INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Old Salt 1945]

But, John... don't forget one thing.

Birds have immunities to the things that are in the area in which they have been growing. But if you move them somewhere else, you have a couple of other factors going on.

1. The stress of the move. Chickens are creatures of habit and can get a bit "wonky" when moved. A stress like that can put a stress on the immune system for a bit of time.

2. The things they were exposed to where they're coming from are sometimes not the same as what's on the land they're moving to.

For point 2, it's good to see how they respond to what's in the new environment and give them a chance to build any needed immunities without the extra stress of being put right in to a different flock in which they will have to learn the pecking order and find their place. A little extra time can save a lot of stress for them.

Not to mention that the current birds also have immunities to what is in their native area - but possibly not the things that the new birds are bringing with them.


So...even if they are all healthy now, giving them a bit of time to adjust to what each side of the equation has coming with them is a good idea. Then perhaps all they'll need to deal with a few weeks down the road is how to get along with the others and finding their place!

Okay.

John

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Good idea! I sometimes use a broom or a rake to "herd" the flock when I need to move them quickly too and keep them from doubling back.

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

So a couple of days ago I added 2 blue splash cochins and 2 australops to a flock of 6 all full grown. So far the acclamation seems to be going good. My question is whether or not its normal for them to stay on the roost all day. Is it because they comfortable there? If I take them off and put them in the yard to free range and they do fine. The lady I got then from didn't have any roost in her coop they slept on the floor so I've had to put then on the roost at night and suggestions?

 

[FarkerFarms]

So a couple of days ago I added 2 blue splash cochins and 2 australops to a flock of 6 all full grown. So far the acclamation seems to be going good. My question is whether or not its normal for them to stay on the roost all day. Is it because they comfortable there? If I take them off and put them in the yard to free range and they do fine. The lady I got then from didn't have any roost in her coop they slept on the floor so I've had to put then on the roost at night and suggestions?

I added a couple black Cochins to my flock a couple of weeks ago. They seem super shy and cautious. They spent the entire first several days in the coop either on the floor in the corner or on the roosts. I had to boot them out the pop door for "integration hour" every day They are spending more time out in the run with the rest of the ladies now but I still have to pick them up and put them out to free range. Then they are only out for about 10 minutes before then run back in the run to hide! I kind of love them so far!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

About the whole splashXsplash thing yes it equals 100% splash I had a typo.And the chart darth layer posted is an awesome chart. We use it to explain genetics to people a lot on the AM thread.

brad-most people do not recommend splashXsplash. They usually do result in poor looking chickens (well at least when it comes to meeting the standard). You will usually get much better looking splash from crossing blueXblue.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

pimento plymouth- my cochins are very pushy towards the other chickens, especially my blue, but also do not constantly bully others. they roost earlier but at sunrise you bet they are up bustling around. So in my experience it is not normal for them to roost all day. Now I cant speak for the austrolorps (spelling?) as I have never had them. But then again each chickens personality varies. I would not consider normal. How long have they been there? you have to give them time to get used to things

 

[browncow15]

Was it this thread someone was talking about a breeder that has heritage buff orpingtons? I'm thinking about adding some in the spring for their broody ness and maybe some meat.

 

[DarthLayer]

Ew, Ew, Ew, Ew, Ew! 

I was out in the coop raking around the deep litter when I came across a nest of fully furred young mice.  I didn't even have time to react before 26 chicken came at them from all different directions.  I have never seen so much commotion in all my life.

The chickens snatched up those mice and banged their little heads on the floor, walls, and ground until they stopped moving.  Then they played a few rounds of "Who's Mouse is it"!  As they ripped the mice out of each others mouths, they happily ate little pieces of the mice until there was nothing left.

[COLOR=0000FF]Have you ever seen such a thing?  I had no idea chickens ate mice!!!!!!! [/COLOR] [COLOR=0000FF]YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/COLOR]

I had one of those experiences before, but with a toad. I walk into the pen finding them tearing a toad apart. It makes me wonder what else they eat when I'm not there....

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Saw a hawk this morning but none since then and I have been to the north east and north central areas surrounding me. I'm hoping by Saturday when weather permitting we plan to be outside I can have the chickens back outdoors. After all I was seeing a hawk here and there this summer too just not in mass like the past few weeks. I did have to combine my two pens of hens in one coop though due to the weather at night. So if I open the gate to free range, it is a free for all adults and young ones all would be out.

 

[bradfield]

Welcome! Honestly it really depends on what chickens you want and how many chickens. Most hatcheries have a minimum # of chicks from 15-25. There are two hatcheries that I know of, Meyer hatchery and Ideal hatchery, that have lower minimums. Meyer is 3 chucks and Ideal is minimum of $25. Hatcheries are going to give you the biggest selection for the cheapest price per chick. They typically aren't "show quality" and have some physical faults such as wrong comb type or wrong leg color.
A second option is to purchase from a feed store in the spring. The store order from the hatcheries I talked about above allowing people to buy small quantities of chicks. If you can only have hens and not roosters, then ordering directly from a hatchery or buying from a feed store would probably be your best bet.
Your last option is to buy from a private breeder. While this wont be the cheapest way, the quality of the chicks are typically much better. Most private/local farm can not sex chicks though, so you will likely be purchasing them as straight run, or unsexed. To help with locating a farm/breeder, go to the link in my signature. Once you open up that page, there will be a link to our members list. It will list the members on this thread (if they chose to be added), where they are located, and what breed of chicks they own.

I have done all 3 with great results. It all boils down to what you want.

Thanks! I will most definitely be looking into my options. Since we are doing this with our neighbors, I am hoping to have around 6-8 chickens of different ages so I can save on the expenses a little but still get eggs!! I do not think I can have more than 8 chickens in the yard max, tho. So I will be looking into smaller purchases. Things are looking good, tho! Our one neighbor is an engineer and I am sending him photos of a coop we really like to he can draw up plans for us to fit our size needs!!! Will be an exciting winter for sure. Thanks for your info! I will be looking into our options here soon.