INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[jenaman]

Does it have a pea comb and feathered legs? Kind of looks like a young Brahma to me, maybe a Brahma mix? My first impression with that picture is male, based on the comb and how the feathers are growing in. :/

He does have a peek home and feathered legs

 

[jenaman]

Looks like a Silver Laced Wyandotte to me.

I'm not sure what he is...guess I just have to wait and see what it turns out like

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
If the legs are feathered It very well could be a brahma! If so, thats normally a very calm rooster and a good addition to a flock.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Regarding our annual chickenfest, the feedback I have received from PMs is many folks are pretty much booked until the end of the year. So I am going to say its probably not going to happen this year, sadly. We will resume planning and try for a spring event, late April or early May. Still in the northern part of IN for 2016. Will open a chickenfest 2016 thread if there is enough interest and contributors for planning. I think we are all waiting to see what happens with AI this fall and winter also.
Please, send me a PM (personal message) if you are interested in attending next spring.
For our new folks to the thread, Chickenfest is a pitch in, get together, swaps and trades within our group. Lots of fun, get to put faces to names and meet folks that won't roll their eyes when we talk flocks! Both of the fests prior were awesome and lots of fun for everyone that attended. Many of us wished it was longer and had a great time.

 

[amwchickin]

Wow - just caught up with over 1000 posts! I don't think I have posted since the end of June.

Lots of new members - welcome everyone!

I've read through a lot of ups and downs, and I have had plenty of my own.

We butchered our first meat birds on the 4th of July - smoked and BBQ'd - AMAZING!! We did three Cornish X, total weight of 14 lbs. It was some work pulling feathers (my job) and pulling all the inards (my dad, always cuts up the chickens when cooking, but hasn't fully butchered a chicken since he was in high school. He told me about the neighbor lady who had a tree stump with nails...chickens running around the yard at the end... I think he enjoyed getting to do this since it brought back his youth a little! So I figured I ended up paying $6.65 per bird. I figured that was a pretty good price for the size and knowing that I put the work into those birds, I know what they ate, etc. We have a couple more due this weekend as well!

I have had broody central this summer! My BO hatched out one mix, a Mille Fleur, and 4 Marans chicks (I got from @ellymayRans ). Then both of my BLRW sat on a few eggs each and hatched them out (all mixes), then my oldest MF has been trying to be broody half the summer. The girl doesn't give up!! She hatched out two...finally! Then my poor BO went broody again. After several attempts to break her, I let her sit. She was sitting on all mixes. She had about a week to go and was fine one day, then the next day I found her dead and the nest was a complete disaster. No idea what happened there. She was only two. I know that was probably too much broody work for her, especially in the summer. but she had plenty of food, water, room to move, and a light fan on her. Very sad sight there. Fingers crossed that no other hens go broody this year. I really don't want to worry about young pullets working on feathering out as the weather changes.

We lost several CornishX, something gnawed and dug its way into their pen and took out most of them.

Lastly, my sweet little Frances, the Silkie x EE cross (my first hatch out ever that was growing into a gorgeous pullet) was killed by something. She just had to sleep in the tree and she/I paid the price. I will hopefully be able to hatch out another like her because I have school kids wanting to know how she is doing!! (I did show and tell at my sister's Head Start class last spring).

On a high note (quite literally!) my baby brother got married in August in Colorado, in the mountains! It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. And after that, Roxy (my loyal fur child) and I took a road trip to the Grand Canyon and then headed home on Route 66. It was a 18 day trip from southern Indiana to CO and then down to AZ and back home, covering 13 states. I had a friends take care of the chickens while the whole family was gone and she did a great job, then my parents took over. All the birds were very happy to see their chicken mama back home though!!

Well, I think that catches me up! I am working on building a new coop for the winter and am also looking at a different home that is more farm adaptable because chickens are a gateway farm animal and I want goats!!

Hope the rest of the summer goes well for everyone!


Roxy and I on a hike in Texas. Hot hot hot!


My brother and his new wife have "locked" their love and are throwing the keys into the mountainside. Dad on the right.

 

[amwchickin]

This pullet was supposed to be a Cornish X. She's really sweet and now is going to be left as part of the flock for now. Ideas on what she is? I was thinking a Delaware or a Colombian something?

 

[daskhan]

I had a hen looked just like that smaller comb and wattles though I believe she was a silver laced wyondote and buff orp mix... She had some cream ish color on her wings honestly no idea how I keep getting white birds when I have no white full growns....

 

[chick rookie]

I have a chick that is one month old tomorrow and I have nine other chicks that are closer to two months old. The chick that is one month old is already starting to get waddles, is it safe to say that might be a rooster or should I not go off that? He's the only one that I don't know the breed. he was supposed to be a black copper Marans but he is clearly not. He has to be just a mix because he has back and white feathers all over.

lol not a BCM I have a few chicks that were supposed to be one thing and have turned out to be another....
If it were me I would go with SLW, although thats still allot of white???? IMO I wouldn't think Brahma too much black. Probably oing to be one of those wait and see chicks I still have a few I'm waiting to grow out to see.

These were supposed to be SLW... lol NOT!!!! But totally surprised and very happy that they are BCM!!!

Well, it finally happened. Something got into my birds before I got home after dark. I just shut the pens when I got home and didn't look to see who was in them.

This morning I woke up to 4 dead turkeys and a dead rooster in the yard, and feathers everywhere. I know at least two other turkeys are missing, and one is one of my big white toms, so whatever it was wasn't little. I'm thinking coyotes. Looks like everyone needs to go in lockdown for a week or so while I figure out what is going on. They are NOT going to be happy.

So sorry for your loss.

On the positive side, While I was trying to round up the birds to put them in their pens, I walked out to the back of the barn, and there was a hen with a brand new chick walking with her. I hadn't even noticed she was missing. I have several that look like her, so I'm not surprised I missed her, I'm just surprised she was out of the pen every night for 3 weeks and nothing got her or the chick.

I had a Silkie hen I thought sure was dead, came back home one day with a bunch of littles following behind her... lol It was great!!
Congrats

Advice please:
My 1 yr old lav orp hen is lethargic this afternoon. I know b/c when I threw some scratch near her, she only pecked a little as the flock rushed the area. (She's a big, pushy treat monster, so very unusual for her.) I thought perhaps the heat was an issue, so I gave her a quick bath. Not much of a change since. She's just hanging out under her fav tree.

Her skin by the vent doesn't look irritated & the base of the feathers look normal. Her crop is not rock hard. Comb is a healthy red. Her last egg was Tuesday, so perhaps that has something to do with it. Anything else I should look for? I'm going to try some electrolyte mix in the waterer next.

I cant help but am keeping my fingers crossed that she recovers.

If they were small enough, it could be a fox. They leave very little traces of the birds they take and climb 6 foot fences like a cat. Usually though, the hens and toms would have stopped the attack. Then there is the 2 legged predators... I still suspect I have had some of that here. 2 of my best roosters went missing a day after I had work done on the satellite TV. We also had some teen kids on bicycles messing around the barn, until our friend from the PD started parking in the drive.

Thats one way to stop it... lol

 

[chick rookie]

Ok I mentioned in an earlier post that I have a mystery chick I could use some help figuring out what she could be, Then I couldnt get the pic's to load, so I'm going to try the pic's again would be allot easier to guess if ya can see what she looks like.

I cant get the other to load and they were better pic's, sorry.
the breeds I have are, hens: Lt. Brahma's, White Rocks, Welsummer that are laying.
Roosters: Partridge Rock, Welsummer, BR/Welsummer cross.
I just cant place what this could be if not a Partridge Rock????
In the photo's she looks Brown but those are different shades of red. The chick fuzz is brown.
Maybe I just have a mutt... lol which is ok as long as it is a hen. Have too many roosters as is.

 

[Candy442]

UPDATE:
No worse, but not better.
She's not running up to greet me, but she's not avoiding being picked up like a molt.. She's not drinking & eating with her usual gusto, nor begging me incessantly for treats, but she'll peck a little if offered a treat. I saw her drink once. Seems "off" but I don't know what to look for. I saw a runny (IMO) yellowish poop come out. I have her isolated tonight & am waiting to see if another unusual poop comes out. In the meantime, I'll be researching both sour crop & egg bound to see if any symptoms match hers. If anyone has any advice please let me know. Cuddles is one of those "special" chickens who regularly visits the house, appears in our Christmas photos, and is trained to do several unique party tricks.

Sorry about the unpleasant pic below, but I figured we've all seen nasty chicken poop before. If anyone has an idea for me to research, please let me know.

With the wet conditions, Cocci is rampant. I would try Corid in the water if she is drinking...get it quick or she will become so weak she will stop eating/drinking all together. It wont hurt her to try this treatment. Three days in her waterer should show improvement but make sure she drinks it. If she shows improvement, do the entire flock just in case. Cocci is in the dirt and will multiply exponentially! Even though there is not any blood in her stool like you will see with chicks or younger birds, older chickens often have this sort of poo color when they have abundance of Cocci in their systems.

Then, I would worm just her with Safeguard in case she has Cecal worms. Those are not as evident and she had diarrhea right now. Normally if she is drinking a lot, a poo like this could just be pre broody type, but the lethargy is sure sign of Cocci or internal parasites if external have been ruled out.

Corid liquid and Safeguard liquid for goats is available at most feed stores. Safeguard not generally for poultry but works amazing on internal worms and in rotation with other wormers.

First Corid while she is by herself and watch for her to perk up. Then do the Safeguard after Corid if you wish.

Good luck