INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Faraday40]

Here are some more random photos from the day.
A praying mantis egg case hatched this morning. (for my upcoming bug camp)


My son's hen begging for treats.

Attention-seeking Precious posing to have her pic taken too,


Good old Bubbles - now 1 yr old & officially a hen!


DD playing with Hen Solo (Biele pullet)


The "teens" hangin' out at the stump.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@Faraday40 loved the pictures! You can tell the chickens know your children love them.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Had the Vet out today, checked my neighbors herd and my Cow Fanny. Heartbroken! Fanny's ultrasound explains why she hasn't went into cycle. She has a "mummyfied" calf that died and never passed, rather stayed inside. The vet said the mummy is old, possibly a year or more.. He confirmed she will not be able to breed again, and to look at alternatives for her.
Fanny will go up for sale, I cannot keep a 1,000lb pet . Our other alternative is the freezer, even DH is struggling with that option frankly. She really stole our hearts, been a good girl.

I'm so sorry. I hope you can find a buyer. Poor girl.

 

[MikeTodd]

We went to the local fairgrounds for the flea market/Animal swap.
Picked up 10 RIR, 2 Buff Orpingtons and 1 Barred Rock. All pullets.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quick question. We will be finishing up the chicken barn today. There will be multiple windows and lots of good ventilation. However, we are wrapping the exterior in metal siding reclaimed from a polebarn. Do I need to put up OSB or anything for the inside or will the outer shell be enough to protect from winter?

I vote for interior lining...and maybe even some insulation between the metal and the lining.

Metal is really cold in the winter... And the insulation won't hurt anything for summer either as far as keeping things cooler because metal is really hot in the summer sun!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I need some ADVICE from those of you that may have had this situation.

BACKGROUND:
-I have 6 12-week-olds that consist of 3 cockerels and 3 pullets. SFH

-I have a group of 6, 6-week-old Buckeyes, sex not known yet.

--I have 5 adult hens; three are 4 yo, two are 2 yo.

-I intend on keeping 1 SFH cockerel and possibly 2. I will keep all 3 until they are about 7 mos old before I decide who goes.

-I intend on keeping 1 Buckeye cockerel.

IMPORTANT:
The SFH won't be let out with the main flock to free-range until they reach 17-18 weeks. That means 3 boys, 3 girls cooped together if I leave them as-is...


No matter how many pullets are in the Buckeye group, the ratio of cockerels to hens will be too many.

Current SFH aren't randy yet but soon.



ADVICE PLEASE:

Should I remove the 3 SFH cockerels to different housing and only rotate one in at a time? If I do that, how will that affect pecking order when they rotate in?
(I could put the boys over in the hen shed which is on the other side of the fence from the ladies.)


Or
Should I just leave them altogether (sounds like a bad idea)...


OR....

Please comment on how you have handled that - or thoughts on how you would handle that.


@jchny2000

 

[Greenthumb83]

Thought I'd post some pics of our chicks enjoying their run. It is almost finished! They have been using it for a while and love it.

Mister curious

 

[Faraday40]

I need some ADVICE from those of you that may have had this situation.

BACKGROUND:
-I have 6 12-week-olds that consist of 3 cockerels and 3 pullets. SFH

-I have a group of 6, 6-week-old Buckeyes, sex not known yet.

--I have 5 adult hens; three are 4 yo, two are 2 yo.

-I intend on keeping 1 SFH cockerel and possibly 2. I will keep all 3 until they are about 7 mos old before I decide who goes.

-I intend on keeping 1 Buckeye cockerel.

IMPORTANT:
The SFH won't be let out with the main flock to free-range until they reach 17-18 weeks. That means 3 boys, 3 girls cooped together if I leave them as-is...


No matter how many pullets are in the Buckeye group, the ratio of cockerels to hens will be too many.

Current SFH aren't randy yet but soon.



ADVICE PLEASE:

Should I remove the 3 SFH cockerels to different housing and only rotate one in at a time? If I do that, how will that affect pecking order when they rotate in?
(I could put the boys over in the hen shed which is on the other side of the fence from the ladies.)


Or
Should I just leave them altogether (sounds like a bad idea)...


OR....

Please comment on how you have handled that - or thoughts on how you would handle that.


@jchny2000

As with most things, you will get a huge variety of advice & you must choose to do what you feel most comfortable in your indiv situation.

I have had several ages like you described & keeping many pens is much work. I try to get my chicks outside as soon as possible - depending on weather & temp of course. I use a chicken tractor & re-purposed baby play yards (the shape-able kind with no bottom). I let them sleep in the brooder at night & carry them to an enclosed grassy spot for the day. The flock free ranges, so they have plenty of time to look but don't peck. After about 4 weeks (6-8weeks old), I move them into the coop at night. There's the usual pecking order disputes, but during the days, they go back to the safety of their tractor or playpen. About a week after I move them to the coop for sleeping, my life gets much easier! They quickly learn that the coop is for night & the safety of the tractor is for daytime. (This way I know they're getting food/water & are safe from hawks.) They walk themselves back & forth, so when I have multiple groups, it's like having several little parades of mini flocks running out to find their assigned spot. I throw in a treat/reward , close the door (if the tractor), or tie down a piece of paneling or whatever I have handy for a roof.

When a group seems ready to free range, I stop closing the door & allow them to enter/exit on their own. By then they know how to find their way back to the coop, so they spend time exploring the yard - away from the adults. Now that my oldest are 14-15 weeks, they have just starting to hang out near but not yet with the adults. They'll get there in time.

My method seems easy for the littles to adjust to the flock. (I don't keep multiple flocks.) I don't separate the boys or rotate them, but I do rehome most males at 4-8wks old. I do spend a lot of time in the early weeks carrying boxes of tiny chicks in & out.

 

[MikeTodd]

Got two windows put in today.
One is hinged and will open with prop sticks. The other is a permanent south facing window.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Faraday40

Good info and I'm using some of it!

But what I'm really wanting to know is about the cockerels. There will be too many cockerels for the number of pullets so I'm wondering if folks house them separately in that kind of situation until they decide which one(s) to keep?