INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chick rookie]

I won't bother showing my "icky poop pics" today, but Cuddles seems to be improving a tiny bit. Her poops are sometimes solid, she's eating a little- only treats she really likes. (bread & mealworms) She pecked at tuna & yogurt. Still very odd because this girl is usually a bottomless pit. She's not at death's door yet.

great to hear she has improved some sending good vibs for a complete recovery

Hi all. Im in crawfordsville, in. (45nmins nw of indy).I consider myself pretty intermet savvy but not sure if i am posting this in the right spot, lol.
Growing up, we had many far animals, including chickens. In the 80's, I was a teen and my dad had 2 of the old style redwood cabinet incubators that we hatched out chicks from our flocks eggs and sold them every spring . I had chickens myself about 10 yrs ago and am now getting ready to go again.Im moving to the house my grandma had out in the country so im excited. I asked for a tabletop incubator for my bday and have eggs in it now,,8 days left! I bought chicks, and a few ducks a few weeks ago,, also got a few adult pairs locally. Going to pick up some dark throated golden and lady amherst pheasants Saturday. I have a million questions, even tho I would probably be considered semi experienced,, lol..
I am ISO many supplies and equipment, birds, etc..but ill ask later bc this is turning into a book..
so hi and hope I didnt post where I wasnt supposed to.

Welcome to our place, and it's the best place to be. Ask away.

I have a question, is anyone having problems with BYC when you get on the site?
I continue to get recover web page notices and locks up when I go to scroll down.
I have gotten on it from 3 different web services with high speeds and I have the same problem.
Just wondering if others are having the same problem. I have noticed it the last couple of weeks

Same thing here, I thought it was my computer....



Well DH was talking to his boss Thursday ( he lives in the area that we are moving into ) and he said the coal mine had baught up all the land on our road!!!! So I started digging into it and found out that the coal mine did buy up all but two properties on the road and ours is 1 or the 2. BUT the coal mine is all around us now. So we talked it over and all the cons that go with the coal mine is still less than the cons of staying here. Just hoping it will be like soo many other places they buy and leave sit for years and years.

Its great having my kitchen back, now that the kids are out in their pen. AND my bruises are healing up.... baby goats can be hard on ya... with their jumping and climbing on ya with those little hard hooves.


I'm getting EE eggs and a few brown eggs but not as many as I should be getting. I told the dead beats around here they were about to become chicken noodle soup if they didn't start pulling their wight around here. Ya think it will work????? lol

I am really in aww ... I have heard so much bad feed back about AM's and EE's being bad layers... Mine are and have been laying better then anything I have all year long.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Sounds like vet tech is where you need to go or somewhere in that field! I thought about vet tech but I get so attached easily to animals that it would be way to hard for me! I would be adopting every animal I could, or trying to save their lives instead of putting them down, yeah just couldn't do it! So I'm going for my Medical Assistants and just love it! I know where IPFW is, I went to Saint Francis for 2 years then decided to quit school for awhile til I figured out what I wanted to do instead of wasting mine and my parents money!

Thanks! I can't stop watching them and holding them! My son has been checking on them almost every 20 mins!

Well, everyone keeps saying that, and I have looked into vet tech work, but I really feel like I wouldn't have the stomach for it, to be honest. I'd rather see animals on their good days than in a place where 9 times out of 10 they are either terrified or sickly in some way. (And I can barely stand to get shots, myself, let alone administering them! )


My family says I go broody every spring when I have chicks. I disappear into my bedroom (where the brooder inevitably is) for weeks at a time, only coming out for food and bathroom breaks occasionally... Yeah, I guess that kind of is going broody.

Congrats on the babies, by the way!! (The cuteness, ACK! I do not need to check on Margie's eggs at 11 at night!!)

Sure you do! And I bet you did

You can't prove anything!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

So speaking of broodies, starting the day before yesterday, I began only opening Margie's broody pen and just seeing if she wanted to come out for a break, because we're now within the 'possible lockdown range' and I figured she would know when she would need to lock down. Thing is, she has gotten up every day since I started doing that without hesitation. So, here is my panicked hatching newbie question of the day: Should I stop offering her time out of her little broody cave so that she doesn't have the temptation to get up during what could possibly be lockdown, or should I let her decide when she needs to stay on the nest and keep assuming she'll know what's best?


I think I'm just freaking out at this point because we're within a week of all the projected hatch dates, so sorry if I seem like I'm being too fussy with poor Margie. I promise, I haven't been moving her around or touching the eggs... much... These will be my first real 'grandchickens', though, so I probably am being too fussy! I'm too invested at this point, I need everything to go exactly right!!

 

[EmSteele]

Went to the doctor for the the human egg I'm incubating! We're having a BOY! My 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter are ECSTATIC!
Any advice on chicken keeping while pregnant? My doctor just gives me a funny look when I ask

 

[ellymayRans]

So speaking of broodies, starting the day before yesterday, I began only opening Margie's broody pen and just seeing if she wanted to come out for a break, because we're now within the 'possible lockdown range' and I figured she would know when she would need to lock down. Thing is, she has gotten up every day since I started doing that without hesitation. So, here is my panicked hatching newbie question of the day: Should I stop offering her time out of her little broody cave so that she doesn't have the temptation to get up during what could possibly be lockdown, or should I let her decide when she needs to stay on the nest and keep assuming she'll know what's best?


I think I'm just freaking out at this point because we're within a week of all the projected hatch dates, so sorry if I seem like I'm being too fussy with poor Margie. I promise, I haven't been moving her around or touching the eggs... much... These will be my first real 'grandchickens', though, so I probably am being too fussy! I'm too invested at this point, I need everything to go exactly right!!

If its that close i would not encourage it.

I don't think they know any better. I have had them get off them while chicks were zipping! So frustrating and made me panic! ! They've also killed a few crushing them as they zipped getting on and off. Make sure her food and water are literally in her face and leave her be. My experience and opinion! ! Can't wait to see pics of the newbies! Good luck!

 

[ellymayRans]

Went to the doctor for the the human egg I'm incubating! We're having a BOY! My 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter are ECSTATIC!
Any advice on chicken keeping while pregnant? My doctor just gives me a funny look when I ask

Soo exciting!! Congrats!

I would suggest a mask if coop cleaning and wash wash wash your hands. Other than that i don't know what could be of any harm.

 

[Indyshent]

Soo exciting!! Congrats!

I would suggest a mask if coop cleaning and wash wash wash your hands. Other than that i don't know what could be of any harm.

@EmSteele I wholly second this. Pregnancy weakens your immune system, so just take some extra germ-proofing precautions, and everything should go well. And when you get to feeling unloved, depressed, moody, mean, whatever, take it to the chickens and let them help out.

And congratulations!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Went to the doctor for the the human egg I'm incubating! We're having a BOY! My 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter are ECSTATIC!
Any advice on chicken keeping while pregnant? My doctor just gives me a funny look when I ask

Eat lots of their healthy eggs!

 

[Indyshent]

Well, everyone keeps saying that, and I have looked into vet tech work, but I really feel like I wouldn't have the stomach for it, to be honest. I'd rather see animals on their good days than in a place where 9 times out of 10 they are either terrified or sickly in some way. (And I can barely stand to get shots, myself, let alone administering them!

)


My family says I go broody every spring when I have chicks.

I disappear into my bedroom (where the brooder inevitably is) for weeks at a time, only coming out for food and bathroom breaks occasionally... Yeah, I guess that kind of is going broody.

You can't prove anything!

Do it anyway. You can and will get used to doing shots and surgery. I'm doing my undergrad for veterinary medicine now, and I have a terrible thing about blood, shots, needles and emergency settings--but I'm getting used to all of them via my experiences with poultry. In the last year, I've administered all kinds shots, drugs, treatments, autopsies and treatments--and it's paying off big time.

In the last week, both of my boys were doing stupid things and managed to step on sharp implements and hurt themselves. My youngest got both ends of a staple stuck in his foot, and the autistic eight-year-old got a nail through his foot. Last year, I would have freaked out and dragged them to a hospital and suffered thousands of dollars and all kinds of trauma. Not any more. I've got all the equipment and know-how I need due to bumblefoot surgeries and all the rest. I was cool as a cucumber, which kept the kids pretty calm (all things considering) and everything's healing up great. They're both clowning around, just fine. I used to be utterly paralyzed in those kinds of circumstances, but now I'm kind of looking forward to processing and inuring myself to the icky bits because it pays off later. I don't want to be useless in an emergency and paralyzed at the sight of blood and gore. If I see an emergency situation, I want to be able to stitch people back up and help out until the real EMTs show up, and the only way to do that is to just buckle down and learn to deal with it.

I think you'd be a great vet. Vet assistants don't get paid much at all (but the degree's easier to come by and requires substantially less time). I don't think you could go into the food animal or research side of things (I'm not even sure I can do it), but I think a private practice would suit you fine. As bad as seeing and dealing with sick or injured animals can be, I think it's worth it see them get well and happy again.

 

[ellymayRans]

So after a few days i think my Tom may have completed his deed 1ce and now both hens are squatting for him. Lol!

I have 2 egg orders in for the Easter Hatch along and 1 came in today. 2 of 13 eggs busted and egg everywhere! Sigh
Only 3 eggs didn't have to be rinsed and i see no air cells for any of them. Granted they are some beautiful splash and blue marans eggs, but i can still see air cells in mine and they are just as dark. Hoping they are just that fresh and not completely scrambled!

Very pleased with egg color, just hope i can get a pair at the least! Last year i hatched more black copper and my goodness...i get boys!! I was able to add 1 hen last season. Granted I only hatched a very small # because my attempt at separating they stopped laying and i exp. predator issues which I'm sure is why they wouldn't lay..too stressed.

My hens are about 3 years old and i fear if i dont hatch more this year i will lose my beautiful eggs. I love the breed and don't ever want to be without them!

My second batch of eggs are the bantam mille fleur cochins. I will be slipping those under my broody and trading out the eggs shes sitting on now and those will go into the hatcher.