INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Granny Hatchet]

Jchny2000, I love the fish idea, will they go to a pond to breed or is our weather too cold for that? If you are raising them up to eat only how big a holding tank do you have?

 

[chickiebaby1]

 

[birdman55]

morning everyone...just got the net done and cut now im installing it on the second coop..then will be moving the birds in...and then third and then fourth....grrr only ten pens left to do

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I need some advice about roosters, since this is my first year of having them "on purpose."

My best black/lav split Orpington cockerel crows like a mad fool. I still have two other cockerels from his hatch that I could keep who don't crow at all. I only want to keep ONE, but the crowing is driving me nuts.

IF I decided to keep one of the quieter boys, and culled Mr. Loud Mouth, how likely is it that that a formerly quiet boy will become a big crower?

I know part of the problem (probably a large part) is that these guys are living with the layers, and my lights come on at 4 AM. That's when the incessant crowing starts. My four older roos don't crow much until later in the morning, at a more respectable hour. I don't want my neighbors (I live on an acre in a suburb) to hate me!

My other alternative, I guess, is to provide a light tight separate crate for Mr. Loud Mouth within the layer coop, which is possible. Once we made the other roos "apartments" more light tight, it did help reduce their crowing. We don't have a third permanent space for the black/lav splits, and plan to let them hang out with the mixed layer flock until late winter/spring, when I will house them in a temporary breeding pen with my lavender hens.

Suggestions?

Also, has anyone tried using a radio (set to a talk station) to reduce crowing? I know that my older boys hush up when I am around, because they know if they crow much, I'm going to give them a walkabout upside down for a minute, and they don't much care for that. I actually got up at 4:30 last night and did that with the black/lav cockerel, but all he did was go back into the henhouse to get away from me, and continued to crow in there. He isn't stupid.

THANKS!

if you want to change when they roos wakes up, change the light to be later in the evening. If you are worried about the birds not finding the roosts as the light just turns off instead of setting like the sun, use 2 lights and 2 timers. The second light can be a very dim light and go off about 5-10 minutes after the main light. I have found that as one rooster leasves another will take his place as the top roo and crow as loud and as often as the prior roo. Now having only 1 roo sounds great but then he just might get all uppity and crow all the more.

 

[number9]

Sorry this is a double post I meant to post it here.

I have 2 pullets that hatched May 5. One is a LO the other is a SWL. I had given up hope on getting eggs until winter was over, Checking eggs today I found that I have only one pullet. I don't know which one layed but there was a small brown egg instead of the green EE egg that I was expecting. All is good.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm glad to hear of @number9 and @jchny2000 finally getting those pullet eggs. I have 3 pullets hatched in May. No sign of an egg. I don't even think they look all that red or even seem like they know what an egg is.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

2 of Chloe's banties from April just started laying this past week -- such little eggs!

 

[birdman55]

good to hear everyone is getting eggs...I pulled 15 today...rough average a day is about 13...good day tho

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I'm glad to hear of @number9
and @jchny2000
  finally getting those pullet eggs.  I have 3 pullets hatched in May.  No sign of an egg.  I don't even think they look all that red or even seem like they know what an egg is.

I feel the same with my march hatch pulleys. They don't even look ready. I am sure we will both get eggs in spring

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I lost my tom turkey today. He jumped into our swimming pool. I'm not sure why. He was all good and happy at 5 pm but we found him a few minutes ago when We went to lock up the birds for the night. Even with our ducks, this is the first time a free ranging bird has gotten in our pool.

I'm now looking for a blue palm heritage turkey tom.