INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I have to catch up on your thread too. I love watching your build progress! Will you be able to make it to our chickenfest this year? We picked a far north location for several of our folks that are up that way.

Quote: Wow, 6 eggs is too awesome! I am really excited to see how this goes. Keep me in mind too, I have the room here for them, will just have to put up fencing adequate for them.

Quote: Me either, I would rather get the eggs/chicks from someone I know. Socializing is really important in raising them too.

Quote:
Oh they are just precious and so BIG!

Quote: Wow! I guess I really need to go up there lol, I keep missing it.

Quote: Hey, let me know if there's something you want to hatch. I never have my sportsman full, and we are not that far away

. And besides that, you can see Bacon the cuddle turkey tom! He greets every one that pulls in the yard now, LOL.

Our newest addition I brought home today. She's in quarantine for the next month getting her weighed and wormed tomorrow. She's pretty docile which I hope is nice and not a product of her being ill. They never wormed her and she was being raised with chickens.

So little and sweet, hope her health is ok for you, its hard to tell when raised with other poultry. I kept mine with my turkeys and they seemed to do well.
What is her color? She looks unusual from most I have seen.

Quote: I have one brahma here, kinda odd fella. He is just laid back, quiet and just "here". Unusually small for a brahma too. He is not aggressive, just stays outside of the main group of birds. He may act different if there were less roosters around in the main flock. He is just one of the "extra" roosters than landed here.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: He is my buddy

he and Puppy, my BBW hen are best friends.Bacon even won over my DH. He is now our door greeter when cars pull in, once he gets over there,lol. He has slimmed down a bit and does very well traveling around. He is pretty special here and we just adore him. He will be here as long as he lives, same for my Puppy girl. The large stature of the birds scares away hawks. The bonus is they are adorable loving pets, and they have a friend to keep each other company now too.

Quote: I have touched and petted, even fed them at the zoos up in Chicago. Had an "in" as an Animal Control Officer to visit the birds first hand, and learn to handle adults too. Can't remember but I think MO and MS also, been to a lot of zoos. I know they are tall, really really TALL as adults. But as with any poultry need slow n easy, just love em. They must learn simple controls like "STOP" so you can keep them from advancing. its also a physical touch to the chest like so many other breeds.

Quote:
Getting them to hatch is the first step. Handling comes later... So excited for you!

@Mother2Hens
I really love them too. I have a pair, had a trio we lost one of the hens. This has been a year of learning. Most have done really well. But we have lost a few. I think I like chickens with less comb like orphingtons and cochins, even the bielfelders, because they are cold hardy. We had some frost bite for the first time this year. This makes me sad to see. We tried the no heat thing but we won't do that again. It was on the huge combs of the CCL roosters. We put medicine on it and it's healed now but I hate to see that ! Ironically the breeds I thought I would like are just okay. And I've found other breeds we happened on that seem to suit us better due to disposition and other reasons. My fav's so far are those above and marans, and modern games. I may sell my breeders of some nice polish bantams. Great breeding stock. I have a pair of cuckoo WC non bearded the male is double barred, a WC blue male and black female. And a couple black WC cockerels. We will see when 4H comes around...

The warm up, rain then sudden low temp trends has gave me a lot of frostbit birds this year. These are the free range in the trees birds, not confined in a coop.
Its not been a good winter for many folks. Not over yet either!

@ellymayRans Just make sure not to get those emu eggs mixed up with any future hatching eggs! haha Here is one of my usual crummy videos-- it shows two of the Cochin mystery chickens-- Little Monday and one of the bigger ones. BantamCochinMix? - YouTube
To add further mystery, today I found the tiniest egg today in their coop. I assume it's Monday's, but it's brown and the other two each lay a different shade of green. I also noticed that one who lays a certain green shade apparently laid a large egg compared to her usual smaller ones. Twilight Zone?

@racinchickins Just hope that Wade doesn't decide to have a Chicken Mixer again while you're out-of-town!

Loved the size and color comparison. ROFL @racinchickins I have that issue with my nephew letting EVERYONE out!

he learned not to do that EVER again.

Yep, they've been doing work these last couple weeks! This is 5 days worth of eggs ready for washin. The EE hens i got last year lay a light greenish blue egg, they are almost identical to my CCL egg color.

WOW nice batch and love all the colors!

Quote: OMG I love that video and that lil girl. DH is even hooked on the" its so fluffy I could die!" and that lil girl in the cartoon.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Hi and welcome

Yes, everything here is starting to lay but my turkey and quail.

Hi!

Take a look at websites of places where you can buy chicks, and even call them to ask about their minimum orders. It varies on the time of year, because when the weather is colder, they must ship more chicks for combined warmth. Though, some places have minimum orders like 25 where it pretty much doesn't matter what time of year it is as far as cold goes, so then they don't have to worry about if small shipment of five will make it or not. I ordered from mypetchicken.com, and could get a minimum of five in April. So, I just really think it depends on if you're shipping in February, March, April, etc., the warmer it is, the fewer chicks that can be shipped safely. That is how the folks at mypetchicken.com explained it to me.

Side note, did you say you have an automated coop-to-run door that you were willing to discuss at Chickenfest? We were hoping to hear about it before then, even see it, if you're available in the next few weeks.

See you next week at lunch!
Diana
Quote:
I have had chicks shipped a few times. Look at the hatchery sites, they are a good base to get an idea of whats safe and how many. Proceed like you are going to order, and it will tell you whats going into the box.
I can give you links if that helps also.

Hi everyone!

Does anyone want to talk NPIP?

Is it still $80? Is that for the testing or the certification? I can't find anything info on being certified, only on becoming a tester - do you know of links that explain how to have your flock certified? If I took the class and became a tester would I still need to pay the $80 each year for my own flock?

Thanks for any info!

hey, good to see you! There are some testors on our thread. @CCCCCCCCHICKENS and @kittydoc to name a few, hopefully they can help with your questions.

Yes. Orpingtons are great with kids

Funny Orpington story:
My daughter & her friend found a caterpillar. (Sphinx moth - nothing special) They named it, made a house, fed it, etc. The next day they brought it into school where it received a bit too much "loving." After school they decided to have a caterpillar funeral. They picked some flowers for the grave & grabbed a garden spade. As the girls walked through the yard in search of a proper burial place, the usual chicken parade followed behind them. The girls thought it was sweet that the hens joined them for the funeral procession. I chuckled b/c I knew the real reason was that the chickens saw the deceased as yummy treat with a side of delicious flowers. I distracted the hens while the girls finished their ceremony. Thankfully, DD & her friend were off playing by the time the hens returned & defiled the grave.

Our Orps really, really like their food. They follow us around & say "Tr-eeeeeeeeeeaaaaats" in a whining tone like they're starving. But because they're so docile, any child can just scoop them up. They will sit on laps while going down the slide or swinging. They're used to playing house &/or being dressed up. They ALWAYS come running when we call. We have a mixed flock, & I enjoy the variety of breeds, but the Orps are for the kids.

LOL Loved your "burial and later feast! Yep they sure appreciate bugs. I love my orps, they are a no issue breed. Lovely roosters, plenty of eggs, attractive birds.

Hey all. Feeling so bummed right now. My Buff Orp has gone full on broody. It is kinda funny. She screams at us when we go in the coop. Did that noise relaly come out of my sweet Buff Orp? She wanted to kill me when i took 3 eggs out from under her twice today. I'm bummed b/c since our roo died, no chicks.

I suspected a week ago that she was "practicing" the broody routine. She is the one I was counting on to go broody and here we are with no fertile eggs.
So, I am wondering who lives within an hour or so from Indy and will have chicks and eggs.

What you have and how much for them. I don't want chicks before the end of March. So if you are up for some business - eggs in the first couple weeks of March or later, chicks sometime from the the end of March to end of April (maybe later) PM me now before I blow it and give in to temptation at Tractor Supply!

I am still deciding what I want. I was counting on a bunch of mixed chicks. A few LB chicks b/c I had a LB roo and hen, but the rest would be mixed. So I am not opposed to mixed eggs too stick under my broody! With my luck she'll have given up the broody routine by the end of Feb. We have not yet decided on trying to incubate this year but need to decide soon - I'd love to incubate some rare breeds.

Specific breeds -my DD wants silkies for her birthday. I really don't want white. DD and I both have March birthdays! My birthday wish is a Frizzle and a Jubilee Orpington or 2. I was thinking 2 of you were considering breeding Jubilees maybe Brad and ??? Brad I know you are not within an hour but still interested. Those are the breeds we have wanted for a year now. For those of you who are Doctor Who Fans I really want a Frizzle (not Bantam) whose name is River Song! A Polish Frizzle and I'm dancing a jig!

Beyond that, I am still deciding:
Others that have been on the "I want" list the longest: Swedish Flower hens (would love with a crown), Wyandottes, DD really wants a colorful egg basket -but not sure we are emotionally ready for Legbars so soon after losing ours, So Araucana, Americana, Easter Eggers and Black Copper Marans are definitely in the Mix. Some of you have had issues with not so friendly Easter Eggers so feel free to give me input! My Orp is the only one who did not get a frostbit comb this year and I so love Orps so any Orp is high up there.

Seriously, I could go on and on. I love all my chickens and love so many different kinds! I keep finding more breeds I am not familiar with and fall in love with. I really should not live in the middle of the city - even with our large lot still, there have to be limits to numbers! Hubby wants to eventually get to 30. We have 7 now.

Wish lists make you crazy!!! Good luck in finding all the breeds you want.
Quote: Gorgeous and AGREE! They are a pretty sweet all purpose bird so far.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Goodnite all, almost caught up but falling asleep.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Their feather pattern is similar because they are both based on wildtype partridge. Legbars are cream partridge and, as I recall, Bielies are red partridge. They also both have some sort of autosexing barring as well (but I don't remember the specifics on that anymore). So they are similar, but the Legbars seem to have more subtle markings as compared to the brighter colors on Bielies. There's also the size difference. The Bielies appear heavier and fluffier, while Legbars are more skinny and leggy. Most Legbars have a crest as well. They do look very similar as chicks, but not as adults.

Here's a side-by-side (EDIT: top-by-bottom?

) comparison of my Legbar and Bielefelder hens if it helps.

Wildtype partridge and its variants are probably my favorite colors in chickens.

They're all so pretty!



(P.S., Wildtype, wildtype plus red, wildtype plus silver

)

I do love these colors, and the creole pattern many of these breeds carry. I have considered adding OE in LF in the creole color too. Just love the color in the adult birds.

@pipdzipdnreadytogo
Thank you! That makes me feel so much better. It was bad they have lost most of their combs I look at them and can't believe how bad they look. The leghorns combs are fine and theirs are big too!

My wild bunch birds are showing frostbit combs. These are birds that were "dumped" here, or will not coop up like a normal bird. They roost in trees, the rafters of the lean to on the barn. pretty much wherever they chose to roost! The dampness, high and lows on temps are creating problems for a lot of our birds. Many of them have tips of the combs that look frostbit. I don't touch the combs, it causes more problems for them when the tips heal. I just keep my eyes focused on any birds that show me they are not well.
My confined birds that I breed appear to be fine. I have seen one BA with issues, she doesn't coop up with the flock.

Quote: TOTALLY agree, I love my LO. They have stunning color for an orpington. I have one BO hen, and she is truly a doll. I also have a blue orp hen and a splash roo I plan to breed. My BO hen will be added to that pen.

 

[kittydoc]

@flyladyrocks I'm in Zionsville and have Jubilee Orpington eggs as well as a 50/50 blend of Black/Lav split and Lavender Orpington eggs. Also will have some chicks in the next few days!

 

[kittydoc]

@SIMZ Regarding NPIP, the best source of information is the Indiana State Poultry Association web site. Here's a link about the schools (live and online). http://inpoultry.org/documents/bts/ISPA Blood Testing School Info Form.pdf Becoming certified as a tester costs $50 and lasts 3 years. Then there's the cost of the antigen, which if you're lucky will last long enough for you to test twice (mine will, anyway). I can't remember offhand what the cost for submitting your results and becoming NPIP certified for your flock, though. ISPA can tell you. They're very responsive to emails in my experience.

 

[kittydoc]

I'm very excited that we have chicks due to hatch in the next 2-4 days--Lav Orps, Black/Lav split Orps, and a few Jubilee Orps. I wish to heck it would warm up so I could get my Bielefelder hatching eggs. I was stunned that eggs I had marked as "likely frozen" still have little chickies inside them. My new rule is that if it isn't cracked, throw in the incubator!

Through most of the winter, we got 10-14 eggs per day (we use supplemental lighting). Yesterday, we got 21!!!!! I bet today we won't get squat, but for this time of year, that's a lot of eggs from my girls. I think I have about 30 girls, but suspect some of the 5 year olds don't lay much if at all.

If I get really bored, I may hatch out some hybrid eggs from my lavender cockerels and my mixed layer flock. Most of the layers are some color of Orpington, but there's also an Ameracauna (who stopped laying for a solid month, she was so traumatized by my putting the boys in with the layers) a Light Brahma, one Jersey Giant (who looks so fat I bet she's not laying), plus a few of my original Australorps.

 

[racinchickins]

Quote:
Their feather pattern is similar because they are both based on wildtype partridge. Legbars are cream partridge and, as I recall, Bielies are red partridge. They also both have some sort of autosexing barring as well (but I don't remember the specifics on that anymore). So they are similar, but the Legbars seem to have more subtle markings as compared to the brighter colors on Bielies. There's also the size difference. The Bielies appear heavier and fluffier, while Legbars are more skinny and leggy. Most Legbars have a crest as well. They do look very similar as chicks, but not as adults.

Here's a side-by-side (EDIT: top-by-bottom?

) comparison of my Legbar and Bielefelder hens if it helps.

Wildtype partridge and its variants are probably my favorite colors in chickens.

They're all so pretty!



(P.S., Wildtype, wildtype plus red, wildtype plus silver

)

I've seen the Wildtype you show also called Gold Duckwing and the wildtype plus silver called silver duckwing. Does anyone know if this is also correct or not?

 

[racinchickins]

Does anyone one here know where I can find white cornish or white laced red cornish? I want to put together a breeding project using them.

I don't want cornish X, those are easy to find. Just the purebred cornish.