INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

I don't care if it comes with rain - REALLY looking forward to the cool down, NOT looking forward to another HOT summer after today's preview.
On the other hand, I'm afraid the days of rain will put a delay on DH getting the chicken door finished and I am getting really tired of carrying 16 birds back and forth between coop and run every day after work to give them some fresh air time -- not comfortable enough with trusting them enough to just herd/call them yet.....at least it provides entertainment for the neighbors while they are sitting out on their back porch each evening. Oh how I long for the day I am able to just open the door and let them go in/out on their own (pretty sure THEY look forward to it too)

UGH yes! been there. They will soon do all the walking! You will probably always have one stinker you have to watch for too. I am enjoying the hot weather after the winter, but its hard on my birds. Some of my bigger turkeys and geese were really uncomfortable today with 85 degrees. I had bought a couple watermelon for them and it sure helped. Used the sprinkle setting and cooled the geese down several times today, refilled their pools. Hosed my poor hog down, he loved it. He was panting! Had his snout up in the air catching the water drops, too funny. Made sure I muddied up a good sized spot for him too cool off and waller. Yorkshire *pink pigs" can sunburn really fast and don't manage heat well.

Grabbed some quick pics of some of my favorite chicks growing out. Cuckoo silkies! Looks like I ended up with a pair.





Here's a pic of Crooked Bill. Seems to still be doing great, just very funny looking. If anyone wants this little guy let me know! Pet only!!



Loving this cross, tolbunt polish/legbar mix.


And this one, a Marans/legbar mix


And finally the first chicks out from the current hatch, tolbunts, parti showgirl, and lavender orps for @PeacefulWalls !

The cuckoo are precious! Congrats to @PeacefulWalls the LO are wonderful birds. Hope someone gives crooked bill a home! If not, I bet DD would make him a pet, she loves the silkies. I will talk to her about him/her.

Quote: I am really curious too. DH and my dad love honey. Its very expensive! That's my problem as well. Time to do it! We had a wild hive in the office trailer we got for my brooding and etc. I am worried its left, or split up! There are few honeybees here and I don't mind them a bit. Its the yellow jackets, bumble bees and wasps I can do without!

 

[amwchickin]

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/live-poultry-05-14/index.html Looks like Tsc needs to find a new hatchery for chick days. I'm sure chick days has something to do with this.

Every chick I got from TSC died within a week. Won't use again, even though they usually have breeds I'm looking for. Wasted so much money!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Just posted this on the NCK thread and going to post here also:

Miss Gray update.

-Still looking "bright" today but not moving around lots. She spent a lot of time today just laying in the grass but it was not a "sick looking" laying but just lounging.

-She started talking a little today. Yesterday she was silent.

-First thing in the morning she tried to make a nest in the grass clippings I had put in the indoor pen. When I realized thats what was going on, I brought in the portable nest box and gave her an annex and she went right in and laid her egg. All before 8:00 am.

-She is eating and I'm still able to give her a few drops of the wound formula on ground beef. Funny, though, she got wise to it and decided not to eat the pieces tonight that had the tincture on it. So I have to not put so much into each piece. I was trying to get the whole dose on 1 piece instead of spreading it out but she got wise to that.

-Yesterday when I first brought her up I had her in the outdoor portable pen on the grass. Overnight she was in a dog crate inside. When I got home at mid day I moved her outside on the grass to the portable pen. I tried adding Emma to the pen with her...Emma is the only one that is reasonably nice to her in general. That didn't work so I had to remove her again. Emma was intent on being sure that Gray knew she was in charge and wanted to give her a little peck on the back of the neck now and then. However, that's exactly where the wound is and I needed to remove her. She was causing undue stress being in there anyhow as it put Miss Gray on high alert.

I did see that there was more injury than I saw yesterday as she's torn down the left side from the neck. From the evidence I can find, it looks like she was near enough to one of the hawk hide things I put out that she was able to get under it and keep from being killed. Her feathers are all around it. Most of the feathers are pulled out of the back of her neck and some down the side but there were still long enough feathers that it covers things. I decided not to cut them back unless there is a need. It seems that keeping them covered is a good camoflage...I guess I'll have to determine that over the next few days.

I did put more NuStock on the place I didn't see before but at this point I think that's the last NuStock I'll be using on her. I'll explain that in a later post.

She's back in the small crate inside for the night.


Here's the outdoor portable pen when I tried adding Emma. (Got this pen in 2012 when I first got the chicks...from Craigslist. It folds flat. I bungee a tarp on top for hawk protection and shade.









Because I didn't cut back the covering feathers, you can't see the wound..but you can see how it goes down the left over the shoulder.

I really think you are doing all you can. Its terribly upsetting to see an injury that severe! Chickens are pretty resilient when they have been well cared for as yours are

MY NN hen was brutally attacked by a roo (he immediately went to "the freezer") and had a large portion of her skin ripped from her neck. It was pretty horrific. I have never seen such a cruel attack from a rooster, and he was not staying here another second! I am not a squeamish type of person and this gagged me, not happening here.. I sprayed her with blukote, and brought her indoors. She had TLC for a few weeks! You cannot tell anything happened to her now. The gentle quiet souls are always the first to be attacked

Bonbon Delivers! 21 days


I worked in the backyard all afternoon with the chickens, and every couple of hours, I'd check on Bonbon. I had felt totally positive about the hatch since Bonbon appeared to be a serious broody. Although I knew that logically she might not hatch at exactly 21 days, by late afternoon I was starting to brace myself for the possibility that the hatch would fail since she's a new mom. I thought of all the posts I've read from members who've posted that their broodies were supposed to hatch, but nothing had happened yet, and they were worried. Those posts were always followed by thrilling news of their broodies' hatches. Around 6:00pm this evening my son stopped by, and I decided to check on Bonbon. I looked in and heard peeping and then saw a teeny tiny chicken foot sticking out from under Bonbon! Then the miniature chick stepped out a minute to see the world-- and test out her voice! Here's a video: Bonbon's first chick 6:00pm May 7, 2014
kaphyper gave me great advice, and coincidentally, her Silkie hen Suki is in the middle of hatching, too! kabhyper said not to look under Bonbon to see what's going on because I could shrink wrap any hatching chicks. The eggs came from jchny-- 3 bantam OEGB and 1 bantam Mille Fleur. Hope they all hatch!! Thank you!

and an early happy Mothers day to you and Bonbon!!! Kab, thanks soo much, I told M2H to check with you on broody hatches

Red Pyle are the sweetest OEGB and am so glad she hatched 2! Am jumping ahead, but 4 of 4 is awesome for her first brood

The millies are my first too, but had an excellent hatch from Jsummers eggs. Her oldest millie hen is a lighter gold and just beautifully flecked full of colors and wonderfully feathered legs

Your wheaten will be gorgeous, and they are all less than a pound fully grown.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Thanks! He is still thriving, and off the bottle. Pallets are a definite recycle with what lumber costs now, cannot believe how much it is!!!

Good morning! Congratulations on all the hatching going on. Fun to have peeping back in the house. We have chicks once again. Funny, how when you go buying tons of new chicks, one of the older girls goes broody. We got 25 meat birds (not in the house), 6 California White, 4 White Leghorn, 3 EE, 6 BR turkeys, 2 Blue Cochin and 1 black, 3 Cuckoo Marans. Gave the 7mo old BO broody 1 Blk Sexlink and 5 EE eggs. She 's doing great. Due to hatch May 21. Switched from 250 w red bulbs to 150 w black heat bulbs. LOVE them much better. Babies have much better sleep/wake cycles.

Welcome to everyone new! I actually caught completely up on posts. Had to read over 2000. Whew!!

Great to see you back! Awesome news on the meaties and your plans this year.
Congrats on the new chickies!! I want to switch too, the regular red bulbs are expensive and not economical at all. Where did you find yours?

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

guys I got plans in the works for a breeding pen for my brahmas, would anyone be interested? Im thinking about doing them on a pre order basis only hatching what people want.


Second of all, does anyone around know where I can get a NICE buff orp?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

All four hatched! I could see 4 faces! Thanks, jchny/Janet for the hatching eggs-- 100% hatch rate!
Bonbon has been so sweet with me, Adeline, and her new babies!

I am soo happy for you! Congrats and happy mothers day to you both!

Well, she is gone. Sad day.

You just don't know sometimes what can cause a loss. There can be internal issues you won't see. Its terribly painful and I am so sorry.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Here's a picture of Bonbon's 4 bantam chicks! The two light colored ones are Old English Game Birds - Red Pyle color, the brownish chick in the back is a Mille Fleur d'Uncle, and the striped one in front is an Old English Game Bird - Wheaton color. (according to jchny, the egg donor!)


Below: These not so great photos are of my other "chicks" who are now 4 months old. I knew these photos would be too dark, but I wanted to put a name with the face-- because I finally named them!


L - R: "Ditzy" ~ a very fluffy beautiful Blue Splash Silkie pullet who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer; "Bixley" ~ a pretty Blue Silkie pullet who has the fluffiest feet (too bad you can't see them-- or the faces of the blue Silkies); "Smalty" (smalt is a blue pigment) ~ a handsome Blue Silkie cockerel who hasn't caused any rooster-related issues yet; and "Eliza" an Imported English Orpington pullet ~ Blue Splash. jchny is now the owner of Eliza's brother, the Blue Roo.

Advertisement: Silkies from bradselig and Orps from Kiniska

Although they're the same age, the Silkies have always acted like the Orps were their parents. Now Eliza is pulled in two directions-- she loves her Silkies, but is really anxious to join the flock of 5 LF hens (who aren't very welcoming). Then, to confuse things even more, my only bantam hen Bonbon has four bantam babies.

Bonbon is so adorable with her chicks. Congratulations!! And I am so jealous of your blue splash orp. I think a flock of just blue, splash, lavender & lemon cuckoo orps (with a little chocolate of course) would be beautiful! Love the fluffy butts

 

[gunchief25]

Morning all Cockadoodledoooooooooo!!!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

[COLOR=8B4513]All four hatched! I could see 4 faces! Thanks, jchny/Janet for the hatching eggs-- 100% hatch rate![/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]Bonbon has been so sweet with me, Adeline, and her new babies![/COLOR]

Congrats!

Well, she is gone. Sad day.

Oh I'm sorry, I must of missed it which one was it?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Thanks! He is still thriving, and off the bottle. Pallets are a definite recycle with what lumber costs now, cannot believe how much it is!!!
Great to see you back! Awesome news on the meaties and your plans this year.
Congrats on the new chickies!! I want to switch too, the regular red bulbs are expensive and not economical at all. Where did you find yours?

I know, lumber is getting to be expensive!