INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

@MikeTodd

Yay!! Wonderful

You will need to put some kind of top - just some screen of some kind - over the top of the little one's side. Both the larger ones and the littles will jump up on that and be on the other side. The older ones have the potential to seriously hurt your little chicks.


ETA:
It looks like you have a dirt floor. I haven't followed all the details of your build so if you've done this please forgive my "ignorance" on the matter ...

You will want to put some kind of wire barrier like hardware cloth for example, as an apron around the base of your coop on the outdoor side. It would run up the side of the coop a bit then down to the ground (folks often bury it a few inches underground) then running out away from the coop. (Think an "L" shape). This keeps predators from digging underneath the side of your walls and getting into the coop at night to take chickens.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

@ChicagoClucker ~ Love your Bantam Cochin photos! So cute! Several of us who are big fans have been discussing Cochins lately on this thread. @kittydoc may be interested.

Thank you, I will let you know when I hatch some more, I sold all of them on Saturday. I have 4 that have gone broody and I keep taking the eggs, but I might just give up and let them go. I have my new mottled frizzle roo with them, so I would love to see if I get any frizzled chicks.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Does anyone do "Tax Exempt" at Tractor Supply for their Ag stuff?

To be tax exempt you need a business ID number. You may still pay tax at the end of the fiscal/business year, but its complicated to explain more than that.. gains and losses, lots of other details involved. (I did tax prep and was an accountant several years!) Possibly may apply as a sole proprietor. Discuss it with your accountant or person that does your tax returns.

I thought this was a chicken in a stand-off with a Roomba!!
I'm SO un-hip, apparently! Games nowadays are really amazing. (Cool kitchen chairs, by the way!)

Well finally got the coop finished. Got the waterer and feeder hung because we picked up 5 older (16) wk BO pullets. We are wanting eggs so bad and hopefully they will be laying in a few weeks. We built a grow out type pen in the coop for the chicks (now 4-7 weeks old) and will put them in today. Also will hopefully start and complete the run.
Here are some pics of the outside. The windows will also be hung today so they can open and close. Last night I just hung them up.

The kids filling nesting boxes and the 5 new BO pullets.

Everyone under the same roof!!

WOW! Loved your pictures, congrats on all the progress! Awesome experience for the kids.

 

[kittydoc]

@Mother2Hens she's calling your name. This is my older little peanut, already with wing feathers while all the Orps her age are 100% down. Even the other one that is 2 days old is starting to feather already. They waste no time!

 

[kittydoc]

@ChicagoClucker I'd like to have a Cochin (LF or bantam), preferably a color I don't already have in my Orps (BBS, lav, choc/cuckoo). Did you say they were all sold. I definitely want just one pullet for giggles. We enjoy our "one-offs" like our Brahma and Ameracauna, as well as our "two off" RIR pullets. Where are you located?

 

[kittydoc]

I finally have gotten a couple of splash Orpington chicks! Very excited. I should have had some earlier, but when I concentrated on hatching Black x blue and Blue x blue (which obviously is where they came from), that's when it finally happened. Their mom is a Fancy Chick blue and dad is a brick outhouse blue Orp. His tail sucks, but he's very nice otherwise. Pretty soon I have to decide which of my blue roos to keep because they no longer get along. The other one is Cogburn's son. The first, Bluebeard, is an outcross from eggs laid by one of my Tennessee girls before they were with any of my roos from the seller's black Orp roo.

I'll try to get photos of my splash chicks when they look more splashy. I see blue spots, but they won't show up in photos very well since they are mostly a very soft blue-white all over and still pretty downy. Praying for a pullet for me!

If anyone is interested, after Janet and I pick some black hens, I will also have black roos, and blue pullets and roos from these two Fancy Chick hens which are among my best quality hens. I have high expectations for most of these chicks.

My Bielefelder cockerels are being culled by Wednesday, so it's last call. Free to anyone who will pick them up. I just hate it because they are really laid back roos (not good for free ranging--not aggressive enough in a good way). When given attention, they make very good pets. One I gave to some country folks is named Milton and he is the love of a young boy's life.

I also am going to have a couple of silver grey Dorking cockerels to sell. One from my Sand Hill pair and one from my other pair which are of unknown but nice quality lineage. I'm going to keep one of each line for my ONE pullet. Sigh... They are autosexing in this color only!!

Chickens. The disease that gives you eggs!

 

[MikeTodd]

@MikeTodd


Yay!! Wonderful

You will need to put some kind of top - just some screen of some kind - over the top of the little one's side.  Both the larger ones and the littles will jump up on that and be on the other side.  The older ones have the potential to seriously hurt your little chicks.


ETA:
It looks like you have a dirt floor.  I haven't followed all the details of your build so if you've done this please forgive my "ignorance" on the matter ...

You will want to put some kind of wire barrier like hardware cloth for example, as an apron around the base of your coop on the outdoor side.  It would run up the side of the coop a bit then down to the ground (folks often bury it a few inches underground) then running out away from the coop.  (Think an "L" shape).  This keeps predators from digging underneath the side of your walls and getting into the coop at night to take chickens.

Thanks for the tips! The metal siding is actually burried into the ground around the coop. We used 11' panels and put them in 8" or so below the floor.

 

[racinchickins]

I also am going to have a couple of silver grey Dorking cockerels to sell. One from my Sand Hill pair and one from my other pair which are of unknown but nice quality lineage. I'm going to keep one of each line for my ONE pullet. Sigh... They are autosexing in this color only!!

Chickens. The disease that gives you eggs!

Out of my 6 Rose Comb Red Dorkings from Sand Hill.....2 pullets! My rooster luck continues. But they really are looking nice, they are now almost as big as some of my smaller breed full grown hens.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@racinchickins

Do you process extra cockerels? At what age?

 

[Indyshent]

I finally have gotten a couple of splash Orpington chicks! Very excited. I should have had some earlier, but when I concentrated on hatching Black x blue and Blue x blue (which obviously is where they came from), that's when it finally happened. Their mom is a Fancy Chick blue and dad is a brick outhouse blue Orp. His tail sucks, but he's very nice otherwise. Pretty soon I have to decide which of my blue roos to keep because they no longer get along. The other one is Cogburn's son. The first, Bluebeard, is an outcross from eggs laid by one of my Tennessee girls before they were with any of my roos from the seller's black Orp roo.

I'll try to get photos of my splash chicks when they look more splashy. I see blue spots, but they won't show up in photos very well since they are mostly a very soft blue-white all over and still pretty downy. Praying for a pullet for me!

If anyone is interested, after Janet and I pick some black hens, I will also have black roos, and blue pullets and roos from these two Fancy Chick hens which are among my best quality hens. I have high expectations for most of these chicks.

My Bielefelder cockerels are being culled by Wednesday, so it's last call. Free to anyone who will pick them up. I just hate it because they are really laid back roos (not good for free ranging--not aggressive enough in a good way). When given attention, they make very good pets. One I gave to some country folks is named Milton and he is the love of a young boy's life.

I also am going to have a couple of silver grey Dorking cockerels to sell. One from my Sand Hill pair and one from my other pair which are of unknown but nice quality lineage. I'm going to keep one of each line for my ONE pullet. Sigh... They are autosexing in this color only!!

Chickens. The disease that gives you eggs!

Congratulations on your splash Orps! I thought I got a splash chick from under a broody gold penciled Brahma this spring, but alas, it grew up to be a super slow-to-feather Colombian which is indistinguishable from my Light Brahmas (prolly split to buff Colombian because I can't think of any other cross I had available at the time).

I'm not sure when chickrookie and I are going to make our handing off of Wun Wun possible, but I'm open to taking in another big boy. I've always been a sucker for the crele color on Bielies, and their big dark eggs and fluffy personalities are hardly a turn-off for me.