INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo love your little Malcolm! You have a beautiful flock.

 

[Hholly]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Your chickens are pretty!

Loving the pics!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Got so much done today!!! Love the warm weather. I can see my guineas pairing and free range roosters settling up who is boss. Holland Turkey are laying. Geese and ducks actively breeding so duck eggs are any time, geese have 1 nest brooding and another started. More eggs from Sumatra, Orps, AMs and Dark Cornish. Going to collect this weekend and set a test hatch Tuesday.
So my neighbor that keeps cows, like 60 years experience. Came over to look at my cow, Fanny girl this afternoon, and said she is doing awesome. Put weight on well, and said she is in great health. If she is expecting, he said its another 45 days most, UGH. Marked the calendar! He also said it will be harder to breed her, longer we wait... He has a young holstein bull, not the bull I want to use. But he has offered to loan him. He may encourage her to breed if she is not pregnant. If I do, he will be staying with us for a month. And he is horned, sooo. That means running hot wire and finishing the second pasture. I won't chance keeping him in with the goats and donkey. My hog pen is also in my current pasture so it would make daily management difficult. I am waiting out the 45 days he suggested, and we will finish that new pasture in the meantime. I won't put myself in a pasture with an unfamiliar bull, no way. Going to discuss with my vet if he can do an ultrasound, something to see if we have a calf. Its a long gestation period, so I want to plan a birth for warmer weather.

 

[pbirdhaven]

I have gotten soooo far behind between thawing waterers, emptying waterers, filling waterers, etc. and trying to keep up with my classes. Thought I was about to catch up with this thread, but pulled it up and 27 pages behind. Skimmed a few then decided to just start where everybody else is.

Saw some great pictures and read about some sorrows--condolences to those of you with losses.

My plan is to check in daily and not let myself get this far behind again. Supposed to be helping with the member list, so apologies for not keeping up. If anyone has anything to add or change, pm one of us and somebody will get it done.

Loving the warmer temps, but the wind today was horrendous. Caught my storm door and ripped the door closer right out of the frame, and I found my watering equipment scattered everywhere. At least the wind should help dry out the suck-your-boots-off mud.

 

[Indyshent]

Better pics of her body type is a better indicator than the egg color, as we all know how we can get a variety of shades. They should be a cream tint not brown. Her color and face throws me for not being pure Cochin bantam. Just my 2 cents.

As for the Mereks I know I hate reading about those things, but with allowing the chicks to have been brooded in the flock and them live to the age they did I wouldn't suspect it. But then again what do I know!!!

Oh and wanted to add the olive egger girl hatched with screech you returned, she's laying again and doing great! One was lost to a predator awhile after coming here but the other is just a sweet and healthy as ever.

Sorry to hear things have been tough for you lately.

Your birds are beautiful, though, especially Bonbon and Lacy, but of course I'm biased toward Cochins and chocolate varieties...

Cochins actually should lay brown eggs according to the standard. Most lay light brown like the egg on the right in your picture, from what I was reading. Here is the standard from an online Cochin breed club that talks about egg color and general points of their appearance: http://www.cochinsint.com/large-female.html (Egg color is under the header 'Economic Qualities'.)

Editing to add, I have heard that Cochin bantams often lay lighter eggs than the LF Cochins, so cream isn't out of the ordinary for them.

It's been crazy windy here! I'm surprised my hens haven't ended up in the next county! They've definitely been feeling it, though. Lots of blown out bloomers today:




Reuben, on the other hand, looked fabulous in the wind.

Congrats!!

It's so exciting to see your own birds circling the home page!

My Black LF Cochin lays the second darkest egg in overall color--even darker than one of the Welsummers for overall tint. She lays HUGE eggs too! The more I looked on that site, the more impressed I am with

Reuben looks like the cover of a henhouse romance novel

Got so much done today!!! Love the warm weather. I can see my guineas pairing and free range roosters settling up who is boss. Holland Turkey are laying. Geese and ducks actively breeding so duck eggs are any time, geese have 1 nest brooding and another started. More eggs from Sumatra, Orps, AMs and Dark Cornish. Going to collect this weekend and set a test hatch Tuesday.
So my neighbor that keeps cows, like 60 years experience. Came over to look at my cow, Fanny girl this afternoon, and said she is doing awesome. Put weight on well, and said she is in great health. If she is expecting, he said its another 45 days most, UGH. Marked the calendar! He also said it will be harder to breed her, longer we wait... He has a young holstein bull, not the bull I want to use. But he has offered to loan him. He may encourage her to breed if she is not pregnant. If I do, he will be staying with us for a month. And he is horned, sooo. That means running hot wire and finishing the second pasture. I won't chance keeping him in with the goats and donkey. My hog pen is also in my current pasture so it would make daily management difficult. I am waiting out the 45 days he suggested, and we will finish that new pasture in the meantime. I won't put myself in a pasture with an unfamiliar bull, no way. Going to discuss with my vet if he can do an ultrasound, something to see if we have a calf. Its a long gestation period, so I want to plan a birth for warmer weather.

Holstein *hopefully* shouldn't be too bad, but he won't be as cute or cool as the miniature Jersey bull I found for you

 

[kabhyper1]

Sorry to hear things have been tough for you lately.

Your birds are beautiful, though, especially Bonbon and Lacy, but of course I'm biased toward Cochins and chocolate varieties...

Cochins actually should lay brown eggs according to the standard. Most lay light brown like the egg on the right in your picture, from what I was reading. Here is the standard from an online Cochin breed club that talks about egg color and general points of their appearance: http://www.cochinsint.com/large-female.html (Egg color is under the header 'Economic Qualities'.)

Editing to add, I have heard that Cochin bantams often lay lighter eggs than the LF Cochins, so cream isn't out of the ordinary for them.

It's been crazy windy here! I'm surprised my hens haven't ended up in the next county! They've definitely been feeling it, though. Lots of blown out bloomers today:







Reuben, on the other hand, looked fabulous in the wind.

Congrats!!

It's so exciting to see your own birds circling the home page!

Reuben turned into a very nice beardless roo. He comes from show stock, you should consider showing him.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have gotten soooo far behind between thawing waterers, emptying waterers, filling waterers, etc. and trying to keep up with my classes. Thought I was about to catch up with this thread, but pulled it up and 27 pages behind. Skimmed a few then decided to just start where everybody else is.

Saw some great pictures and read about some sorrows--condolences to those of you with losses.

My plan is to check in daily and not let myself get this far behind again. Supposed to be helping with the member list, so apologies for not keeping up. If anyone has anything to add or change, pm one of us and somebody will get it done.

Loving the warmer temps, but the wind today was horrendous. Caught my storm door and ripped the door closer right out of the frame, and I found my watering equipment scattered everywhere. At least the wind should help dry out the suck-your-boots-off mud.

I did a quick gathering of equipment on my table by the main coops. It was blown everywhere! I do not use my waterers in winter, I use free buckets from meijer and other groceries. I only fill half full, and turn upside down to let the sun defrost.
Stinks on the storm door! We had some trees, Cottonwood snap off, fortunately no damage.
No worries on the member list! I am trying to add several contributors so its not a burden to anyone.

Quote: LOL, romance novel. Mr July probably wrote that book! We need to be sure you have a couple Sumatra hen.
OH, send his info to me, please! I really want to arrange a better bull for my Fanny. Jack moves his cattle often so the Angus is no longer there.

 

[tmarsh83]

At least the wind should help dry out the suck-your-boots-off mud.

I told myself this no less than five times today.

 

[tmarsh83]

If she is expecting, he said its another 45 days most, UGH. Marked the calendar! He also said it will be harder to breed her, longer we wait...  He has a young holstein bull, not the bull I want to use. But he has offered to loan him. He may encourage her to breed if she is not pregnant. If I do, he will be staying with us for a month. And he is horned, sooo. That means running hot wire and finishing the second pasture. I won't chance keeping him in with the goats and donkey. My hog pen is also in my current pasture so it would make daily management difficult. I am waiting out the 45 days he suggested, and we will finish that new pasture in the meantime. I won't put myself in a pasture with an unfamiliar bull, no way. Going to discuss with my vet if he can do an ultrasound, something to see if we have a calf. Its a long gestation period, so I want to plan a birth for warmer weather.

Certainly would think a better option can be found than that Holstein. Spent far too much of my youth around Holsteins. Worse than most beefers IMO. Jerseys are so good natured, seems such a waste to dilute that with Holstein crazy.

 

[cganote]

Quote: Hah! My female turkey does the same thing to me. I always though they were curious what the hell was in our mouths.



The wind here was also crazy. It flipped our trampoline flight pen - luckily no one was in there!