INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[bradselig]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221247265522?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
someone posted, and I like the idea.

Haha. Yea that was me. I'll let you know how I like them. I can find them up to 5/8" so might order some more sizes if I like them.

 

[CRSelvey]

Nice pictures.

About the egg production, we have been getting 35 eggs/week since mid July. It has hardly let up! Our 7 girls are still giving us 30-35 eggs/week, but I've heard that may change as they get older. This March they will be 1 year old. Love those fresh eggs, nothing like the store eggs.

I'd like to bring my own eggs in to the restaurant where we sometimes go for breakfast (Charlie Browns, in Speedway) when they make an omelet
for me, but don't want to insult them lol. Now I usually skip the omelets and get pancakes. We love that place.

That's a pretty good amount of eggs! Thanks for the breakfast idea too. I love breakfast places. I normally try to go to the Original Pancake house when I'm in Indy that early, but I can always find room for a new place ;-)

Evening. Totally new to chickens, but have been reading up on them for years. Pretty excited...we are "expecting" six bantam babies in May!

Welcome! I hope your kids love it as much as mine. My oldest only liked them while they were small and fluffy. Once they got big poo, she was so over them. The other two little ones are still in love with their chickens and help me all the time. I can't wait to see pics of your bantams.

CRSelvey ~ What gorgeous photos!
My hens had stopped laying for a month or so in the fall while molting, but they suddenly kicked into laying mode and it's great having eggs again. I don't use artificial light, but I assume that having a clear roof and clear plastic covering the sides helps the egg laying.

Thanks! My favorite is the barn pic. I think your chickens are lucky that you put so much thought into their care. Do your big kids get jealous?

DW out of surgery now. So far, the total shoulder replacement was a success. Wait until the pain meds wear off and we'll see what she says then.
Thanks to all for the well wishes and good vibes!

Please keep us posted. We'll be having happy thoughts for you both.

Had an interesting day Sunday. While we were sending roosters off to freezer camp, DH noticed a little beagle mix by our driveway.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...41413421.48852.186662221413643&type=1&theater

Terrified, confused and just tiny.
Well, he loves little dogs, went and scooped her up.
Today we were happy to find the owner via facebook!!!
The poor guy was crying and I thought her eyes would pop he was hugging her so hard.
Its nice to have a happy ending to some of these situations.

I'm so happy for that man that he found his baby again. Losing any pet is hard, but its really lucky she found someone to care for her in the meantime.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Haha It won't take long once your DH sees those chicks and starts staring at "Chicken TV" He will be smitten.
I didn't know BR and EE came in bantam size. I have one of each in LF and they both lay the largest and nicest eggs-- and my EE's is the prettiest of course. Silkies have grown on me since I've been on this thread (around a year now). I am hoping to get a couple of them in the future. I will get your avatar to you tomorrow.

Your EE lays large eggs? Is that the typical size for an EE? I got 2 EE this past spring and my eggs have only weighed in as mediums. And I've only had 1 blue/green egg at a time. Either one of the girls has never laid or her eggs are a different color. With all the different breeds we have I'm never sure which lays which color. The only ones I know for sure are the Isa Browns & Cinnamon Queens. I get a lot of lighter tinted eggs with variations of pinkish, peachy-ish, beige colors. This is a sample of the different colors we get...

 

[CRSelvey]

Kabhyper- I am really sorry for your families loss. 37 is just too young. I wanted to thank you for the reminder about the flu shots though. I normally have them all done in October and this year I have been slacking. My kids all have an appointment today because of your post. Thanks again.

 

[chick rookie]

Good morning all! I had a nice chicken day yesterday. I let all the "kids" in the barn which I rarely do because they like to climb on the hay bales and poop all over them (which the horses do not appreciate and which worries me from an illness standpoint for the horses). I was in one of the stalls cleaning and heard a ruckess in the storage bay next to me. This is what I found:



8 hens and a rooster found the dirt floor and went to town! It was a living, wreathing pile of contentedness. Pretty cute. They haven't been able to find a good spot to bathe with all of the mud and snow. The bulk of my chickens will be leaving this weekend to go live with Chick Rookie, she will be a fantastic mama to my babies. I had been in a sort of "partnership" with the chickens with a friend that lives about 15 minutes from me. We were splitting costs and agreed that she would come up twice a week to help with care and was taking 1/2 the eggs. She got a new job and her husband didn't take to the experiment so she hasn't been able to help me much with the chickens. I have decided to go it alone in order to be able to reduce flock numbers and since I was doing 95% of the work myself anyway. So most of our "partnership" chickens have to go It didn't seem fair to keep them all and completely cut her out and I didn't need as many for just myself. I did talk to her and we agreed that I would keep a few of the oldest hens (3 years old) since we are the most attached to them and a couple that I bought myself. Then I will add some of my own and do this by myself. I really wanted a couple female Cochins and a Maran for the dark eggs so I have ordered chicks for the first time! All of my experience has been with getting pullets that were close to the point of lay. I am super excited and a bit nervous to have them in my super small house! I am also concerned about getting too attached to them - it seems a bit easier to only get kind of attached when you get them as adults. I am going to be Mother2Hens in no time raising them myself! I of course had to order extras to meet the order minimum, so I am not sure how many I will get attached to/keep in the end. I am nervously awaiting the arrival of my chick gear as well as the following chicks: 2 Partridge Cochins, 1 Red Cochin, 1 Gold Laced Cochin, 1 Buff Brahma, 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Easter Egger. All were sexed as pullets and don't be surprised if I offer some of them at some point, I really need to re-home some of the extras if I can make myself do it! And I am getting Brad's latest three Birchen Maran chicks and hoping at least one is a female! I am also working on a new screen name since Farker Farms was our "partnership" farm name. If someone new while alarmingly familiar with you all starts posting, probably me!

Thank you for the confidence I will take good care of them.
Will you still be interested in the blk copper maran's I will be getting in the spring?

 

[browncow15]

The baby moo's are looking great! I am soo hooked on mine
How old are your pullets, about 12-14 weeks? It wont be long.
If you are any good with electricity you can make a great one, cheap.
I used an igloo cooler, hot water heater thermostat and a ceramic light fixture.
PC fan and AC phone adapter.
Very much like this one..
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/8510/chic-chick-bator-updated
I did line the bottom with 1 " patio brick pieces for a heat sync and a water dish.
Put 1/4 inch hardware cloth over it and used shelf liner to protect their feet.
I have also used paper towel.
I plan to add a window this year so I can peek!
I had no problems hatching geese in there last spring.

We do eat many of the roosters. The pullets are very easy to sell usually.
I also offer chicks for sale, but it gets hard to compete with the feed stores in may!

The pullets are 18 or 19 weeks I think so any time now

Interesting idea for an incubator! Ill have to do some reading!

I know Sally uses craigs list is that where you list your pullets as well?

 

[kabhyper1]

lol yea you would think that would do it... but it didn't. but thanks for the suggestion. she warmed them right up.... I am thinking about putting some of those plastic easter eggs the kids get, under her but am afraid all that will do is make her even more determined thinking she will hatch them??????

If you do that she will sit waiting for them to hatch. I just broke my determined broody, by keeping her busy, every time she I saw her sitting down, I picked her up and gave her some scratch. If your hen has a favorite treat, take her out of wherever you have her, and put her on a hard floor. I just used our living room since it's wood floor. If she sits down, lift her up and hold her under her wings until she starts flapping. A good flapping should knock her out of her trance long enough to notice you are giving her treats. Keep doing that until she sits less and less. Keep her off of comfortable surfaces for awhile. If you have to, put a cold pack in a towel under her. The key is keeping her belly cold, and keeping her uncomfortable for awhile. It may take a couple weeks even, but she should snap out of it. There are a lot of good broody breaking articles on this site also.

 

[kabhyper1]

Kabhyper- I am really sorry for your families loss. 37 is just too young. I wanted to thank you for the reminder about the flu shots though. I normally have them all done in October and this year I have been slacking. My kids all have an appointment today because of your post. Thanks again.

You're welcome. Thank you to everyone for their condolences. I didn't know my cousin very well, but the idea that someone in your own family could die from the flu really makes you think!

 

[chick rookie]

If you do that she will sit waiting for them to hatch. I just broke my determined broody, by keeping her busy, every time she I saw her sitting down, I picked her up and gave her some scratch. If your hen has a favorite treat, take her out of wherever you have her, and put her on a hard floor. I just used our living room since it's wood floor. If she sits down, lift her up and hold her under her wings until she starts flapping. A good flapping should knock her out of her trance long enough to notice you are giving her treats. Keep doing that until she sits less and less. Keep her off of comfortable surfaces for awhile. If you have to, put a cold pack in a towel under her. The key is keeping her belly cold, and keeping her uncomfortable for awhile. It may take a couple weeks even, but she should snap out of it. There are a lot of good broody breaking articles on this site also.

well I asked if anyone had any eggs they wanted hatched as a joke, but got an offer I cant turn down, I will be putting chicks under her this weekend and have fresh eggs in with her now hoping to trick her into thinking she hatched them. Got that trick from here. It's a bit early than I wanted but hey when opportunity knocks.....

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I have an order placed with Welp hatchery for the end of Feb. If anyone wants to add to, let me know. Welp has a price list online and it includes shipping so really easy to calculate your part of the order.