INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[EurekaChic]

@jchny2000 @PeacefulWalls Saw this on FB today and thought of you two talking about all your fabric LOL

Gotta show this to my husband! He will fall down laughing. Then again, it could be my skeleton and the sign would say 'waiting for husband at junk yard'.

 

[EurekaChic]

Short video of cute fluffy butts learning how to find tasty morsels . . . Bonbon & five chicks

ADORABLE!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Thanks Sally

I found his page, I'm guessing they probably don't sell feeder calves but I'll keep them in mind! Curious and you don't have to share if you don't want to but what do you pay for freezer beef?

I won't have an exact price till the weight is known the rough estimate is between $1000 and $1500 per side. The side I'm getting in October will be cheaper per pound compared to the may side I'm getting as I requested an older animal for just ground beef for October.
To get an idea of prices for a just the right age to butcher for steaks, you can look at the archer's processing website. Their Greenwood location is selling a side of beef at $3.69 per hanging pound but they have not updated prices since march on their website. The archer's processing place in fishers is offering a coupon or special for semi free pork.

 

[EurekaChic]

@RedRidge

Thanks for the helpful input. I honestly expect losses out here, I just want to do everything in my power to prevent them outside of replacing everything here with fortresses.

We have a Great Pyr that we adopted as a puppy from friends who have a farm. They own both his parents, both of whom are 100% outdoors and allowed to mix with cattle, donkey, horses, barn cats, geese, chickens, and a bunch of other dogs. His father is a true LGD, his mother a bit less so in that she prefers to hang with the other dogs, but can be trusted around all of the farm animals. His baby days (first 3 months or so) were spent in a big penned off area in the garage at the farm, where the small animals could come and go as they pleased (cats, poultry). He and his siblings were also brought out to meet the larger animals and hang out with them (while supervised). When we adopted him, he was our only dog, but we had 5 cats and 2 birds (cockatiels), all of whom were his friends (he never once had any questionable interactions with any of them, even as a puppy). Then we got another dog (mini schnauzer), and another (mastiff/boxer), and another (yorkiepoo). We live outside of town in a small neighborhood that edges up against a farm on one side and is surrounded by forrest on the other sides. Before we had dogs, we got tons of wildlife in the yard (birds, voles, moles, frogs, toads, bunnies, possum, raccoon, foxes, deer, etc.). Our mini schnauzer has killed and eaten all the small animals (moles, voles, baby rabbits, frogs, and even birds), and taught our Mastiff/Boxer mix to do the same. And the foxes and deer also stopped coming to the yard when we got dogs. Our Great Pyr guards the yard, going on patrol on the perimeter, and is always monitoring where all the other animals are. But the Great Pyr DOES NOT attack any of the wild animals who still visit the yard. In fact, we've caught him trying to play with both possum and raccoon (boy, that was a confused possum....I think the raccoon might have actually been OK with it but our Mastiff/Boxer chased it away). Anyway, although I would trust our Great Pyr around pretty much any animal (in that he would not harm the animal), I'm not sure he would be much good protecting chickens from raccoons (or whatever else was after the chickens). He's just too nice to everybody. That said, the Schnauzer and the Mastiff/Boxer go after most wild animals and chase them away with intent to kill, so that would keep the chickens safe from predators. The problem is I suspect the two of them might do the same to chickens (no free ranging for our chickens while the dogs are in the yard).

Anyway, this is the long way of saying that we have a dog who COULD have been an LGD, and he definitely has a personality and instincts that I suspect would have favored that if he had gotten the correct training (as @RedRidge describes), but because he didn't get the correct training I don't think he's even much of a deterrent (except for fox and deer). Our other dogs are definitely deterrents, but don't have the right instincts to be LGDs (not surprising, given their breeds). So, I think @RedRidge is right that whatever dog you get really needs training from the very beginning to do (and not do) what you want, and also needs to have the right instincts/personality (one of our Great Pyr's brothers turned out to be a total bully and is nasty to any animal he can get his paws on. He would make a terrible LGD even though he's a Great Pyr).

 

[Leahs Mom]

I am getting GRASS FED beef (raised naturally with no pharmaceutical inputs and no grain) for $2.62 hanging weight. The good thing about my source is that they are a a low-line cross so they are relatively small and don't "break the bank". The last side I purchased (in August) was about $525 total.

I also have them give me all the livers, tongues, hearts (which are included for free since they just dump them) from all the cattle that are being processed from my source farm. We either eat it ourselves or use it for the chickens in the winter when they can't get bugs.

 

[Leahs Mom]

OH...and when they do one for ground, the lat time it was $3.50/lb straight package weight (not hanging weight). Again, grass fed, natural.

If any of you would be interested in coming up this way to pick up your beef, I'll let you know the next time they butcher.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

OH...and when they do one for ground, the lat time it was $3.50/lb straight package weight (not hanging weight). Again, grass fed, natural.

If any of you would be interested in coming up this way to pick up your beef, I'll let you know the next time they butcher.

I gave it more than a passing thought. But that drive would be a long one for us. And this may sound funny to those who don't want to personally know their processed meat. But we talk to "our" cows as we drive by their grazing area. DH passes them on his way to work normally 5 times a week unless there is a flood warning. Me and the children pass them about once a week when I head to the grocery store. We only talk to them from the car so they never really hear us. Still the children have great fun watching "their" cows get bigger.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
That's a good thing - to be able to see and watch their progress and know how they're raised.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Guys, I have what may be a problem! I came up short in my roll call tonight and finally found the missing hen, Sora, huddled in a nest. Looks like she may have been there all day. She was soaked down her belly and her vent feathers were matted with straight water and whitish droppings. Her comb is flopping over and she seems a bit dazed, although that could just be because it was after dark. I honestly have no idea what could be wrong and I am not finding anything similar when searching for these symptoms. I didn't see her walk, but she stood on the perch just fine. She has not lost any weight. Any thoughts? I mean, it could just be something that passes overnight, but I'm concerned because she is a red sexlink, a little more than 4 years old, which unfortunately is within the 'danger zone' in my past experience with red sexlinks, the time when most of them have had issues and passed away as a result. I want to get on top of this as soon as possible!

 

[raisinemright]

Thanks to Brad I have 6 BLRW & 4 partridge Cochin bantams eggs!!! Looks like I'll be firing up the incubator a few months early lol. Thanks again Brad and good luck with the new job!