INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Candy442]

Hello all,

I am Candy, Iamfivewire's DW He constantly tells me how friendly everyone is here so I am subscribing. We are pretty busy gearing up for winter here in Mid MIchigan.

Nice to meet all!

I love Brown County, haven't been there since I used to spend the summers with my Gramma down in Indianapolis about 45 years ago

I am sure I could talk DH Brett into a trip if something is planned there!

Candy

 

[Leahs Mom]

Processing a few birds today. I'll still have enough for another 2 maybe 3 processing days.

Question for you @SallyinIndiana and others that process laying hens...

Do you have a standard number of years that you keep layers before processing for stewing hens? I've heard some folks say that they process at 3 years; others at 4.

Or maybe you don't have a standard and process by egg production? Or perhaps by space?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
so far all of my hens are easily sold off before old age sets in. I don't like to process hens because if there is an egg left, the yolk tends to pop all over the hand trying gut the chicken. We tend to sell off hens before they are done laying. We tell people the age and how long an average chicken lays. As long as the price is right the hen tends to find a new home. We WILL put a chicken down for an injury or for prolapse vent. And so far those have been slightly more messy to process.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
so far all of my hens are easily sold off before old age sets in. I don't like to process hens because if there is an egg left, the yolk tends to pop all over the hand trying gut the chicken. We tend to sell off hens before they are done laying. We tell people the age and how long an average chicken lays. As long as the price is right the hen tends to find a new home. We WILL put a chicken down for an injury or for prolapse vent. And so far those have been slightly more messy to process.

What is your venue for selling the hens? Do you use CL or do you take them to swaps? At what age do you put them up for sale?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

CL mainly. FB a bit. I have sold a few hens that were around a year old to different members on here. I don't really sell at swaps as I don't like to spend that much time there.

I put them up for sale at almost all ages. I keep a group of chicks for each breed of chickens I like. Then as I find something that does not meet standard or that another chicken is better I'll move a pullet to the sell pen. For the hens that managed to make it to a year past all of the culling (moving to layer flock then sold off), those I list on CL once I have better breeders so between 1 and 2 yrs old.
My layer flock is a mix of hatchery pullets and breeder chickens I hatched but culled from the breeder quality pens. Right now the oldest chicken in my layer flock is under 8 months old. I did have a rooster in there last week that was 18 months or so but he started molting and lost his place in the pecking order. he is now recovering in a pen with a tiny broody hen and other small younger pullets.


If you are limited by space to the exact number of hens you have, then I would rehome any laying hens before stew pots but not for less than $10. After all you use high quality GMO free organic feed. To go to a market and get a processed chicken of that quality would cost more than $10.

We prefer to process in chilly to cold weather as the flies are not in the way.

Come spring when there is a rush to get chicks, there is a bit of a demand for a laying hen. That is when I have the best time selling my hens that I don't want to keep for a second molt.

Editing to add that mean hens get sold as fast as possible and mean roosters are put down at the first sign of being mean to people.
Right now we don't have any mean roosters and have not for a while.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Would people be interested in a meet-up/swap meet/party in Brown county next summer?

It's a bit far for me, but I'm sure there are plenty folks that would make the trip.

Hello all,

I am Candy, Iamfivewire's DW  He constantly tells me how friendly everyone is here so I am subscribing. We are pretty busy gearing up for winter here in Mid MIchigan. 

Nice to meet all!

 
I love Brown County, haven't been there since I used to spend the summers with my Gramma down in Indianapolis about 45 years ago  

I am sure I could talk DH Brett into a trip if something is planned there!

 
Candy

Welcome to the group!

ETA: Too tired, didn't mean to post yet. Anyway, I just was going to say I think everyone's busy with winterizing. Lots to do! It was cool enough here that I ended up closing a couple windows in my coop. Brr!

 

[Leahs Mom]

CL mainly. FB a bit. I have sold a few hens that were around a year old to different members on here. I don't really sell at swaps as I don't like to spend that much time there.

I put them up for sale at almost all ages. I keep a group of chicks for each breed of chickens I like. Then as I find something that does not meet standard or that another chicken is better I'll move a pullet to the sell pen. For the hens that managed to make it to a year past all of the culling (moving to layer flock then sold off), those I list on CL once I have better breeders so between 1 and 2 yrs old.
My layer flock is a mix of hatchery pullets and breeder chickens I hatched but culled from the breeder quality pens. Right now the oldest chicken in my layer flock is under 8 months old. I did have a rooster in there last week that was 18 months or so but he started molting and lost his place in the pecking order. he is now recovering in a pen with a tiny broody hen and other small younger pullets.


If you are limited by space to the exact number of hens you have, then I would rehome any laying hens before stew pots but not for less than $10. After all you use high quality GMO free organic feed. To go to a market and get a processed chicken of that quality would cost more than $10.

We prefer to process in chilly to cold weather as the flies are not in the way.

Come spring when there is a rush to get chicks, there is a bit of a demand for a laying hen. That is when I have the best time selling my hens that I don't want to keep for a second molt.

Editing to add that mean hens get sold as fast as possible and mean roosters are put down at the first sign of being mean to people.
Right now we don't have any mean roosters and have not for a while.

2 more questions.

How early in the spring is the best time to find buyers?
Have you ever sold any in the late summer to fall? I imagine folks don't want to get them at that time of year.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

So this afternoon, I decided to work on the quarantine pen for the ducks that will hopefully coming home in less than 2 weeks now. I thought just fencing in the area under the deck, which is far out of the reach of the hens, would be easy and sturdy enough to reuse for future quarantines. Well, come to find out, the dogs had done a number on the area. Shredded plush, Styrofoam, cardboard, a broken down desk... I don't know what happened down there, but I'm exhausted from cleaning it up! On top of that, I was 8 feet short on fence, so it's not even done yet. :/


I ended up saving a bunch of frogs and toads from the dogs while I was down there, though. Didn't think I would find so many frogs so far from the water! Oh, well.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Hello all,

I am Candy, Iamfivewire's DW He constantly tells me how friendly everyone is here so I am subscribing. We are pretty busy gearing up for winter here in Mid MIchigan.

Nice to meet all!

I love Brown County, haven't been there since I used to spend the summers with my Gramma down in Indianapolis about 45 years ago

I am sure I could talk DH Brett into a trip if something is planned there!

Candy

Hi!

Glad you came over!

I'm in the Northern part of IN and I was really surprised how fast it got cold! Hopefully we'll still get another warmer spell before the real thing.

My husband and I started cleaning out a section of the pole barn today to set up some kennels in there for the birds this winter. I'm not sure I'm going to like having them in there or not. It is an experiment for this year. Not changing anything permanently - just adding kennel panels in there. But there is a lot of stuff that needs to be cleaned out and removed.

 

[kabhyper1]

Well aside of bringing the outside flock into the barn we are done prepping for winter!

We dont hunt and these guys know it lol There were five of them in our backyard a little while ago.