INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Indiana feather]

Hello fellow hoosiers .. I am just getting started in chicken... will be a small venture because i only have an acre of land and live in a rural addition, yet thought that fresh eggs would be a good thing and i like taking care of critters . My grandmother always kept chickens on their farm in Bryant , Ind. and so thought I'd try ... .to date we only have 3 hens ...pullets and i am trying to modify a garden shed to a small coop and a run is in the works. Have learned much from this site and found people to be very helpful. My chickens will free range but in a contained manner if that makes sense.. can't let them roam the neighborhood but they can go outside or that is the plan

.I look forward to meeting other folks and exchange ideas etc. Have a great day!

 

[Kassafrass]

I have read the posts about kittens and chickens, but had an additional question. We have a three month old barn kitten and six month old chickens. The kitten stalks and charges at them, and the roosters do nothing but run. Which perpetuates the kittens behavior. I can only chase her off or try spraying with water so much bc i have youngc hildren and a newborn. Will it get better, or should i look for a new home for the kitten?

Also, we got our coop and chickens a few weeks ago from a friend. The poop is really hard to clean off of all the ramps they walk up to roost on since they are hard to shovel and the pine chips font stick on there. And of course, that seems where most of the poop ends up. Any suggestions?

I have appreciated all the advice and information i have gotten from reading your posts. I cant reply as much as i would like, but thank you for all the info!

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Hello fellow hoosiers .. I am just getting started in chicken... will be a small venture because i only have an acre of land and live in a rural addition, yet thought that fresh eggs would be a good thing and i like taking care of critters . My grandmother always kept chickens on their farm in Bryant , Ind. and so thought I'd try ... .to date we only have 3 hens ...pullets and i am trying to modify a garden shed to a small coop and a run is in the works. Have learned much from this site and found people to be very helpful. My chickens will free range but in a contained manner if that makes sense.. can't let them roam the neighborhood but they can go outside or that is the plan

.I look forward to meeting other folks and exchange ideas etc. Have a great day!

Howdy!

i did a garden shed conversion. It's a great way to start! I'm still tweaking mine and making changes as I learn, but it's such a flexible platform, it's been really easy to modify as I've gone along.

On an acre, depending on the size of the shed, you should be able to support a pretty good size flock. I have 8 and plan to expand to 12 next spring. I'm on 1/2 acre in the 'burbs, and my shed/coop is 12' by 12'.

What kind of hens do you have? And do you have pics, cause we love that!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Ok so I have a question about medicated chick starter. I have been feeding this to all of my chicks from the time they hatch ( or I get them) until about 16 weeks. Is there anything else I can feed them besides this? I get most of my feed at RK and they really don't have anything else. Can I make homemade chick feed, and if so what do I put in it. I want my chickies to be healthy and safe. But it is getting real expensive too. Can anyone give me advice on this one. Thanks

RK has an all flock for $12-13. Then they have layer pellets. I try to stay away from crumbles as much as possible but RK also sells layer crumbles. If you have a rooster I recommend the all flock. If you have ducks I recommend the layer as they consume calcium like a child wants candy.

 

[ChickCrazed]

RK has an all flock for $12-13. Then they have layer pellets. I try to stay away from crumbles as much as possible but RK also sells layer crumbles. If you have a rooster I recommend the all flock. If you have ducks I recommend the layer as they consume calcium like a child wants candy.

I'd love to find a flock raiser or all flock in pellet form. I hate the crumbles because they knock them out of the feeder (any feeder, they find a way to waste some) and they get lost in the bedding.

I'll be switching to a custom feed mix from my local feed store next month and will be interested to see what it looks like.

 

[Indiana feather]

Howdy!

i did a garden shed conversion. It's a great way to start! I'm still tweaking mine and making changes as I learn, but it's such a flexible platform, it's been really easy to modify as I've gone along.

On an acre, depending on the size of the shed, you should be able to support a pretty good size flock. I have 8 and plan to expand to 12 next spring. I'm on 1/2 acre in the 'burbs, and my shed/coop is 12' by 12'.

What kind of hens do you have? And do you have pics, cause we love that!!

Hi hoosiercheetah, very nice to meet you.. You can see pics of my chickens and coop in byc forums pictures n stories of my chickens thread or my profile page... I also will attempt to post it here but I'm not always successful w/ pics.

so far we have just 3 hens 4weeks old Rhode Island Reds

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'd love to find a flock raiser or all flock in pellet form. I hate the crumbles because they knock them out of the feeder (any feeder, they find a way to waste some) and they get lost in the bedding.

I'll be switching to a custom feed mix from my local feed store next month and will be interested to see what it looks like.

Unfortunately, the purpose of the flock raiser/all flock is such that it is not feasible to be sold in a pellet form since it is intended to be an "all life stages" feed and crumble is what works for the early end of that spectrum.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well, I WAS thinking about selling all my Serama ... then when I was tending birds this evening, I opened up the chicken tractor to see Caboose sheltering the two oldest Serama chicks under his wings ... melted my heart. I don't know that I can part with him -- he is such a great little roo!

Aw! That's totally understandable! It seems like it's so hard to find good roosters anyway!

Main thing to remember is dry conditions. Cocci can't thrive if its dry. Allow adults time to acclimate slowly to the new flock and what they are exposed to.

Yup, this! Though adults don't tend to come down with Coccidiosis, it's better to be safe and make sure they have an immunity before becoming overloaded.

I'd feed regular feed and only treat for cocci if there is an issue.  There's a good amount of research on the efficacy of correctly used deep litter and how it can help prevent cocci.  In addition, you can bring in sod plugs to use in the brooder to expose them to the soils from day 1 which helps them build immunity.  Many of the cocci cases are from chicks being put out on ground about 3 weeks after having been totally secluded from the ground and chicken house.  That causes the higher level of cocci you hear about at that age.  The early exposure has also been shown to help build immunities.

One thing I wanted to add to this as well, since most medicated chick feeds have a low dose of Amprolium, I've read a few reports of Amprolium losing its effectiveness in treating Coccidiosis as a result of using it in low doses and the native cocci strains becoming immune to it. I'd much rather try to build immunity and treat if necessary than find out that one of the most common treatments is rendered pretty much useless.

Well I am on my way to Michigan......it is going to be a long drive

Have fun!

I was there!!! If i had seen the shirt, i would have definitely introduced myself.

Aw, sorry we missed you! Maybe next time.

 

I'd love to find a flock raiser or all flock in pellet form.  I hate the crumbles because they knock them out of the feeder (any feeder, they find a way to waste some) and they get lost in the bedding. 

I'll be switching to a custom feed mix from my local feed store next month and will be interested to see what it looks like.

Unfortunately, the purpose of the flock raiser/all flock is such that it is not feasible to be sold in a pellet form since it is intended to be an "all life stages" feed and crumble is what works for the early end of that spectrum.

You can actually find all-flock mixes in pelleted form online, and I have heard of people having it delivered. Not sure if that's a very economical route to take, though, with feed prices plus shipping. Here's Nutrena's version:

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/poultry/country-feeds-poultry/country-feeds-all-flock/index.jsp

 

[iamfivewire]

weve goyten the nutrena all-flock pellets at a RK

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: here is the all flock we buy. it is pellets. I feed our chicks medicated food until we put them outside and then for about a week after that sometimes 10 days if it is rainy.
http://www.ruralking.com/nutrena-country-feeds-all-flock-feed-50lb.html

But the bag looks just like the one Leah's Mom posted a link to earlier. It used to be the blue bag but now there is the turkey picture on it.

The turkey food I get is crumbles. I have been considering trying to mix that high protein food with the layer pellets to come up with an all flock. But the crumbles just are unappealing. Yet the price of the turkey feed is great and we can pick it up when we get our goat feed.