INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

What a beautiful weekend. Saturday we spent part of our day at the Beasley orchard in Danville for "Dog days at the maze". It supported shelters and rescues. It was really great!

The 8 acre maze was impressive to say the least. What a wonderful little outing!

I know we have a few members in Danville. .we passed a lot of lovely country homes with chickens and I thought about you all!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you. They were in the youth barn, I didn't doth open show this go around.

I absolutely love my LF rocks. Giant sweethearts. I thought I would give te bantams a try. And so far I love them too. I open the door to their pen an they just stand there for me to pick them up. I still am a little partial to the LF because of their size!

[COLOR=900000]Ah, okay. We only saw one LF pair of black Ameraucanas in the open show, so I was wondering if they were yours--apparently not! I loved the youth show more than the open show, personally. The birds in the youth show didn't seem as terrified of people, at least the ones we stopped by. There was an adorable OEGB hen that walked right over to mom and I when we stopped by her cage. Such a sweet little bird!

I love my Rocks, too! Even though none of mine are heritage quality, it kind of goes to show their personalities. I've been thinking a lot about investing in some heritage Barreds, though. (I think the OEGBs and bantam Cochins have first dibs, though. )[/COLOR]

Anyone going to the ohio nationals? It is in two weeks. It will be the last show I go to this year . It has been an awesome show year though!

[COLOR=13578B]I wish I could! I don't think we can make another big trip this year, though. :/ Good luck with the show![/COLOR]

Super busy with the barn clean up, some other family issues. hope everyone is doing well! My apologies and welcome to any new members I have missed.
I have so many birds molting, they are all so unhappy! have had my first -0- egg day since last winter. UGH really stinks! Have a lot frozen, but have some egg customers tha'ts impatient too. I have explained that farm raised natural eggs are not year around. Oh well.
Enjoyed a nice campfire at home tonight, and heading to bed. Nite everyone!

[COLOR=900000]Hope your family issues are clearing up! Haven't had a 0 egg day yet, myself, but I'm sure it's coming. I'm getting around 3 or 4 a day right now.[/COLOR]

 
Bummer.  I was hoping to hear good about the bucket trap.

It was a promising idea, but I only caught like two over the course of a month.  I had peanut butter and sunflower seeds as bait. 

I can pretty much honestly say I've tried EVERTHING before resorting to the poison (zap traps, snap traps, bucket traps, humane traps, cats).  I did go  with the kind that is in the plastic animal proof case, so I am hopefully minimizing even more the odds of directly poisoning an unintended animal.  A secondary poisoning is possible, but my research does say that it would take a large animal eating a few mice before they would consume enough that way - most of the unintended poisonings reported are from an animal getting directly into the poison, not consuming a mouse that has been poisoned. 

[COLOR=13578B]That's odd, I use 2-gallon buckets for waterers with my birds and caught 4 or 5 mice in them during that short period of cold weather we had up here. Not meaning to, I might add.

The only suggestion I have for you is to try getting metal trash bins for your feed and supplies and put up the feeders at the end of the day. No food means less motive for them to stick around. Sorry I can't help otherwise, but I hope things work out with what advice and tactics you're trying now! [/COLOR]

 

[ellymayRans]

Fuuny little babes! This one at the front door spent some time trying to figure out how to get a moth that was on the inside of the door! Lol!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

[COLOR=900000]Ah, okay. We only saw one LF pair of black Ameraucanas in the open show, so I was wondering if they were yours--apparently not! I loved the youth show more than the open show, personally. The birds in the youth show didn't seem as terrified of people, at least the ones we stopped by. There was an adorable OEGB hen that walked right over to mom and I when we stopped by her cage. Such a sweet little bird!

I love my Rocks, too! Even though none of mine are heritage quality, it kind of goes to show their personalities. I've been thinking a lot about investing in some heritage Barreds, though. (I think the OEGBs and bantam Cochins have first dibs, though. )[/COLOR]
[COLOR=13578B]I wish I could! I don't think we can make another big trip this year, though. :/ Good luck with the show![/COLOR]
[COLOR=900000]Hope your family issues are clearing up! Haven't had a 0 egg day yet, myself, but I'm sure it's coming. I'm getting around 3 or 4 a day right now.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=13578B]That's odd, I use 2-gallon buckets for waterers with my birds and caught 4 or 5 mice in them during that short period of cold weather we had up here. Not meaning to, I might add.

The only suggestion I have for you is to try getting metal trash bins for your feed and supplies and put up the feeders at the end of the day. No food means less motive for them to stick around. Sorry I can't help otherwise, but I hope things work out with what advice and tactics you're trying now! [/COLOR]

I have to say that there were very few ameraucanas there period that I was impressed with. A blue wheaten or two but that was it.

The reason I think the youth barn birds had a calmer personality is because kids tend to coddle their birds like pets. MOST adult exhibitors don't. Though that doesn't mean they care about them any less. Some people have a very, what i would call, professional relationship with their birds. Sorry you can't go! And thank you

 

[ChickCrazed]

have you thought about installing one of those sound devices. I saw an ad today in a coupon flyer 3 sound devices for $20 including shipping. I just updated the ones in my house less than a month ago. Still I'm thinking of getting more as they have to be changed out every other year or so.

I feel you on infestations. When we moved here our pole barn was over run. We had indoor cats at the time but no chickens. I was so nervous to put out poison and the barn was over 100 feet behind the house. The previous owner had left opened bags of dog food in the barn and had no concerns or fears of creatures that would help themselves. It took us almost a year to clear out racoons, opossums, mice, and wild rabbits.
I can tell you that my cats while they are killing machines don't kill 60 mice in a few days like poison can. And yes my barn cats kill any nearby rodents they choose. I just tell myself that at least that rodent did not make it to my place. I did have to ask one of the neighbors not to feed my cat. It can be hard mentally but really don't feed the barn cats every day, 2-3 times a week is fine if there are things they can kill.

The sound device is a great idea to keep them out once I get my population knocked down!!! I hadn't thought of that idea! I can't believe how many mice I've removed in the last 36 hours!!! As nerve wracking as it is, the stuff does work!!!

I'm sure I'm over feeding my cats. They were scary skinny when I got them and I wanted to fatten them up before it got cold. Check......Herschel is now a sumo wrestler.....now they are used to the feedings and I have a lot of trouble saying no to the hungry face!!!! I need to drop the free loaders down to once a day feedings over the winter and stick to my guns. I come by it honestly, my parents have always had very fat and happy animals as well.

I have got to have 100-200 mice in the shed (i'm not even targeting the horse barn right now, i'm hoping the cats WILL help out in there since that is where the cats stay most of the time). Every time I went in the shed I had them running across my feet, literally over my shoes. When I'd go in there in the evening they would be climbing down the walls and the doors within a foot of me. Going in at night it sounds like the entire shed is crawling with critters and it is scary. I made the mistake of leaving a hammer and screwdriver on top of the nest box and the next morning they were 100% corroded from mouse urine, just ruined in 1 day. It is just foul. Every inch of the shed is covered in rodent poop. It's gotten so bad I dread going in there.....I've been fighting putting the poison in there for a year, but it will be such a relief to have this done and over with. Plus I imagine I will save some feed!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

The sound device is a great idea to keep them out once I get my population knocked down!!!  I hadn't thought of that idea!  I can't believe how many mice I've removed in the last 36 hours!!! As nerve wracking as it is, the stuff does work!!!  

I'm sure I'm over feeding my cats.  They were scary skinny when I got them and I wanted to fatten them up before it got cold.  Check......Herschel is now a sumo wrestler.....now they are used to the feedings and I have a lot of trouble saying no to the hungry face!!!! I need to drop the free loaders down to once a day feedings over the winter and stick to my guns.  I come by it honestly, my parents have always had very fat and happy animals as well.  

I have got to have 100-200 mice in the shed (i'm not even targeting the horse barn right now, i'm hoping the cats WILL help out in there since that is where the cats stay most of the time).  Every time I went in the shed I had them running across my feet, literally over my shoes.  When I'd go in there in the evening they would be climbing down the walls and the doors within a foot of me.  Going in at night it sounds like the entire shed is crawling with critters and it is scary.  I made the mistake of leaving a hammer and screwdriver on top of the nest box and the next morning they were 100% corroded from mouse urine, just ruined in 1 day.  It is just foul.  Every inch of the shed is covered in rodent poop.  It's gotten so bad I dread going in there.....I've been fighting putting the poison in there for a year, but it will be such a relief to have this done and over with.  Plus I imagine I will save some feed!

You feed your outside cats more than once a day?

They should be just fine with one afternoon feeding. When they learn to depend on hunting instead of you your mouse problem will be much better. And if they are truely hunger they will find something to catch.

 

[ChickCrazed]

You feed your outside cats more than once a day?

They should be just fine with one afternoon feeding. When they learn to depend on hunting instead of you your mouse problem will be much better. And if they are truely hunger they will find something to catch.

Logically I know you are right LOL. I put myself in their shoes and I HATE to be hungry, so yes they have been getting fed twice a day LOL. I don't really wonder why they aren't hunting, I fully know I'm part of the problem. Ha ha ha.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Logically I know you are right LOL.  I put myself in their shoes and I HATE to be hungry, so yes they have been getting fed twice a day LOL.  I don't really wonder why they aren't hunting, I fully know I'm part of the problem.  Ha ha ha. 

I get what you are saying. I don't like being hungry. But they will only be hungry for a few days before they think "hey maybe I wouldn't be so hungry if I ate that mouse over there."

 

[ChickCrazed]

I get what you are saying. I don't like being hungry. But they will only be hungry for a few days before they think "hey maybe I wouldn't be so hungry if I ate that mouse over there."

LOL I'll try to get myself under control. I know you are right, and these were ferals, I presume they know how to hunt.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

[COLOR=900000]A few ducky pictures for the evening. These two are too cute!

Trudi:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=900000]Malcolm, chilling. Thus far, Trudi has been a lot more spastic than Malcolm--except when they're in the water, because Malcolm goes nuts. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=900000]Snack time! Malcolm's such a hog and dumps feed all over! They're so sweet together, though. Malcolm will start eating and quack to Trudi, and then they'll have their meal together while chattering the whole time. You can really tell how much these birds rely on each other's company. They never do anything without the other one close by![/COLOR]

[COLOR=900000]We're almost done with the duck coop, just a few little details left to secure it. Hopefully, the duckies will pass quarantine in a few more weeks and can move over there immediately. Although, we probably should put the run fence up first.

All this building plus classes and homework and winter preparations and general animal care has me fatigued here lately. But I'm alright. Hope everyone else is doing well as well. [/COLOR]