INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you all for your condolences. I knew Chickie for a long time, so it's just hard to think of never seeing her again. We buried her next to one of her broodmates, Ducki, who died years ago. Hard to believe! Now the only one left of my first chickens is old Cubby.

This is the last picture I took of Chickie, back in June. She's been slowing down since around when this picture was taken, so I figure her age had just caught up to her.

In related news, my beloved Frou-Frou has gone into her first molt and is so, so moody. She does NOT want anything to do with me--obviously this is somehow MY fault! But today, she must have known something was different, because she came right up to me like usual and even tolerated some attention. Forget laughter; chickens are the best medicine.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

We worked in the gardens and the back yard all weekend. We pulled all the dead plants out and got the gardens ready for a long winter's nap.

Our chickens got to free range on the back part of our property most of the weekend (this is a rare treat). They are usually confined to our back yard area, due to grumpy neighbors and stray dogs.

It was great to see them out and enjoying all the leftovers from the garden and all that nature had to offer them.

We will be moving to a bigger property within a month, and I am hoping to be able to give the chickens a LOT more room to roam.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Hope you had time to enjoy your flock.

Sound like a fantastic weekend! Excited for you and your chickies too I love the open calm feeling of the country life.

 

[toodlesmom]

Pipd - So sorry to hear about your Chickie. It will be strange not to see her little chicken face for awhile. Eight and a half years is a long life for a chicken, and you have been a good chicken mom to her.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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Hey Ya'll!! I'm in desperate need of advise!!

So I took my girl Pepper in to the Avian vet in Indy again this morning because she hasnt been using her foot correctly shes been walking on the knee joint instead of her foot we orgininally thought it was broken. Did xrays and it was not broken so they said she probably just hurt it because she did sqawk in pain while they did the exam. They sent us home with an anti inflamatory pain med. So on wed I notice she isnt roosting like she normally does and called back they said bring her in. Today they tell me it could be one of 3 things #1 she injured herself and it caused nerve damage (they think this is unlikely since there was no "known" trama) #2 theres an inflamation where the neveres are causing her to limp and they can do an endoscapy to see (a few hundred MORE dollars) or #3 it could be Mareks!!! If its Mareks she'll get progressivly worse and will need to be put to sleep of course. Apparently vaccinated chicken can get Mareks. They suggest I put her down and do an autopsy (another $200) to "see" if thats the problem. She a hatchery chick I got her at Rural king I've had her since she was only a few days old I cant just put her down to "see" if thats it. We love her! I dont know what to do at this point I thought Mareks was a faster moving disease. Shes been limping for 3wks. Still eating and drinking. Anyone with Mareks experiance or experiance with a limping chicken or lameness???

Just my personal opinion, no offense meant to anyone.
You have to decide your own comfort zone for her well being.
I hear the "mareks" scare word so often anymore Its become my last thought. Its out there, and can happen.
And I hear it so much lately I worry that its becoming a blanket diagnoses in some cases.
Please, everyone don't take that offensively, I am on a lot of BYC threads and see it mentioned repeatedly several times a day.
I hear it in feed stores, at the post office! My youngest DD asked me what it is! She is NOT interested in chickens, but her fiance' is.
For me, If she is healthy otherwise, not losing weight, showing no other signs of illness, give her time.
That is if you are able to offer the time to give her. Its hard caring for a bird with a leg injury. many of us have.
Sometimes a leap from the roost can cause pain or injury too, without knowing what happened its difficult to know healing times.
If you notice weight loss, pale color in her face, drab, dull appearance, or pain its past time to consider her quality of life.
Birds that look ill are usually much worse than we realize.
My hardest lesson was a splayed leg "meat bird" (CX) at 4 weeks. hopeless situation and I felt horrible once researching what was wrong.
I found the poor guy under a roost when I did headcount. That's before we had today's internet and search browsers tho

1983? LOL

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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!!

BEEEAUTIFUL flock choices I am so excited for you

Quote: Its all about the people that's there, and if they care about what they do. If Joy ever leaves I may not go there anymore either!
Staff that take an interest and have pride in the work they do will make an effort. Managers with good business will teach their staff to do so, or dismiss them.
Its just good business and respect of your customers.

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.

oh Pipd, I am so sorry.

She had a long and wonderful life with you. Its hard the first few days, but I know you have experienced it before too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

We have lots of Kestrels around here. They are actually very pretty. They have more gray-blue than regular hawks. There is one spot on my way to twn that I've seen them ever since I was a kid. Saw them there today. They are field hunters and like mice, saw one with one tonight. The farmers are all busy here so they are looking for critters. And yes they are about the size of a small crow. They like to overlook fields from electric/ phone lines. And since we were talking hawks. The chasing and activity right now is the adults chasing off the young hawks. They actually don't migrate but will widen their territories. It has been very Hawk- noisy here for several weeks and seems to have settled down now. We have 74 acres of woods and even the larger hawk( red tailed and shouldered) fly very well in our very thick woods.

We have turkey buzzard, crow, red tail and i dunno what all else. I think I have spotted bald eagle, I know Brookville lake has some now.
What an impressive sight, they are so beautiful!
danand that's an awesome amount of land, I would love it! My house would be nestled smack in the middle of it all

Ugh~ I just made a long post to many people and when I clicked Submit, the post was gone.

I do want to give my condolences to pipd re Chickie.

Its been frustrating, I keep typing a page and submit and its GONE.

wings were darker but the size looks right if those pine cones match the ones on my pine trees. The front coloring looks right too. I was looking through a net but I don't know for sure that the face had stripes. But it was not a coopers hawk, just too small.

edit: I was goggling pictures additional pictures. I found one of the Sharp-shinned Hawk.
The bird I saw tonight had the belly and size of your pictured bird but the wings of the sharp-shinned. Maybe it was a mutt hawk. if not your picture is the closest I have seen.

That's whats been perching on my big coop! At first, when it flew over, I thought it was a turkey poult or scovy till I saw how if flew.
The pattern underside is very striking and noticeable. Our mice population is booming this year, finding them in the water buckets every day

So the lil guy wants mice not my birds, am ok with that, I am down to 1 barn cat

Blackie my old guy is gone almost 2 months now.

 

[toodlesmom]

We have turkey buzzard, crow, red tail and i dunno what all else. I think I have spotted bald eagle, I know Brookville lake has some now.
What an impressive sight, they are so beautiful!
danand that's an awesome amount of land, I would love it! My house would be nestled smack in the middle of it all

Its been frustrating, I keep typing a page and submit and its GONE.

That's whats been perching on my big coop! At first, when it flew over, I thought it was a turkey poult or scovy till I saw how if flew.
The pattern underside is very striking and noticeable. Our mice population is booming this year, finding them in the water buckets every day

So the lil guy wants mice not my birds, am ok with that, I am down to 1 barn cat

Blackie my old guy is gone almost 2 months now.

The Indianapolis Humane Society is looking for adopters with barns to rehouse working cats/ barn cats. We had a pair of brothers who lived to be 18 years old. They were sweeties.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Speaking of leg issues.. I have a sweet lil chinese goose in my utility area of our coop. She was injured 3 weeks ago.
Have no idea why or how. They have free run of the full property if I am out with them.
I heard the panic call and went running. she was out in the open grass area by the barn.
Its mowed short and the geese love the clover over there. Her foot was scraped up and she couldn't walk.
(MY geese are MY babies

) I put her in the 2nd bathtub in the house and then got her hatch mate too. they are inseparable.
Poor baby was calling frantically, put both geese in my utility area of the main coop until she is healed. Geese don't accept new flocks easily.
I want them to still see the other geese. They are july goslings and still very young yet and i don't want them to be alienated,.
She has started to walk again and hoping she will fully recover.
We still have about an acre of woods to clear, overgrown and full of junk and metal.
I just know she was hurt over there. My geese climb, jump on things, they have no fear of stuff.

My 4 embden and 4 african goslings are officially flock members today. they free ranged with the other 7 chinese.
There were the usual wing grabbing and WeeweWeeing & woodawoodawooda altercations, but by days end all were nestled and sleeping in a big group

Since my lil sore foot girl and her buddy are doing fine, this weekend they will all move to the "new goose coop".
My pekin were all raised with the goslings but the mom, they are moving in too. Opening space for winter in the main chicken coop.
Over winter I won't hatch but want them all together for warmth and security.
My main coop is covered with chain link and has electric fence. goose coop also so finally, no worries.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
There are so many dumped off here, its horrible.

"hey its a farm they need our dog or cat" Any that are I neuter and have vaccinated IF I can catch them.
They do NOT come into the house due to my mom/dads health. After being in animal control the numbers are just depressing to see!
everyone please have your pet fixed if you are not breeding a dog or cat for a purpose. there is so many euthanized its just sickening.
Many of the cats I try to save do not last long. we have too many predators, cats are domestic and not prepared to deal with it.
Most of the dogs are boys, not fixed and aggressive. I have had stray cows and goats too, just depressing.

 

[gunchief25]

Mornin all Cockadoodledooooooooooo!