INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

I'm 53 posts behind, but I wanted to post this as it is time sensitive.

Check this out. Lots of good speakers and topics, and it's free. Starting Monday, April 6 through the whole week. Workshops will only be available 24 hours after posting so take a look at the schedule and see if anything interests you!

http://www.homegrownfoodsummit.com/

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[ellymayRans]

Well hatch is starting to wrap up from the Easter HAL! I'm waiting on 6..some of which I set a couple days later than the majority.

I am pretty stoked! Some of these are just beautiful! I will get pics out from under the heat lamp later but I set a handful of Golden Cuckoo Marans. All I set are from my flock but all are being considered barnyard mixes. All for fun of course! Hoping to get fun birds with some fun egg colors. 31 set, 27 made it to lockdown and have 19 running around, 1 still trying to hatch and 6 no action on at the moment. My darkest BCM egg died after external pip! It was malpositioned.

2 Blues have hatched and I think one of the GCM is a Blue Cuckoo!! Woohoo!

 

[leslea]

This is why I need more chickens! I know the empty egg basket is an obvious one, but see that little lump of feathers in the background? That's two guineas and my only un-broody hen, Amy the Barred Rock.

I have a broody Easter Egger and two broody silkies right now and no eggs!

Letting the hens stay broody since the guinea is laying and I don't know for sure how many she will lay...surely more than one silkie can hatch, right? Here are the three Farrah was sitting on yesterday:



Would be too exciting to have keets. I don't know, I might have to consider getting another rooster after all...it is pretty cool anticipating hatching our own. (What am I thinking?)

Hope y'all are doing well. Going to try and scroll through posts in a few. Crazy day today. Chicks coming tomorrow and I haven't set up my brooder!!!

 

[Indyshent]

This is why I need more chickens! I know the empty egg basket is an obvious one, but see that little lump of feathers in the background? That's two guineas and my only un-broody hen, Amy the Barred Rock.

I have a broody Easter Egger and two broody silkies right now and no eggs!

Letting the hens stay broody since the guinea is laying and I don't know for sure how many she will lay...surely more than one silkie can hatch, right? Here are the three Farrah was sitting on yesterday:



Would be too exciting to have keets. I don't know, I might have to consider getting another rooster after all...it is pretty cool anticipating hatching our own. (What am I thinking?)

Hope y'all are doing well. Going to try and scroll through posts in a few. Crazy day today. Chicks coming tomorrow and I haven't set up my brooder!!!

Concerning roosters: They're really not always that bad. Either they're good for your girls or they're good on your table. I have a whopping dearth of roos who were supposed to be pullets, and I'm just trying to look on the bright side: I get to keep the pick of the litter and eat or rehome the rest.

So far, my Welsummer is a very promising boy, plus I have a few confirmed Dark Brahma, a Partridge Rock and a couple EE roos, and then more lurking untold numbers of other roosters (Wyandottes, Light Brahma and even more EEs likely, possibly even an Australorp). Partridge Rock we'll likely be rehoming because I don't have any other Rocks (he's shaping up to be a good flock guardian but not much of a pet). I have two Dark Brahma roos and only one hen, so I'll likely be rehoming one of them too. They're both super sweet (with both people and other chicks) so it'd be a shame to eat them (plus, they grow really slow), and one's a really good flock guardian too (very protective of the other chicks).

Particularly if raised together, roos can get along well and get the job done quite effectively (plus, multiples are good so you have spares in case one dies in the line of duty). I've never had two roos who didn't get along eventually (had more issues with hens who take exception to the new guys). They can be noisy, but mine have never fought with each other. Granted, every roo is different, and I'll likely have some that will grow nasty (everyone seems to have nasty roo stories).

Brahmas are particularly good so far about sharing turf, so I'm hoping to keep some around. For breeding, I'm mostly looking to keep an EE and the Welsummer (yay fancy egg layers!) because Wellies can be hard to come by and make great olive eggers. Plus, he's a chillax kinda guy and very easy to get along with.

The two confirmed EE roos are almost polar opposites right now and only time will tell. One has super neat coloring but is of a more combative personality and sometimes picks on new birds. The other is rather a muddled Columbian type with red bleed (but a gypsy sheen, which is cool) an dis very quiet and retiring. One's a gorgeous flock guardian who keeps tabs on everyone; the other not so much, but I won't have to worry about him picking on anyone either. Really only time will tell who I should keep or give away, but for now I'm playing Wait and See.

 

[birdman55]

hey everyone..been super busy..hope all is well and easter was great for everyone...hatched out over 100 birds on easter...quail and chickens...and got a pair of purple peafowl...and finished the hoop coop....also laid down some of the two foot sides in the large coops out back....been keeping myself occupied...thats for sure...here are some pics









all he was thinking was....TREAT....lol

 

[leslea]

Concerning roosters: They're really not always that bad. Either they're good for your girls or they're good on your table. I have a whopping dearth of roos who were supposed to be pullets, and I'm just trying to look on the bright side: I get to keep the pick of the litter and eat or rehome the rest.

The two confirmed EE roos are almost polar opposites right now and only time will tell. One has super neat coloring but is of a more combative personality and sometimes picks on new birds. The other is rather a muddled Columbian type with red bleed (but a gypsy sheen, which is cool) an dis very quiet and retiring. One's a gorgeous flock guardian who keeps tabs on everyone; the other not so much, but I won't have to worry about him picking on anyone either. Really only time will tell who I should keep or give away, but for now I'm playing Wait and See.

We had an EE roo last year by accident. He went to live or be eaten elsewhere. He attacked my toddler.

I suppose once I have *fingers crossed* 10 hens/pullets out there we might be able to manage adopting a calm rooster, if such a thing exists.

But my husband would kill me for even thinking about it now. He has put the brakes on the acquisition of more animals for the time being.

I don't know why...our latest addition is a great chicken dog...



Actually, I do know why...our yard is at capacity. Still...

 

[Indyshent]

Anything that pecks/bites/scratches a kid needs to die. It's a good philosophy for parents, I think. None of our roos have remotely shone anything like aggression with our kids--or much of anything, for that matter. All our boys from last year went to jcny2000.

One EE (super friendly, great with kids and fairly easy on the girls. Loved pets and being picked up). Not the prettiest (another muckle Columbian) but a very sweet bird. Was the only rooster who would specifically seek out to be picked up and pet, and he would even fly into laps and onto shoulders. Loved treats and attention. Does crow a fair amount but nothing excessive.

One RIR, and boy was he an awesome spectacle of nature. What a gorgeous boy! Very protective of his girls--charged off all manner of stray cats--but never pecked a soul. Pretty sweet with his girls and was shaping up to be the great epitome of rooster. Hilarious and a vicarious learner. We could see the wheels of his little mind turning, trying to figure everything out. Would eat from hands but didn't particularly like being picked up (seemed more confused by it than anything). Very sweet bird.

One mille fleur D'uccle who was the king of the yard. He was loud and liked to crow at night, but was great with children and again, never pecked or scratched anyone, no matter what my kids put him through.

We live in downtown Indy and, if I'd known about no crow collars, I would have tried them to keep my beloved boys around because they were such fun. This year, I'm getting collars if they decide to get noisy. I'm also going to learn how to process boys we don't like because I don't like the idea of sending a problem rooster to someone else (and I like fried chicken).

So yeah, if jcny2000 is okay parting with them and your husband okays you getting one, you're welcome to any of them as far as I'm concerned. I miss all three of them very much, but Fried (the EE) was a really good lap warmer and my buddy whenever I could get the time to go sit outside.

I can't find all of the pics of him sitting on shoulders and laps. This was taken right after we brought him home (and he was hiding from a few of the girls, who were terrorizing him). Very submissive bird.

 

[3arrowfarm]

Hey all. quick question. i have 10 birds i let free range during the daylight hours and lock up at night. one of my RIR has gone broody and i think is sitting on an egg! BUT IF she hatches it, do i need to pull the chick inside (with 6 other chicks i have)? or will daylight ranging be sufficient enough nutrition for a young chick. thanks!

 

[leslea]

Ack! MyPetChicken.com just called. No olive eggers for me (or anyone, apparently), this year. They're just not hatching.

Getting two salmon favorelles instead, though.

 

[leslea]

So yeah, if jcny2000 is okay parting with them and your husband okays you getting one, you're welcome to any of them as far as I'm concerned. I miss all three of them very much, but Fried (the EE) was a really good lap warmer and my buddy whenever I could get the time to go sit outside.

I can't find all of the pics of him sitting on shoulders and laps. This was taken right after we brought him home (and he was hiding from a few of the girls, who were terrorizing him). Very submissive bird.

Thanks so much. It would be probably a year from now before I could even bring it up. Thank you, though!