INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[iamfivewire]

hadnt posted for a few days - busy at work + home stuff to catch up on. today was gone from 8am til 330 for a real estate con-ed class, then work til 9pm

 

[iamfivewire]

those are some pretty neato looking cockerels Leahs mom

 

[Rhandi74]

Jewel with her 5 ducklings. She is so funny to watch with them. She must think these chicks are very slow. She has been giving daily scratch lessons since Monday and today I think she gave up on that and tried to teach them to dust bathe.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So how long will a mamma chicken put up with ducklings?

 

[Rhandi74]

So how long will a mamma chicken put up with ducklings?

I really do not know. They are very funny together. She will not take them out to free range yet. Her last chicks she did not take out until they were 3 weeks old.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: They are totally precious! I had goose mother ducklings, not chickens yet!

hadnt posted for a few days - busy at work + home stuff to catch up on. today was gone from 8am til 330 for a real estate con-ed class, then work til 9pm

Ugh, busy day!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Ever wonder if they feel like they've been tricked?

 

[Faraday40]

The Mama Hen & her baby chick-ducks are precious.


Newbie questions:
Egg Production:
Is it normal for the egg numbers to slow way down? My 15 month olds were laying so well Feb-Sept & now slowed down to a few eggs per week. One had a hard molt & is still growing feathers. (She completely stopped about 3 weeks ago.) The others look a little shabby but not bald. They're laying, but not daily. Will they stop laying too?

My "Babies" are 25 weeks old. Will they start laying soon or wait until Jan/Feb when the days start getting longer? One EE mutt started laying at 17 weeks, & the Bantam Orpington started at 22 weeks. My Crested Cream Legbars & Orpingtons haven't started laying yet. (1 has pale comb; three have red combs for weeks now.)

Without supplimental lighting: Do most hens stop in the winter or just slow down? I read the Orpingtons lay in the winter, but I'm on the fence about adding light. Sounds complicated, so I'm leaning against it. Of course, that's IF they start laying.

 

[Rhandi74]

Ever wonder if they feel like they've been tricked?

...I do think she may be wondering, what the heck, but she loves them just as much as her previous chicks.

The Mama Hen & her baby chick-ducks are precious.


Newbie questions:
Egg Production:
Is it normal for the egg numbers to slow way down? My 15 month olds were laying so well Feb-Sept & now slowed down to a few eggs per week. One had a hard molt & is still growing feathers. (She completely stopped about 3 weeks ago.) The others look a little shabby but not bald. They're laying, but not daily. Will they stop laying too?

My "Babies" are 25 weeks old. Will they start laying soon or wait until Jan/Feb when the days start getting longer? One EE mutt started laying at 17 weeks, & the Bantam Orpington started at 22 weeks. My Crested Cream Legbars & Orpingtons haven't started laying yet. (1 has pale comb; three have red combs for weeks now.)

Without supplimental lighting: Do most hens stop in the winter or just slow down? I read the Orpingtons lay in the winter, but I'm on the fence about adding light. Sounds complicated, so I'm leaning against it. Of course, that's IF they start laying.

They are totally precious! I had goose mother ducklings, not chickens yet!
Ugh, busy day!

Thank you.

 

[dogwoodlaine]

...

What breeds are they? Some are less adaptable to cold and dampness than others.
You have to judge by their actions, but once fully feathered they are normally fine. I would wait til after tomorrows frost tho, its going to be unseasonably cold. Temps are supposed to return to normal the next day.

There's 17 BCM and 2 Ameraucanas.