INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CVAN732000]

[COLOR=008000]kabhyper,[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]I might be old, but my eyesight isn't that bad!! lol[/COLOR]    [COLOR=8B4513]Here's a great link:[/COLOR] Poultry External Parasites — Lice and Mites - For Dummies

 

[CVAN732000]

That article totally creeped me out! LOL

 

[Mother2Hens]

A little off topic and hoping some of the gardeners and composter's can help me out. I just picked up a great compost tumbler. Does anyone use anything like a tumbler or compost pile/bin? And if so how do you get the material started and keep it producing good healthy compost? any tips would be great thanks all!!

raisinemright~ I do social media posting for a construction company that I freelance for. In honor of Earth Day today, I just happened to make this and post it. Whenever I can, I like to sneak in photos of my pets-- actually these two are deceased, but they're in the Earth! I also included this link in my post, which gives more info:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/greenscapes/pubs/compost-guide.pdf

 

[kabhyper1]

I've got alpaca poo if anyone wants some. It doesn't burn like our darling little chooks poos do. This isnt our farms, just good links. http://www.yknotalpacas.com/greenbeans.php
http://www.alpacasofmontana.com/naturalfertilizers.html

 

[Mother2Hens]

Does anyone on here have pics of hatchling mille fleur or porcelain booted and bearded d'uccle? We lost Petrie after a long battle (she fell or was pushed off the roost in December and made it through all the nasty winter only to get injured again two weeks ago) and this weekend got two little bantam babies from TSC. I am pretty sure that one is either a blue or black cochin banty but the other is frustrating me. She/he has an adorable little beard and little fluffy legs but doesn't look like any of the babies that Murray Mcmurray has on their website of possible breeds included in their assortments!! I am too impatient to wait so if anyone has these breeds/colors and has baby pics I would totally appreciate it!!!

Thanks!

Delawaremommy ~ So sorry to hear about Petrie!!! I'm glad that bradseig could help you out with baby pics of your new breeds. My Eng. Chocolate Orp Bonbon is broody and two of the bantam eggs she's sitting on are Mille Fleurs from jchny. This evening, as I passed by Bonbon's special coop where she sat in the dark, I said sweetly, "How's my girl tonight?" and she replied "SCREEEEEEEECH' (Get Lost, Lady! lol)
Originally Posted by SallyinIndiana
Tonight's questions:
Where do you buy your grit and oyster shell?
How much does it cost per bag, please include the bag size?
We get our oyster shell from Rural King for $11 / 50 pound bag.
We have not needed grit yet but I'm thinking about offering it in the same way we do oyster shell.
SallyinIndiana ~ X2! from M2H
Here's a great link: Poultry External Parasites — Lice and Mites - For Dummies
Originally Posted by CVAN732000
That article totally creeped me out! LOL


CVAN~ haha After two years of having chickens, I have done so many kinda gross examinations/procedures on my hens that I never in a million years dreamed that I would be doing! lol

 

[hoosiercheetah]

A little off topic and hoping some of the gardeners and composter's can help me out. I just picked up a great compost tumbler. Does anyone use anything like a tumbler or compost pile/bin? And if so how do you get the material started and keep it producing good healthy compost? any tips would be great thanks all!!

That EPA article sums it up nicely; do that. But here's my .02 anyway.

The reason people like tumblers is it takes a lot of the work out of stirring the pile. The more often you stir the compost, the hotter it cooks and the faster you have something you can use.

I currently have two compost piles side-by-side behind my garage. Each is made of three pallets stood on end and screwed together at the corners to make a three-sided "box" that's open in the front. I only add scraps to one pile, the other pile has already spend last year breaking down, and each year I switch which pile I'm adding to, and which I'm taking from for the garden. Whenever I have time and get around to it, I drag the whole "add" pile out of its box with a pitch fork and then toss it all back in, stirring it up as I go. If I could stir it every two weeks instead of two to three months, it would break down a lot faster. With a tumbler, you can give it a quick turn or two every time you add scraps, so it's a lot more convenient.

The down sides to tumblers are that they don't hold as big of a pile, and they're not on the ground where worms and other bugs can get into them. But that's minor stuff, as long as you throw a shovelfull of good dirt into it once in a while.

The other tip I have, especially with a tumbler, is to take the time to chop stuff up into little bits, the smaller the better. We end up with a lot of kitchen scraps, and I found out that nearly-whole orange peels and solid cabbage cores can take a year to break down. Small branches and hard yard waste takes even longer.

Beyond that, it's hard to get it wrong, especially if you're composting chicken manure, which is already a mix of green and brown waste. Have fun making dirt!

 

[CountryHen19]

Hello! I am new to raising chickens,ducks,and this forum. I llive in the Northern part of the state and would like to be a part of this community! Thanks Countrychik!

Welcome! I live in NE area, in Allen. What county are you in?

We are a talkative bunch just so you know If you live here, you can be a part- jump right in!

 

[PeacefulWalls]

http://mistkits.com/Blog/2010/10-re...ing-bush-and-what-you-can-plant-in-its-place/

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3082/

http://www.btny.purdue.edu/weedscience/2005/weedlaw05.pdf

http://www.entm.purdue.edu/iisc/pdf/IISC_Plant_List_by_group.pdf

It's terribly invasive and has become a real problem in Indiana. Purdue and the DNR have been campaigning to get it banned for some time. I strongly recommend you try to cancel your order. You should also chastise the nursery for selling burning bush in the first place; it's irresponsible of them. There are other ways to make money.

If they won't give you a refund (and they should), I'll pay you half of what you paid for them if you'll agree to destroy the plants with fire as soon as you recieve them. I'm not kidding. That's how strongly I feel about invasive species.

I used to spend a lot of time in a tree service company cutting down sawtooth oaks and white mulberry.

I guess I should be glad the deer ate down one of them I planted and the lawn mower mowed down the other by someone who didn't realize it was there (I had just planted ones less than a foot tall). Thanks for posting about this -- very informative!!

Hello! I am new to raising chickens,ducks,and this forum. I llive in the Northern part of the state and would like to be a part of this community! Thanks Countrychik!

Welcome!

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Wow! Things have moved quickly for us in less than 48 hours. Mom had her assessment for nursing home qualification Monday morning, by Tuesday morning everything -- all paperwork -- was in the hands of the nursing home and they had a room assigned to her! Yesterday afternoon we moved her there. Dad is so relieved, but there's still a lot to be done yet this next month. At least we got this accomplished!

 

[PeacefulWalls]

don't think I responded in my post part 1 or 2???? sorry but thanks for the link, I found out they were Cattle Egrets.

Glad you figured it out! The cattle egrets didn't show up in my search I think because of the red you mentioned on their heads. Do they stay year round or are they migratory?