INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[leslea]

Was carrying out a bucket of water to the hen shed yesterday.

I had removed one of the block steps and forgot it wasn't there as the bucket I was carrying was blocking my view. When I stepped on the "invisible step that wasn't there anymore", I came crashing down to ground level with my ankle between the shed and the lower level of blocks. Hit my shins on the floor edge of the shed, and the water from the bucket went flying onto the rooster and 2 pullets that were in the separation pen.

They thought I was attacking them and they went nuts.

It was quite a scene.

My husband was gone picking up some kennel panels that we were given free. Went out there 4 more times hobbling to finish things up and was taking care of my dad who can barely walk. I look like this guy

This is the worst sprained ankle that I remember ever having. How the heck are you supposed to take care of animals with a sprained ankle?

Oh no! Is it broken?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Leah's mom- hope your ankle gets to felling better!

Leslea- nice coop and run!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

This is the worst sprained ankle that I remember ever having. How the heck are you supposed to take care of animals with a sprained ankle?

I hope you get feeling better. Falling was a big concern of mine when there was lots of ice.

It is always awesome this time of year. Sorry to miss the Blue Angels since they haven't been here for years, but look at this!!!



Definitely going to do a "barn quilt" on that door. Maybe a rooster stencil on the inside, for when it's open for the day.



This was SO much harder than it looks. DH knocked himself out. I didn't do much to help. I am apparently useless with a hammer.

We ended up doing a 6' x 6' run instead of 8' x 8' because we had no safe way to get 8' boards home.

So proud of my hubby. I know it looks like a simple structure but it was a lot of work and def not as simple as it looks.

Dh tells me that every project I ask him to do is harder than it looks and much more time consuming than I plan for. Because of this I have found that I need 3 of many things. The 2nd and 3rd repeat projects go so much faster. Works well with my chicken math too. I now have three tractors. We have made so many cardboard brooder boxes that he can do that rather quickly too. But setting up that first card board brooder took much more effort and time than i would have thought possible.

It looks like your Dh did a very nice job on the run and I really like your ideas for decorating the coop.

 

[leslea]

I hope you get feeling better. Falling was a big concern of mine when there was lots of ice.

Dh tells me that every project I ask him to do is harder than it looks and much more time consuming than I plan for. Because of this I have found that I need 3 of many things. The 2nd and 3rd repeat projects go so much faster. Works well with my chicken math too. I now have three tractors. We have made so many cardboard brooder boxes that he can do that rather quickly too. But setting up that first card board brooder took much more effort and time than i would have thought possible.

It looks like your Dh did a very nice job on the run and I really like your ideas for decorating the coop.

Hrm, that's intriguing! So he just does it a couple more times to see if he can do it faster?

Thanks! We're nowhere near done...have to finish the "downhill" side, build a door there, put up the hardware cloth, put on the roof...cut the pop door on the coop...finish waterproofing in the coop, put down lino/vinyl in the coop, fix the door so it latches tight... All of that is just to make it functional. Then there's the other stuff like the rain barrel and the raised beds, and the lights inside. It's going to be an ongoing project, for sure!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Hrm, that's intriguing! So he just does it a couple more times to see if he can do it faster?

Thanks! We're nowhere near done...have to finish the "downhill" side, build a door there, put up the hardware cloth, put on the roof...cut the pop door on the coop...finish waterproofing in the coop, put down lino/vinyl in the coop, fix the door so it latches tight... All of that is just to make it functional. Then there's the other stuff like the rain barrel and the raised beds, and the lights inside. It's going to be an ongoing project, for sure!

More of I ask for items that can be used for multiple purposes. That way I can ask for more than one and keep using them. For example my breeding pens are also miniature tractors and grow out pens. I'm thinking of designs for a bit more permanent breeding pens that would be a set of 4 or 6 pens. I would make them all the very similar in pattern to a coop we made last summer / fall. That way he already has the basics down pat.

 

[racinchickins]

 
I've got chicks hatching again!   And its good luck too,  first one just stuck it's head out of the shell, and it's a legbar female!  2 more legbars are zipping, and I can see lots of external pips.

The incubator is also full of loud peeping.  Those chicks in the eggs are calling to each other.  We have a blind lab that we adopted recently, and he just stands by the incubator trying to figure out where the squeaking is coming from.  Our other dogs ignore it completely.

Any pics?  

 

[racinchickins]

I got some new books this week that i ordered off of amazon. Can't wait to get some free time to start reading!!!!!!!! Hope everyone and their chickies are enjoying this beautiful weather!!!

That Gail Damerow hatching book is great! A definite keeper.

 

[racinchickins]

I need a good name for my blue sumatra rooster.  Any ideas?  He is very much a gentleman type of a rooster.  The very first nice to hens rooster I have owned.  I have some very calm and nice to people HRIR roosters.  But this lovely Blue guy does all of the cute stuff I read about here, calling hens when he finds food, dancing and prancing to ask mating permission, and even not mating when the blue hen also politely dances back but away. 

He's very chivalrous. Galahad?

 

[leslea]

More of I ask for items that can be used for multiple purposes. That way I can ask for more than one and keep using them. For example my breeding pens are also miniature tractors and grow out pens. I'm thinking of designs for a bit more permanent breeding pens that would be a set of 4 or 6 pens. I would make them all the very similar in pattern to a coop we made last summer / fall. That way he already has the basics down pat.

Ah, I get it!

 

[jen214]

I passed the test! I am officially an NPIP certified tester. The class was pretty fun. Thy had a poultry vet speaking and I loved heati her stories and talkin to her. She may even bring her class out to see my flock. There was also a guy who was quite funny. I enjoyed it

What is NPIP testing? Pardon my ignorance.