummer eggs are not as dark as BCMs, but they are darker than other brown egg layers. So I would think you would get an OE out of them. I have two Welsummers, and I may put them with one of my CCL roos to see what we get.

And it is more fun 'making' them. As someone who for the first time this year both incubated and had a broody hatch, it is totally worth it. You get the full experience. You get to pace endlessly hoping your eggs will hatch, wring your hands hoping your chicks will live, fret that they won't all turn out to be boys, and then wonder if they are ever going to lay. Isn't chicken keeping great?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Welsummer eggs are not as dark as BCMs, but they are darker than other brown egg layers. So I would think you would get an OE out of them. I have two Welsummers, and I may put them with one of my CCL roos to see what we get.

And it is more fun 'making' them. As someone who for the first time this year both incubated and had a broody hatch, it is totally worth it. You get the full experience. You get to pace endlessly hoping your eggs will hatch, wring your hands hoping your chicks will live, fret that they won't all turn out to be boys, and then wonder if they are ever going to lay. Isn't chicken keeping great?

Someone on the easter egger braggers thread hatched a bunch of welsummer X EE, they said it will give you OEs and I always thought it would, but you will get way better color if you use a marans

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Welsummer eggs are not as dark as BCMs, but they are darker than other brown egg layers. So I would think you would get an OE out of them. I have two Welsummers, and I may put them with one of my CCL roos to see what we get.

And it is more fun 'making' them. As someone who for the first time this year both incubated and had a broody hatch, it is totally worth it. You get the full experience. You get to pace endlessly hoping your eggs will hatch, wring your hands hoping your chicks will live, fret that they won't all turn out to be boys, and then wonder if they are ever going to lay. Isn't chicken keeping great?

You are relatively new to this, but I am impressed with your research and level of knowledge.

What incubator, etc. are you using? What hatch rates are you getting? Are you hatching shipped eggs? What are your thoughts on the subject? Your comments may prove helpful to those of us who have yet to take the plunge.

John

 

[SallyinIndiana]

For the backyard mixed eggs I set just over a week a go, I candled them twice. Once on Wed night and once this afternoon. All of the duds on Wed were still duds today and got pulled. But of the 12 eggs I set 8 got pulled. Of the 8 that got pulled not a one was fertile. I had 4 mating roosters in the pen with 9 hens. Now 2 were less than 20 weeks so I did not expect them to be fertile but the others I was hoping. I think part of the problem may have been the heat. I can see not wanting to be sat on in 90 degree weather. Another part of the problem might have been the roosters overmating. Perhaps they were so happy to see hens that they just could not get enough. Either way, I'm glad I have some more eggs coming and chicks too.
This chicken raising is addicting.

 

[Kiniska]

............... Naaaah, I won't say it.

John

So far what she has left hasn't resembled an egg much.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

going to warren in a little bit for a christmas party. Yes a christmas party in september!