INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[wheezy50]

Also, in case anyone is interested, Martinsville RK had isa brown pullets as of yesterday.

 

[strssdmom]

So hows every ones egg counts? I'm normally 10-12 a day with 14 layers, 1 broody and I'm down to 5 eggs a day. EE and the white chickens are laying regular, nothing from my 3 BA or 2 BLRW. I may get 3 brown eggs a week. New normal is now green and white. Is it the weather, should I be concerned for my birds? I did see one white chicken (really don't know what kind she is lmao) that has some raised scales in the bend of her foot. Shes laying great. Everyday. Everyone else looks normal. I don't see any other signs of mites or lice.

I am having the same problem. I have 20 girls that were laying. I was getting 15-17 eggs a day. We had a few hot days with a heat index over 100 and then the temps dropped drastically. Suddenly, I am down to 2-6 eggs a day.

It is amazing, but they are sensitive to the temps, daylight (which is shortening daily), predator threats, and illness.

Keep an eye on them, but I am guessing it is just the temp and shortening of the days. We are thinking about putting a light in our coop on a timer so they get more daylight hours.

Good luck and hope the egg count returns to normal.

 

[toodlesmom]

Originally Posted by jchny2000 View Post
We don't have plans to sell meat but if you want to learn how, we will show you on our next processing day. You can bring your own rooster if you want to get a hands on lesson. Right now we are thinking Nov 9th give or take 2 weeks


We don't and won't have birds for processing. My husband, who has been wonderfully supportive about having a flock, says six hens will be enough and no roosters!

 

[vickichicki]

Hmm, might have to work on nest boxes...looking a little crowed.

 

[exop]

Last weekend I went to TSC in Boonville since they had a farm animal swap day. I got two Mille Fleur bantam pullets (one of which is in a tree in Evansville ((can they ever fly)) and my sister is desperately trying to catch it) and the other will be moving out with the rest of them in a couple weeks.

I also got two Black Copper Marans from a different from a different person and when I got them home I found this on there heads:


It looks like dandruff holding onto the feathers or non-moving lice. Any help would be appreciated.

How odd. It looks almost like fly eggs to me... It could also be dried mud, or dried food material, which has broken into short little rod shapes because of the feather fibers it is attached to.

A reliable, tactile test for an unknown tiny thing stuck to your chicken:

Remove one of the tiny shapes and place it on a hard, smooth, flat, easy to see surface. ( Such as a plain white dinner plate, or the back of your thumbnail ). Carefully lower a fingernail or another thumbnail onto it, so that the flat tops of your two nails make a sandwich with the mystery particle as sandwich filling. Now try to crush it with a firm rolling motion.

If it is uncrushable, or if it crushes up to dry dust or dirt, it is probably just some kind of crud, not a living thing. If it is an egg, a louse or a large mite, you will feel a tiny *pop* ... and when you take your nail away and look, you will see a tiny spot of moisture as well as some crushed remains. With littler mites, you may not feel a pop but you will see a tiny spot of moisture. In tiny mites which are blood feeders the moisture may have a reddish color, which makes it a little easier to see. Satisfaction! You killed it!

Now go wash your hands

 

[vickichicki]

Clearly unimpressed having to wait her turn.

 

[vickichicki]

How odd. It looks almost like fly eggs to me... It could also be dried mud, or dried food material, which has broken into short little rod shapes because of the feather fibers it is attached to.


A reliable, tactile test for an unknown tiny thing stuck to your chicken:


Remove one of the tiny shapes and place it on a hard, smooth, flat, easy to see surface. ( Such as a plain white dinner plate, or the back of your thumbnail ). Carefully lower a fingernail or another thumbnail onto it, so that the flat tops of your two nails make a sandwich with the mystery particle as sandwich filling. Now try to crush it with a firm rolling motion.


If it is uncrushable, or if it crushes up to dry dust or dirt, it is probably just some kind of crud, not a living thing. If it is an egg, a louse or a large mite, you will feel a tiny  *pop*  ... and when you take your nail away and look, you will see a tiny spot of moisture as well as some crushed remains.  With littler mites, you may not feel a pop but you will see a tiny spot of moisture. In tiny mites which are blood feeders the moisture may have a reddish color, which makes it a little easier to see.  Satisfaction!  You killed it!


Now go wash your hands 

Now that's just gross (insert spewing smiley)

 

[exop]

amwchickin: Also, how do their ears look? It could be dried exudate that has come out of the ears. See if you can move the little tuft of feathers aside, and peer in there.

 

[exop]

hogster160: Funny, my own birds are just stepping up their lay. Have had a bunch of them come out of molt recently, but my impression is also that they are enjoying the cooler weather.

vickichicki: Gross... aw, c'mon... any mites, lice etc have been living on a diet of fresh chicken or chicken skin, that's not really much worse than any of us humans. They are clean little beasties Although I will admit that the sandwich filling metaphor was, maybe, a little gross

amwchikin: I would have suggested looking for weeping from the eyes too, but the feathers in the eye region seem clear.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Is anyone going to be selling processed meat chickens that we could purchase? We are thinking about getting a chest freezer. I'm more and more put off by the steroids, antibiotics, etc. going into meat and would sooner buy from folks I trust.

I might be selling some meat next year around june-august. I will let you know