INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

here some pics of the chicks I got a week ago (the pics arent good quality). there are 6 easter eggers and 2 rhode island reds, which i'm sure will probably end up being production reds






And my two frizzles in a bucket, they were getting ready for bed

 

[gunchief25]

here some pics of the chicks I got a week ago (the pics arent good quality). there are 6 easter eggers and 2 rhode island reds, which i'm sure will probably end up being production reds






And my two frizzles in a bucket, they were getting ready for bed

Cute little fuzzy critters

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Cute little fuzzy critters

Thank you, the frizzles make laugh. they have never had a good hair day.

 

[gunchief25]

Thank you, the frizzles make laugh. they have never had a good hair day.

Yeah I seen some of those at the Bloomington Poultry show.

 

[BackyardBitten]

Okay so I'm finally going to try the fermented the thing. I have finally found a enough research on this website to finally take the plunge. Gonna try to put some feed in a bucket tonight see how it goes! Hopefully I don't end up with a lot of rotten feed. My girls just keep acting like they just don't get enough to eat.

I hope everyone else is doing fine and I am trying to keep up with all the posts. Loving all the pictures with the exception of the egg topsy, lol.

I have been off from work for a whole week and have spent an hour every morning with my girls trying to keep them occupied and happy. I got to see everyone lay an egg and to also see their morning routines. Today I witnessed one of my Leghorns, Floppy comb (as I call her), throw a big hissy fit because Big Red decided to get in the laying box first before Floppy comb and this is not how it usually goes. So needless to say there was a big to do in the chicken coop which I found very amusing. It's amazing to observe their difference personalities and what can send them into hissy fit, L0L.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

 

[Delawaremommy]

We had raccoons in our attic eaves. DH made repairs and shut them out. They came back and dug a hole straight through the top of the roof above an unused bedroom. We didn't know until rainwater flooded into the dining room below. What a horrible mess!! Had to replace part of the roof, ceilings, part of a wall, carpet, wallpaper. Ugh!
Now they are in our porch roof. I can see their footprints up the side of the house. Grrrrr! I want to trap and drown them, but DH is too kind. He wants to relocate them to a park only blocks away, which is useless. He is half-hearted about catching them. I found he had set the trap with no bait! Sigh. I'd call professionals, if they weren't so expensive. I need some 'coon hunters!

My brother, a carpenter, is going to turn a backyard shed into a chicken coop for me as soon as he has the time. I want triple pane windows and insulation. How do I provide ventilation in winter without causing drafts? Where should it go? Up high? Down low? Both? I read that at least 1/5th of wall space should be open for ventilation. That seems like a lot in winter. Do I still need that with the deep litter method or with poop boards?
We have nearly an acre all together, but we can't really free range with fence on only two sides of the yard and a big garden taking up a lot of space, so I want to add a ginormous run. Should I add a little run where they could be contained? We will need netting over the entire run for the hawks and owls we have, and buried hardware cloth for the raccoons and 'possums. I can't see the shed/coop from the house and I want a Fort Chicken! Since raccoons and 'possums are nocturnal and the chickens would be in the coop at night, do I need to bury the hardware cloth around the entire perimeter of the run or just around the coop? (Guess I might have chickens that camp outdoors like some of you do; then I'd have to do the entire run.) Do I need hardware cloth around the entire run? Does anyone have an automatic chicken door with a daylight sensor? How do you like it? Questions! Questions!

Mine are all put up at night in the coop as that is where they started to roost for the night. Even when it was really warm and I left the door open for extra ventilation they slept inside in a pile in one nest box!!! Weirdos. My old dog Jacob solved our possum and raccoon issue many years ago. We don't get them anymore! Best hunting dog I have ever known.

pbirdhaven~ Haha That's pretty cute! Sometimes our cat Lionel carries his stuffed toy mouse to our bed and we find it in the morning.
Speaking of cute, here's our cat, Tiger, who adopted us five years ago. Yesterday, he climbed right in a small box that had arrived in the mail.
No, Old Salt, Tiger is not dead. He has a smile on his face.

Today, Tiger decided to be part of my Halloween decor. My black cat, Diablo, would have been a better model!

Adorable photos of your kitty friend. If I can catch my cat he is getting his flea meds today but I have been trying to catch him all weekend. If I hadn't of hand raised the little booger I would swear he was feral!

Sounds like you are on the right direction with your coop. You will like the raised flooring. We have doors on our tall side and the short side, for easy access when cleaning.
Here's one from August, you can see others in this thread by the link with the everyone's photos:



We also have a slide out for the poop under the roost area, but the girls mostly roost outdoors. That may change this winter, maybe. Make sure you have plenty of easy access for the humans!
Maybe we saw you? That's a great shot of Sugar Creek, we were at Turkey Run this last weekend also. Love that place.

LOVE YOUR COOP!!!!!! Can't tell how large the run is but it's really nice. Is the whole tip covered or just part? Mine has a solid roof that slopes down the hill in our yard because we have a big flying predator problem.

 

[Delawaremommy]

Just wondering if anyone here has ordered show birds from Stromberg's. They use Duane Urch for the chicks. Or is it just easier to order directly from him? Does he sex or do I have to do straight run as I am not allowed any roos right now.

 

[lilmizscareall]

Okay so I'm finally going to try the fermented the thing. I have finally found a enough research on this website to finally take the plunge. Gonna try to put some feed in a bucket tonight see how it goes! Hopefully I don't end up with a lot of rotten feed. My girls just keep acting like they just don't get enough to eat.

I hope everyone else is doing fine and I am trying to keep up with all the posts. Loving all the pictures with the exception of the egg topsy, lol.

I have been off from work for a whole week and have spent an hour every morning with my girls trying to keep them occupied and happy. I got to see everyone lay an egg and to also see their morning routines. Today I witnessed one of my Leghorns, Floppy comb (as I call her), throw a big hissy fit because Big Red decided to get in the laying box first before Floppy comb and this is not how it usually goes. So needless to say there was a big to do in the chicken coop which I found very amusing. It's amazing to observe their difference personalities and what can send them into hissy fit, L0L.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

Does the bucket have a lid? I might be wrong, because I haven't fermented yet, but that helps keep the bad bacteria out, right? Or is the water enough?

 

[racinchickins]

For anyone in the Indianapolis vicinity. A couple of us are planning to put together a turkey poult order to Porter's Heritage Turkeys. They are a great source for rare and heritage turkeys located in Northern Indiana. I'm willing to be the point person on the order. We figure if we pool our order, we can save on shipping and also exceed the minimum order without anyone having to order more than they want. (You can order just one if you want, but bet you can't stop at one....) I'm located in Mooresville, and jchny2000 is in Pendleton. When the poults come in, you can let us know which is closer to you for pick up.

The reason we are doing it now is that he gets a lot of orders, and if you don't order soon, you may not get any fluffy butts until sometime in the summer. He starts shipping in May. There is also a 10% off on the orders if we order soon.

If you are interested, send me a pm and we will work things out offline. Planning to order next week, so its decision time folks. And it is a tough decision...he has LOTS of different types and it makes choosing difficult, you'll want them all. Here is the website if you are interested in looking: http://www.porterturkeys.com/

 

[Too Fast]

Little Ameraucana Mom: My cats are house cats and they do catch mice , but they think they are play toys, and half the time let them go. Maybe your cats need to give mine a talking to !!

My cats are house cats, too. I don't let any of our many kitties roam outdoors. And the mice serve as wonderful play toys until they won't run any more. Then the cats are sad.

We had raccoons in our attic eaves. DH made repairs and shut them out. They came back and dug a hole straight through the top of the roof above an unused bedroom. We didn't know until rainwater flooded into the dining room below. What a horrible mess!! Had to replace part of the roof, ceilings, part of a wall, carpet, wallpaper. Ugh!
Now they are in our porch roof. I can see their footprints up the side of the house. Grrrrr! I want to trap and drown them, but DH is too kind. He wants to relocate them to a park only blocks away, which is useless. He is half-hearted about catching them. I found he had set the trap with no bait! Sigh. I'd call professionals, if they weren't so expensive. I need some 'coon hunters!

My brother, a carpenter, is going to turn a backyard shed into a chicken coop for me as soon as he has the time. I want triple pane windows and insulation. How do I provide ventilation in winter without causing drafts? Where should it go? Up high? Down low? Both? I read that at least 1/5th of wall space should be open for ventilation. That seems like a lot in winter. Do I still need that with the deep litter method or with poop boards?
We have nearly an acre all together, but we can't really free range with fence on only two sides of the yard and a big garden taking up a lot of space, so I want to add a ginormous run. Should I add a little run where they could be contained? We will need netting over the entire run for the hawks and owls we have, and buried hardware cloth for the raccoons and 'possums. I can't see the shed/coop from the house and I want a Fort Chicken! Since raccoons and 'possums are nocturnal and the chickens would be in the coop at night, do I need to bury the hardware cloth around the entire perimeter of the run or just around the coop? (Guess I might have chickens that camp outdoors like some of you do; then I'd have to do the entire run.) Do I need hardware cloth around the entire run? Does anyone have an automatic chicken door with a daylight sensor? How do you like it? Questions! Questions!

Yes, build more than you think is necessary for ventilation! That 20% might be a bit much, but the more the better. Don't worry about too many drafts in the coop, just don't build the window right next to the roost area. The vents should be on the highest points, with maybe one a bit lower then the other to promote some air movement. You don't need insulation really, I've read that some in upper New York don't use any heat lamps in the coop, even when the temps reach negative doulble digits F.

You must make sure the roof area is secured against arial attacks, and I don't mean netting. That won't keep out owls (yes, we have a lot in Indiana) or hawks. At least some 2x4 welded wire for the top.

Yes you need to bury the hardware cloth/2x4 welded wire 2 feet out horizontally from the run/coop, or if you are a massochist, 2 feet straight down in this Indiana concrete clay soil. We were doing that in one of those pictures, 2 feet out horizontally, all around the whole dang perimeter. Yes it's a PITA, but worth it for easy sleeping.

Our coop/run is so secure, we have no worries about any attacks once the girls are in their coop/run. We leave the pop door open 24/7, they only go in the coop to lay eggs or eat. It's nice to have a secure run for the girls when we go away for the weekend. Allow at least 10 sq ft/chicken for the run, and at least 4 ft/chicken for the coop, for happy girls. We have 7 layers, the coop is 32 sq ft and the run is about 120 sq feet. Make 1 nest box for every 3 girls, think of it like a bathroom. Don't have to have a bathroom for everybody in the house. Unless the in-law visits lol.