INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Mother2Hens]

Originally Posted by pipdzipdnreadytogo

Thanks for the thoughts for Frou-Frou.

She's doing well thus far. Mom spent a good half hour just cleaning the gunk out of her feathers around the wound, and it looks a lot better than it did initially. We're keeping it dressed and clean and keeping a close eye on it.

Poor Frou'f is being abused, though. She had to sit in--GASP--a dog crate while I was in class today. Oh, the humanity! She was honk-honk-honking and happy to see me when I got home.

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Haha I bet that was insulting to poor Frou-Frou! I'm glad she is in good hands and being pampered. My Silkies (who are much smaller, I realize) have the run of DD's bedroom hospital, but they go into the dog crate at night just like it's a coop even though I leave the door open. Creatures of habit.

When you said that you couldn't imagine living without Frou-Frou -- or something to that effect -- I can relate. That's how I feel about my Lionel cat (who is always in a reclining position). He's my constant, wonderful companion (adopted from Humane Society as a kitten). I took these photos last night.


He kinda lacks dignity, though!

 

[racinchickins]

Quote: Actually last year got really cold late jan/early feb and temps didn't get out of below normal until sometime in April. I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again.

Anyone else notice a decline in egg laying again? MY LO and EE are barely laying again, UGH! My first 2 MGB eggs are developed and lockdown tonight

along with LO and a few EE. Genetic and color question guys, I have a splash or roo, and a blue orp hen. Planning to pair them, and I can't find the page where the color is discussed as % blue, black, splash offspring. @kittydoc or @pipdzipdnreadytogo anyone else have thoughts on this? Appreciate any insight.

I haven't noticed that with my girls. Once they picked up, they have seemed to keep it up. When I rearranged everyone into their breeding pens, I was thinking I'd see a decline in numbers for a while, but it wasn't too bad. So glad the hours of daylight are getting longer!

Quote: So....maybe I can just come down and visit and do an in-home demo. I've done in-home before with a family group of ladies (and men) or folks they get together. Gets a bit cumbersome hauling equipment if we do any pressed cheeses since I have to move more equipment, but it's fun to do in someone's home! Mozz doesn't take much in the way of equipment.

Maybe I'll have to get some of those heritage reds (are you going to RedRidge sometime??) and we could make some of the quick mozz. (REAL mozz is a very long process over a couple days to get the pH in the right neighborhood...... but the quick mozz "cheats" the system and makes a quasi- mozz that's acceptable if you eat it relatively quickly. That's the one most people make when they make mozz at home as a "first" cheese experience.)




ETA: Whoops...should have said 'LADIES AND MEN". It seems that in the cheesemaking hobby, there are Many men. I think it kind-of goes with the home "craft brewers" hobby as well so a lot of men are the cheesemakers in the family! The men usually like doing all the technical stuff like using pH meters, building equipment, etc. I prefer to keep it simple and fun rather than "techie". I just can't imagine that "grandma" was running around with a pH meter in her apron while she was making cheese

(...but I do have the education to go the techie route if needed.....)
We'd definitely want to participate if you were to come down this way!

 

[racinchickins]

Had my first winter loss yesterday. Came home from work and my double laced Barnevelder was laying under the roost. I did a thorough examination, and I can't find any reason. No injuries, she was not too thin, her feathers were beautiful. No indications beforehand either. I was watching her and my other Barnie. The one I lost was black laced, and the one I still have is blue laced. They were running around just like all the others.

I do remember that it was about this time last year that I lost another the same way, and was told that it isn't unheard of to have a bird get to 9 or 10 months and just die of a heart attack. So I think that is what I'm chalking this up to also.

I will be trying to replace her. That double lacing is just sooooo pretty.

 

[raisinemright]

Had my first winter loss yesterday.  Came home from work and my double laced Barnevelder was laying under the roost.   I did a thorough examination, and I can't find any reason.  No injuries, she was not too thin, her feathers were beautiful.  No indications beforehand either.  I was watching her and my other Barnie.  The one I lost was black laced, and the one I still have is blue laced.  They were running around just like all the others.

I do remember that it was about this time last year that I lost another the same way, and was told that it isn't unheard of to have a bird get to 9 or 10 months and just die of a heart attack.  So I think that is what I'm chalking this up to also.  

I will be trying to replace her.  That double lacing is just sooooo pretty.  

We also have had a SL pullet and just this morning found my BR Roo had pass. No signs of anything. All others seem to be doing great.

 

[pginsber]

Had my first winter loss yesterday. Came home from work and my double laced Barnevelder was laying under the roost. I did a thorough examination, and I can't find any reason. No injuries, she was not too thin, her feathers were beautiful. No indications beforehand either. I was watching her and my other Barnie. The one I lost was black laced, and the one I still have is blue laced. They were running around just like all the others.

I do remember that it was about this time last year that I lost another the same way, and was told that it isn't unheard of to have a bird get to 9 or 10 months and just die of a heart attack. So I think that is what I'm chalking this up to also.

I will be trying to replace her. That double lacing is just sooooo pretty.

We also have had a SL pullet and just this morning found my BR Roo had pass. No signs of anything. All others seem to be doing great.

Sorry to hear about your losses.

 

[birdman55]

Wow! This sounds great! Sounds like a good time for sightseeing

. Thanks for the quick response!

welcome to the thread...and good morning to everyone

 

[browncow15]

So....maybe I can just come down and visit and do an in-home demo.  I've done in-home before with a family group of ladies (and men) or folks they get together.  Gets a bit cumbersome hauling equipment if we do any pressed cheeses since I have to move more equipment, but it's fun to do in someone's home!  Mozz doesn't take much in the way of equipment.

Maybe I'll have to get some of those heritage reds (are  you going to RedRidge sometime??) and we could make some of the quick mozz.  (REAL mozz is a very long process over a couple days to get the pH in the right neighborhood......  but the quick mozz "cheats" the system and makes a quasi- mozz that's acceptable if you eat it relatively quickly.  That's the one most people make when they make mozz at home as a "first" cheese experience.)




[COLOR=FF0000]ETA:  Whoops...should have said 'LADIES AND MEN".  It seems that in the cheesemaking hobby, there are Many men.  I think it kind-of goes with the home "craft brewers" hobby as well so a lot of men are the cheesemakers in the family![/COLOR]  The men usually like doing all the technical stuff like using pH meters, building equipment, etc.  [COLOR=008000]I prefer to keep it simple and fun rather than "techie".  I just can't imagine that "grandma" was running around with a pH meter in her apron while she was making cheese [/COLOR]    



(...but I do have the education to go the techie route if needed.....)

I'd participate if you're down this way!! I'd really like to know how to do goat cheese

 

[Leahs Mom]

Had my first winter loss yesterday. Came home from work and my double laced Barnevelder was laying under the roost. I did a thorough examination, and I can't find any reason. No injuries, she was not too thin, her feathers were beautiful. No indications beforehand either. I was watching her and my other Barnie. The one I lost was black laced, and the one I still have is blue laced. They were running around just like all the others.

I do remember that it was about this time last year that I lost another the same way, and was told that it isn't unheard of to have a bird get to 9 or 10 months and just die of a heart attack. So I think that is what I'm chalking this up to also.

I will be trying to replace her. That double lacing is just sooooo pretty.

I have heard that 10 mo. age is very common for heart failure type deaths... more in the cockerels than the hens, but that age seems to be an issue for some reason.

 

[browncow15]

In other news I've had another rooster appear. @ellymayRans you're birds are late bloomers

 

[flyladyrocks]

One last post... Some of us are so intrigued by our poultry, waterfowl and livestock we have begun looking at other breeds. If you open your mind to whats out there, a lot of good heritage breed animals have been forgotten. Some of us are making an effort to keep and preserve even one of them. Here is a list from the Livestock Conservancy that may trigger a breed you didn't know about, and might consider keeping.
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/conservation-priority-list
If you have a desire to add to your flock, or your farm, why not take a look? After looking at this 2 years ago, Midget White Turkey became a priority for me. Household sizes are dwindling, and a smaller bird is easier to cook, frequently. They are exceptional at free ranging and foraging, and keep easier, like an average chicken, just bigger! Its not the same to process a younger turkey, I wont go into the details but a heritage poult is still developing bones, not muscle until they reach 8 months to a year old.
Modern game became of interest to me last year thanks to @bradselig and I adore them. I currently only keep bantam.

I am still giggling over that! He is such a big sweet baby, never seen an aggressive act out of him. It was stupid on my part, but it was so "warm" compared to last week, I just started doing stuff after I got the newspaper, lol. And I was in a big hurry to check my birds after the last few days, wasn't thinking.

@Mother2Hens I didn't take any photos of my last hatch! Maybe because I knew all of them were leaving. They were all sold and picked up in less than a week. I have several of my next hatch presold. We had to order another incubator because otherwise we aren't going to have room to hatch out our own chicks! We got a good deal on a Brinsea 40 Eco from Rakuten.com. If you apply for their Master Card and are approved, you get $60.00 off your purchase immediately, so we paid $340 for a $400 (or more, depending on where you look) incubator, and got free shipping. I just can't bring myself to order either a cheaper styrofoam model or a cabinet.

Well, I think this morning will result in me having lavender roos with combs as smooth as a baby's bottom. I have heat, but not enough heat for subzero for this many days, and I just keep seeing more black and gray. It's really a shame. I should have taken more photos of the boys in the fall, but they were still babies then (late May hatch). Ugh.

People who show must spend a fortune on electricity to keep enough heat to 100% protect those combs.

I am frozen half solid myself, and need to go throw more straw out there. I have to warm back up before I go back out there again! One waterer is frozen and there isn't a ****** thing I can do about it except give them fresh water every hour. I can't even open it, it's frozen shut, even with all the exterior ice chipped away.

I did not sign up to live in Outer Siberia. I can't wait until we retire and can move further south!!! I'll take an occasional ice storm in exchange for all these months of subfreezing weather.

Sorry to carry on, but I know all of you have got to be frozen, too, unless you have completely heated coops/barns. And if you do, are you robbing banks to pay the bills to heat them these last two winters?

It looks like out TS is using Privett this year. Last year it was Mt. Healthy. Didn't want chicks from there, but I don't want any form Privett either. I was in there Sunday and they are not 100% sure it will be privett and may not know for sure until the day they arrive??? I'd think they'd know before that.

Went to TSC in Bedford yesterday morning...
They will be using a different hatchery this year..Privett was awful :-\ AND the lady over the chicks this year is awesome! She raises chickens herself and genuinely cares! Husband amd I may go take a look soon..they get their first shipment today!

Flu has hit here now too. DD is down and miserable. So hoping DH and DS do not get it. Not that I want it but their final hurrah, their last chance to make it to the Vex Robotics World Championships is this Sat. in KY. They can't get sick! I was really hoping to be out working on expansion too. Oh I hope and pray this is the last cold snap. Snow I can handle. Just not these frigid temps! Sign us up for those tickets!

I will post when I'm done gathering for myself this spring but I have got to get on this! We had the flu go through all of the house for 2 weeks and I didn't feel normal for a week! Weather isn't cooperating either! I thought for sure I'd be able to do some building and temp penning by now but no such luck!

Good idea about offering admission tickets! Lol!

Winter seems so long and cold this month. I keep looking at the forecast hoping for spring temps. I don't remember it being this cold before last year. Snow sure but not so many negative temps days and nights. I surely don't remember thinking why is spring not even in the forecast. We had the chickens in the winter of 2012/2013 and they had standard waterers. Still I did not crave spring that season like I have these past 2 winters.

Brad or someone please continue educate me on the "weakness" of Polish chicks. Hoping to add some Polish Frizzles from @pbirdhaven. Will brooding with silkies work? Any other tips?

I've also found the chicks to be "weaker" than most. Reminded me a lot of polish chicks. I've found it best to brood them with their own breed or atleast with chicks their own size if you can't brood them alone. They will look to be thriving and then next day very weak and didn't last long.

SO can the stress of the cold bring on heart failure?

I have heard that 10 mo. age is very common for heart failure type deaths... more in the cockerels than the hens, but that age seems to be an issue for some reason.

Okay all, I must go take care of my sick girl. Enjoy the warm mid 20's weather today (at least in central IN) and stay warm going into this next round of cold. Will it ever end?