INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

I like "Henopause" Currently have very few chickens, six exactly. A Wyandotte hen, and some heinz 57s I inherited Getting goats in the spring! Have a cute little homestead, 4 kids and it all makes for a beautiful life!

I like to think I know chickens pretty well. ..but I have to admit I don't know what "Heinz 57's" are! Lol!
I started with 6 chicks myself! For some reason I can't ever have enough! They are all so lovely and easy to care for and bring us all so much joy!

I also have 4 children. .all boys. .but the oldest son is now off at college.

 

[ellymayRans]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/indiana-bycers-members-events-links
Found it.

For our new members!

 

[CharlemagneRoost]

he was handsome even as a lil chick! Pretty special guy.


That's terribly sad.
You have several gorgeous breeds and Ugh, I know the feeling! We are reducing too. Have to make choices on what is working, I plan to part with my australorp flock. They are an all around dual purpose, but were intended for eggs more than dual purpose birds.The hatchery boasts they were a production line and rarely broody. Hold the world record for egg laying!
HA! Rarely NOT broody The hens are so busy trying to be broody, they aren't laying and peck other hens from nestboxes, these are 18 month old hens. Been going on all spring thru fall.. The new owner will be made aware of it too. I have enough roosters from my BR and RIR that i don't need the BAs. Can't get them anyway if they won't lay
Also have 2 trio of millie fluer I will be parting with. Love the hens, roosters are lil tyrants lol. They are beautiful little birds, just not fitting into my plans. Staying with my bantam game birds. Sweet roos and hens, good layers. Enjoyable breed all around. I plan to keep my OEGB and MGBs.

Too true on those millies! I got into them a while back because I loved their looks and I read that the roosters made good pets. What a load of chicken manure! All my Roos were little poops. The final straw was when one of them bit my boob - he was on the stovetop that very night!!!

Actually, typing all that up yesterday helped me make some decisions today. I have found a home for all the d'anver chickens and I am selling my pair of Sumatra - if anyone is interested - just asking $25 for the pair:

 

[mrsblanchard]

I like to think I know chickens pretty well. ..but I have to admit I don't know what "Heinz 57's" are! Lol!
I started with 6 chicks myself! For some reason I can't ever have enough! They are all so lovely and easy to care for and bring us all so much joy!

I also have 4 children. .all boys. .but the oldest son is now off at college.

Old country mixes no real breed I know of were my grandad's. Three girls one boy here. 11 yr girl, 3 yr boy, and twin one year Olds busy around here! I have fallen in love with watching the chicken antics, and I have a feeling chicks will steal my heart and be a good lesson for the kiddos

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: If I understand your posts, you are getting some extra males with the pullets you ordered. Are these the chickens you are referring to as your meaties? Or do you also have plans to get some of the faster growing built differently cornish crosses to raise for meat? The cornish crosses need the lack of food for 12 hours or more and special attention to leg issues and heart attacks. The cornish are large for processing between 8 and 12 weeks for most people. The spare roosters from the hatchery get large enough to process typically around 20 weeks or have very little meat at 14 weeks for ok fryers.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

If I understand your posts, you are getting some extra males with the pullets you ordered.  Are these the chickens you are referring to as your meaties?  Or do you also have plans to get some of the faster growing built differently cornish crosses to raise for meat?  The cornish crosses need the lack of food for 12 hours or more and special attention to leg issues and heart attacks.  The cornish are large for processing between 8 and 12 weeks for most people.  The spare roosters from the hatchery get  large enough to process typically around 20 weeks or have very little meat at 14 weeks for ok fryers.

I'm planning to do both of those things- the extra males in my December order, I figured I'd feed the same as the rest of the flock and harvest whenever they seem big enough, depending on the breeds I get. Later I plan to get a batch of Ideal's "white broiler" which I assume is some kind of Cornish cross- thats the meat birds I was asking about feed times. I've read some people only feed them only twice a day, and others feed free choice, but only 12 hours a day. I was curious to hear opinions and reasoning.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I fed mine 2-3 dimes a day after the first 2.5 weeks. I would give them a set amount of food several times a day the first week or so. Then as they got larger I would put more space between feeding times. By the time they were 3 weeks they were at 3 times a day. If you have the time, the more frequent smaller meals allow them to better digest the food. After they would eat too much too fast, they would tend to not digest the food and whole grains would be in the poo completely wasted.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I fed mine 2-3 dimes a day after the first 2.5 weeks.  I would give them a set amount of food several times a day the first week or so.  Then as they got larger I would put more space between feeding times.  By the time they were 3 weeks they were at 3 times a day.  If you have the time, the more frequent smaller meals allow them to better digest the food.  After they would eat too much too fast, they would tend to not digest the food and whole grains would be in the poo completely wasted.

Groovy, thanks! Was that on FF or dry?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

soaked food for the most part sometimes a bit of dry when they ate more than I had made up the night before.

editing to add that for the most part we use dry now. After not being able to get a good ferment going way back in 2012 and 2013 and some other issues with the fermentation smells, we just switched to dry full time during one of the arctic blasts last winter.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

A word to the wise.... One of my daughter's college instructors was late to class today. They had a heat lamp in her 10 yo son's chicken coop that he and his dad had built together. It caught fire and burned down. It is my opinion that heat lamps have no place in any animal building. There are plenty of other ways to heat or brood. Of course...I have electricity in my hen shed and items that could short and cause a fire just because electricity can do these things. But a heat lamp? It's a fire waiting to happen.

[COLOR=900000]This breaks my heart, especially considering it could have been avoided if they had simply understood that their birds didn't need the supplemental heat. I'm so sad for her and her son, and wishing her the best with cleanup and rebuilding.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=900000]Did I see Brad [@=/u/139719/bradselig]bradselig[/@] lurking? I thought he'd like to see this! Ga Ho chickens are apparently going to be imported to the U.S. by next spring:[/COLOR] https://www.facebook.com/oldorchard...41826.573037039422185/789359737789913/?type=1

wow thats an intimidating bird I think bradselig has mentioned interest in them

[COLOR=000090]Yup, we were talking about it a few weeks ago, I think. Those things are scary! [/COLOR]

So guys, what changes are coming for your winter months? will you reduce, or add breeds/species? Is anyone participating in the New years eve hatchalong? I am comingling now to keep my coops easier to handle for winter. Like size and type poultry, and waterfowl (except muscovy) My scovies will stay with the guinea flock. My intent is to keep 4 main coops. Bantam, waterfowl, guinea and turkey. Reducing my chicken flock to EE, CCL, RIR, BR, WL, maran and my egg flock of mixed birds. Bantam will be the polish, MGB, OEGB. Am sure I forgot someone! Turkeys are planned as BR, WH, and miniwhites. Geese will be my chinese, brown and white. Embdens without a doubt. Pekin ducks. Plan to add silver appleyards. Muscovy will always be here! Hatch-a-long hopefully. Depends on who is laying i guess.

[COLOR=900000]I think I'm set for winter. Just waiting on colder weather to motivate me to put in the rest of the windows in the coop and hang up the shower curtain in the doorway. I'm thinking of changing how I have done the shower curtain for the past few years, and cutting strips instead of a hole in it. I just am not sure the girls will actually go through strips. No room for more birds, so no hatchalong for me. :/ But that's okay. I LOVE Appleyards! I was eying some Appleyard Call Ducks the other day, didn't know that calls came in that color! Between them and Snowies, I'm just not sure what to save room for! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=000090]Gotta love Cochins. Pretty birds![/COLOR]