INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[raisinemright]

05:00 4H goat barn clock run report. COLD!!!!!!
57 degrees in here! Not very comfortable temps

 

[gunchief25]

Morning all Cockadoodledooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

 

[Bill1234]

Does anyone know where or how to sell processed chickens

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Well my kids got stomped in there goat show today!! We kinda knew it would be like that this year being first timers. They have learned a ton and have truly enjoyed it. They both want to stick with poultry and my son is talking about breeding his own show birds. My wife and I are doing our community work by staying in the goat barn on night watch!!! There is about 250/300 head of different breeds in here with us. I will just say " if you can only imagine" what we have in store for us tonight. Lol it should be fun!

The Elkhart Co. Fair begins on Friday! We take our rabbits Thursday afternoon and then the fun begins for the next 10 days. Our rabbits are kinda molty right now and probably won't show very well, but the kids aren't too concerned about that. They care more about the rabbit ambassador contest and how their other projects will do. They just have fun showing the rabbits -- glad your kids have had fun with their goats too. It's a great lifeskill to learn -- that you don't always have to be the best to make it worthwhile! My husband gets to do rabbit barn overnight supervision Friday night. He's done that every year for 7 years now. We always get a report about how early the roosters began crowing in the poultry barn next door! Sunday is free admission day for anyone who wants to come

And...project check in for 4-H projects was yesterday and we are DONE! Except for Chloe getting her Rabbit Illustrated Talk prepared. We had a sewing project that was completed last week 45 minutes before judging ended (Yikes!) and a poster finished yesterday at 3:00 pm, just a couple hours before check in ended. WHY do the kids do that????? It drives me nuts! The kids did pick very interesting topics for their rabbit posters this year. Benji did Backyard Rabbit Treats, talking about all kinds of fruits, veggies, weeds, herbs, trees, shrubs, grasses, etc. that are safe for rabbits to have in small amounts as occasional treats. Chloe's was Food for Freedom: How Rabbits Helped Win the War. It was about the Food for Freedom program the government had during WWII, when, due to food rationing, people were encouraged to have victory gardens AND raise backyard rabbits and chickens as a way to supplement their food. The government even published pamphlets telling people to raise rabbits and how to do so. Maybe those of us who are fighting their local ordinances about allowing chickens and rabbits (rabbit people are having some of the same code enforcement issues) should get some "ammunition" from the 1940s!!

 

[Quinstar]

Okay...I confess.

I posted those photos of the 2 red birds purposely. They are the same age. I have had them now for 2.5 years but these photos were taken a long time ago.

They are both pullets in the photos. I just posted to illustrate the huge difference in the appearance of combs and wattles in hatchery red birds. These birds were from Townline hatchery and sold as "Rhode Island Reds".


The one with the larger comb and wattles I call "big red". She lays an egg almost daily since starting to lay (with the exception of molt and the winter time off.) The other one is my girl that brooded 2 clutches for me.

I knew it!!!! I kept looking at the photo thinking to myself... "this is a trick post".

05:00 4H goat barn clock run report. COLD!!!!!!
57 degrees in here! Not very comfortable temps

It did get cold last night! I couldn't believe how chilly it was when I got up this morning.


In other news my mean guinea is going to live with @jchny2000 where he will have a much happier life with his own kind. Much thanks for taking him in!!!

Looks like it's going to be a lovely day in the midwest! The sun is shining and there is no rain on the forecast. Temps look like they'll be around mid 60's, which is a bit cool for my taste, but should be great for all of you that are at your local fairs.

Also, the fish wanted to say good morning.

 

[kittydoc]

There are a few places that will process chickens for small flock owners. It is not legal for an individual to sell processed chickens, though, not without a lot of administrative "stuff," inspections by state veterinarian, etc. Here's a brief explanation: http://www.ehow.com/info_10055547_indiana-regulations-processing-meat-poultry.html

Here is info about a processor in Cambridge City that is quite reasonably priced: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/338573/j-m-poultry-processing-in-indiana-loved-it

I think there is one near Lebanon, but my recollection is that they charge $6 or more to do it. You can buy them cheaper at the store (even at an organic market).

It is not difficult to process chickens yourself, just time consuming. We just skin ours out so we don't have to scald and defeather them (though we did that once, too).

Hope this helps!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

05:00 4H goat barn clock run report. COLD!!!!!!
57 degrees in here! Not very comfortable temps

We visited the goat barn in our County Fair last night. I stayed dry but slow poking Dh got soaked. By the time I was done looking at the barns, the rain had all but stopped. Still we did not go to the midway with the rides being all wet and so pricey.
I want to take the children to the rides today but I can't find a sitter.

 

[racinchickins]

Does anyone know where or how to sell processed chickens

Here is a very good link. It talks about small grower rules and exemptions in most states, indiana included.

http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/NMPAN State Poultry Regs Report 2August2012.pdf

Basically, if you sell birds at your farm, you have a 1000 bird limit per year:

The 1000 bird exemption is recognized only for sale at the farm location; no farmers’ markets.
Poultry sold at farmers’ markets must be from an inspected source and under the oversight of
the local health department

In April 2011, BOAH (Board of Animal Health) and the Indiana Department of Health agreed on a policy concerning
this exemption:

If a grower raises chickens and offers to dress a chicken for a consumer at the point of
purchase (farm) and the consumer is the final user of the dressed poultry then this activity will
not fall under the food code. Under no circumstances can this product wind up in the
marketplace, such as a farmers’ market, food-service or grocery store, nor can it be wholesaled
or further delivered.

The consumer must go to the grower and purchase the bird there, and it must be processed
there.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We visited the goat barn in our County Fair last night. I stayed dry but slow poking Dh got soaked. By the time I was done looking at the barns, the rain had all but stopped. Still we did not go to the midway with the rides being all wet and so pricey.
I want to take the children to the rides today but I can't find a sitter.

We don't even go to the midway side of our fair, lol.
We got SO lucky down here this year, could not have asked for a better week of weather than what we got (last week) - which was a huge change from last year which was rainy, muddy, soggy and HOT!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

The temps started dropping after the rain last night. The weather people are now saying we are in for a cool week of 70's for daily highs. It will be the first time in years that the weather is good for the fair. But we went last night because that is what fit in our schedule.
Now I could take the children today but... There is always something.