INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Very interesting! Remind me a lot of the mottled Javas. I really love the look of the chicks though!

Ooh, I had to go look up Javas! I had heard of them but not done any research into them! I have a soft spot for endangered breeds.

Those Pita Pinta chicks, though!

 

[Rhandi74]

[COLOR=006400]your pups are so adorable! Our vet says Darwin is the biggest Great Pyr she's ever seen. But he is not overweight at all - just big. How are yours with chickens?[/COLOR]

Thank you

Darwin does not look overweight to me, just fluffy. He is very handsome.

Bailey is Awesome!!! He does great with chickens and goats. I do not think he is pure bred. He came from a farm where he was only with goats and no human contact, he was also 4 months old when we got him. It took about 4 months to gain his trust with us but he was never aggressive. I slowly introduced him to chickens in march when we started with chickens and he never had any issues he was 9 months old and I fully trusted him to free range with the chickens in 5 days. He probably could have been trusted on day one but I was to scared he might not be ready. Montana was only 5 weeks when we got her and never trained with her parents. She was not kept with the goats. She has been in training a long time and is now great with the goats but can not be trusted with the chickens without very close supervision. She does great unless they fly, then she wants to catch them.

Here is Montana with the chickens and goats.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

FBCM
I am looking for, either hatching eggs, chicks or a trio. Does anyone have any they are willing to part with?

Welcome to our thread! I hope to have next year! Been tough getting a good line.

Two poultry auctions/swap meets this weekend, check out the details on the Indiana BYC'ers Events Calendar and check for the locations on the Indiana BYC'ers Map!

Friday, September 5-Dinky's Auction Center-Montgomery, Indiana
Saturday, September 6-Croy Creek Trader's Fair-Reelsville, Indiana
Sunday, September 7-Tri-K Pigeon & Bantam Club-Kankakee, IL
Sunday, September 7-Croy Creek Trader's Fair-Reelsville, Indiana

If you do go, try wearing your official Indiana BYC T-shirt and see if you spot anyone else there! Also, please take pictures to share!



Upcoming events include more Dinky's auctions (every Friday):

Saturday, September 13-Sandcut Trader's Fair-Terre Haute, IN
Sunday, September 14-Sandcut Trader's Fair-Terre Haute, IN
Sunday, September 14-Golden Horseshoe Saddle Club-Knox Swap Meet
Saturday, September 20-Southern Indiana Poultry Show-Van Buren, Indiana
Saturday, September 20-Croy Creek Trader's Fair-Reelsville, Indiana
Sunday, September 21-Croy Creek Trader's Fair-Reelsville, Indiana

Thanks so much for posting!

www.backyardchickens.com/t/921771/do-chickens-need-a-heat-lamp-during-the-winter

Thought I'd share this thread here, as there are a couple really good posts about wintertime heating (and why it is unnecessary and possibly even detrimental). Post 6 has a particularly good analogy about dry vs. humid air.

I'm seeing more and more leaves on the ground... *sigh* This summer passed too quickly for my liking.

Temps drop starting tomorrow looks like

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Does anyone know what these two could be mixed with they both lay a dark brown egg, much darker then my RSL's eggs. I guess I had to much time on my hands and looked up what color eggs BR's lay and their eggs are not even close to that color. They are hatchery quality from TSC.


Flash

Loki

Here are my eggs from everyone they laid the darkest ones.



I am wondering, cuckoo maran...

Quote: I LOVE summer, and wanted more hot days. The humidity today was horrible. Just had a heavy storm move through, and cool air behind it.

I'm going to just give up and put the chickens in the upstairs bedroom over the winter so I don't have to go outside to feed and water and shovel and feed and water and shovel and feed and water and shovel ........

No kidding

Hello & welcome. I am just getting started myself. I live in Warsaw, and am in the process of building my coop & run. Looking forward to getting the birds. Hoping to have it finished & ready by the end of this weekend. I am looking for Rhode Island Reds . , So if anyone knows where to get them or has some to sell, give me a shout.

and our thread!

Hi neighbors (We're from IL)
Just wanted to know if anyone could help sex my 7 week old Coronation Sussex. It was part of my daughter's 4H project & the only CS egg to hatch.
Because of the comb color I've been thinking male, but it's supposed to be bigger, right? Is our "Hope" a male or female?




Last pic: I remember reading somewhere to locate growing saddle feathers starting between the wings. What I can't remember is what it means. (At only 7 weeks old, the pointy or curved ends not present. The feathers are just not grown.) Does anyone have a prediction?

Glad you made it to our thread! Its hard to tell, but I still have a gut feeling you have a lil girl there. They are big beautiful birds!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Well I had a bad day! Fell this morning while refilling waterers and bn achy for hours! Then decided to mow my yard and didn't change my shoes. I only had flip flops on. Yep you guessed it- while mowing a small hill in my front yard (and I mean. SMALL hill...) my foot slipped off the padded foot placement and my toes went into the belt pully (which should have bn covered but my son had just worked on tightening the belt) any way a trip t the hospital later and I still have my toes but the way they are hurting I'm not sure I want them! Lol those of you who are squeamish stop now! This is after getting the bleeding stopped and going through X-rays:


Two stitches in my baby toe, two in my fourth toe, two inside my big toe and five on the outside. It had a chip in the bone but seriously could have been LOTS worse!
Moral of the story- DONT wear flip flops while mowing not even on a riding mower!

goodness, that looks terribly painful! Am so glad you are ok, that could have been much worse.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

IMO, as adults, I think we call can make our own decision on whether to heat the coops or not. From my personal experience, I know that MOST chickens can do just fine in bitter cold temps without heat. The only ones that I will add heat to are my modern games or I will just bring them back inside over winter. They are a hard feathered breed (know fluffy down feathers) and it is commonly understood that they are not able to take cold temperatures. So I do believe that not all chickens are able to handle the cold. I have seen how cold effects moderns when I was at the breeders house one day an temps started to drop to around 40F as the day progressed and the chickens (adults) instantly fluffed up, stumbling, and lethargic. Reminded me of how a chick acts when it had coccidia. It was amazing the difference of the birds in less than the 2 hrs I was there. Once the breeder noticed the temp change, his daughter brought the birds back I to the heated bantam coop to warm up. He said if he had left them out they would have been dead.

I think you said it quite well, know your flocks, and what each breed can tolerate. The negative teen temps last winter, I brought my small Muscovy duck flock in the unheated porch to get them off the ground. All 4 of them (at the time, have more now!) were clearly not doing ok with it. Those of us that raise multiple species have to just plan in advance for severe weather. We added the waterfowl coop this year to prepare for the coming winter. 19 Muscovy are not going to fit in that porch

My pair of Moderns have a large bird cage inside, I love them

They are true pets to us. IMO its no different than someone owning a parrot indoors.

 

[Mother2Hens]

@Mother2Hens
On the heat...what kind of heat source do you use?

I know there were several posted earlier such as the Sweeter Heater http://sweeterheater.com/ and radiant ceramic heat tiles http://www.shopthecoop.com/product/radiant-heaters-with-stand.html and http://www.shopthecoop.com/product/flat-panel-coop-heaters-for-pets.html

Also...a question.

If your electricity goes off and it is off for a couple days or more, what do you do for backup heat?

The first winter I used a clamp lamp in which I wrapped wire around all of the components to join them together (including a safety cover) since clamp lamps are known to fall apart. I used a ceramic base and a ceramic heat emitter bulb as I had used in the past for bearded dragons. No problems. Last winter I removed the components to the clamp lamp and mounted the ceramic base and mounted a safety cover. No problems.

As I mentioned in my last post, the average temp range that my coop box was heated was 20 degrees higher than the rest of the coop, which according to my veterinarian, is a safe temperature range for chickens to adjust. If, for some reason, there were a need to provide heat during a power outage, our family room is approx. 10 feet from the coop and we have a gas fireplace.

Shop the Coop-- Not! (I still am catching up on old posts, so I hadn't seen that post/link) Last year I ordered the second radiant heat panel shown on Shop the Coop's site-- the no-name one. When it arrived, it turned out to be the "Cozy Legs" brand, which is made for underneath a desk(!) I turned it on just to check it out, and it barely emitted heat. Plus, it was a piece of junk so I returned it. I just checked the site out of curiosity and noticed that this model they listed is available for less at several places (I googled the name). ECO Heater T400U Wall Mounted Ceramic Convection … I don't know anything about it, but at least they have full disclosure! The Sweeter Heater looks interesting, and it states that it does not create a fire hazard when properly installed.

Are the radiant ceramic heat tiles you're referring to the kind for people's homes or are there some designed for pets? I've heard of using heat mats for chickens, but it seems like an odd method if they're perching, but I'm not familiar with them.

Thanks for the links!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

That's for sure!

Need I post the pictures again? At least my coop isn't too far from the house.

Oh, speaking of, if we have weather like last winter, one thing I do recommend is coveralls! Those things made my life so much easier in the bitter cold! No more frozen legs and snow-filled boots!

AGREED! I love my old carharts! I have had the same pair, no kidding since 1985. I did replace the zipper. I use snowmobile boots, and have a full face type stocking cap. Did I mention I HATE cold and snow

I rode snowmobiles and went out for hours as a kid. Cold makes my bones hurt now lol.

My DH fixed our AC!!!!!! I knew there was a reason I married a mechanic.... and it isn't all the old cars in the driveway. So, back to the plan for getting chickens.

tell DH he is flat awesome!!!!!

Here is some new pics of my chicks.

Love all the adorable faces and fuzzy feet!

Quote: Winter plans... I am writing a list too! Will share soon. I know there is a possibility we have calves coming in the very near future. Priority one is building farrowing houses for my gilts. My lil boar is only about 3 months old now, and already thinks he is the "man" of the pen! I will be separating them pretty quick, I do not want piglets in the winter. They will have a bachelor pen right next to the ladies.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Pipd, you could dig around the brick and add a drainage tile that would flow away from the addition. The plastic probably won't help a whole lot, if water puddles it will get in. like this stuff:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_24139-124-0...36967&kpid=50163593&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=50163593
It doesn't have to be that big tho.

Quote:

Beautiful guy! I love giant breeds and am very interested in them.

Quote:

Adorable!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I love the fluffy faces!

X2!

All these fluffy doggies!!

ETA: And fluffy chickens, too! I love the Showgirl!!

Well, I'm down to 7 eggs a day or fewer. Yesterday, I got 3. The good news is, I'm not in it for the eggs.

My girls always make me feel better when I'm stressed. Tonight's stress relief came in the form of Bielefelder hugs. Violet likes to complain, but she does seem to enjoy cuddles and she has the softest feathers and the best hugs...

Wish I had a more recent picture of her. Just haven't had the gumption to get the camera out lately.




Oh, and I was bored today when I should have been doing math homework, so I made a file to safe all of my wishlist breeds and varieties on my computer.

I've got everything from Silver and Silkied project Ameraucanas to Barred Hollands to Dun Silver Duckwing OEGBs, Columbian Plymouth Rocks, Seramas, bantam Cochins, a couple breeding projects I've had in mind for a while... But I could only remember about 30 of them, and I'm relatively sure there were a few more.

I guess I'll just have to write them down as I remember them. Yeah, this is why I keep saying my barn is full before it's even built...

She is growing to be so pretty! I hear ya, I am still drooling over a few breeds that greenfire has. I have too many wants and not enough coop space! So I need to decide on whats here, and move forward for next years plans.

Quote: Originally Posted by SallyinIndiana


there are other illness that can be passed to your birds too. But most of these can be passed by all kinds of means even a visit to the feed store can bring back the virus.
All kinds of bio security measures are discussed in most of the indiana poultry literature and the purdue sites. I would look into those before deciding to even ask if you want to see her flock. Honestly I don't let just any stranger come see my flock now days. The person coming might bring my birds some sickness. It does not mean that I don't have great birds in a great set up. It is just a method I use to limit exposure or risk. Some bio measures are a bit extreme while others are common sense.
http://www.inpoultry.org/biosecurity.cfm


There was an article in the Backyard Poultry Mag this summer with step by step instructions on how to wash your eggs to prevent illness. If you don't have a subscription, search "Backyard Poultry Mag Treating Eggs" in Google. On the second link, there is a triangle pointing downward. Click the triangle and select Cached. This allows you to view any article without a subscription. Little hacker trick I don't use too often, but works if you need it.

BTW I do have a subscription to this magazine and highly recommend it. Basically all volunteer writers with tons of hands on experience. Worth the subscription if you have a flock.



Excellent post, thanks for sharing!

Warning: Pic heavy post! Went to my cousin's farm in Terre Haute for Labor Day weekend and had a ton of fun as usual. Only problem was DH flipped a 4 wheeler over on himself, but he walked away with no injuries. Feeling very lucky he wasn't injured and didn't end up in the creek.

Got some pics of my cousin's birds to share. Just love going over there and seeing all the variety he has.

Here's a ISA Brown in the nest box, they are so friendly.



I didn't know that black sex links had such cool eyes! They were all so friendly and just loved me in there with them.



Here's a shot of some of his baby peacocks. One of them is very light and looks like it will be a different color from the rest he's got.



Here are his guinea fowl. These guys are such oddballs! Love the curious side look they give me.



Here are his adult peacocks. He's only gotten 1 egg this year (they are just about 2 years old) and wants to set up a breeding program next year. I even got to see a male put on a show for the ladies. At night, each male was perched up with a group of 2 peahens, its like they've already decided who is with whom.



Aren't these 2 adorable! These are my cousins' kids and they love the farm, call all the chickens chick chicks.



We met with @BryLT3 and she got this little keet that was just hatched. I kept her close to keep her warm on the trip and managed to get a good photo too.


My mom took care of our chickens while we were away, and ended up treating them to cooked veggies every night. This coming from a woman who has lived in the city her whole life and doesn't like to cook. LOL Can't believe my mom loves our chickens! I let them out when we got home and my rooster decided to go visit the chicks for a while. Amazes me that he is so nice to them and gets along really well. They are separated all of the time, but when I opened both the coop doors they sometimes mingle.



It has been so hot here our bees seem miserable. They are bunched up on the outside and probably overcrowded right now. Just added new boxes about 3 weeks ago to all the hives, can't really afford to buy new boxes to add to 7 hives.



This silkie hen is broody. I picked her up and put her on the ground and she gives me this look like she is thinking, "I'm not doing anything wrong!"



Here's another pic of the littles. Just love these guys @bradselig ! So far out of the original 14 that hatched, we've only lost 1. They are looking really good and starting to move past the awkward stage into full feathering. The guinea has started to yell "buck-wheat!" softly, not at all loud like a normal guinea would. Glad she is a female, I think the MF is a male. I have a feeling I did get a lot of silkie roosters, some combs are looking roo-ish and the two juveniles I bought in May are both roosters too. Going to have to figure out what to do with all of them.

Goodness, thanks so much for sharing the pics! Sounds like a wonderful visit too.
I am envious of the peas. I just adore them, and have tried to keep them. They are still in future plans, but the neighbor's not getting the next batch!

Quote: I am a flipflop person too, I always forget! I have ripped tonails off, stabbed my feet on hawthornes, and I still forget to put boots on. Come on, they are too hot! I am getting better about it, my piglets like to nibble my toenails LOL! And even though my goats are medium frame, it really hurts when they step on a foot! I have a few chickens and a goose that think toes are food also. So mend that ego, its seriously easier to slide the flipflops on when its hot out. Just remember boots around machinery

Nice pictures. I'm really getting excited to get my coop finished and birds in it. I'm so looking forward to that first fresh egg. Many omletes to come , and som egg foo young.

Soon you will be posting pics too! Cant wait to see your first egg! Don't forget to share livestock, family, or whatever you want to talk about.

Oh my goodness, I think I found another breed for my chicken wantlist..!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/920104/the-pita-pinta-asturiana

They are very interesting and very attractive too!