INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

And my 2 adult (2yo) SFH hens. You can see that I prefer blues and blacks...though SFH come in a huge variety of colors!


Sally



Shay

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Beautiful birds, Leahs mom! Those boys are all so handsome, not sure how you could pick a favorite. And Whoopsie is a cutie with her styled mousse hair.

P.S. I just gave our Tilde a 'hair cut' the other day. I trimmed way back on her crest so that her eyes are clear on both sides in all directions, but I left just a tuft this time. I had stopped mid-trim to check how close I was and she just looked so funny that I left it there. Tilly is not as amused as I am. She's going for the 'Appenzeller' look.

I know, I'm mean.

 

[Jntnrmn]

Wow, Leahsmom, those are beautiful birds, i love the crested one! If you don't mind my asking, what is SFH and SL? I apologize for not knowing, I'm barely learning the more common breeds and their abbreviations, and there are so many different breeds.
Also,Pipdzipdnreadytogo, Tilly is so pretty but your right, i dont think she looks amused LOL

 

[Indyshent]

Good morning

Has anyone here ever tried to use a leash and harness on a chicken? I'm so worried about my bantams because they just don't get down from their coop very often. They don't forage or walk around and scratch much. I started taking food and mealies to them, putting it on top of the coop where they stay most of the day. I'm wondering if I leash them and have them walk with me throughout the day maybe they will start to get down more. I read that their breed prefers roosting high but this seems too much to me. They don't want anything to do with us and when I have to handle them, i have to use a net to catch them which perpetuates the trust problem. I have even considered they just might not be happy HERE and maybe I should offer them to someone else but I hate to give them up if it's not their home environment or us making them unhappy.
Another problem with them is they will not go in their coop. They even stayed on top of their coop through the storm last night. I had been catching them and making them go in at night but I feared i was stressing them too much.
Any suggestions on what I should do would be greatly appreciated. (I'm sorry for such a long post)

Wow, Leahsmom, those are beautiful birds, i love the crested one! If you don't mind my asking, what is SFH and SL? I apologize for not knowing, I'm barely learning the more common breeds and their abbreviations, and there are so many different breeds.
Also,Pipdzipdnreadytogo, Tilly is so pretty but your right, i dont think she looks amused LOL

While leashes and harnesses can be used on birds, I don't advise it because the leashes will get tangled on everything and using a leash won't address the root cause of the birds' behavior. How long have you had them? If they haven't been there long, they may need time to adjust.

If they have been with you for weeks already, you may want to consider a tiny coop (with a perch) on top of the regular coop. The more it looks like a cupola, the more adorable it will be, and the more they'll likely enjoy it. Alternatively, you can put in a roost extra high up in the regular coop (one that is too high and/or too close to walls for regular fowl to sit on it). They probably just want a space higher up where they can feel out of the reach of bigger birds and predators (which is why owls seem to target these guys unerringly). This breed doesn't seemingly feel comfortable unless it's above everyone else (I've had a few D'Uccle roosters) or priviledged with its very own space (which also must be fairly high).

Your bigger birds may be picking on them or may simply be intimidating to these little birds. Bantams--esp D'Uccles to my experience--are very sensitive to their smallness and loathe it. Much like men and small dogs, they hate being reminded of how tiny they are, and forcing them to be around birds which are much larger than them exacerbates their Napoleon complexes and can make them into cowards or tyrants (more likely). Cause of death to most D'Uccle roos appears to be 1) Owls, 2) Hawks, and 3) Writing checks their bodies can't cash. They don't like backing down from fights and will often start them... with bigger roosters, and... with turkeys... who will stomp them into a fine red paste.

Your little guy might not be feeling well or might be a bit old from the sounds of it. I've yet to meet one of that breed that would cower the way you're describing. In either case, he would benefit very much from having a quiet, safe, dry place with a high perch where he can get his bearings and hopefully start feeling a little better. Bouncing him to another home will likely be harder on him than it's worth, but you can try it so long as the new home has the capacity to give him such accommodations.

Regarding acronyms:

SFH: Swedish Flower hen (Swedish names always seem to specify "hens" even though the breed always includes roosters). Svart Honas/Swedish Black Hen (SBH) is another Swedish breed/landrace (they were bred by natural selection instead of a breeder's whims).

Other ones that took some getting used to for me:

RIR: Rhode Island Red
RIW: Rhode Island White
BR: Barred (Plymouth) Rock
JG: Jersey Giant
BO: Buff Orpington
SS: speckled Sussex
CS: Coronation Sussex
BBS: black, blue, splash
SLW: silver laced wyandotte
GLW: gold laced Wyandotte
BLRW: blue-laced red Wyandotte
TP: Tolbunt Polish (also SLP, GLP, etc)
LB, BB, DB: light, buff and dark Brahmas
EE: Easter egger
CCL: crested cream Legbar
BSL: black sexlink
RSL: red sex link
ISA: ISA (it's a company) browns
AC: Ayam Cemani

Turkeys
BBB: broad-breasted bronze
BBW: broad-breasted white
RP: Royal Palm
MW: Midget White

The D's
DH, DD, DS, DFIL... Darling+relationship to posting party

 

[Jntnrmn]

While leashes and harnesses can be used on birds, I don't advise it because the leashes will get tangled on everything and using a leash won't address the root cause of the birds' behavior. How long have you had them? If they haven't been there long, they may need time to adjust.

If they have been with you for weeks already, you may want to consider a tiny coop (with a perch) on top of the regular coop. The more it looks like a cupola, the more adorable it will be, and the more they'll likely enjoy it. Alternatively, you can put in a roost extra high up in the regular coop (one that is too high and/or too close to walls for regular fowl to sit on it). They probably just want a space higher up where they can feel out of the reach of bigger birds and predators (which is why owls seem to target these guys unerringly). This breed doesn't seemingly feel comfortable unless it's above everyone else (I've had a few D'Uccle roosters) or priviledged with its very own space (which also must be fairly high).

Your bigger birds may be picking on them or may simply be intimidating to these little birds. Bantams--esp D'Uccles to my experience--are very sensitive to their smallness and loathe it. Much like men and small dogs, they hate being reminded of how tiny they are, and forcing them to be around birds which are much larger than them exacerbates their Napoleon complexes and can make them into cowards or tyrants (more likely). Cause of death to most D'Uccle roos appears to be 1) Owls, 2) Hawks, and 3) Writing checks their bodies can't cash. They don't like backing down from fights and will often start them... with bigger roosters, and... with turkeys... who will stomp them into a fine red paste.

Your little guy might not be feeling well or might be a bit old from the sounds of it. I've yet to meet one of that breed that would cower the way you're describing. In either case, he would benefit very much from having a quiet, safe, dry place with a high perch where he can get his bearings and hopefully start feeling a little better. Bouncing him to another home will likely be harder on him than it's worth, but you can try it so long as the new home has the capacity to give him such accommodations. 

Regarding acronyms:

SFH: Swedish Flower hen (Swedish names always seem to specify "hens" even though the breed always includes roosters). Svart Honas/Swedish Black Hen (SBH) is another Swedish breed/landrace (they were bred by natural selection instead of a breeder's whims). 

Other ones that took some getting used to for me:

RIR: Rhode Island Red
RIW: Rhode Island White
BR: Barred (Plymouth) Rock
JG: Jersey Giant
BO: Buff Orpington 
SS: speckled Sussex
CS: Coronation Sussex
BBS: black, blue, splash
SLW: silver laced wyandotte
GLW: gold laced Wyandotte
BLRW: blue-laced red Wyandotte
TP: Tolbunt Polish (also SLP, GLP, etc)
LB, BB, DB: light, buff and dark Brahmas
EE: Easter egger
CCL: crested cream Legbar
BSL: black sexlink
RSL: red sex link
ISA: ISA (it's a company) browns
AC: Ayam Cemani

Turkeys
BBB: broad-breasted bronze
BBW: broad-breasted white
RP: Royal Palm
MW: Midget White

The D's
DH, DD, DS, DFIL... Darling+relationship to posting party

Wow this is the most info ANY ONE has offered me on this site, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH indyshent!
I have had the bantams since March and they were supposedly 1 1/2 weeks old when we got them. They started out super sweet and really enjoyed attention. They would hop up on my shoulders when I would clean their brood box. But all of a sudden one day they started running from me when I went to clean their box, i noticed they each had many pen feathers so i assumed they were tender so i let them be. That proved a mistake, because since, they havent wanted anything to do with us. They went out side a few weeks later. They were in their own coop and pen within the BIG pen that surrounds all 3 coops. I always open the pens once I get my eggs and turn the hens loose.but the bantams still refused to leave the area...after a few weeks of this, i tried forcing integration between them and my barred rocks bc the bantams had ended up in the BR coop (this was the 1st and only time they went into a coop willingly)the BRs ganged up on one of the roosters. It lasted less than a couple minutes b4 I got down there to break it up. They haven't attempted to interact with the others since. But they hadn't before either, I'm not sure what caused the bantams to end up in that coop that night as they had never gone to one before...I just want them to feel safe and forage and be chickens, i dont care if they want to be my friend at this point or friends do with the other chickens but I want them healthy and happy. I ask HD about building something on top to the other coop but it has angled roof, not sure if it can be done but will ask
Thank u again indyshent for all the info. I too often feel alone in this and have been posting and asking for help for quite awhile b4 finding the Indiana list

 

[Bawk]

Asking again, anyone interested in a Gold Brabanter Rooster? Hatched July 4, 2015. He is good with smooth feathered hens but not with frizzled hens. He's not very big for a rooster, we researched smaller breeds.

 

[Indiana Dreamin]

He is very nice looking. I don't think he'd fit in with my flock though.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I know, I'm mean.

I always cut her back (as you know)...really much more dramatically than you did. They have to see overhead!

I think Whoopsie will have similar coloring but hopefully not as extreme a crest.

Wow, Leahsmom, those are beautiful birds, i love the crested one! If you don't mind my asking, what is SFH and SL? I apologize for not knowing, I'm barely learning the more common breeds and their abbreviations, and there are so many different breeds.
Also,Pipdzipdnreadytogo, Tilly is so pretty but your right, i dont think she looks amused LOL

@Jntnrmn
Well..you know SFH = Swedish Flower Hen.

The SL is a coloring called "Snoleopard" that can come up in SFH from time to time. It is really an interesting and quite beautiful coloring that, with SFH, can look very different based on the base color. A quote from those that know more than me:

Quote: One of the reason I like the SFH so much is the wide variety of coloring. They are considered a "landrace" breed from Sweden therefore no one has tried to standardize colors. There are so many beautiful assortments...real yard candy! Now that I have some boys coming up I imagine I'll have some hatching eggs



Here are a few photos of SFH with the snoleopard gene NOT MY BIRDS JUST EXAMPLES:

sfh Black-Based snoleopard Cockerel: (I'm hoping my one little guy will turn out this way...he seems to have the yellow coming in.)

Blue snoleopard hen

This girl also looks similar to the coloring on my boy.

I believe this boy may be the father of my boy:

 

[Leahs Mom]

Lookie what we got today... [These boys are going to work in the under-story of the over-grown wooded part of our property.]

Meet Twix:



And Steeler (He and his twin bro., Packer, were born during a Steelers/Packers game ]




In the small "holding pen" until they become accustomed to us. Then out to the electro-net and the forest!





@SallyinIndiana and @jchny2000

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Regarding acronyms: SFH: Swedish Flower hen (Swedish names always seem to specify "hens" even though the breed always includes roosters). Svart Honas/Swedish Black Hen (SBH) is another Swedish breed/landrace (they were bred by natural selection instead of a breeder's whims). Other ones that took some getting used to for me: RIR: Rhode Island Red RIW: Rhode Island White BR: Barred (Plymouth) Rock JG: Jersey Giant BO: Buff Orpington SS: speckled Sussex CS: Coronation Sussex BBS: black, blue, splash SLW: silver laced wyandotte GLW: gold laced Wyandotte BLRW: blue-laced red Wyandotte TP: Tolbunt Polish (also SLP, GLP, etc) LB, BB, DB: light, buff and dark Brahmas EE: Easter egger CCL: crested cream Legbar BSL: black sexlink RSL: red sex link ISA: ISA (it's a company) browns AC: Ayam Cemani Turkeys BBB: broad-breasted bronze BBW: broad-breasted white RP: Royal Palm MW: Midget White The D's DH, DD, DS, DFIL... Darling+relationship to posting party

Great post! Just want to add to your acronym list the best breed ever. SGD = Silver Gray Dorking. Seriously, best breed ever. Okay, I'm biased.

Asking again, anyone interested in a Gold Brabanter Rooster? Hatched July 4, 2015. He is good with smooth feathered hens but not with frizzled hens. He's not very big for a rooster, we researched smaller breeds.

Handsome fella! Hope you find him a good home!

I know, I'm mean.

I always cut her back (as you know)...really much more dramatically than you did. They have to see overhead! I think Whoopsie will have similar coloring but hopefully not as extreme a crest. This girl also looks similar to the coloring on my boy.

Oh, no worries, I made sure she could see overhead. When viewed from the front, her crest kind of tapers to a rounded point on top, kind of like a mohawk. Nothing to block her view. And I know, I was working toward buzzing her, but I was just so amused by her little up-do that I couldn't help but leave it. Maybe next time. I had to trim back the little Silkie girls' crests at the same time, but they had a lot of pins still and are fluffing out again, so I'll have to do another trimming soon anyway. Silly Silkie girls got their daddy's crest size for sure! Here's hoping your little Whoopsie doesn't want to grow out her hair any more. And these Snoleopard SFHs are seriously making me drool over here. Not that I need anything more on my ever-growing 'want list'!