INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

"We better keep an eye on him; I think he's up to no good".


John

This is saved as my desktop on my PC! Saw it on FB last year

my guineas play tug when they find the little grass snakes.

Lol John! That looks like my house with 5 dogs.

I went and bought Poly-vi-sol and gave the chick with the bad legs a drop. I saw more egg shells laying around and saw we have another wyandotte and an extra set of shells. I felt around and found a dead blue silkie. So I had two blue silkies. She stepped on one I think because it was under her foot when I found it. The other blue is the one I gave the vitamins. I hope her legs are just weak, and not messed up from being stepped on. The little white silkie is doing great. I have learned however, that maybe putting silkie eggs under large fowl hen is a mistake. I won't do that again. So in total I have 2 wyandottes, a minorca cross, one white healthy silkie, and 2 blues, one deceased and one struggling. I am waiting on the australorp egg and two more silkies to hatch. I also have my silkie hen on her 15 eggs in the silkie coop, so I won't be short on silkies, but is is disheartening to lose them. The little ones that are healthy are very strong. So that is something.

You are doing all you can.

What happens when there is only one tree in the area.



John

 

[Leahs Mom]

I though FF was suppose to cut down on feed bills. I have only been feeding it for 4 days and they love it but are not eating any less.

When I first started feeding ff, they doubled their intake for the first several weeks.

After that, they decreased to less than half the original amount.

Theory: I think they may have been making up for nutrients that they weren't getting from the dry feed.

In the winter when they can't get anything from free ranging, I am probably feeding about 1 lb. per bird per week...maybe a little bit less. (The weight is of the dry feed, not the fermented feed as it gains weight since it's wet. Easier to state that in lbs. dry.)

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

When I first started feeding ff, they doubled their intake for the first several weeks.

After that, they decreased to less than half the original amount.

Theory: I think they may have been making up for nutrients that they weren't getting from the dry feed.

In the winter when they can't get anything from free ranging, I am probably feeding about 1 lb. per bird per week...maybe a little bit less. (The weight is of the dry feed, not the fermented feed as it gains weight since it's wet. Easier to state that in lbs. dry.)

O, wow. I'm sure it will be worth it when i get to the point of them eating half. Thanks for the info. That sounds about right for the meausrments, because right now I have 54 chickens and am going through a bag in about 9 days, well right now. They arent all full grown though

 

[vickichicki]

So I will make this quick...

I have a newish job topped with my other job so I have not had time for anything lately... Waahh...

Just candled my eggs... I saw movement in both of them. Yay. Little concerned by the location of one air sac slightly higher on the wall of the egg than the other.. We shall see.

Do not remember my date that I put them in with the girls, but I am guessing by the candling pictures online, we are at least 15+days, seeing the movement and feather outlines, maybe closer to being done. Air sacs look pretty big.

Fingers crossed this works. Miss seeing my girls outside. The other three have gone on egg strike for now and have been loitering inside the coop where apparently all the cool kids hang

Hope to catch up soon

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Ok I know awhile ago I posted about Curly and Lola and deciding if I was going to put them down. Well I never could make a final decision because I would feel guilty about it and kept hoping they would get better, but now I see they aren't so I finally made the decision to put them down this weekend. I really don't want to, but I know its for the best, though I have no idea how to put them down. Does anybody know how to humanely put down a chicken without chopping its head off or snapping the neck?

Truthfully, the quickest & most humane way is a sharp axe on a wood block and remove the head, or euthanasia.
They don't even know what happened. All nerves are severed so its just "lights out".
The few I have faced the reality of it (non-food situations), I have a bag ready and immediately put the bird in it.
Euthanasia is a bad taste in the mouth and then sleep but you need someone DEA licensed & regulated to do it, like a vet.

Phew, it was a long day for me! A Chemistry test, a Philosophy midterm, errands, and a trip down to Bluffton. I just got the hens locked in for the night, so now I can relax!

I had a pleasant meeting with CCCCHICKENS and handed over my little Easter-egger bantam boy. Lots of chickening talk and mention of the Lebanon show, too. It was great to meet you!

Speaking of the show, I know a few of you were planning on going. It's still a maybe for me--it depends on a lot of things, like how much homework I have--but if I do go, I'd love to meet y'all.

Whew! Long day!!!! Would love to go, DH is working a lot of weekends so I won't know til day-of. I know I plan to make the Connersville show.

Well I have been advised that the leg thing will correct itself under the mother hen. So fingers crossed

I got some pics of the babies tonight, some are blurry, they move a lot!!

Brown wyandotte? I thought this was one of my ee's eggs, but I think it was all wyandotte.

Blue silkie

Minorca x Wyandotte

Wyandotte

White silkie

And the little butt sitting black silkie

precious

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Jchny~ Happy Birthday!
Sally~ my meat birds are about 4 weeks

Danand~ I've missed you too!
has anyone heard from animallover? i remember she had to give away all her animals. just wondering how she has been doing.
so i worked all day, and the DH took care of the animals since i left so early... i got a call from the neighbor at about noon saying that our rooster was over at her house. so, i called my husband and he went over and walked him back. well, when i got home i noticed 2 of my BO hens missing. i figured they were hanging out somewhere or got lost in the cornfield and would follow the clucks back home. i just went out and they havent come home. checked the garage, barn, and around the bushes and pine tree. they were good girls that came when called and always were friendly.

Thanks

so sorry to hear your birds are missing

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I really believe that happens. Bunny my EE produces a lot of healthy birds. I had a hatch late spring of EEs of which had 3 bad chicks.
One deformed leg, one crossbeak and one wry neck. She must have been missing something in her diet, or not eating well.
Lost all but the wry neck chick at 3 months or less. Crook is still with us at over 4 months but he is babied and watched carefully.
All the polyvisol in the world didn't help him, but it does keep him healthier. He hops out of his crate and on my foot, the goofball.
He will ride around on the top of my foot.
He loves liver, I save some raw for him every week, I love breaded fried liver and onions

Morning all you Chicken Herders!!! Cockadoodledoo!!!

16 hours later LOL

I just ran across this ad on CL and I wish I could get them! The price is great and the chickens are adorable. I love the Sizzles!

I am really at my max with 7 chickens although I could make it work, but I doubt my DH would be pleased.

If anyone is interested, Newburgh is a picturesque town that is like an eastside suburb of Evansville. Maybe I should at least go look at them!

If I do, I will use biosecurity.

WOW, that's a steal! Oh my!!!

they are very nice looking hens!

BARB S - These are some of the German New Hampshires that won awards in California. Aren't their colors gorgeous? They look like sunsets! And the female is nearly as bright as the male! When Bradselig sees them, he'll swap the Heirloom BRs for your GermanNHs!



Originally Posted by fowlman01





The orange birds did well. Brought two 7 mo New Hamps and the male was best American, female res American. 1100 bird show. It was not what I consider a strong class, but again these birds are only 7 months old and the judges loved them. neither one of them will be the top New Hamps here when the rest grow out, but they are good solid birds. The main thing is the judges are seeing them....and liking them! These two are offspring from birds I got indirectly from Kathy Bonham last year. The main thing is that the parents are producing better than they are.....by quite a bit in the case of the male I'm using.

These don't really show the birds well so, I will try to get pictures without bars. He kept moving every time I tried to get a picture.

Walt

Lovely vibrant colors!

Quote: To be honest I like the jumbos and the golden'best, little sweethearts and not aggressive at all.
All my A&Ms are mean lil buggers! They not only bite, but jump up, clamp down and hang off my arms!
I have 3 different lines of A&M. The Tibetians and the tennesse reds are just as bad.
I plan to focus on Jumbo and Golden variety, they are very friendly and calm. I can still pick up any of them and they like being held.
I do like the tuxedo, but are not as hardy as the jumbos. Lost several at hatch.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: LOL! DH is ok with it unless they escape the brooder. I have a breezeway between house and garage I did brood in.
My peachicks and turkeys were the worst for escapees!
Now that I have my office trailer, I hatch and brood in it. No more birds in the breezeway or garage.

Quote:

Well, my BO is sitting. Yesterday I gave her two EE mix eggs (I believe the roo is my silkie but could be my frizzle as he has started, um, mingling with the ladies recently) and one I THINK pure silkie egg. I don't know how many of her own eggs she has. Can't be more than one or two as I had been collecting them until she refused to get up. Her chicks will be BO and Buff Brahma cross. Quite possibly the most laid back cross known to man. lol

sending good vibes!

Quote:
It's a piece of beef liver. I pick up beef liver, cut it into small pieces and freeze it in small bags in the freezer. Then I thaw them and feed it to the whole flock from time to time. They also get ground meat a couple times a week - more during the summer.

They go NUTS over any meat they can get their beaks on. (Contrary to the insane thought that chickens are vegetarian... chickens fed a vegetarian diet and unhealthy chickens...they aren't designed to thrive on a veg only diet.)
No kidding! Seeing what the eat free range, I sometimes think they are raptors

I often think I better never fall down in the egg coop!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: OOO interesting, do you have a link for them?

I was struck yesterday by how many different colors of eggs were getting now. Not sure who's laying some of them. So pretty all together that I had to share!

Lovely! Everyone is different

I can't wait till everyone's laying, love a lot of color!

Quote: I started brooding in my den, I was so worried about the babies. I started hatches in february, so I wanted to be sure my babies were warm and safe.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Brad- all of your chickens are just gorgeous!!

Crafty- so sorry they haven't returned! I had a hen get under a box! Didnt know what had got her then I picked it up and she came running out!! It'd been about 3 days!! So you just never know!

Jchny- what a great Bday!! Can't wait to see pics of them at your place!

I am so pleased with them. Hope I can someone to take pics, the tom is just stunning!

I though FF was suppose to cut down on feed bills. I have only been feeding it for 4 days and they love it but are not eating any less.

Be patient, they are going to eat like pigs the first week or 2. It will drop a lot after that.

Some cool pics my mom took today of my menagerie.

They are all very striking, is that a Narragansett tom? He looks huge!

ellymay~ the hens havent come back. i figured they wandered the corn field and popped out near a dog. poor hen of yours.... i have a kiddie pool the same size, i have looked under ours before thinking the same thing.

Crafty I am so sorry