INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Acornewell]

Rain, rain, go away!!!!!

Monday, I decided to put down my first ever chicken. She just wasnt getting better and she had been inside and was miserable and thin...I took her to the best avian vet and she said she too thought it was time. I HATE that she is not here anymore. And I HATE that I feel like I was the one to make the decision to end her life...but I keep trying to remind myself that she was so sad. It wasnt right of me to keep her here for my own selfishness when I knew she was miserable. I could see it in her eyes! However she lived as spoiled as chickens can get. I will miss her, my sweet Penelope.

Yesterday was my hubbys birthday, and we lost one of his young Belgian D'Anver girls, Cosmo He didn't even want to celebrate his birthday. We cancelled our family dinner plans and everything. And now we have her little sister inside so she does not have to be alone. This weather is kicking our butts around here. With this spell of coccidiosis, we have lost 3 birds. I thought this one was over it, we have been treating everyone again. We did the first dose, the second dose, and had some birds look sick after a couple of days, so I started the Corid again?!?? What gives. I have been watching closer than ever and if I do not think they are eating or drinking enough I make sure they get at least a syringe full of their corid water, which I am also now giving them terramycin with it because they all started sneezing...they are still skinny too. This will be day #6 for the corid. Ahhh I feel like I am losing my mind, I am so sick of the smell of ammonia I am cleaning everything with. I have only been keeping chickens for 3 years, but I feel like I am doing something wrong!!!!!

Our barn isn't terribly soaking wet, I know it is damp in there though. I LOVE the "peppered"...I mean pelleted pine that @bradselig recommended for the chicken areas. I think I am going to actually go add some wood chips to the run...speaking of run, I found two little teeny kittens this morning hiding out in between the barn sliding door. I grabbed one because it was stuck...that little turd bit me so stinkin hard. Later I heard the kitten meowing, it was behind the barn SOAKING wet and cold. I picked it up and took it to the neighbors barn where they are currently residing with their mother cat. My goodness I didn't think little kittens could bite so hard. I of course was wearing gloves the second time. So anywhoo...out to check on the birds, try to get everything situated before tonight's rain. I might as well take up canoeing.

 

[Bawk]

Sexing by wing feathers...help please.

Sorry I have posted several pictures but second guessing myself here.

The chickens were hatched July 4. The TP we lost had mostly fuzz for wing feathers while the remaining one had good wing feathers. So we assumed he was a male and remaining is a female. What do you think?

Here is the Tolbunt Polish :

Now this is the Gold Brabanter. Do you think male or female...this is last Thursday:

Feedback?

 

[Bawk]

Are you sure it is a male? I was looking at tail feathers going down

No. I basically have been calling him 'him' from day one because I didn't want to call him 'it', and I also didn't want to get too hopeful that he was female because that's just not my luck. But he's been sounding more and more like girl lately, so maybe it is my luck after all. Really, I've had ducks for all of 9 months and raising Crash has been my first real experience with a duckling, so I am clueless and open to suggestion!


EDIT: Weird, this page doesn't exist..?

When we had ducks, we went by looks on some breeds of course but the boys got curls on tails while the girls' tail feathers were downward

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Sexing by wing feathers...help please.

Sorry I have posted several pictures but second guessing myself here.

The chickens were hatched July 4. The TP we lost had mostly fuzz for wing feathers while the remaining one had good wing feathers. So we assumed he was a male and remaining is a female. What do you think?



Feedback?

Do you know if the breeder selects for sexing by feather growth? I believe this is a sexlinked cross (or an autosexing trait, but I don't remember for sure), so it doesn't work if it isn't bred for.

When we had ducks, we went by looks on some breeds of course but the boys got curls on tails while the girls' tail feathers were downward

Really? I never knew that you could tell by that! I'd read that they should have their voice change around 4-6 weeks old if they're female, and males should start to get their curl and have their voice change at 8 weeks or later, so I've been driving myself nuts while trying to be patient. I'm hesitant to say for sure, but I'm really starting to think my little Crash is a girl!

 

[Bawk]

The breeder said the fuzzy wing TP was a roo because too early for wing feathers. I thought he just wasn't thriving. She said look at the Bravanter's wing and tell her if it is a male or female too. I sent her a picture but haven't heard still.

Understand the hard to be patient thing.

 

[Indyshent]

Still have the Broad Ripple Currant tomatoes growing like crazy, but now we've got another cherry tomato finally ripening. Here's a picture of the 'Black Cherry' cherry tomato. Both of these kinds of tomatoes taste excellent. The Broad Ripple (yellow) one is such a nice, low acid flavor. The Black Cherry one is low acid also, and has a great juiciness and meatiness/seed ratio, but finishes off sweet. Similar to the Cherokee Purple, only in a cherry tomato size.

Black Cherry Broad Ripple Currant


a cluster of Black Cherry tomatoes

We've had a couple of large tomatoes (normal sized, non-cherry) that have ripened, but only a few. I'm anxiously awaiting the tomato rush!

Mine are all green still, but have both Rutgers and cherry tomatoes. Some of these plants are getting huge, but alas, no ripe tomatoes yet. The rain and wind have been uprooting my cages, so I gave up and now have all the cages braced with a rope that run from the chicken run to the fence to the run again in a desperate attempt to keep my 'maters upright. I have so little walking space in my garden now--I'm down to narrow holes in the foliage where I can slip my feet to the dirt. Plants everywhere! Corn's growing like a weed. Pumpkins and cantaloupe are sprawling everywhere.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Rain, rain, go away!!!!!

Monday, I decided to put down my first ever chicken.  She just wasnt getting better and she had been inside and was miserable and thin...I took her to the best avian vet and she said she too thought it was time.  I HATE that she is not here anymore.  And I HATE that I feel like I was the one to make the decision to end her life...but I keep trying to remind myself that she was so sad.  It wasnt right of me to keep her here for my own selfishness when I knew she was miserable.  I could see it in her eyes!  However she lived as spoiled as chickens can get. I will miss her, my sweet Penelope. 

Oh, this is a place I've been so many times before. It's never easy to make that choice, and I always have doubts. But you're totally right, it isn't right to keep them going when they're just lingering. Sometimes, you can just tell when they're done fighting.

It's been a tough year for everyone, I think, with all this wetness. My poor girls are in a swamp. :/ I'm about ready to pack it up and move to Arizona. Or the Sahara.

The breeder said the fuzzy wing TP was a roo because too early for wing feathers. I thought he just wasn't thriving. She said look at the Bravanter's wing and tell her if it is a male or female too. I sent her a picture but haven't heard still.

Understand the hard to be patient thing.

If it's bred for, then by this age, I would be looking at tails more than wings. Females should have more tail pins and feathers than males.

 

[Bawk]

Rain, rain, go away!!!!!

Monday, I decided to put down my first ever chicken.  She just wasnt getting better and she had been inside and was miserable and thin...I took her to the best avian vet and she said she too thought it was time.  I HATE that she is not here anymore.  And I HATE that I feel like I was the one to make the decision to end her life...but I keep trying to remind myself that she was so sad.  It wasnt right of me to keep her here for my own selfishness when I knew she was miserable.  I could see it in her eyes!  However she lived as spoiled as chickens can get. I will miss her, my sweet Penelope. 

Oh, this is a place I've been so many times before. It's never easy to make that choice, and I always have doubts. But you're totally right, it isn't right to keep them going when they're just lingering. Sometimes, you can just tell when they're done fighting.

It's been a tough year for everyone, I think, with all this wetness. My poor girls are in a swamp. :/ I'm about ready to pack it up and move to Arizona. Or the Sahara.

The breeder said the fuzzy wing TP was a roo because too early for wing feathers. I thought he just wasn't thriving. She said look at the Bravanter's wing and tell her if it is a male or female too. I sent her a picture but haven't heard still.

Understand the hard to be patient thing.

If it's bred for, then by this age, I would be looking at tails more than wings. Females should have more tail pins and feathers than males.

I have just one TP and one GB so I can't compare them but the wing feathers is a way to sex chicks at one week of age, just too new forme,we had pullets before and last flock one rooster so we haven't learned that.

 

[leslea]

Rain, rain, go away!!!!!

Monday, I decided to put down my first ever chicken. She just wasnt getting better and she had been inside and was miserable and thin...I took her to the best avian vet and she said she too thought it was time. I HATE that she is not here anymore. And I HATE that I feel like I was the one to make the decision to end her life...but I keep trying to remind myself that she was so sad. It wasnt right of me to keep her here for my own selfishness when I knew she was miserable. I could see it in her eyes! However she lived as spoiled as chickens can get. I will miss her, my sweet Penelope.

Yesterday was my hubbys birthday, and we lost one of his young Belgian D'Anver girls, Cosmo He didn't even want to celebrate his birthday. We cancelled our family dinner plans and everything. And now we have her little sister inside so she does not have to be alone. This weather is kicking our butts around here. With this spell of coccidiosis, we have lost 3 birds. I thought this one was over it, we have been treating everyone again. We did the first dose, the second dose, and had some birds look sick after a couple of days, so I started the Corid again?!?? What gives. I have been watching closer than ever and if I do not think they are eating or drinking enough I make sure they get at least a syringe full of their corid water, which I am also now giving them terramycin with it because they all started sneezing...they are still skinny too. This will be day #6 for the corid. Ahhh I feel like I am losing my mind, I am so sick of the smell of ammonia I am cleaning everything with. I have only been keeping chickens for 3 years, but I feel like I am doing something wrong!!!!!

Our barn isn't terribly soaking wet, I know it is damp in there though. I LOVE the "peppered"...I mean pelleted pine that @bradselig recommended for the chicken areas. I think I am going to actually go add some wood chips to the run...speaking of run, I found two little teeny kittens this morning hiding out in between the barn sliding door. I grabbed one because it was stuck...that little turd bit me so stinkin hard. Later I heard the kitten meowing, it was behind the barn SOAKING wet and cold. I picked it up and took it to the neighbors barn where they are currently residing with their mother cat. My goodness I didn't think little kittens could bite so hard. I of course was wearing gloves the second time. So anywhoo...out to check on the birds, try to get everything situated before tonight's rain. I might as well take up canoeing.

Sorry for your loss, and for your husband's. That is tough. This rain is so tough. I added some barn lime to my run. Hoping for wood chips, too. I have some pine flakes but would love something more substantial.

Mine are all green still, but have both Rutgers and cherry tomatoes. Some of these plants are getting huge, but alas, no ripe tomatoes yet. The rain and wind have been uprooting my cages, so I gave up and now have all the cages braced with a rope that run from the chicken run to the fence to the run again in a desperate attempt to keep my 'maters upright. I have so little walking space in my garden now--I'm down to narrow holes in the foliage where I can slip my feet to the dirt. Plants everywhere! Corn's growing like a weed. Pumpkins and cantaloupe are sprawling everywhere.

Gorgeous!

Question - you've mentioned letting the wood chippings cure for several months. What if that is not an option? Is there any problem with spreading them right after getting them? The city considers it a health risk to have a pile sitting in your yard B/c it attracts rodents.
Hoping to actually get some this year. Like @leslea I have tried several times this summer and last. Kept having companies say they'd drop them off and it never happened. Even stopped trucks in our neighborhood who said they'd come and didn't.

I'm not the one you asked the q. of, but when I spoke to the tree guy, he said let them sit out for a year before you use them in your yard, otherwise the nitrogen will burn out your plants. Chickens, on the other hand, won't be bothered and they will love the bugs. That was his take on it...don't know if he was a chicken expert or not! But it's my plan to start using them right away.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Still have the Broad Ripple Currant tomatoes growing like crazy, but now we've got another cherry tomato finally ripening. Here's a picture of the 'Black Cherry' cherry tomato. Both of these kinds of tomatoes taste excellent. The Broad Ripple (yellow) one is such a nice, low acid flavor. The Black Cherry one is low acid also, and has a great juiciness and meatiness/seed ratio, but finishes off sweet. Similar to the Cherokee Purple, only in a cherry tomato size.

Black Cherry Broad Ripple Currant


a cluster of Black Cherry tomatoes

We've had a couple of large tomatoes (normal sized, non-cherry) that have ripened, but only a few. I'm anxiously awaiting the tomato rush!

I love the black cherries! I'm still hoping that my tomatoes will produce this year. My beds have been underwater countless times this summer like so many others'. (And once again tonight! Tornado watch too -- yippee!!

)

Now this is the Gold Brabanter. Do you think male or female...this is last Thursday:




Feedback?

Honestly, I think the lil' cutie mostly resembles this guy from The Grinch!!

We use pieces of rebar (4' - 5' long each). I shove them into the ground beside the tomato plant and then tie the tomato to the rebar stake as the plant grows. Often the plants will grow taller than my stakes. But I don't have to worry about cages falling over.