INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Caught up and off to bed, goodnite y'all

 

[flyladyrocks]

I don't have room, but if I did I would be bidding! You have absolutely gorgeous birds.

I thought I hit multi multiple times but only one quote came up and I am way too tired to go through and read everything again!

I hope those of you down south are not getting too buried. Yesterday my son announced that he does not like Sprinter. You know, when the weather can't decide if it wants to be Winter or Spring so there is a foot of snow on the ground and it is raining. And tomorrow sub zero again? The up and down is making my one broody unable to decide if she wants to go all out broody. So I need it to stay decently warm in order to figure out if I can sneak some chicks under her.

Ice skating party, my backyard & driveway tomorrow (no I DON'T have a pond!)

I'm getting a little punchy I should go to bed - goodnight all!

 

[kittydoc]

I'm totally crushed, y'all... I lost my fabulous little Vespa today. Looks like my first loss to a hawk, so I guess I spoke too soon a few pages back. Oh, I'm hurting over losing this little lady... I wish I had checked on the girls outside more often today.

My precious Vespa...

So sorry about Vespa. Really pretty bird!!!

We went four years without a hawk attack, so now we have 2" netting up over the whole chicken yard. It is traumatic to see what's left after a hawk attacks a beloved chicken. It makes the weasel's look "kind" (or at least "neat") by comparison.

 

[kittydoc]

Back to some hatching action here again. We had a Jubilee chick hatch several hours ago, and another one that has pipped and should be out sometime Thursday (fingers crossed). This arrangement of setting the Jubilee eggs as they are laid is keeping me busy, but it's working better than storing them (even though storage has no effect on my lav Orp eggs). Good thing the dates are written on all the eggs! I'm using my Brinsea Mini Advance for lockdown for the small groups of chicks (mostly Jubilees now), which is a perfect use for it. Our next bigger hatch of lav and black/lav split Orpingtons is in about a week.

I discovered that our 5 year old Australorp hen, Agnes, is still a laying fiend. She has been "hospitalized" for a pretty deep wound from getting spurred for about 10 days, and has laid an egg every day but one!! Mind blowing. I think I may need to raise a chick or two from her, even if it's to one of my Orp roos, just because I want to keep those "laying machine" genes going. (I wish there was a "Rent A Roo" program, so I could actually breed her to an Australorp male bred for production.) We still have some of her hatch mates from TSC, and it will be interesting to see how many are still laying and how often. They were our first chickens. The thing I love most about the Australorps is the way they "talk" to you. Someone else described one of theirs as sounding "conversational." I totally get that. None of our other birds talk quite like the Australorps, like they are really trying to say something to you (besides FEED ME!).

I should have taken before and after photos of Agnes' wound. It was almost the size of a half dollar--mostly hidden under a chicken saddle, but the boys managed to get spurs under there on one side and every time they bred her, it just got worse. She never acted ill. I just noticed it with horror one day when the saddle was a little sideways. She's been on penicillin (for the first 6 days), and now that it's been almost two weeks since we isolated her, the wound has contracted down to the size of a pencil eraser. We'll probably put her back outside this weekend after we use a Dremel to dull the roos' spurs. They are not long, but they are very hard, sharp, and pointy. I would not like to be on the receiving end of one! I need to lengthen her saddle. Actually, I wish somebody made Kevlar chicken saddles. The roos are trashing mine at an alarming rate, but I guess better the saddles than the girls!

 

[Mother2Hens]

I read all the posts, but am too tired to comment tonight. Still snowed in Louisville with my two Silkies. Ditzy's pecked back-of-the-head has healed up quickly as you can tell by the second photo. Here's Ditzy and Smalty in my sister's basement enjoying the portable dust bath I brought from home. They have their own guest room upstairs, but the bath is in the basement. lol

 

[ellymayRans]

[COLOR=8B4513]I read all the posts, but am too tired to comment tonight. Still snowed in Louisville with my two Silkies. Ditzy's pecked back-of-the-head has healed up quickly as you can tell by the second photo. Here's Ditzy and Smalty in my sister's basement enjoying the portable dust bath I brought from home. They have their own guest room upstairs, but the bath is in the basement. lol[/COLOR]

I just love how you pamper them and are able to bring them along to share! So sweet!

 

[birdman55]

morning everyone.....so 22 hatched and one is pipping....better late then never...i did the candle and was gunna toss the rest....glad thing i waited....i did notice water build up in the incubator on the bottom....is this normal for a hatcher to do this...

 

[flyladyrocks]

Back to some hatching action here again. We had a Jubilee chick hatch several hours ago, and another one that has pipped and should be out sometime Thursday (fingers crossed). This arrangement of setting the Jubilee eggs as they are laid is keeping me busy, but it's working better than storing them (even though storage has no effect on my lav Orp eggs). Good thing the dates are written on all the eggs! I'm using my Brinsea Mini Advance for lockdown for the small groups of chicks (mostly Jubilees now), which is a perfect use for it. Our next bigger hatch of lav and black/lav split Orpingtons is in about a week.

I discovered that our 5 year old Australorp hen, Agnes, is still a laying fiend. She has been "hospitalized" for a pretty deep wound from getting spurred for about 10 days, and has laid an egg every day but one!! Mind blowing. I think I may need to raise a chick or two from her, even if it's to one of my Orp roos, just because I want to keep those "laying machine" genes going. (I wish there was a "Rent A Roo" program, so I could actually breed her to an Australorp male bred for production.) We still have some of her hatch mates from TSC, and it will be interesting to see how many are still laying and how often. They were our first chickens. The thing I love most about the Australorps is the way they "talk" to you. Someone else described one of theirs as sounding "conversational." I totally get that. None of our other birds talk quite like the Australorps, like they are really trying to say something to you (besides FEED ME!).

I should have taken before and after photos of Agnes' wound. It was almost the size of a half dollar--mostly hidden under a chicken saddle, but the boys managed to get spurs under there on one side and every time they bred her, it just got worse. She never acted ill. I just noticed it with horror one day when the saddle was a little sideways. She's been on penicillin (for the first 6 days), and now that it's been almost two weeks since we isolated her, the wound has contracted down to the size of a pencil eraser. We'll probably put her back outside this weekend after we use a Dremel to dull the roos' spurs. They are not long, but they are very hard, sharp, and pointy. I would not like to be on the receiving end of one! I need to lengthen her saddle. Actually, I wish somebody made Kevlar chicken saddles. The roos are trashing mine at an alarming rate, but I guess better the saddles than the girls!

 

[ChickCrazed]

Woohoo!! I did my 10 day candle and 18/20 of my Bielie eggs (all gathered at the end of each sub-freezing day) are developing!!!! I thought for sure it was too cold and most would be toast. Those suckers are a lot hardier than I thought! I am going to start setting any that haven't cracked now!

I can't believe I am more than halfway to chickville. I am going to be a nervous wreck! So day 18 I stop turning and increase humidity?

I also need to make a better candler at some point if anyone has any recommendations on how to build a good one.

 

[Acornewell]

Well...I have 9 baby chicks in the brooder. There are 2 un pipped eggs in the incubator. Not sure when I should call it. It is day 22.

Here are some pics!