INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

So 2 of my 3 turkey hens are laying. 1 was attempting to brood and I broke her of that. However I have another that must be as well because I've seen her but day 3 and she still isn't sleeping with the others. I saw her briefly yesterday morning and I have looked for her yesterday and today at different times and cannot find her nesting. I've not found her remains either sooo I am hoping she's still out there. The one came out when I fed this morning but the other didn't. I hate they all look identical so I never know which one I'm seeing unless they are all together. I need to mark them somehow cleverly!

Those of you raising turkeys is there any tricks to finding them?? I had really hoped they would have taken advantage of the large plywood pieces I have leaned in several areas in hopes they would use those as nesting spots so I could then enclose them making it safer for them, but of course they didn't!

 

[ellymayRans]

Okay gang...I have a few quick questions I'm thinking you can help me with, so here goes...

1.) How young can chicks be and still effectively use those little screw in cup waterers?  Our chicks keep scratching and throwing shavings over the edges of the waterer and it seems like the debris acts like a wick, siphoning just enough water to slowly empty it and get the wood shavings nice and damp.  We've got two Black Sex Link pullets that are now about the size of a robin and four other chicks that are about 4 weeks old.  I watched all of them drink out of the little cup, but I'm not sure they're pushing the little yellow plunger thing down enough to refill the cup.  I still have the other waterer in the brooder with them, but I'm going through shavings like crazy!  Any tips or thoughts?

2.) When we first got our chicks, I noticed one of the RIR's (we call her Cadbury) had what I'll call sleepy eyes. Her eyes seemed like they were about 80% open most of the time while the others' eyes were wide open.  She seemed maybe a little less active than the others but overall pretty good.  We're now coming up on 3 weeks since we got them.  She still seems okay.  She's feathering out just like the others, but doesn't seem to be growing as fast.  No pasty butt problems or anything.  She acts just like the other RIR but is noticeably smaller now.  Is it unusual to have one grow slower like that?  If not, do you think she was sick and just fell a little behind?  Could she still be sick but not have any noticeable symptoms?

3.) The BSLs are getting pretty big.  I'm thinking they're probably a week older than our other chicks.  They're feathering out all over (minus the head) and look like ratty looking crows sitting along the road.  Our other chicks are coming along nicely but are nowhere near as advanced.  Wings are feathering out and tail feathers starting to grow.  Any major issues that I need to be thinking about or planning for because of the differences in their development?  Am I better off keeping them all on the same timeline as a group or when the time comes, should I send the BSLs to the coop and keep the other 4 in the brooder?

4.) What does DH stand for?  Thinking H may be husband but there's all kinds of things the D could be! LOL!

THanks in advance for the advice!

I've never used the cups so I can't say for sure on them. I have always placed the waterer on something raising it off of the wood chips/bedding, or hang it. I love the GQF brooder DH ( Dear Husband

) got me for Xmas as it is a troth but on the outside of it and they poke their heads out to get a drink. Love that. No pooping in it, scratching bedding in it, knocking it over, jumping on it or drowning in it. Oh and I can fill it and the food without crazy chicks pecking at my rings/fingers or going a wall out of the brooder.

Now I've installed the galvanized troths in the wooden brooders for the older chicks and ducks. It isnt as clean as the other but at least I don't have to pick it up, unscrew parts to fill it! It has legs and a rod across the top that if they try to get on it it rotates causing them to fall off.

The "D" is Dear, there's DS (dear son), DD ( dear daughter) etc.

 

[ellymayRans]

Oops sorry @weezerfish
#3. There is a thing called failure to thrive. Not that it has something specifically wrong with it. Just my 2cents. I put chicks of different ages together as long as they are big enough to fend for themselves and it's a good #. Basically you want to always have the younger chicks to out number the older chicks. If possible it is better to merge them where the environment is new to all of them. It's also best IMO to get them all together before the big move to the outside so you don't have smaller groups outcasted causing them to be easy targets.

This has been my experience.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So 2 of my 3 turkey hens are laying. 1 was attempting to brood and I broke her of that. However I have another that must be as well because I've seen her but day 3 and she still isn't sleeping with the others. I saw her briefly yesterday morning and I have looked for her yesterday and today at different times and cannot find her nesting. I've not found her remains either sooo I am hoping she's still out there. The one came out when I fed this morning but the other didn't. I hate they all look identical so I never know which one I'm seeing unless they are all together. I need to mark them somehow cleverly!

Those of you raising turkeys is there any tricks to finding them?? I had really hoped they would have taken advantage of the large plywood pieces I have leaned in several areas in hopes they would use those as nesting spots so I could then enclose them making it safer for them, but of course they didn't!

Maybe band legs to mark each hen, thats what I do. I have found all sorts of nesting spots. Some were crazy, like by a big rock totally exposed. I have all mine confined now but the daily egg hunt sure was a pain.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I watch the 2 old Indiana threads that's no longer active. I try to let each poster know that the old threads no longer maintained, and always invite them here! Members come and go due to life events and deciding to no longer keep poultry, and thats ok. I doubt I will continue keeping birds in large numbers much longer myself. Our thread is set up so even if I am no longer involved, other folks can keep it going.
I will always have a good handful of chicken breeds, other poultry and livestock. As I get older I realize I have to limit what I keep. Our new coops have really helped and decreased my workload. 4 left to build or repair! Have less than a dozen free range birds left and hope to confine this weekend.

 

[Faraday40]

They're hard to sex until a little older and even then can be foolers. In general the crest will slope forward in the pullets and split in the cockerels. Lower right I would guess cockerel. Can't see crests well enough on the others. Cute pics! They're great birds.

I ended up keeping 4 (for now) in hopes of having a keeper pullet.
Here's the one that I brought in to snuggle last night. 4.5 weeks old.

I'm guessing pullet (Do you agree?)
They pretty much all look like this. The one one with the wider crest in the other pic was sold. The woman liked it b/c it was different.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Okay gang...I have a few quick questions I'm thinking you can help me with, so here goes...

1.) How young can chicks be and still effectively use those little screw in cup waterers? Our chicks keep scratching and throwing shavings over the edges of the waterer and it seems like the debris acts like a wick, siphoning just enough water to slowly empty it and get the wood shavings nice and damp. We've got two Black Sex Link pullets that are now about the size of a robin and four other chicks that are about 4 weeks old. I watched all of them drink out of the little cup, but I'm not sure they're pushing the little yellow plunger thing down enough to refill the cup. I still have the other waterer in the brooder with them, but I'm going through shavings like crazy! Any tips or thoughts?

@weezerfish

On the screw-in waterers:

I always offer the regular canning jar waterers when they are babies. I've used the screw-in type, but not until they are a little older. You can put them out at the same time as the canning jar waterer and fill the little cups with water. Eventually they'll learn to use them but the babies need a water source that is available at all times when they're new...don't take chances on that.

Raise the waterer up off of ground level. I take a wood "clementine box" (tangerines) and turn it upside down. (Go down to the grocery and get a box full, dump them in a bowl, and proceed! ]

Place a piece of the drawer/shelf liner upside down on top of that- the kind that has the non skid surface on the bottom. Then put the waterer on that. Teach them where it is and they'll hop up there for their drink. No shavings up there to get in it. [I also put the food up on one of those as well.]

I put marbles into the trough of the canning jar waterer when they are tiny chicks. That accomplishes several things including keeping a chick from drowning in it (chicks brooded under lights will often fall asleep wherever they are - even near waterers.) [I purchased lead-free marbles online. The regular marbles at the store still have lead in them.] Remove marbles as they get older. My adult birds still drink from those little troughs during the winter.


On the DH....

I remember someone on the forum that thought it meant "Dumb Husband" (or....) for the longest time. She thought everyone was disrespectful until she figured it out!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@weezerfish

PS: Could you please post a photo of the cup waterers so we're sure we're addressing the same thing? There are several types and I've used most of them and can tell you my experience with each if it would be helpful.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I wanted to say Thank you again to all of the people here in this group who have helped me out the past 6 months. I greatly appreciate all that this group has done for me. I know I did not get thank you cards sent out but I really really do appreciate every thing that has been done and is being done for me.
And while I miss my birds, I am extremely grateful for those of you that took them to their new homes and for those of you that made turkey dinners of a few. Thank you all very very much.

 

[daskhan]

Hello everyone what have I missed lol like 8 pages of post wow sorry I've just been so busy