INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kabhyper1]

Some pics from last night. It's fun to take the camera out in the dark you get some funny pictures.

Our kitty Nermal, doing his job. He spends a lot of time up there.

The girls. Symphony yawning? Or yelling at me to quit taking pictures with the flash... It was total darkness in there in these pics.

Baby Nermal again... 7 months old and 10 lbs. He's a lion.

The Croods. There is a heated dog kennel panel under them. Nice and toasty.

The big kids. There are 35 of them in there.

The boys.

Babysitting.


How did everyone's birdies fare last night? I'm worried about Wednesday. neg temps. I hate this cold stuff. I don't mind winter if it would stay in the 20's and 30's. We winterized yesterday a bit more, mostly just adding more straw and getting the dog kennel pad ready and plugged in for the silkies. I think I may have to plastic off some of the inside barn coops for the rest of the week. It's going to be cold!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

my heated water bucket in the ducks' area needs replacing. TSC in Franklin is out. Wed is going to be a long day for me.

 

[ellymayRans]

my heated water bucket in the ducks' area needs replacing.  TSC in Franklin is out.  Wed is going to be a long day for me.

Martinsville rural king has the heated dog bowls on sale from $16.99 now only $9.98. I got one now just need to get it "mcgyver'd" up!!

I just can't get myself to spend $34 for the heated chicken waterer!

 

[ellymayRans]

Some pics from last night. It's fun to take the camera out in the dark you get some funny pictures. Our kitty Nermal, doing his job. He spends a lot of time up there. The girls. Symphony yawning? Or yelling at me to quit taking pictures with the flash... It was total darkness in there in these pics. Baby Nermal again... 7 months old and 10 lbs. He's a lion. The Croods. There is a heated dog kennel panel under them. Nice and toasty. The big kids. There are 35 of them in there. The boys. Babysitting. How did everyone's birdies fare last night? I'm worried about Wednesday. neg temps. I hate this cold stuff. I don't mind winter if it would stay in the 20's and 30's. We winterized yesterday a bit more, mostly just adding more straw and getting the dog kennel pad ready and plugged in for the silkies. I think I may have to plastic off some of the inside barn coops for the rest of the week. It's going to be cold!

Mine all seem to have been particularly miserable today! It was windy and frigid. I did winterize more yesterday with straw and they still chose to spend the day outside the coops huddling in the woods. I tried so hard to lure my male IB Pea into the coop but once I would move around behind him to coral into the door he just flew right over my head! Lol! He loves his treats but he must of known I was trying to "trap" him. The hen and baby peas went in as usual when they know it's not pretty outside! Mr Pea is on the roof tonight! I hate him being out there!

 

[kabhyper1]

Mine all seem to have been particularly miserable today! It was windy and frigid. I did winterize more yesterday with straw and they still chose to spend the day outside the coops huddling in the woods. I tried so hard to lure my male IB Pea into the coop but once I would move around behind him to coral into the door he just flew right over my head! Lol! He loves his treats but he must of known I was trying to "trap" him. The hen and baby peas went in as usual when they know it's not pretty outside! Mr Pea is on the roof tonight! I hate him being out there!

I hope he does okay. I am keeping everyone shut in the barn for a few days. They are getting scratch and have been busy turning the straw over looking for it and oats. I switched everyone to meat bird feed because the molt was awful this year. It's going to be intensely cold the next few days, and I have a few turds that don't know whats good for them, so I figure a few days in the barn won't hurt them.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

have forty chickens...and another 30 in the bator...and as soon as those hatch 30 more will be put in....Im just hoping that I can pick the warmest eggs so they have a better chance...if the egg feels cold to the touch I put it in the fridge if its warm they I will incubate it...hoping for the best...I am on a mission to triple my flock before the summer ...so I can have roughly fifty eggs a day...once that happens I will be very happy ...getting 15-24 eggs a day...so half way there...I have red golden, yellow golden, peach golden, silver golden, lady Amherst pheasants and five ringnecks and as soon as they produce eggs they will be in my fridge or someone elses...altogether I have about fifty pheasants, and ten peafowl...coming this weekend I might have five more peafowl...so well see what happens...and ofcourse two pitbulls some of the pics I didn't want to get to many pics on here.....

You have some beautiful birds birdman55 and quite a few. Between all the building your doing & their care you must be a extremely busy person.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: Thank you very much. We had the 9 quart heater for the ducks but I could use 2 of the little ones instead. The ducks use so much water. I haven't spent $34 on a chicken waterer yet. I'm not a big fan of the tip over water styled chicken waters. The heated metal ones are not for me either as the base just gets too hot for my liking.

 

[Faraday40]

I opened the run yesterday during the snowfall. Instead of the usual rush of chickens, I saw a head peak out & go back in, then another.... and another. Even after I called & waited with my camera ready to get those 1st pics of chickens in the snow, none came out. Not even a single chicken footprint in the snow. And, all my breeds are supposed to be "winter hardy." I didn't bother offering free range time today. They'll be fine in the coop/run during this cold snap. The run got a very thin dust of snow in a few areas near the ventilation windows, but most of it stays dry.





"Does she seriously expect us to walk through snow for our treats?"

The only heater I have is for their water bucket. I must report that the horiz nipples are working very well. The chickens were able to drink this morning. (Last year, my water in the bucket stayed liquid, but the vertical nipples froze.) The new design is closer to the water so only the very tip outside may freeze. The chickens easily pecked the thin ice off the tip to drink. An added bonus is that they don't leak when in use. (No ice slick under the waterer.)

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I got my tom today so pretty.

Great news!

So frustrated right now! My chickens have figured out that the 100 gallon horse troughs contain water and I can't keep them off of them! They are flying up and perching on the edge to drink.

#1 it is only a matter of time before one falls in and drowns
#2 I don't want the horses drinking water with chicken poop in it (after drinking the chickens then turn around and sit on the edge....).

One of them figured it out today and within minutes there were six of them up there.

I think I am going to have to stop free ranging. I don't see the chickens "forgetting" about this. I am really upset about it! I like having the chickens out to be chickens! Has anyone else dealt with this? Any ideas? Anything I can think about constructing would just get torn down or demolished by my jerk horses. Any time anything "changes" in their domain they think it is a toy to be destroyed.

What a pain! I had a CX fall in an 18 inch deep pigs tank and drown, still havent figured that one out. Maybe was just too fat to jump out.

Quote: Ive been busy too with school trying to find a ride and the possibility that i might be moving
Wow, where to?

 

[kabhyper1]

I just learned recently that chickens are snow blind, so if you make a path with straw of leaves or something they will go out. if they don't have a landmark of some kind I guess they can't see the ground.