INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[DarthLayer]

I'm so sorrry for your loss pipd. You gave her a wonderful life for those 8.5 years

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Hey, folks, sorry if I missed anything posted for me.

This evening, I made the tough decision to put Chickie down. She was lingering, and though I had some doubt in my choice, I think I've made the right call for her.

Chickie was one of our first chickens, having arrived as a day-old in April 2005. She was always quiet and was picked on a lot before we knew that we weren't providing the girls enough space. She had survived the era known as 'before I knew better' at the beginning of my chickening time. She lived through so much... She was 8 1/2 years old.

Edit: Hit post too soon.

I think you did the right thing, but I'm sure it was hard.

Pipd - thinking of you as you let Chickie go today.

SallyInIndiana - I'm not huge into the heritage thing, I want decent quality birds and I think I need to start out again with most from the same place. So, I'll probably do online hatchery. Unless I get crazy and drive all over the tri-state to fellow BYC'ers and get some good birds!

pginsber - MY LIST: BR, BA, BCM, blue cochin, Blue CM, BLRW, buckeye, lav orp, light brahma, speckled sussex, blue andalusian, silver laced polish, blue Ameraucana, EE's,Olive Egger, salmon faverole, wheaten Ameraucana, Cochin Bantams, Mille Fleur Bantams.

I will probably start out at good ole Rural King and get the basic ones they normally have. Like I said, I'm not huge into heritage lines, I don't show my birds. I really just want a colorful flock and colorful egg basket.

Counting down the days until "Chick Days" are here again!!

I vote for Meyer hatchery if they have the breeds you want all available on the same day. Their service is great and you can get a giant thing of chick vitamins for about $5 to use instead of tiny save a chick packages. Others have had wonderful success with McMurray too. The trick is finding one hatchery with all of the breeds you want available on the same day. Also call the hatchery as some hatcheries ship from different locations and you mentioned wanting to get them from the same place.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I think you did the right thing, but I'm sure it was hard.

I vote for Meyer hatchery if they have the breeds you want all available on the same day. Their service is great and you can get a giant thing of chick vitamins for about $5 to use instead of tiny save a chick packages. Others have had wonderful success with McMurray too. The trick is finding one hatchery with all of the breeds you want available on the same day. Also call the hatchery as some hatcheries ship from different locations and you mentioned wanting to get them from the same place.

Well if they are wanting blue and wheaten ameraucanas that is where they will have to go to is meyer, no other hathcery carries both those varities, unless somewhere has recently added a variety. People have had trouble with the blue ameraucanas from meyer hatchery. The order blue and get white, they dont even carry white!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Maybe white is the hatchery quality blue. After all look at the production RIR color from any hatchery and it is typically a world lighter than the show quality RIR heritage lines. Size of the chicken is different too. Yep I'm thinking those who got white just need to look closer to see that they got super super light blue ones

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Maybe white is the hatchery quality blue. After all look at the production RIR color from any hatchery and it is typically a world lighter than the show quality RIR heritage lines. Size of the chicken is different too. Yep I'm thinking those who got white just need to look closer to see that they got super super light blue ones

No they were white, I went to look at them, besides I know people who have actually gotten blue. they are definatley lower qaulity than ones from breeders, as all are

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
I was kind of not being serious. I'm sure they were white. I have had some customer service things come up with Meyer. But I used them a lot this summer and fall. They do try and work things out with the buyer and they cover chicks that my harsh PO tends to do away with. But I did have one and only one not great experience with an assortment that I ordered coming with only 1 breed instead of at least 2 as promised. The price per chick was still cheaper than order the breed that came so while I reported it back to them, there was not a whole lot to ask for. I was just hoping for one of the rarer black and white leghorn chicks.
I think each place that a person can get chicks has its advantages.
Breeders get the quality awards, hatcheries get the variety and sometimes availability awards, feed stores get the well at least the chick has survived to about a week or more and lack of shipping charges.
Each has a downside too. Breeders tend to ask higher prices to cover their higher costs and not have chicks yr round, hatcheries tend to offer production chicks but almost yr round, feed store chicks have seen the world so to speak as people keep holding them and investing them with home remedies to make sure they get the girl ones.
If I was just wanting a varied flock I would go with hatchery stock as they carry more breeds than feed stores and for me trying to keep more than 2 or 3 breeds pure is just not going to make my life a simple one. Even now I'm thinking of breeding only 2 breeds the HRIR and some Sumatra from Stony. At one time I thought of trying to get my on meatbird line going but that is a multi generation multi breeding mix thing. Feed stores are what I use for meaties. Shows and the breed thread on here are my go to places for breeder chickens.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I was kind of not being serious.  I'm sure they were white.  I have had some customer service things come up with Meyer.  But I used them a lot this summer and fall.  They do try and work things out with the buyer and they cover chicks that my harsh PO tends to do away with.  But I did have one and only one not great experience with an assortment that I ordered coming with only 1 breed instead of at least 2 as promised.  The price per chick was still cheaper than order the breed that came so while I reported it back to them, there was not a whole lot to ask for.  I was just hoping for one of the rarer black and white leghorn chicks.

I think each place that a person can get chicks has its advantages.

Breeders get the quality awards, hatcheries get the variety and sometimes availability awards, feed stores get the well at least the chick has survived to about a week or more and lack of shipping charges.

Each has a downside too.  Breeders tend to ask higher prices to cover their higher costs and not have chicks yr round, hatcheries tend to offer production chicks but almost yr round, feed store chicks have seen the world so to speak as people keep holding them and investing them with home remedies to make sure they get the girl ones.

If I was just wanting a varied flock I would go with hatchery stock as they carry more breeds than feed stores and for me trying to keep more than 2 or 3 breeds pure is just not going to make my life a simple one.  Even now I'm thinking of breeding only 2 breeds the HRIR and some Sumatra from Stony.  At one time I thought of trying to get my on meatbird line going but that is a multi generation multi breeding mix thing.  Feed stores are what I use for meaties.  Shows and the breed thread on here are my go to places for breeder chickens.

Sarcasim is so hard to realize over the computer lol! Hatcheries arent bad and are great birds to have for egglayers and pets. I will now always order from breeders. Doesnt mean i want pick up a few chicks from the feed store in spring.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

totally a different topic, but a brave tiny hawk stopped by today. it sat on our deck railing staring at me, DH and the chickens in the covered run. My 5 yr old was out in the yard. I asked him to scare away the tiny hawk just staring at me. he ran towards it, threw stuff at it including an empty milk jug. Nothing that thing just sat there staring at me. Finally Dh who was stirring the litter asked if I was talking about a real hawk. He had not looked up to see it. But as soon as he spoke, that tiny thing too off and he watched it fly away. It was not bigger than a crow. but it had a nice striped white and cream breast with dark grey feathers. So I KNOW it was not a crow. My 6 week old meaties that are on the small side were bigger than the tiny hawk. I'm not too sure what it thought it was going to kill.

 

[danand]

Sally- if it was sort of colorful it was a kestrel.

 

[danand]

Pip- I'm so sorry. I can't imagine having one make it that long.