INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

EGADS I'm so far behind! I tried to read and catch up but seems like everyone is excited about brooding/incubating and purchasing new birds. I can't get caught up!! Lol
I've bn really busy trying to get my gardens ready and building a new coop. I managed to hit the jackpot on a new coop! Went to Home Depot to price shed kits and amazingly I walked into the bargain of a lifetime!! I bought an 8x12 shed kit for $250.00!!!! Couldn't pass that up! It was delivered last Friday and sat the weekend under tarps in the rain. Started on it Monday. Wow what a puzzle! Not to mention I changed the roof type from a peek roof to a gambrel (barn like)so I can add a loft, changed from two doors to one and added four windows complete with shutters and flower boxes. Lol all totaled I got a really really nice coop and storage bldg for $600.00! I priced and researched many different options and comparable bldgs were selling at $2,300.00 or more! I'm stoked!!! Will post picks soon!
Hope everyone is doing well, miss chatting with Ya all! Oh BTW received my Tshirts today, very nice!!! Ya'll take care ttyl

Sounds like you have been one busy bee and bargain shopper!! More than awesome deal you got there! Congrats!

Now you know you'll have to stop and take a pic or two to share that wondrous project mansion with us!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So far I ended up with 4 Bielie pullets and 1 Bielie male and 6 Isbar/Bielies! I still have 3 EE/Bielies and 3 Bielie eggs still in the incubator. It is day 23 today, when do you guys pull them? Is it normal to have a big group hatch and then a long wait for the rest?

Overall it has been fun and the coolerbator did well. I had some issues figuring out how to get the humidity right, but I think I have that down now. My next group will go into lockdown on Thursday!

Exciting! I still use mine for hatching.

Just saw this on a Pillsbury ad -- gotta make these for Easter! Bunny butt cookies

OH MY this is too cute!

@Mother2Hens

Penelope is doing fine. She hasn't had any lingering issues with her self-healed bumble foot. She has gone into a late molt with the cold spells, so she looks a bit less fluffy than usual. She hasn't been at the top of the order for a long while now - the big RIR has that job, second to the roo of course.

Thanks for asking! How's your flock doing?

Good to hear she is well.

Why did I wait 2 years to get an automatic chicken door?!?!? These things are AWESOME!!

I need a LOT of them!

Quote:

hello i am from Greensburg Indiana i manage a farm store and have poultry items. In the near future i would like to expand my poultry business so i can hold shows and vet days in my parking lot! So if anyone is in my area and want to help come visit me. I can also order in fresh chicks! all of mine comes from Mt healthy Hatcheries.

and our thread!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a trio of Favs coming!!! Been waiting for a Roo from the breeder I got my first faverolle hen from last year. Good news is I get two more hens with him!!
If any of you have been to the Fort Wayne's children's zoo and seen the chickens in the Indiana farm's little coop. Those Faverolles are from the same breeding I got my first hen from! So I will be breeding them hopefully this year. Pretty excited

Congrats!

My IN BYC shirt is on its way.

Ours arrived today, DH was very happy with his. They look really nice.

I forgot to mention, we fell into a Surge milker for our dairy goats!! Been looking for almost two years for one and have not seen any used come available! Finally on Craigslist yesterday one was on there. It's capable of milking four teats at a time (or just two) we picked it up tonight and it's going to make life a lot easier.
It's on a two wheel cart and I can't wait to use it. Right now it has two cow size cups I need to purchase goat cups for it.

WOW thats great!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Remember my email about Purdue University's Poultry Extension Service? I decided to email her directly. Below is the prompt reply I received from Dr. Wakenell, its director.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr Kraeszig,

Thank you for your email. The thread is not accurate as we always take poultry calls. However, the poultry medical service (myself and my 2 residents, Drs. Yuko Sato and Geoff Lossie copied above) is run through the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory rather than veterinary clinical services. We provide farm visits for no charge when we have senior students (funded by the Indiana State Poultry Association) and a limited number of no cost necropsies. In addition, ISPA offers a service that tests 12 eggs per farm once a year for PT, MG and AI also free of charge. If clients wish to have live poultry examined in the clinic, they are accepted in the small animal hospital through community practice as we cannot take live animals into ADDL for anything except necropsy. I hope that this helps! I've been at Purdue for 6 years and we have a strong and active poultry medical service. PVM has the only endowed poultry residency program in the world. I'm on FMLA until mid April but my residents are carrying the service fine without me. Yes, HPAI is on everyone's mind. I was at UC-Davis for 20 years and was heavily involved with the exotic NDV outbreak and response - it was not fun. Hope that your chickens remain safe!

Take care
Pat

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So Dr. Wakenell is personally unavailable until she returns from FMLA, but if you contact her, I'm sure she will refer you to one of her two residents. You CAN get help from them without cost as long as you don't go nuts. So if you have an individual sick bird, they can be admitted WITHOUT referral through the Community Practice portion of the Small Animal Clinic. Community Practice is just what it sounds like--like your local vet, with "normal" problems that don't require a referral to a specialist. If that is necessary, it could come from within Community Practice. If you need a farm call and they have senior vet students available, they'll come do it (remember, they have to have senior vet students available in order to do this!). You can always start with a question via email or telephone. If you send an email, include as much history and specifics as you can. Most of you do that when you ask for help on BYC anyway, but occasionally I see a very vague question that is too broad to be answered without writing a book.

I hope you keep this info handy. The hardest part of getting help is knowing who or where to ask. Purdue's system is atypical compared to small animal or other livestock extension, but it makes sense I think for poultry to go through the Diagnostic Laboratory since MOST poultry are going to wind up there for necropsy. If you are losing multiple birds with the same symptoms, honestly that's the best way to go. If you have just one off bird, then it makes sense to have it seen through the Community Practice part of the Small Animal Clinic. There are always some vet students particularly interested in either wild or pet birds, if not poultry, but a bird is pretty much a bird is pretty much a bird. The veterinarian in Community Practice I presume is knowledgeable about birds, and you may luck out and also get a bonus senior student who is really interested in your bird, too!

It's a little distasteful to some to talk about it, but if you have fresh dead birds you want examined, keep them refrigerated but NOT frozen. Frozen tissue explodes all the cell and intracellular membranes, including those of many organisms, so it's just not helpful. I have kept dead cats in my personal refrigerator awaiting full necropsy before (I used to have a cats-only housecall practice). Many vets who do poultry work will do what is called a "gross necropsy," which is a visual examination of all the organs, inside and out, but generally does not include microscopic examination (called histology or histopathology) or tests for specific diseases. If you have to have a whole dead chicken in your regular fridge, first bag it tightly, preferably in a large enough Ziplock type bag without distorting the body excessively, then double bag it with something you can't see through, like a white or black trash bag. If it's important to get the answer and you can't take it into Purdue the same day, you have to refrigerate it to prevent tissue spoilage.

Here's Dr. Wakenell's contact info again:



Dr. Pat Wakenell

[email protected]

Phone: 765.496.3347

REPOSTING.. ABSOLUTELY VALUABLE TO READ. Thanls to @kittydoc

 

[pbirdhaven]

It's a little distasteful to some to talk about it, but if you have fresh dead birds you want examined, keep them refrigerated but NOT frozen. Frozen tissue explodes all the cell and intracellular membranes, including those of many organisms, so it's just not helpful. I have kept dead cats in my personal refrigerator awaiting full necropsy before (I used to have a cats-only housecall practice). Many vets who do poultry work will do what is called a "gross necropsy," which is a visual examination of all the organs, inside and out, but generally does not include microscopic examination (called histology or histopathology) or tests for specific diseases. If you have to have a whole dead chicken in your regular fridge, first bag it tightly, preferably in a large enough Ziplock type bag without distorting the body excessively, then double bag it with something you can't see through, like a white or black trash bag. If it's important to get the answer and you can't take it into Purdue the same day, you have to refrigerate it to prevent tissue spoilage.

Here's Dr. Wakenell's contact info again:



Dr. Pat Wakenell

[email protected]

Phone: 765.496.3347

Your post explains some confusion I had about costs for necropsies. I took two birds there a few years ago and there was no cost, and then people were reporting that it was fairly expensive.
Dr. Wakenell was great--she sat with me and explained what they would be doing and when I would get results as well as a lot of information on MD, then emailed me before the official results were sent.
She also told me a way to ship dead birds to them--not sure I can remember it all. It had to do with insulated boxes sent FedEX overnight WITHOUT listing the contents on the outside.

We added a new breed this year. SLW.






If anyone is in my area Saturday, stop in, I'm have a Chicken and Rabbit garage sale. I'm south of Greencastle , right off Highway 40. Don't have to buy anything , just stop in and visit !!!!

And you're supposedly cutting back?

They're gorgeous!
I can't make the trip Saturday, but if you have any nice silkies that you would be willing to hold until Bloomington......

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

chick pics

@hoosiercheetah I need someone to design a way to candle an entire GQF tray of eggs at one time. I'm thinking of using a brooder lamp with an energy efficient bulb. But the box to hold the lamp in place and support the tray full of eggs is not something I can easily draw up. I'm not even sure if the metal cone would be needed or just any old light fixture and a clear top of sorts to set the tray on or correctly spaced groves for the edges of the tray to sit on as in the incubator tray holders.
I thought of you as a person who could draw up plans and be willing to post them.

This would be an awesome tool!

Quote: Many of my silkie hatches went out to 25 days.

@jchny2000 and any other goat birthing experts out there. These are the due dates for my goats.
Apr 23
May 12
Jun 6 I'm worried about this one. I did not realize she could be in heat so young or she would not have been with the buck. But her blood test came back and this is the estimated due date. At least she will be the third one and not my first. Still anyone willing to come on short notice around that date and help, I'd be more than appreciative.

You betcha, will tell hubby now I may have an emergency birthing! Her mom Sophie is small, did she stay tiny too?

Quote: I haven't had any dumped here since last fall, it was a huge batch of guinea.I quit taking any more in, its all case by case now.. My neighbors ducks and geese have pretty well settled in here too.

Thought I'd share this here too. It's a sweet little video that I think some of you will enjoy!

Many of you know that I use a more "Natural Husbandry" (management) method with my chickens that focuses on PREVENTION of illness by building a healthy immune system and hopefully supporting "natural bacteria warfare".

...Things like healthy feed (including an animal source of protein as often as possible), fresh air, sunshine, access to the outdoor forage areas as often as possible, clean water, healthy ground (as opposed to packed down, unhealthy ground through the use of deep litter use in outdoor runs), pharmaceutical antibiotics reserved for extreme emergency use only (if used at all), etc.

Of course, these same principles apply to people (which this video was really aimed at). Anyhow...here's the video. Hope you enjoy!

interesting, Lots of good points about whats passed on. I think how we eat is a major factor too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Okay guys i need some help! in my sizzle pen i have a sutan hen, a lavender cuckoo silkie hen, a bunch of smooth sizzles and a cuckoo silkie SG rooster. i just brought home a frizzled sultan roo from a friend and he and my SG roo both do terrible with other roosters. should i pull out the cuckoo SG and cuckoo hen and let the sultans be in with the sizzles or should i pull the sultans out and leave the cuckoos? either way i will get chicks out of each pair but what would be best with the smooth sizzles you think?

and in other good news i got my first turkey egg of the year today!

Wonderful news on the turkey egg! I am not good on genetics hope someone can help?

couple of pics from today

Love the pheasant!

Tonight we moved our bantam coops out of the barn. I noticed my Mille fleur bantam Cochin hen was really dirty. So she got a warm bath and then blow dried!





Is she a keeper?

She is flat gorgeous, send her my way if you don't keeper!

I see your pics, Birdman, and raise a few!


This one's a little over 4 wks old. I think it's a sliver partridge cockerel. He's pretty sweet and has green eyes. Was supposedly a pullet.












These two are starting to feather out blue! One has bright coppery spangles on the ends of her light blue feathers, the other has much darker feathers with little flecks of red.

gorgeous lil babies!

Well finally my girls are getting with the program! Lol! 13 eggs yesterday and 13 again today! Still have 4 of 5 of my Marans not laying and a good number of others to pick up but hey its a much better feeling to fill a basket than to walk out of that huge coop and what feels like tons of chickens running around and lucky to be carrying an egg or two with no need for a basket!!

Good days are back!

We are up to 3 dozen today

Totally happy!

EGADS I'm so far behind! I tried to read and catch up but seems like everyone is excited about brooding/incubating and purchasing new birds. I can't get caught up!! Lol
I've bn really busy trying to get my gardens ready and building a new coop. I managed to hit the jackpot on a new coop! Went to Home Depot to price shed kits and amazingly I walked into the bargain of a lifetime!! I bought an 8x12 shed kit for $250.00!!!! Couldn't pass that up! It was delivered last Friday and sat the weekend under tarps in the rain. Started on it Monday. Wow what a puzzle! Not to mention I changed the roof type from a peek roof to a gambrel (barn like)so I can add a loft, changed from two doors to one and added four windows complete with shutters and flower boxes. Lol all totaled I got a really really nice coop and storage bldg for $600.00! I priced and researched many different options and comparable bldgs were selling at $2,300.00 or more! I'm stoked!!! Will post picks soon!
Hope everyone is doing well, miss chatting with Ya all! Oh BTW received my Tshirts today, very nice!!! Ya'll take care ttyl

Hear ya girl, I missed last 2 days. Excited for the new coop. Can't wait for your pics!!

12 fertile eggs set.
10 looked good on day 18, but one slipped from my hand.

Out of the 9 eggs that went into lockdown, we now have 7 chicks, 1 pip, & 1 no change. (I tapped the egg & heard peeping, so we'll wait.)

Of course, I'm not the only one excited. At one point this afternoon I had 10 kids & 5 adults in the living room trying to see through the tiny windows of an old Hovabator. This was simply an incubator & fertility test. I wasn't expecting the whole neighborhood to come over. Our "real" hatch will be set on Sunday. For that one I'll be using my home-made coolerbator with the big viewing window. -- Unless I have extra eggs in need of hatching. That's why I now have a back-up incubator! Uh-Oh Does this mean I'm officially joining "Incubators Anonymous"?






BTW- I used some small colored rubberbands to help tell them apart. Is that OK or a big safety hazard? About 1/2 are mixes & I want to be able to tell them apart. I did not expect all of them to be black.

Its ok, I use hair bands all sorts of nylon or rubber bands to tell who is who. I watch them tho since some breeds like geese grow so fast, could pinch the skin. Look at them daily if you can. Your babies are just precious!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Odd day. I walked in to do a chick check, and found a hobbled chick soaking wet from the neck down in the most shallow dish of water imaginable that isn't a flat saucer. I knew you couldn't use "normal" containers of any real depth if chicks have hobbles, because they can fall in head-first and just flat drown. After a nice blow dry, it seems okay but a little worn out from peeping its brains out in distress. It's my youngest chick, only a few days old.

Right after I grabbed said wet chick and started to dry it off with a paper towel, I had my back turned for just a moment. When I turned back around, there was a little black split Orp chick running around on my bed pillow!! It was in the hospital crate just to keep the other chick company, and it hopped right out without me noticing. I had to call Jay to help me catch the little stinker since I only had one hand available and the escaped artist was making full use of its time on the lam. Despite my horror a few seconds earlier, I laughed out loud, hard! It was hilarious. Of course, it pooped on the pillow, too....

I still have chicks brooding in the pantry, and porch....ugh! The dust is really bad from any chicks of course. My lil mallards like to explore if mom doesn't come see them at 4AM! My goal is not brooding or hatching in the house, or garage period. But my goal is also to add to my flocks I intend to keep. My Incubator is still in the pantry to keep temp and humidity stable. DH would kill me if I had birds in the bedroom, but if its a special bird, I guess I better be wary

 

[kittydoc]

@ChickCrazed I would wait until the end of Day 25 to pitch eggs in the incubator. I've had one hatch on Day 25 and two hatch on Day 24 recently, and I know if you have chicks hatching now, at least some of the days you collected days were still very cold. That is apparently slowing down development. I have another friend who has reported the same issue with her turkey poults. All of mine are hatching late. In fact, very few have hatched on Day 21.

This should stop with chicks hatching at the very end of March/beginning of April, since it was nearly ideal storage weather for eggs, even if they sat outside for a while.

All of this presumes your incubator is at 99-100 degrees. I read somewhere that even half a degree slows them down by as much as 12 hours, if it lasts throughout the incubation period.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Having a hard time getting on here to post. My mom is falling more, won't use her walker ugh! I am afraid to leave her alone, let alone go out of the house.
I feel like I am raising children again caring for my parents... the hard part is separating the feeling that they were the ones leading the way. Its up to me now, and some times my parents don't agree with my choices. NO Mom, you do not need Arby's sandwiches loaded with salt, and Dad, forget eating all that 3 pound roll of summer sausage you just bought full of nitrates! Dad is driving.. BAD. He will get Mom whatever she wants even if it is bad for her. And you betcha he will get whats really bad for him! We all cheat a bit on our diet. Sometimes its just a health risk.
Almost all my breeds/species are laying. Scovies not yet, but nesting..I think I got my first scovy egg today, found a duck egg in the loft of the main coop.. Guinea hens, the oldest girls are also nesting. Guinea boys want to kill everything so its close, they are in attack mode over anything near the hens. Quail are finally laying again! I got 3 dozen eggs today between ducks, geese and chickens, 2 quail eggs

Setting Embden goose, EE, LO eggs later today.