INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pginsber]

Bonbon is broody....I need hatching eggs ASAP.

We received 3 Coronation Sussex and 1 French copper marans fertile hatching eggs via mail 13 days ago. Hoping for one hatch to break our broody bantam Orpington.
Candled them today and I could swear that all 4 are viable. Surely I'm mistaken. That kind of hatch rate is atypical. Better get a better flashlight to candle with tomorrow.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I should probably candle my broodys eggs. She goes into lockdown saturday. I am debating on if I am going to let her raise the chicks or not. I have a feeling she wont be a very good mother.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

October 18th

Hey -- that's my birthday! (not saying how old I'm going to be, though

)

 

[Mother2Hens]

I missed the color conversation the other night! I know nothing about codes! Does this work?

It's pretty easy to read on the gray background, which tones down the purple.

@pginsber ~ I've thought about taking a video of my hens' responses to the lullaby, but there is no way I would ever sing in a YouTube video!! I might try downloading a version on my iPhone and lip-syncing. haha That would really confuse them.
@Leahs Mom ~ I sing a low, slow, and soft lullaby -- I don't want the neighbors to hear!!
@pipdzipdnreadytogo ~ How your duckie doing? Hope the hatch went well.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Hey -- that's my birthday!  (not saying how old I'm going to be, though  )

Haha. Treat yourself to some chickens!

 

[Birdylady3]

Nite all!

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Okay. Can't keep eyes open any more. Good night chicken people!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Picked over 300 ears of bi-color sweet corn, and got into the freezer tonight. YUM

Shared with our neighbors also since they have been patient with my young adult geese visits every evening. They were a little sad when I told them the news tonight... They have 2 american buffs, hoping for a pair. (looks gander/goose to me!) But they really like my brown Chinese too. So I see a few more in the future next door, LOL.
SOLD EVERY EXTRA GOSLING I OWN TODAY TOO!

The new owner is a veterinarian. super excited, my babies will be his alarms to help protect his flock. I am visiting his coops and getting next years piglets Sunday afternoon, pretty excited. Hoping to convince him to join our thread also! He has hogs, if we had communicated more we would have just swapped!
My goose/duck coop looks so empty. About 30 pekin and 16 geese now, we have decreased waterfowl by 36 birds!

...........AND.........

DAD COMES HOME SATURDAY

Bookmarked where I left off so I don't miss last few days posts. Am off to bed, long day. Nite guys!

 

[kittydoc]

DH and I went to the State Fair yesterday (August 12). I was disappointed that there were not more Orpingtons, but learned what a lot of colors were for other breeds, and now I understand why people like Sebrights (how much cuter can you get?). My daughter was totally taken in by the bantams (of everything!). I told her nope. I grew up around bantams, and think they are gorgeous little packages of chickenness, but they don't fit into my plans. Does anybody have Sebrights housed with their standard-sized chickens? I would worry that my English Orps would accidentally squash them!

However, I agree with some other comments that many hens shown at the State Fair were missing all of their saddle feathers (and sometimes some head feathers, too). Can someone explain why a person would show a bird in that condition? Is getting a 3 or 4 that important to some folks? I'm not trying to sound accusatory. Maybe this is not unusual. I'm just asking because I want to learn.

Also, we saw a Cornish pullet that in my professional opinion was extremely ill and possibly dying. It laid in the same spot for four hours, raising its neck/head and gasping for air with eyes closed, and when I verbally startled it just a little on purpose to see if it could even get up, it did, and opened its poor swollen, runny eyes briefly. State Fair officials seemed nonchalant about the whole thing. I was not only concerned about this bird, but the birds around it. I saw it sneeze at least once in the direction of a neighbor. BTW, since it was one of only two in its class, it got a 2. We also saw a whole family videotaping her gasping for air because they thought it was funny. I disabused them of that notion in a hurry. I don't think they meant to be jerks--just ignorant. I don't know why this poor bird wasn't disqualified, but I don't know much about chicken shows (yet). I showed purebred cats for 15 years. Cat judges actually handle the cats, and if one felt feverish, the owner would be called up as a courtesy and given the opportunity to pull the entry instead of getting DQ'd. I could see that the levels of judging were very similar to cat show judging (within color/gender, then variety, then breed, then overall major type of bird).

Is any of this (the bad stuff) typical at poultry shows? I don't vaccinate against upper respiratory diseases because I don't have them, and never have, and Purdue does not recommend vaccinating against the upper respiratory viruses unless you have a problem because they are usually modified live and there is always a chance they can revert to wild, infectious type. So, you don't want to risk introducing a disease you don't already have in your flock.

Just wondered....

On a happier note, a guy in the dairy barn saw my Indiana BYC shirt and stopped to talk about chickens for 20 minutes or so. He went all in on his coop! A person could live there and be proud!

 

[chick rookie]

My australorp went above and beyond today. A little over 5 oz! She only lays every other day, but they are big! This is the biggest I think so far.


Her egg next to two typical large eggs and a pullet ee egg.

Thats a big egg, I love it when I get those big'ens. I got a I will get out of them. this is my first real blue egg the rest all have been differant shades of green, which is cool too but I like all colors, the more the merrier.. lol

I just don't understand. I went in the living room to watch a movie. I just came back in my room to find a dead chick and one that just died laying on my chest as I am typing this. They were perfectly healthy happy little chicks. How did they just die in the matter of maybe 2 hours? They ha been sleeping a LOT today, except for the one that is still alive, which hasn't shut up all day, as silly a it sounds I almost wonder if it knew they were dying. Now that I am all upset and have a headache I will not be able to go to sleep for a few more hours and I also have a little polish chick that doesn't understand where it's buddies went. I think I will get craigslist to find a few chicks so it isn't alone

So sorry that bites

. Hope the last one is still doing well.

CCCHICKENS ~ How upsetting! Not only because they died, but also because you don't know why. That's so frustrating.
@SallyinIndiana ~ Sorry to hear about your duckling!
@chick rookie ~ I've been thinking about you and wondering about Honey's Wry Neck?

She is still sick, and now she is not eating, So I don't look for her to make it much longer. I am getting myself set for the day I will have to bury her, I am going to put her with her mate that died earlier. I give up on Seabrights, they are sweet heart birds and beautiful, but I just have no luck with them. Now I will have a Golden Seabright I got from a very nice lady here, that will be all alone, .... but he don't really seem to mind that.

Off topic for chickens....

Anyone here know a breeder of Holland Lop rabbits? I'm interested in getting one, trying to avoid Craigslist for now. There aren't many advertised for sale currently anyway. I'm headed back to the fair this Friday so I will look for contacts there but thought I'd check here too. I was at the fair this past Sunday but the rabbits weren't there. Don't know if I was too early or too late.

I'm not looking to show in 4h, just a good natured pet. I'd love to get one as young as possible to socialize early on.

Thanks

Don't know if you want to try buying off line or not but yesterday, maybe it was today, no wait it is 3 in the morning .. so it was yesterday, I saw an add on HT that had all kinds of rabbit babies for sale.

My little ducky has internally pipped!!

Oh, gosh, I don't know what to do with myself!!

Sit on your hands to keep from touching... lol

I think Laverne and Shirley like the new nest box I set up for them today!

I have the same kind of nest box, LOOKING for a different one to replace it, I hate it, the girls love it, but it is too far back to collect the eggs. Of course I'm short too... lol

Here is a piggy update! I'm going to be keeping the light red one in the front. All of them are doing great.

Love'em, I forget are they Micro Pigs? If you are selling them? I know someone that is looking for 1, She wants a female I think.

I will try and give a few good points.

-it can open up your potential buyers a lot. More people will be apt to buy from you knowing you have a clean flock.

-it give you piece of mind

-I would recommend anyone and everyone to get their flock tested so that you know you have a clean flock. You shouldn't just do it because you have a sick bird

- also if you are Ito shipping eggs an birds some states like VA mandate that you be certified to ship anything in

-a lot of shows require proof that your birds you are showing be tested.

- and there is no telling what costs is. It is whatever the tester wants to charge

This has probably been talked over too but how and where can I get my flock tested and what all does it test for, I'm sick of sick birds. I just cant help but feel like it is something I am doing. I know I'm not getting anymore new birds until I know what is going on. All my LF kids are great, whatever is going on is only hitting my Bantams. And I just picked up some MF's too. Hope nothing hits them.

Picked over 300 ears of bi-color sweet corn, and got into the freezer tonight. YUM

Shared with our neighbors also since they have been patient with my young adult geese visits every evening. They were a little sad when I told them the news tonight... They have 2 american buffs, hoping for a pair. (looks gander/goose to me!) But they really like my brown Chinese too. So I see a few more in the future next door, LOL.
SOLD EVERY EXTRA GOSLING I OWN TODAY TOO!

The new owner is a veterinarian. super excited, my babies will be his alarms to help protect his flock. I am visiting his coops and getting next years piglets Sunday afternoon, pretty excited. Hoping to convince him to join our thread also! He has hogs, if we had communicated more we would have just swapped!
My goose/duck coop looks so empty. About 30 pekin and 16 geese now, we have decreased waterfowl by 36 birds!

...........AND.........

DAD COMES HOME SATURDAY

Bookmarked where I left off so I don't miss last few days posts. Am off to bed, long day. Nite guys!

Thats allot of corn !!! Glad to hear your dad is coming home.