INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

Here's a link to what method I'm using for incubation this time around. . I will post progress during regarding weight goals. Of course out of the 42 eggs I set only a dozen are mine. The rest were shipped so....no guarantee on success rate but atleast I'll feel better knowing my humidity wasn't the issue! I had 6 that either pipped and couldn't zip or zipping expired, the couple I helped at the end had bloody navels and didn't survive more than 8 hours. Can't help but believe my humidity was the problem. I had at least another dozen+ that were fully developed and alive at lockdown but didn't hatch. I have done the eggtopsys before but just didn't this time.

Here's the link.
http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/humidity.html

I do not have a brinsea but the concept still applies.

 

[hogster160]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes over Harriet! It ended up being MY dogs that got her....she escaped a different direction. I went out at dusk to shut down the coop and do a head count and I always take the dogs out when I do that. They stay in their "yard". I didn't see her, but after I heard her I saw that she was in the dog yard and they had gotten her. I am mad at the dogs but I know I shouldn't be...they weren't raised with chickens and she was in their space.

I have gone back and forth over how to handle the dogs and chickens. I haven't really tried "training" my dogs around the chickens because I have one that I know will be untrainable. She is a cattle dog/lab mix with a ridiculous prey drive. After 3 years of trying to train her not to chase my horses...she still does. I have been yelling at her for a year about chasing the chickens on the other side of the fence and she is not any better. She also chases cars and anything I leave on my kitchen counters (her nickname is butter girl because her last conquest was a stick of butter off the counter).... I think I could get the the other three trained enough to be fine one on one with the chickens, but I know that if the bad one took off after a chicken the pack mentality would kick in so I'm not sure it would do any good to work with those three. Also, if I work with those three one on one I am afraid it will take away any natural fear the chickens may have over the dogs, and I don't want that since I will never really trust the dogs when they are together and will never trust the bad one EVER with ANYTHING.

How have you guys handled the dog situation when you have dogs not trained around chickens?

My dog Mia the mut (5 years old)is the one I worry about most. She will dig up my ground to go after moles. I added as second fence on top of the 4' h chain link. I bought 4' chicken wire and 5' t posts. I put a t post at every line post and attached them with zip ties. Then put the chicken wire to the t posts. I also added a third set of chicken wire on the inside of the chicken fence so the chickens can not get their head through the chain link as I dont want my dogs grabbing their heads and yanking. It was a bit costly, but it saved my chickens from my dogs. I later added a turkey run between the dogs yard and the chicken yard. All 3 run parallel to each other. I then took the chicken wire from the chain link and moved it to the new chain link so the turkeys heads are safe from the dogs. I still do a check of chickens/turkeys every time the dogs get let outside.

My pitbull is a big baby (8 years old), she loves to mother things. I don't worry to much about her, unless Mia is with her and then the pack mentality kicks in. Both dogs killed my chicken, so both dogs get watched everyday!

I don't trust them, I do try to keep all animals safe even from each other.

 

[leslea]

Hi!
Totally new to this site and to owning birds! Still learning how to navigate!
Just moved to northwest Indiana, have some land so decided to get some birds.
I purchased some guinea fowl last summer from a lovely local lady to start with, out of ten I have seven left, I think two I lost to hawks and one from unknown reasons, just found him in the coop one day, still.
Well I figured it was time to move up to chickens, I tried contacting the same lady since she was great, but sadly no response, I was getting a little antsy so I ordered them offline from a hatchery. Which i assumed two days and I have em, nope they won't be here till may. So the wait is on....

I'm so happy to have found this site with so many people have ideas and knowledge.

Welcome! I get my first babies in May, too. Originally I thought I would get guineas only because I live in the woods and want them to eat ticks. We'll see if I get guineas at all.

 

[leslea]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes over Harriet! It ended up being MY dogs that got her....she escaped a different direction. I went out at dusk to shut down the coop and do a head count and I always take the dogs out when I do that. They stay in their "yard". I didn't see her, but after I heard her I saw that she was in the dog yard and they had gotten her. I am mad at the dogs but I know I shouldn't be...they weren't raised with chickens and she was in their space.

I have gone back and forth over how to handle the dogs and chickens. I haven't really tried "training" my dogs around the chickens because I have one that I know will be untrainable. She is a cattle dog/lab mix with a ridiculous prey drive. After 3 years of trying to train her not to chase my horses...she still does. I have been yelling at her for a year about chasing the chickens on the other side of the fence and she is not any better. She also chases cars and anything I leave on my kitchen counters (her nickname is butter girl because her last conquest was a stick of butter off the counter).... I think I could get the the other three trained enough to be fine one on one with the chickens, but I know that if the bad one took off after a chicken the pack mentality would kick in so I'm not sure it would do any good to work with those three. Also, if I work with those three one on one I am afraid it will take away any natural fear the chickens may have over the dogs, and I don't want that since I will never really trust the dogs when they are together and will never trust the bad one EVER with ANYTHING.

How have you guys handled the dog situation when you have dogs not trained around chickens?

We are planning on keeping our two dogs separated around the birds until we know we can trust them. IF we're ever able to trust them. Together they are just too eager to chase. Our hound dog is more laid back about prey. Our terrier worries me the most between the two, but she was a good mama to pups before she was rescued, so I have hope that she'll adopt the chicks as her own and guard them. We have a tie out in the yard and I'm not afraid to use it. I have even considered making the front yard the "dog zone" and training them to the invisible fence. We just haven't had it staked or turned on yet. Our neighbors let their dogs run, so the chickens will only free range in the back yard, unless they decide to escape. Hopefully not.

 

[ChickCrazed]

We are planning on keeping our two dogs separated around the birds until we know we can trust them. IF we're ever able to trust them. Together they are just too eager to chase. Our hound dog is more laid back about prey. Our terrier worries me the most between the two, but she was a good mama to pups before she was rescued, so I have hope that she'll adopt the chicks as her own and guard them. We have a tie out in the yard and I'm not afraid to use it. I have even considered making the front yard the "dog zone" and training them to the invisible fence. We just haven't had it staked or turned on yet. Our neighbors let their dogs run, so the chickens will only free range in the back yard, unless they decide to escape. Hopefully not.

It is the escaping thing I worry about. Both my dogs getting in accidentally (one of my more trusted did get in once but ran past the chickens to come find me...gave me a heart attack though) and the chickens getting out. I had a chicken get killed by my dogs early on in the chicken owning business, but she was smaller and I assumed she either got through the farm fence squares into the dog yard, or flew in. Harriet was a big Rock and I don't think she could have done either. I'm at a loss for how she got in. I'm guessing she squeezed under the gate (which is how I think she was getting out of the chicken yard on the other side). I have so much fencing I don't see how I can modify it. I have thought about just containing the chickens in their run, but I guess I feel I would rather they live shorter/happier lives instead of longer/bored lives. I currently only free range them in the evenings and am usually working around the property somewhere while I do. I don't leave them out there alone all day.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

I'll second what Racin said about Brahmas. They are some of the most docile birds I have. I'm down to only two left right now (I had two more that predators got) but will get more someday. I have Light Brahmas, they are very friendly and much bigger than anything else I have. I think they would be a good dual purpose meat/egg breed. They don't lay as many eggs as the production RIR or Leghorns, i'd say they average 4 eggs per week for me. Their eggs are not huge, but large and mine are a pinkish brown color.


I also have some bantam Cochins and I would recommend them to anyone. Again, very docile, friendly breed. A couple of mine will come up and sit on me while i'm trying to clean/fill food and water. Very fun addition to the flock. I have 6 hens of laying age and am getting 5 eggs a day on average from them. They did tae the winter off, there was probably three months that they didn't lay at all but now that the days are a little longer they're back at it.

the Lt Brahmas in my original flock were awesome, and they laid all winter when some of them stopped. And I always got nice big eggs. They were our favorite hens, which is why we got more this year. I had BA's and OP's ( buff's ) and some others, but those 3 breeds were my best layers. and the friendliest too.

OK -- everyone's positive recommendations have convinced me to try the light brahmas & probably some bantams. Then again, did I expect anything different coming from this group of addicts? I just can't imagine anyone posting a comment saying, "You really don't want to get that breed of chicken" or "You have enough different breeds already"!!

Oh, now you've gone and made me want a pond.

Well, at least with a pond you don't have to worry about pond math -- no one can really justify having more than one pond!

 

[chick rookie]

They are so cute! Are they buff or partridge?


While at RK the other day my mom thought all the chicks sleeping in odd positions were dead. I told her they just fall asleep like that-face plant and all! Sure enough some of the "dead" ones stirred after a minute or two and wasn't dead at all. LOL

Thanks, I like them allot. They are Partridge, I got them from Brad.

Pictures:
Our original net, stretched nice and tight. I could not get the other net to show up good in pictures since it was loose and I refused to step outside in the snow or cold. I just could not risk even a runny nose with a new one in the house.

@Leahs Mom


My current incubator full of eggs. If you look close there is one egg with tomorrow's date on it. These things happen every once in a while.
The 14 brown ones on the left are from Hardin Poultry and are BLRW. The next 14 in the center are also from Hardin Poultry and are their CCL. Then the other 5 blue eggs also CCL are from Patrick as well as the 4 Bresse brown eggs. The 5 HRIR are from my hens. This will be the first time in a long time that I have set a full incubator. The power needs to stay on for the next 21 days.

Ok my mind is made up, Garden netting is going up this year. Thanks

Don't worry her beard will grow back. Someone else probably ate. When bearded birds get food in their beard other birds will eat off and at the same time will accidently pull the fluff and eat it. I have that problem a lot with my AMs. If you really want to grown back and soon sepearate her, kind of like you would to condition for a show. In the second and third pic their is one cockerel and one pullet

Good glad to hear it will grow back, Thought maybe she lost them because she is a EE.

Well another gone! I haven't a clue what's gotten them! First Silkie the other day now my momma Cochin bantam. .no feathers just gone! Her daughter started laying a bit ago..she is now my only girl..with 3 frizzled boys!
Poor girl!

Sorry about your hen, very pretty, what a shame

ChickCrazed= Sorry about your hen, I did quote you but it didn't show up.

I cant remember who it was needing a BR roo... but it mine turns out to be a Roo you are welcome to him, if all the " pullets " that I think are Roo's actually are I will be needing to rehome some, will have way too many. They are not show birds, I got them from RK.

 

[familytradition]

My Mt healthy chicks are shipping today. I hope they arrive safe. I've never had a problem with shipped chicks, but always get nervous because so many people do have issues.

 

[lilmizscareall]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes over Harriet!  It ended up being MY dogs that got her....she escaped a different direction.  I went out at dusk to shut down the coop and do a head count and I always take the dogs out when I do that.  They stay in their "yard".  I didn't see her, but after I heard her I saw that she was in the dog yard and they had gotten her.  I am mad at the dogs but I know I shouldn't be...they weren't raised with chickens and she was in their space. 

I have gone back and forth over how to handle the dogs and chickens.  I haven't really tried "training" my dogs around the chickens because I have one that I know will be untrainable.  She is a cattle dog/lab mix with a ridiculous prey drive.  After 3 years of trying to train her not to chase my horses...she still does.  I have been yelling at her for a year about chasing the chickens on the other side of the fence and she is not any better.  She also chases cars and anything I leave on my kitchen counters (her nickname is butter girl because her last conquest was a stick of butter off the counter).... I think I could get the the other three trained enough to be fine one on one with the chickens, but I know that if the bad one took off after a chicken the pack mentality would kick in so I'm not sure it would do any good to work with those three.  Also, if I work with those three one on one I am afraid it will take away any natural fear the chickens may have over the dogs, and I don't want that since I will never really trust the dogs when they are together and will never trust the bad one EVER with ANYTHING.

How have you guys handled the dog situation when you have dogs not trained around chickens?

I can't help much with this situation, but from my own observation, chickens don't trust dogs, ever. Lol! My dogs walk around the chickens all the time, but the flock doesn't let them within a few feet. The chickens will make the warning sound and other cluck noises, whenever they feel the dogs are too close. Chickens are pretty smart, so if you were to take the time to train, you don't really have to fear the birds would get used to strays. They know, they always know.

 

[familytradition]

Your chickens are smarter than mine. They will walk right up to my English Setters if free ranging; then it is all over for them. I call it the circle of death.