INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pginsber]

My thanks to everyone who has shared about their poop boards. This coop building is more complicated than it looks on the surface. Or, more likely, I'm just making it that way! My-brother-the-carpenter has not shown up for work on the coop for a week. When he shows, he works at the pace of molasses in January. I have my chickens all lined up and waiting, and he has barely started the job. Wow, am I frustrated!

I understand your frustration as well as your complication. We designed & planned our shed/coop for 2 years because we kept complicating things with this or that idea. I spent hours researching details like feeder height, roost height, door size, etc. In the end, the girls eat and sleep wherever THEY want, not necessarily where I planned for them to. Isn't that how it is?
Maybe you could give your pullets hammers?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
My Dh had the ability to make the simple jobs very time consuming too. Slow work and making sure everything lines up just so. Yesterday we were making a simple dog house from scrap plywood and a scrap 2x4s. It must have taken him double the amout of time I thought it would take. I was helping and I could tell when he was just spending too much time on stuff. After all it was a dog house it did not have to be perfect but there was no telling him that. So now we have a great perfectly square and very well supported plywood dog house. At least I did not ask DH to design the thing. It would have been a week but adorable I'm sure. Right now our dog house looks so very basic. Even the door is rectangle not arched. But it was done in less than 5 hours. Still needs paint though, I'm thinking my children will paint it and It won't hurt the looks one little bit.
We are also working on a new coop. DH has modified the plans a few times but what is really slowing us down is DH's need for a perfect cut on the wood or plywood. I just keep telling myself it will be perfect in the end.

 

[bradselig]

Moving around chickens today and gave this older silkie cockerel I need to find a new home for. Under 6 months old. I have too many silkie Roos so thus has to go. I love his color, but not sure what you would call it.

Also have this straight comb chick also needing a new home. Not sure of sex.

I'd really like to get rid of both soon as I have more chicks hatching and need the room. There is no charge for either.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

The little puff head on the right is adorable. I also reuse boxes from the mail for the chickens. So glad I'm not the only one.

 

[bradselig]

If I didn't have to limit to just a couple colors, I would have kept the little blue. It is now with another forum member, so hopefully I'll get to see pics on how it develops. I bet it will be a looker!

 

[pbirdhaven]

Talked to the guy who runs the Indiana Poultry Breeder show when we were at Lebanon and he said that it was being cancelled this year. The cancellation will be posted in the November issue of the poultry press.

Well, pooh. It hasn't been the best show on the circuit, but at least it was close by. So I guess the Blue Grass show next weekend is my last for the season unless I decide to travel to Knoxville in December. I missed the deadline for entries for the Ohio National; not too disappointed, looking forward to being a visitor and just looking and shopping. I have a list of what I'm looking for.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Adeline, English Jubilee Orpington

Wow. I like that coloration!

My phoenix pullet that is raising two babies teenagers has started to lay again. They are not quite 6 weeks old. She is still acting like a mom, showing them food and covering them with her wings at night. How long do you think I have until she decides they are on their own?

I really varies from broody to broody. Some won't keep them past a couple or 3 weeks. Others quite long.

When my girl was done with them the last time (which was waaayyyy long...around 9 weeks I think) she just one day went up on the roost at night and when the kiddos tried to hang with her she would peck them away. When she was done, she was done. Kind of a rude awakening for the kids, but they got the idea w/in a day that they were on their own.

I'll be interested to see how she does this time. She's been going up on the big roost and calling them to come up. So far they have come and sat on it during the day with her but haven't followed her up in the evening and she has come down to their corner. I'm hoping she teaches them to come up there at night and they get some protection a few times but we'll see. It's pretty hard to get on the roost when no one is protecting you when you're little.

But the last time they got the hang of that on their own.

 

[FarkerFarms]

Question, what do those of you with larger flocks do about water in the winter? I know there are several threads on the main forum on the subject, but they are all very small waterers. I would really like to find something that will hold at least a couple days worth of water. What do you guys use? Also, do you put the water inside/outside or both in the winter? I have had mine in both, but need to make a choice since I will have to run an extension cord out there and can't run two of them.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Question, what do those of you with larger flocks do about water in the winter? I know there are several threads on the main forum on the subject, but they are all very small waterers. I would really like to find something that will hold at least a couple days worth of water. What do you guys use? Also, do you put the water inside/outside or both in the winter? I have had mine in both, but need to make a choice since I will have to run an extension cord out there and can't run two of them.

I use several plastic ice cream bowls in the run and one of the metal 3 gallon on the inside. We fill several times a day and have to replace any cracked ice cream containers when the water freezes in the wrong way. I have a heat light aimed at the waterer in the coop plugged into a thermo cube outlet thing. I don't think I would want the birds drinking old water in the winter. too much dirt and litter gets into it when they don't spend as much time outside. once weather is somewhat warm, all water is moved outside for the larger birds but the babies can keep their water in their coop as they don't go outside right away. I do move the water around about once a week or so in the coop so that any spillage is not always in the same spot. I'm a bit unsure about what I plan to do for the duck water this year. I'm hoping the outside water will be good enough for their bills. The waterer in the coop is not deep at all.

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

My Dh had the ability to make the simple jobs very time consuming too. Slow work and making sure everything lines up just so. Yesterday we were making a simple dog house from scrap plywood and a scrap 2x4s. It must have taken him double the amout of time I thought it would take. I was helping and I could tell when he was just spending too much time on stuff. After all it was a dog house it did not have to be perfect but there was no telling him that. So now we have a great perfectly square and very well supported plywood dog house. At least I did not ask DH to design the thing. It would have been a week but adorable I'm sure. Right now our dog house looks so very basic. Even the door is rectangle not arched. But it was done in less than 5 hours. Still needs paint though, I'm thinking my children will paint it and It won't hurt the looks one little bit.
We are also working on a new coop. DH has modified the plans a few times but what is really slowing us down is DH's need for a perfect cut on the wood or plywood. I just keep telling myself it will be perfect in the end.

At least yours does it. Can't get mine off the recliner !!! LOL !!