INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[iamfivewire]

my DW Candy442 & i got to meet BarbS & her DH yesterday morning - we chatted a little bit about chickens - could of talked longer , but we all had other apointments we had to get to .

 

[ellymayRans]

I need help. I was a sucker for my boys and got 2 ducks. Well for some time I have seen 1 changing and knew he was a drake. I was fine believing the other a hen. Well today I noticed green features on the "females" head. Now I know we actually have 2 drakes. We told them if they were males we would be processing them. Now I feel horrible and really don't want to have to do that.

Would anyone be in the market for a trade? I have plans to hook up with @jchny2000 and will choose to get some scovies but I don't want but 1 drake and I don't want my son to know. Lol. Soo...quite the dilemma I've gotten myself into I know!!

The one we thought was a female is a Khaki Campbell. Anyone??

 

[Indyshent]

I need help. I was a sucker for my boys and got 2 ducks. Well for some time I have seen 1 changing and knew he was a drake. I was fine believing the other a hen. Well today I noticed green features on the "females" head. Now I know we actually have 2 drakes. We told them if they were males we would be processing them. Now I feel horrible and really don't want to have to do that.

Would anyone be in the market for a trade? I have plans to hook up with @jchny2000 and will choose to get some scovies but I don't want but 1 drake and I don't want my son to know. Lol. Soo...quite the dilemma I've gotten myself into I know!!

The one we thought was a female is a Khaki Campbell. Anyone??

Post pictures, but more to the point, voice sex them. The voice will change long before the drake curl and other manly attributes show up. Voice changes around or before 8 weeks; drake curl and green sheen are more likely to happen around 16 weeks.

Do they sound different? If they sound like the Alfac duck, they're boys. If they quack, they're girls. If you mind them making noise next to your ear, they're girls. If they sound like old men grumbling a bout the cost of their pack-a-day habits and telling dirty jokes, they're boys. If they laugh uproariously at these jokes, they're girls.

My Khaki girl was super loud--easily the loudest duck I've ever owned, but you might be luckier than I was. We really wanted to keep our Indian Runner and Campbell because--like you--I was suckered into them by my kids and was forced to part with them. My plan was to trade some birds for silkie chicks or something else I was more likely to be able to keep around without neighbors crabbing, but now family's coming in from all sides and... well, the kids may wind up SOL because of their grandparents (of all the stupid plot twists).

Also keep in mind that Khakis have two color patterns available. Our hen was an even medium brown (really pretty, I thought), but the drakes are supposed to have really dark heads. Also, once in awhile, hens can develop a green sheen that goes no further (had a Rouen hen like that).

 

[ellymayRans]

Post pictures, but more to the point, voice sex them. The voice will change long before the drake curl and other manly attributes show up. Voice changes around or before 8 weeks; drake curl and green sheen are more likely to happen around 16 weeks. Do they sound different? If they sound like the Alfac duck, they're boys. If they quack, they're girls. If you mind them making noise next to your ear, they're girls. If they sound like old men grumbling a bout the cost of their pack-a-day habits and telling dirty jokes, they're boys. If they laugh uproariously at these jokes, they're girls. My Khaki girl was super loud--easily the loudest duck I've ever owned, but you might be luckier than I was. We really wanted to keep our Indian Runner and Campbell because--like you--I was suckered into them by my kids and was forced to part with them. My plan was to trade some birds for silkie chicks or something else I was more likely to be able to keep around without neighbors crabbing, but now family's coming in from all sides and... well, the kids may wind up SOL because of their grandparents (of all the stupid plot twists). Also keep in mind that Khakis have two color patterns available. Our hen was an even medium brown (really pretty, I thought), but the drakes are supposed to have really dark heads. Also, once in awhile, hens can develop a green sheen that goes no further (had a Rouen hen like that).

Thanks but yes they both sound the same with raspy quacks.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm hoping to have a set of ducklings in 2-3 weeks. The mom has been sitting on lots of eggs with a large nest built all around her. The mom would be a black hen and the sire would be a mallard.
But I don't have any khakis I need to let go at the moment.

Finally a broody of mine did not give up right before lockdown. I now have 5 chicks in an adult coop. I plan to move them tomorrow, but I was not even sure she would stick it out. I have had so many broodies give up this year. Not to fear though I have at least 3 more broody nests in that same coop. One is a Turkey and she has every so many eggs, mainly chicken but a few turkey eggs too. There is no taking her eggs though so I think she gets more every day. Once she leaves that nest, I'll have to move the eggs to other broodies if they still are sitting.

 

[hogster160]

I was on my way to my Uncles house this morning, had to turn around, 1/4 mile down the road I found 4 dead chickens. It looked like they had been hit on the highway. So hubby and I go to clean them up, realize they are not ours and clean them up anyway. Back on my way to my Uncles, About 3/4 of a mile down the road I see 2 more on south side of highway and 3-4 more on the north side. I'm guessing they fell out of someone's truck? Not really sure. My neighbors have chickens, but I have never seen them out free ranging, and mine never go towards the highway. I wish people would take better care of their animals!!

Rant over, sorry!

 

[Mother2Hens]

what if i switch to the cloth and run it along the bottom too or some type of fencing?

@daskhan ~ This link has concise info about predator proofing a coop. 11+ Tips for Predator-proofing Chickens
I did a search on BYC for Florida threads because my concern is the ease of a predator digging through sandy soil. Most of the Florida threads weren't very recent, but this one had a recent post. You might be able to at least have a conversation with a Floridian about predator concerns. Hello from Florida! I saw this link, which also might be helpful: FLORIDA ANYONE?? Please sign on map! FLORIDA - Please list your City here That Allows Chickens!

@mother2hens one of the girls eggs hatched this morning and another has pipped. My GCM roo had taken to them and it's an olive egger with feathered shanks as well! Oh what a doll!! Hoping for a girl but my luck it's not! Haha! It doesn't have a spot though..Only time will tell



I definitely have a small but growing list of these hatches I want to hang onto!! Sigh....

Awww…I'm a grandmother! lol I was going to tell you to just point your finger and say No! to the mean broody mom (especially if she is the larger hen). Those Olive Egger chicks sure look like Cochins (to the untrained eye!). I guess since they're half Cochin. They're adorable chicks!
I've also meant to ask you if you were worried about predators since your peahen stayed outside under a tree.

 

[ellymayRans]

[COLOR=8B4513]Awww…I'm a grandmother! lol I was going to tell you to just point your finger and say No! to the mean broody mom (especially if she is the larger hen). Those Olive Egger chicks sure look like Cochins (to the untrained eye!). I guess since they're half Cochin. They're adorable chicks![/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]I've also meant to ask you if you were worried about predators since your peahen stayed outside under a tree.[/COLOR]
[rule]

She's basically at my front door almost against the house. She's been sitting for almost 28 days so no I haven't been that concerned. The last nest she made in the woods so I pulled the eggs to get her to stop brooding.

I just assisted with my incubated pea egg because it had been 2 days since it had internally pipped. I had made a small air hole yesterday morning and with all the wiggling had still not pipped on its own. I'm glad I did because all the veins were receded and yolk absorbed.

 

[ellymayRans]

Now my concern is the strange lump on it's head. I bought this egg off of eBay so it's not from mine.

Anyone have any ideas? I also posted on the Pea hatching thread but with the holidays I'm worried Noone will see it.

 

[Mother2Hens]

@bradselig Your cuckoo silkie pullets aren't black barred, are they? So, I guess you decided to take the new job?
@Delawaremommy Good job trying to help the abandoned chickens!
@ChicagoClucker @kittydoc and other Orp fans ~ I took these photos yesterday. I decided to put titles on my photos because the other night when I pulled old orp photos to show ChicagoClucker, I had to figure out dates, how old they were, etc. so I thought this would be easier for my feeble mind.



Below:
Goofus and Gallant
I’ve decided that my duo, Bonbon her hatched chick, Screech are like Highlights magazine’s “Goofus and Gallant”! Screech being Goofus (she copied her bad manners from @ellymayRans ’s Olive Eggers--haha

), and Bonbon is like well-behaved Gallant. They still sleep in their own little coop, but are a part of the rest of the flock during the day. When I bring out a plate with treats, Screech will run up first right past the flock leader and jump onto the plate and start eating!

Below: These two are "tight as ticks"! When Bonbon was broody the first time, I added Eliza to the flock. Since Bonbon was preoccupied, Adeline and Eliza became fast friends.