INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[flyladyrocks]

YES, YES, YES!!! I totally agree. It makes me absolutely sick and sad to hear a healthy flock was "depopulated". We've had some losses here (we lost our wonderful chicken dog to complications from being hit by a car months ago and we had an internal layer, our EE who thought she was a turkey - my sons favorite) I think that made that depopulation more heartbreaking for me. Wondering/worrying about @amwchickin and the other (27??) Backyard flocks if "they" are "depopulating" healthy birds. I will sound like a conspiracy theorist but I still think there has got to be info not being shared if these supposedly high biosecurity farms are getting it. It has to be more that just wild birds!! Okay I'm better get off my soapbox before I get really riled up.

Off to happier topics- the chicks you may have this year! This is why it us dangerous for me to be on here. I thought I was good with "I don't need to buy any chicks this year we'll make plenty of our own" then you torture me with Lav Amer, Choc Orps and ooo what will your Cuckoo boy create? Last years maran is definitely the daddy of most of the chicks we got from you. He was a busy boy! Not only feathered feet/legs, but we get the most beautiful olive egg from Nutela who we thought was an EE b/c her legs are feather free. Guess we know who her daddy was!

I have to admit, my plans are swaying to less poultry and more waterfowl. I just enjoy them more and they seem to have a longer lifespan. Even more so, the livestock I keep. I  have less feed cost and maintenance in the goat, hog, cow and donkey care.
I have a few chicken breeds I really appreciate most, but there will be changes this year. Same with my Turkey and guinea flock.. If I have to cage and confine the birds, I will be rethinking what we keep. The continuing AI scare has me really considering what I keep also. Depopulation of an uninfected flock has me just sick. I cannot fathom killing over 150,000 birds that were not infected! Not OK with that and its got me pretty upset.
I get it, they are trying to stop the spread of the disease. They could have quarantined the facility...instead of killing 156,000 birds! Its got me really wondering what comes next. Just sick over that many birds dead because they lived too close to the turkey farms. Those chickens were tested negative. Died for no reason! I am just not OK with that! I can sure going to face the fight with the state coming here to kill my birds if our county is infected.
I can tell you this, it will be a fight. I agree, the disease needs to be controlled. They will not come in and kill my flocks that are negative AI. Some of my hens are 5, 6 year old girls. Older from other folks homes. Just because I am near an effected site, is not a good reason to kill all my birds and I will fight it.

 

[Faraday40]

Off to happier topics- the chicks you may have this year! This is why it us dangerous for me to be on here. I thought I was good with "I don't need to buy any chicks this year we'll make plenty of our own" then you torture me with Lav Amer, Choc Orps and ooo what will your Cuckoo boy create? Last years maran is definitely the daddy of most of the chicks we got from you. He was a busy boy! Not only feathered feet/legs, but we get the most beautiful olive egg from Nutela who we thought was an EE b/c her legs are feather free. Guess we know who her daddy was!

I agree & share your torture. I LOVE orps! The idea of adding more colors to our flock -like choc or blue or anything laced - is so tempting. I also want to get Bielefelders & DD is begging for a silkie. Then I see those cute Cochins....

The problem is that we do not NEED any more chickens. Now our egg production is going up, so I'm also getting tempted to incubate a test hatch. (Such a waste to eat our lav orp eggs!) The incubator is still packed away in the attic, so I think I'm safe for now. Of course, if Cookie decides to go broody, I may not be able to prevent some eggs from finding their way into her nest. LOL
.

 

[Hholly]

I was at RK yesterday to pickup chicken feed etc. I was planning to get a bag of cracked corn for cold weather extra protein treats but saw something else. They had "Midwest sweet feed" on sale. This is normally for horses, goats etc but for $5.99 a bag it was cheaper than cracked corn! It's supposed to be at least 12% protein in the pellets with oats and stuff mixed in. I think it also has a molasses mixed into it too. The chickens and turkeys really went to town when I feed them some, and their regular feeders were already full so they weren't that hungry they must like the taste!

So if anyone is looking for an out of the ordinary treat you might try this sweet feed mix. On sale yesterday at RK for $6!

Did you happen to notice what kinds of chicks they had at RK?

 

[racinchickins]

Quote: When I was there it was Barred Rock and Rhode Island Red.

 

[wheezy50]

I was at the RK in Greenwood, they had bins setup but no chick's in them. I think they had already sold whatever they had, the lights were on and food/water in the bins but no chick's. I didn't see any signs about what breeds they had though, sorry!

 

[wheezy50]

I have Muscovy eggs available that I was wondering what to do with because I am not ready to begin hatching yet.  I have an even dozen right now and are getting one or two a day.

I may be able to help out.  I don't have any extra drakes, but will be going up to see jchny2000 this weekend to pick up some Muscovy hens.  I could pick up a drake for you.  I'm located in Mooresville, so quite a bit closer to you than Pendleton.  I might be interested in some of your extra hens also, what colors do you have?

Might have to try this. I wonder if the pigs would like it too? Did they also have chicks available?  The last time I was in the Martinsville RK, they already had chicks!  I thought that was crazy early.

Did you get some pigs? That's cool if so! I will raise one for food someday, just don't have a good setup for it yet.

 

[racinchickins]

Quote: Yes. We got a pair of Yorkshires from Janet. They are fun, and the setup to keep them in was easy to put together. Stop by when it's warm and we can show you both the pig and the bee setups.

 

[Mother2Hens]

More Snow
We were on the edge of the stow storm path, and when I went to bed in the wee hours, I thought we had lucked out. The storm was just running behind schedule. We have lots of snow, but fortunately both storms this week haven't brought the usual freezing rain prior to snowing. It's windy, though. Last year, I started laying down tarps in front of the coop and on a pathway to their garage playground. It's like magic to pull away the tarps and have snow-free areas!

The chickens wait until I have everything cleared so they don't have to touch a speck of snowl

Frosty Head
Today, Screech is acting normal, but I saw faint transparent white areas again on her head. I brought her inside, and normally I'd bring a buddy with her, but even her surrogate mother Bonbon will occasionally peck Screech. My lone Silkie, Smalty, won't peck her, but Screech is the only one who pecks Smalty! I hate to have Screech away from the others, but it would be good to give her time to grow some head feathers back in.

Here are today's photos which show both sides of her head. You can click for a larger view. If anyone has any comments/advice, please let me know. Thank you!


Originally Posted by Faraday40
I meant to comment last night that I LOVE these photos! I need to start using my iPhone's manual shutter speed so I can freeze moments. Chickens move around so much! I never get around to looking at the main BYC site, but I think they have photo contests.

 

[flyladyrocks]

@Mother2Hens glad Screech is back to herself. My 2 Orp roos are much better today too! @Faraday40 I just held up this pic up along with our rubber chicken dog toy. My kids got a good laugh! [COLOR=333333]Here's another one with funny timing. I was using a piece of bread to make Bubbles pose. After I got the camera in focus, she decided to stop posing & popped up to grab the bread instead. I like the shadow of her feet.[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333][COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]"There goes Bubble doing her rubber chicken pose again!"[/COLOR] [/quote]

 

[flyladyrocks]

Had to share this pic of our turkey Anastasia. With her are Rapunzel (buff) and Belle (lav).

"I don't care if I have my own nesting box! I like this one!"