INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Mother2Hens]

Thank you so much! Do you think it's a cat scratch as we assumed?

 

[Mother2Hens]

Re my last question @kittydoc —Found the answer...

 

[tmarsh83]

I see pumpkins are on the okay list for chicken treats.  We have a couple basketball sized pumpkins that didn't get carved this year.  With only six ladies in our flock, do I need to be at all concerned about them overloading on seeds.  I read an article on crop problems a while back so now I'm paranoid.  Any insights would be appreciated.

Last fall I had three girls that destroyed probably four pumpkins of that size. Never had any problems and they LOVED them.

 

[JanetMarie]

I see pumpkins are on the okay list for chicken treats. We have a couple basketball sized pumpkins that didn't get carved this year. With only six ladies in our flock, do I need to be at all concerned about them overloading on seeds. I read an article on crop problems a while back so now I'm paranoid. Any insights would be appreciated.

I left pumpkins out in the yard all last winter, cut in half. The chickens just snacked on them all winter and early spring, so no gorging on seeds.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Loving all your pictures! @Faraday40 your torte looks amazing!
@Mother2Hens Love seeing the new flock additions!

We are still working on the barn. Recently purchased a wood/coal burning furnace for heat during the winter. My goal is to have a warm space for calves or goat kids on a bottle, unexpected chicks, ducklings and so many other surprises we run into. I prefer to have a plan ahead of time if there's an issue with a mother caring for babies. Large enough for an adult cow, draft free enough for day old poultry or waterfowl.

I have a very broody Pekin Duck! Supposedly not possible, but she is glued to her nest. She actually picked out a bad egg, carried it at least 40 feet from her nest and resumed setting! Around 13 viable and fertile eggs. We are on week 2, so will see how that goes. This has really changed my opinion on the breed.

 

[Faraday40]

Chicken update:
All are doing well. These little ones are so quiet, relaxed, & content. They are not needy & never peck at each other. Such a pleasure.

We have 4 black chicks. (One is a cuckoo orp) Oops. Only 3 are pictured b/c I forgot one in the brooder.


We have 1 choc cuckoo orp


4 lavender orps (One was an assisted hatch & was over 2.5 days late! It's perfectly fine now.)


3 Silkie/EE(roo) x Wyandotte(hen) mixes.

Two have very clear chipmunk stripes, the other does not have the side stripes. (Could that be related to gender?)
These were given to us by a friend & I have no experience with either breed.

All 3 are cute! One on left (below) has the biggest crest-like face.



One chick has 5 toes. (None have black skin)

 

[Faraday40]

The Ups & Downs of Quail:
These little guys are similar to chickens, but still I'm learning more each day.
I've hatched hundreds of chickens (literally) Between DD's projects & my embryology classes we hatched over 140 chicks in 2016 alone! However, this was our 1st attempt with quail. They are tiny, fast, & have no common sense. They are of course so adorable & make our younger chicken chicks look like Godzilla. They are messy eating & pooping machines. They have a quiet peep that is higher pitched. They will make loud crying noises if they want attention. They really want attention.... I enjoy how they all try to scramble into my hand as soon as I reach into the cage.

So on a sad note, one thing I learned about was something called "failure to thrive." One can see that quail grow fast when we look at a newly hatched quail standing next to one that has been out for only 24 hrs. What I noticed yesterday was that 2 quail still looked like day-olds, while the rest looked like 4 day olds. The small ones were eating & drinking - just not with the same vigor as the others. I gave them some alone time with wet food & water + electrolytes. One died last night. The other is seen below with 2 siblings. There is a chance that it is a smaller breed- like a button quail - but I fear that its chances are not high.

Can you believe this quail was about as big as a quarter 4 days ago?



Like baby chickens, quail will pile up & sleep in all kinds of crazy positions.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

The Ups & Downs of Quail:
These little guys are similar to chickens, but still I'm learning more each day.
I've hatched hundreds of chickens (literally) Between DD's projects & my embryology classes we hatched over 140 chicks in 2016 alone! However, this was our 1st attempt with quail. They are tiny, fast, & have no common sense. They are of course so adorable & make our younger chicken chicks look like Godzilla. They are messy eating & pooping machines. They have a quiet peep that is higher pitched. They will make loud crying noises if they want attention. They really want attention.... I enjoy how they all try to scramble into my hand as soon as I reach into the cage.

So on a sad note, one thing I learned about was something called "failure to thrive." One can see that quail grow fast when we look at a newly hatched quail standing next to one that has been out for only 24 hrs. What I noticed yesterday was that 2 quail still looked like day-olds, while the rest looked like 4 day olds. The small ones were eating & drinking - just not with the same vigor as the others. I gave them some alone time with wet food & water + electrolytes. One died last night. The other is seen below with 2 siblings. There is a chance that it is a smaller breed- like a button quail - but I fear that its chances are not high.

Can you believe this quail was about as big as a quarter 4 days ago?



Like baby chickens, quail will pile up & sleep in all kinds of crazy positions.

Button quail are so tiny! Quail are very inbred so I really seek a good breeding program. James Marie Farms is an excellent source, and you can pick the purpose of the quail.
A&M the whites are smaller than jumbo. They are very prolific and lay every day. that means you may see weakness more often also. We do not keep them over the winter months. I usually buy eggs early spring and repopulate my breeders. I just do not see keeping them all winter heating water and worrying over artificial lighting.
I hatch several in our warm months, fill the freezer. Buy eggs next spring and start over.

 

[Greenthumb83]

I haven't been on for a while, so still have 10 pages or so of catching up to do. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I love all the pics of chics! DH and I are already itching for chics lol. He actually came to me and had started plans for an in the coop brooder. @jchny2000 we are likely getting a few poults this Spring too. We are just at a point where we absolutely hate supporting the meat industry. It turns my stomach in knots knowing how mistreated the animals are. We have replaced many meals with alternatives, since we can't raise everything that we eat yet. It actually isn't that bad...and much cheaper too.

It's officially that time of year!!! For once, I have my shopping mostly done and can just enjoy the season.

 

[MikeTodd]

Well, we lost our first pullet to what I believe was an ariel predator. I haven't seen any hawks recently but we are surrounded by field so I know they are around. The chickens have plenty of places to hid when free ranging and out Rooster is a great lookout. Unfortuantly, the slowest got taken. Our little Silkie Rhonda. She had the best personality and loved to be around us. The kids are sad but they understand that it can happen.
RIP Rhonda.