INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Hholly]

So for a while(about five months) I've been wanting to move to the Indy area but every land parcel or farm I've found is somewhere in the 300k plus range with or without buildings.. And the ones that are priced ok are way to small... Wth land in Indiana 4-5k an acre Indy area 10k really... And people wonder why the population is small... What does everyone see that makes the land worth that much that I don't.. To me Illinois has more to offer and is cheaper I'm so confused

You might look into Putnam county. Land there is much cheaper than here in Hendricks. Morgan county also has some cheaper prices. Check out MIBOR.com.

 

[daskhan]

Just an FYI - Some people from IL (Chicago area) are moving into Indiana.  (3 friends from the last year have made the leap across the border & are loving it in IN.)  In IN you get more house & land for your $.  In most Chicago suburbs 300K will get you a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on .25 acre or less.  We certainly couldn't afford to move here these days.  Taxes are another major part.  All kinds of crazy new tax laws are driving small businesses out of Illinois.  Our friends who have taken lateral job transfers to IN & WI are now enjoying bigger homes & less expenses. (They are driving more, but gas costs less, so that evens out.)  DH needs to live near Chicago, so we're kind of stuck.  

One of my sisters lives in Chicago but my preggo mentioned wanting to move to mid/ southren Illinois because Indiana counties are starting to make people pay county taxes on top of state and federal and higher sales taxes back in Florida we didn't even pay state taxes grr

 

[daskhan]

So someone on here(can't remember who) said that I should not expand the number of breeds I have 12-15 depending on if you seperate by color or not but instead pick like 4-5 or so and focus on those now some of mine are uncommon some arnt but I've been concidering trading them all for 3-4 rare and endangered breeds any thoughts on this another thought was just to add to what I have untill I could be concidered the next green fire farms or something like that

 

[pbirdhaven]

thanks!sold the guineas today. I have quite a few show quality rabbits and pets available too. I'm trying to save my money to get an Eclectus I want a bird friend in the house DH isn't keen on the idea (of course) lol. I'm trying to sell them before winter really hits as our preditor problem is just crazy. Had a raccoon tear my roo apart and just leave him. Only have 3 ducks left too. Trying to keep them. Hopefully nothing messes with the goats. Website also doesn't work right on Mobile only desktop shows all the different pages

I have an African grey--not as showy as an eclectus, but he is lots of fun. Huge vocabulary, some of which I'm ashamed he learned from me!

This is a long shot but does anyone happen to have a large bird cage that they would be willing to sell? I want the kind with the seed catchers at the bottom.

I have one, not sure of the measurements but can get them if you're still looking. I had planned to use it on the deck so that Artoo could go outside, but my chickens are free ranging (not the original plan) and I don't want to expose him to anything.

The sad news is that my Bielefelder (Hen Solo) died. She seemed fine in the am (getting underfoot as usual) & even laid an afternoon egg. I didn't spend much time outside, so I got worried when she wasn't on the roost at night check. I found her body in the run. When I inspected, I maybe saw signs of prolapse (vent looked weird / popped & slightly swollen abdomen). I just didn't see it earlier & feel terrible about losing her. Is it normal for a hen to die so quickly? I didn't see or feel any broken bones, feather damage, blood, etc.


Because I didn't have a male, I decided to sell all my Biele pullets in October/Nov. I kept Hen Solo because when the buyers came, we just couldn't part with that goofy, big pullet. The bieles were our primary source for eggs since my orp pullets are taking their own sweet time developing & all our hens are molting.

In addition, this year is especially hard because of my mom's death. She died in April, but Christmas was such a big deal for her. She really enjoyed giving gifts, decorating the house, & having huge family celebrations. Personally, I have to avoid shopping now because every time I pass a Christmas display, I tear up. My heart aches to see my mom again, to hug her, to share our day to phone calls, or even email pics. She was suddenly taken without warning. (She had a cold & stopped breathing when something block her air. The paramedics revived her but the moment without O2 was too long. Her heart & body were very strong, but her brain was unresponsive.) So now I miss her more than I could ever imagine. Sometimes, I wish I could speed up time & just skip Christmas this year. I'm simply taking the attitude that Christmas will come & go whether I am ready or not. So on top of all my personal sadness, losing my comical Hen Solo didn't help.

My heart is with you.

 

[pbirdhaven]

Something got one of my turkey hens two nights ago. The outside dogs went crazy sometime in the night; even my cattle dog indoors was barking and growling. By the time I got my boots on and grabbed a flashlight, the dogs were coming back to the house after running whatever it was off. Found what was left of her the next day. Those silly hens insist on roosting on top of the pens and I can't get to them to shut them inside; guess I'll have to start capturing them earlier in the evening. They go up there pretty early though, and the chickens haven't gone in yet--don't want to shut them out.
This poor girl has had a rough life since I got them from Racinchickens; something had wounded her then. Patched her up with Columbian wound powder for a few days, and she was fine. Then she was attacked a few weeks ago; treated her again and kept her penned until she healed. She must have been wearing a sign that said "Eat me."

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

So for a while(about five months) I've been wanting to move to the Indy area but every land parcel or farm I've found is somewhere in the 300k plus range with or without buildings.. And the ones that are priced ok are way to small... Wth land in Indiana 4-5k an acre Indy area 10k really... And people wonder why the population is small... What does everyone see that makes the land worth that much that I don't.. To me Illinois has more to offer and is cheaper I'm so confused

When I moved to central Indiana in 99, My DD and I stayed with my sister in east Indy until I could research schools. Originally chose Hamilton county but school system not growing fast enough, to match the population.. and rising taxes made me finally decide on Madison county. Glad I did at the time! I was able to purchase a home and acreage here that gave me 5X what other surrounding counties did. Pendleton Is a farming community too, and had very high statistics for scholastic achievements. Met my DH at that time too, and he agreed with my findings. Both our girls did awesome with the school system.

Quote: Exactly!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I remember a lot of complaints from the cops I worked with right over the line in IL. More so in the animal control officers. Housing and property taxes were killing them, I lived in Lake co, IN at the time. Was just stunned at the huge difference of property taxes between the states.

Quote: Yes, good post!

So someone on here(can't remember who) said that I should not expand the number of breeds I have 12-15 depending on if you seperate by color or not but instead pick like 4-5 or so and focus on those now some of mine are uncommon some arnt but I've been concidering trading them all for 3-4 rare and endangered breeds any thoughts on this another thought was just to add to what I have untill I could be concidered the next green fire farms or something like that

Pick one breed at a time, get that one right. Build another coop, pick the next breed...
Greenfire imports rare breeds from all over the world. You have lengthy quarantines before they are even allowed into the states.
If you seriously want to offer a rare breed, it is sure an investment.

Something got one of my turkey hens two nights ago. The outside dogs went crazy sometime in the night; even my cattle dog indoors was barking and growling. By the time I got my boots on and grabbed a flashlight, the dogs were coming back to the house after running whatever it was off. Found what was left of her the next day. Those silly hens insist on roosting on top of the pens and I can't get to them to shut them inside; guess I'll have to start capturing them earlier in the evening. They go up there pretty early though, and the chickens haven't gone in yet--don't want to shut them out.
This poor girl has had a rough life since I got them from Racinchickens; something had wounded her then. Patched her up with Columbian wound powder for a few days, and she was fine. Then she was attacked a few weeks ago; treated her again and kept her penned until she healed. She must have been wearing a sign that said "Eat me."

Owls seem to be making a comeback. I often only find the head and neck missing, body intact when the great horned comes in. White bird breeds really seem to draw them in. I have seen the owl several times, and picked off all but 1 of my CX last fall. It dropped one on top of my goat house last week. They are HUGE birds. We are working towards every bird being contained or cooped. Between the owl and hawks Its been a painful year so open free ranging will stop here for a long time.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

This was a painful day for me but had to make this choice..
RIP my BP (Big Pig) Today was his "Bad Day" I have posted him for a breeder on several sites and FaceBook. Offered him for free to the original breeder, my vet. He actually wanted him but has 2 boar hogs already. Too heavy for me to use with my sows, largest sow here is about 200 pounds. Huge feed bill for a boar I can't use safely for my sows. I kept him a month longer than I should have, food consumption for this large a hog is expensive. Hard decision because he was a gentle fella, but showing male aggression to DH and nephew. Not ok, so it was time.

My personal thank you @racinchickins facing my BPs bad day. Never taking on another hog so large to process ourselves, cuts were so huge putting in the fridges to cool down. Will be weighing the main cuts to estimate final weight. Largest hog I have processed yet. Using the standard measurements, he was estimated 479lbs. I had a lot of trouble finding the proper cuts dividing the carcass and took several hours longer for me than it usually does to process.

I will miss him so much, pretty friendly for a boar around women. He was challenging my DH and nephew the last few weeks if they were any where near me. I watch close any livestock, waterfowl or poultry we keep and if they repeat any aggressive acts, they will not stay. BP chose to be aggressive to any male members of our household.

 

[chick rookie]

So for a while(about five months) I've been wanting to move to the Indy area but every land parcel or farm I've found is somewhere in the 300k plus range with or without buildings.. And the ones that are priced ok are way to small... Wth land in Indiana 4-5k an acre Indy area 10k really... And people wonder why the population is small... What does everyone see that makes the land worth that much that I don't.. To me Illinois has more to offer and is cheaper I'm so confused

See Quote below... lol I was just about to tell ya that same thing. aand it's not just Chicago area, all over Ill, is pretty much the same, I have checked into that too.

Just an FYI - Some people from IL (Chicago area) are moving into Indiana. (3 friends from the last year have made the leap across the border & are loving it in IN.) In IN you get more house & land for your $. In most Chicago suburbs 300K will get you a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on .25 acre or less. We certainly couldn't afford to move here these days. Taxes are another major part. All kinds of crazy new tax laws are driving small businesses out of Illinois. Our friends who have taken lateral job transfers to IN & WI are now enjoying bigger homes & less expenses. (They are driving more, but gas costs less, so that evens out.) DH needs to live near Chicago, so we're kind of stuck.

 

[chick rookie]

One of my sisters lives in Chicago but my preggo mentioned wanting to move to mid/ southren Illinois because Indiana counties are starting to make people pay county taxes on top of state and federal and higher sales taxes back in Florida we didn't even pay state taxes grr

" Starting " to pay County taxes??? I have had to pay County taxes forever. But even at that Ill property taxes are much higher, used to live in Ill. and owned several rental homes... taxes were a killer.

I remember a lot of complaints from the cops I worked with right over the line in IL. More so in the animal control officers. Housing and property taxes were killing them, I lived in Lake co, IN at the time. Was just stunned at the huge difference of property taxes between the states.

Yes, good post!

Pick one breed at a time, get that one right. Build another coop, pick the next breed...
Greenfire imports rare breeds from all over the world. You have lengthy quarantines before they are even allowed into the states.
If you seriously want to offer a rare breed, it is sure an investment.

Owls seem to be making a comeback. I often only find the head and neck missing, body intact when the great horned comes in. White bird breeds really seem to draw them in. I have seen the owl several times, and picked off all but 1 of my CX last fall. It dropped one on top of my goat house last week. They are HUGE birds. We are working towards every bird being contained or cooped. Between the owl and hawks Its been a painful year so open free ranging will stop here for a long time.

I have Falcon and Hawk ( new this year ) here, I too am slowly ending the free ranging, and seeing my feed bill go up because of it.

This was a painful day for me but had to make this choice..
RIP my BP (Big Pig) Today was his "Bad Day" I have posted him for a breeder on several sites and FaceBook. Offered him for free to the original breeder, my vet. He actually wanted him but has 2 boar hogs already. Too heavy for me to use with my sows, largest sow here is about 200 pounds. Huge feed bill for a boar I can't use safely for my sows. I kept him a month longer than I should have, food consumption for this large a hog is expensive. Hard decision because he was a gentle fella, but showing male aggression to DH and nephew. Not ok, so it was time.

My personal thank you @racinchickins facing my BPs bad day. Never taking on another hog so large to process ourselves, cuts were so huge putting in the fridges to cool down. Will be weighing the main cuts to estimate final weight. Largest hog I have processed yet. Using the standard measurements, he was estimated 479lbs. I had a lot of trouble finding the proper cuts dividing the carcass and took several hours longer for me than it usually does to process.

I will miss him so much, pretty friendly for a boar around women. He was challenging my DH and nephew the last few weeks if they were any where near me. I watch close any livestock, waterfowl or poultry we keep and if they repeat any aggressive acts, they will not stay. BP chose to be aggressive to any male members of our household.

Sounds like you made the right choice, sad to say, but I'm with you if something starts showing aggression around here it goes also.
Kudos to you and others that are able to eat what you raise. I wish I could bring myself to do it. I have nightmares after putting an animal down because it is suffering, I just don't think I could handle eating them.