INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chick rookie]

Its been about a year ago now, early fall. These little hawks are so aggressive! After that incident I decided it just wasn't safe for bantams here. I just adored the silkies, d'uccles and the game bantams, but can't stand seeing them locked in a cage all day either.
Lovely!
I really love the Orpingtons! Good layers, great personalities. Lots of gorgeous colors. Even the roosters are very social.
GLW-Be very selective, I kept GLW 2 years. Hens were stinkers, roosters always wound up human aggressive. I finally got fed up and rehomed them, and my entire flock demeanor changed overnight.

I had SLW and for color I loved them, I had 1 hen out of 6 I liked for her personality, the rest were bullies and not very friendly ( but they were hatchery birds so-o-o ) and forget the rooster!!! he was out of here as soon as he " became a man " Mean has a snake to everyone and everything!! never again!!!

Next year I am going to switch my layer flock over to Rocks and Orpingtons, I have had all kinds of birds and found those 2 breeds to be the best for what I am wanting. Dh wants to keep with Brahma's too so I am trying to get him to try the Darks cause the Lt's just don't get it for me. and am getting rid of the mean hen this weekend I hope. I still have 3 hatchery Lt. hens left but for now they are working out, So wont get on DH about getting rid of them just yet... lol He has to have some he likes too. o and his Cochin we think??? It stands like a human and it really kinda freaks me out a little. and only gets worse the older it gets.
Anyway other then the white rocks and barred rocks, are there any other rocks that are great layers and have good personalities?

We will also keep the BA's love them!!
Going to try our BCM's and 1 splash out for a year, seeing some negative comments for too many people so still iffy on them but we have them and have wanted them for years.
And no matter what am going to keep my little mixed up flock of littles

they are just too cute and most are real cuddle bugs. And of course my Silkies, that I am working on improving my flock, little by little.



I have changed my mind a few times this year, I just need to stick with this and be done......

 

[Mother2Hens]

I went through phase one rather quickly. All the way to having birds shipped from all over. I have Sulmtaler chicks that just arrived and have had, during the last year, no less than 20 breeds. I have settled into Black Copper Marans, Araucanas, Cream Legbars, Bielefelders. I have some Sulmtalers if you would like some chicks. They are straight from Greenfire.

Not sure if you've posted here before, but regardless, Welcome to the Indiana Thread! (you can click on the link at the bottom of this message for more info). I want to know what breed of chicken is on your avatar?? So striking! It looks like the eyes and waddles are gray/blue, too?

Originally Posted by @jchny2000
Raccoon or possum is my gut feeling on this horrible event. I had cooper/sharp shinned hawk go after the silkie trio I had last year, and my frizzle rooster was left in a similar condition. Another possible predator. There was a pair that my guineas attacked and killed but was too late for my frizzle. I had my trio in a mastiff sized wire crate in the shed. They actually squeezed between the bars and got my roo, had to grab the 2 hens out, and it attacked me! Let the hawk out, came right back. My guinea got it. Not 20 minutes later the other hawk was back, and the guineas nailed it as soon as it flew into the shed. All that was left of my poor fells was his head, feathers and skin.

Posted by @chick rookie
Didn't know they would go inside a coop after anything. That is not good. Good job to the guinea!! Sorry about you roo. Don't know if that hawk was brave or just plain stupid!! To attack a human and then to come back after it's free???? Stupid Hawk!!
I dont know when that happened to ya but I know I'm sick of Hawks and Falcons this year!! always see them but this year they just wont stay away!! Even when I go running towards them, I have to get real close before they will leave. I know my neighbors think I'm nuts, lol not that I care.

jchny ~ I think it was a raccoon based on the predators chart listing of methods. I'm guessing that since it was still darkish/cloudy at 7:00amCST, there was a raccoon in the fenced in part of the yard. There were some of Ditzy's feathers by the Japanese Maple tree where she likes to hang out, and then I found her body down the hill and stuck in a semi-enclosed space. I think that the raccoon grabbed her where she lost some feathers, and then he took her down to the other spot and had his breakfast. It was a clean cut, no blood, and since she was fluffy it covered any wound. She was hard, so that why I think it happened soon after I opened the coop. I'm wondering if when she was grabbed if the other hens would gang up and go after the raccoon (and that's why it moved Ditzy) or would they go hide?
chick rookie ~ I've heard that those coopers hawks (medium sized) and sharp-shinned hawks (small sized) will go under a bush to grab their prey, which is pretty frightening. The hawk that I had to shoo away recently was a red-tailed one. I think it was after Ditzy. I want more silkies, but I'm not going to get a light colored one. Too easy to spot and catch.

 

[chick rookie]

Not sure if you've posted here before, but regardless, Welcome to the Indiana Thread! (you can click on the link at the bottom of this message for more info). I want to know what breed of chicken is on your avatar?? So striking! It looks like the eyes and waddles are gray/blue, too?
Posted by @chick rookie
Didn't know they would go inside a coop after anything. That is not good. Good job to the guinea!! Sorry about you roo. Don't know if that hawk was brave or just plain stupid!! To attack a human and then to come back after it's free???? Stupid Hawk!!
I dont know when that happened to ya but I know I'm sick of Hawks and Falcons this year!! always see them but this year they just wont stay away!! Even when I go running towards them, I have to get real close before they will leave. I know my neighbors think I'm nuts, lol not that I care.

jchny ~ I think it was a raccoon based on the predators chart listing of methods. I'm guessing that since it was still darkish/cloudy at 7:00amCST, there was a raccoon in the fenced in part of the yard. There were some of Ditzy's feathers by the Japanese Maple tree where she likes to hang out, and then I found her body down the hill and stuck in a semi-enclosed space. I think that the raccoon grabbed her where she lost some feathers, and then he took her down to the other spot and had his breakfast. It was a clean cut, no blood, and since she was fluffy it covered any wound. She was hard, so that why I think it happened soon after I opened the coop. I'm wondering if when she was grabbed if the other hens would gang up and go after the raccoon (and that's why it moved Ditzy) or would they go hide?
chick rookie ~ I've heard that those coopers hawks (medium sized) and sharp-shinned hawks (small sized) will go under a bush to grab their prey, which is pretty frightening. The hawk that I had to shoo away recently was a red-tailed one. I think it was after Ditzy. I want more silkies, but I'm not going to get a light colored one. Too easy to spot and catch.

Its funny you should say that about the lighter colored chickens, I have 7 W R's and 5 ( thanks to that darn dog ) Lt. Brahma's and 2 Splash hens and 2 splash juvies Silkies and 2 Buff hens and Romeo ( Buff ) plus all the white and Buff colored other chickens. The other day a Red Tailed Hawk was doing cricle dives, over and over I swear it couldn't make up its mind and it seem to be all happening over my lighter colored chickens. Then Bob head roo, made his warning call then all the other roo's made their calls and everyone scattered to the 4 winds, of course I was already making my way out there, and the darn thing just flew away. Would I be a bad person if I just shot the darn thing, I'm tired of it.. very other day I'm outside chasing it off.
But I really think that I had too many Light colors and it was confused???? Just seemed that way. I may be nuts too, so-o-o.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

jchny ~ I think it was a raccoon based on the predators chart listing of methods. I'm guessing that since it was still darkish/cloudy at 7:00amCST, there was a raccoon in the fenced in part of the yard. There were some of Ditzy's feathers by the Japanese Maple tree where she likes to hang out, and then I found her body down the hill and stuck in a semi-enclosed space. I think that the raccoon grabbed her where she lost some feathers, and then he took her down to the other spot and had his breakfast. It was a clean cut, no blood, and since she was fluffy it covered any wound. She was hard, so that why I think it happened soon after I opened the coop. I'm wondering if when she was grabbed if the other hens would gang up and go after the raccoon (and that's why it moved Ditzy) or would they go hide?
chick rookie ~ I've heard that those coopers hawks (medium sized) and sharp-shinned hawks (small sized) will go under a bush to grab their prey, which is pretty frightening. The hawk that I had to shoo away recently was a red-tailed one. I think it was after Ditzy. I want more silkies, but I'm not going to get a light colored one. Too easy to spot and catch.

Both the raccoon and small hawks are sure aggressively hunting . Your flock is going to to save themselves unless there is a roo. He will fight them off until he dies. Any "loaners" independent flock members are easy pickings for those species. Wildlife are going to be hunting diligently this time of year before they hibernate.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Off and on lately, my DH and I have worked on improving the perch/box section of the coop. The two nesting boxes didn't need to be so tall, so he shortened them which made the area seem much more spacious. I moved the perches, but ended up moving them back the way they were(!) Since my EE, Roadrunner, sets off a chain reaction of problems at bedtime by trying to perch with the co-leaders who peck her away, which results in rejected Roadrunner knocking my giant Orps off of the other perch. I decided to place Roadrunner, up in the spot at the top of the coop door where the former RIP flock leader Nene always perched. You have to be a compact bird to jump and slide right in the spot. She liked the spot, and it cut down on the bedtime ruckus. Since Roadrunner acted like she couldn't jump up there by herself, today I added a perch a little above another perch kind of like a step so that it would lead her up there. I installed a shelf bracket for the step and put some pipe insulation over it (I'm so innovative, I thought to myself—lol— I could relate to @tmarsh83 saying [But I don't think my wife fully appreciates my genius…] So, I tapped on the step to show Roadrunner. She stepped on it and then stepped back to the perch. Then she effortlessly jumped and slipped right into the spot—bypassing the new step I installed! And just when I think I have their bedtime fighting resolved, Bonbon and Screech decide to join the others in the big coop! Bonbon aka Gallant walked into a nesting box and sat down nicely. My tiny, but mighty Screech aka Goofus walks over and pecks my silkie and surveys where the others are perched as though she's thinking about changing the seating chart. Then she flies up to the perch which is several times her height and parks herself by the Orps. My largest Orp, Eliza is aghast and can't wait to peck Screech. I say, "No!" and point at Eliza so she moves her head back in place, but her huge brown eyes are locked into mine. She waits for me to briefly look away so she can hammer Screech's head. I don't look away, so while her eyes remain locked, she moves her neck toward Screech with the idea of planting a fast one. I say, "No" and she moves her head back and closes her eyes…then peeks. It's so funny. I tried to take a video but it was too dark. Meanwhile, self-assured Screech is oblivious to Eliza's issues and methodically cleans her feathers and settles in for the night.

Roadrunner perches on top of coop door (with pipe insulation for memory foam comfort ~ lol). The area by her tail is the opening that she glides into from jumping off the perch below.

 

[Mother2Hens]

@chick rookie ~ Light colored chickens and other animals are easier for a predator to spot (unless it's snowy outside!) It didn't help that Ditzy was a loner and seemed to linger out in the open instead of hanging out under bushes. The other chickens never picked on her or anything; she just wandered around in another world (that's where she got her name). Sometimes, though, she'd surprisingly outsmart the others. I'll never forget the time that she was the only one who figured out how to get to where I happened to be on another side of a fence. The others were walking back and forth, and she came right to me like she knew just where to go. She was a funny character.

That's another thing nice about this thread. I can work through my grief and even if no one reads my posts,

it makes me feel better to write about it.

 

[tmarsh83]

Innovation is never fully appreciated in its time is it @mother2hens? Lol

I don't know why, but the orps just don't trip my trigger. As I'm looking at what to add, practically they make sense, they just don't do it. I'm bizarre I guess...

 

[chick rookie]

@chick rookie ~ Light colored chickens and other animals are easier for a predator to spot (unless it's snowy outside!) It didn't help that Ditzy was a loner and seemed to linger out in the open instead of hanging out under bushes. The other chickens never picked on her or anything; she just wandered around in another world (that's where she got her name). Sometimes, though, she'd surprisingly outsmart the others. I'll never forget the time that she was the only one who figured out how to get to where I happened to be on another side of a fence. The others were walking back and forth, and she came right to me like she knew just where to go. She was a funny character.

That's another thing nice about this thread. I can work through my grief and even if no one reads my posts,

it makes me feel better to write about it.

Thats why I think the hawk was confused... he THOUGHT he had so many to choose from... lol
I remember many stories you told about Ditzy. I couldn't wait to hear what she was going to get herself into next. I think everyone reads your post, I think the only reason everyone don't reply is because they just don't know what to say. Happens to me allot sometimes I'm just at a loss.... You will never forget Ditzy and will never be able to replace her, but 1 day you will be able to talk about her without breaking down and crying, I feel for ya I really do.

 

[daskhan]

Innovation is never fully appreciated in its time is it @mother2hens? Lol

I don't know why, but the orps just don't trip my trigger. As I'm looking at what to add, practically they make sense, they just don't do it. I'm bizarre I guess...

look up jubalee Orpington they are different and probably more up your alley

 

[tmarsh83]

look up jubalee Orpington they are different and probably more up your alley

Pretty birds. Ugly price tag, but pretty birds...LOL

I'm kind of bummed that members in my area aren't more active...went the member list last night looking for some local folks and looking at their profiles they don't seem to be on or post much...