sfd6532
In the Brooder
I'm not sure what breed yet. I'll probably get a mix from Tractor supply. I do like RIR and EE. Looking for mostly eggs and once in a while meat.
INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!
- Thread starter Chaneys Ranch
- Start date
@sfd6532 ~ Welcome to the Indiana Thread! Click here to see our Indiana BYCers Members' List, Events, Topics & Links
@ellymayRans ~ I saw my Silkie, Smalty, hanging out right next to The Frizzles today! It must be official—a sub-flock of three little Napoleons. Haha I wish I knew what they've been talking about—how they came to an agreement. LOL
I love your photos! From the happy ducks to the dazzling peacocks...are some of your peacocks from the rescue effort?
And for anyone who was in on the discussions about bare bottoms—(my hen has a bare spot because I had to cut frozen poo off during our last freezing cold spell. Since it was in the 70s today, I gave my fluffy butt English Orp, Zipporah, a epson salts bath soak-n-clean, applied some bag balm, and gently blowdried her derrière. She was her sweet, patient self until it was all over and I set her down where I had some treats waiting for her. Her other personality emerged as she snubbed the treats and read me the riot act! Luckily, the other hens haven't pecked her bare spot. I have some Rooster Booster No-Peck sticky, yucky, smelly stuff just in case. I need to get Blu-Kote or something else to have on hand. I would not recommend what I have—does anyone have a favorite for such emergencies?
That's great Smalty has decided they are worthy of occupying her space along side her! Haha!
I have a pullet I introduced to her mother and father and shockingly her mother has not been as brutal as she is to other birds. They are the Cochins and they can be pretty bossy!
I did not keep any of the peafowl from the rescue because I already had a male heavy ratio and the rescues were perfect pairings. It was best to rehome as pairs vs individuals.
Again such good news about the girls!
- Aug 28, 2014
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*gleeful clapping of hands*!
Why yes, you have come to the right place for help and enabling!
Some questions to ask yourself first:
1. Legal limits.
Is there a limit to how many of what species or gender of birds in your town or subdivision? Many places have limits on the number of roosters, for instance, or say you can't have peafowl, turkeys, emu, whatever. Alway look up laws to be on the safe side.
2. Eye candy of eggs or birds.
Getting a yard full or egg basket full of all one color can be a bit lackluster, especially if you plan to name them, keep them as pets or try a bunch of breeds out to see what you like best.
Most feed store breeds will lay brown eggs, except Leghorns (white, huge, and all the time), and EE (both eggs and birds can be any color and size in the chicken rainbow because they're mutts made to get you a fancy egg basket and colorful yard). Most EE are on the smaller side and lay quite often, and all Leghorns are like that because they're commercial layers. They aren't great meat birds but both breeds do mature quickly.
The RIR in stores are production reds and will lay brown eggs like crazy. Marans and Welsummers lay darker brown eggs. Welsummers only come in the partridge color, but Marans come in a number of fancier and rarer colors like cuckoo and black copper.
For eye candy of birds, my favorite will likely always be Wyandottes, but you may find yourself drawn to bantams, like Silkies and mille fleur D'Uccles, or Cochins, which come in about every color of the chicken rainbow and can be respectable layers and table birds.
3. Meat and eggs
Are you actually going to be able to process your own fowl? How many eggs do you go through weekly? Are you aware of the expense and time involved in keeping x number of birds? Often, in my experience, the best course of action is to buy meat breeds for meat and leave laying to the professionals.
Meat breeds go quickly on fairly little feed and you can sleep easier knowing they'll tear themselves apart if you don't process them. Yes, I've done my utmost to keep some of them as healthy pets, and it has always ended in disaster. Meat breeds tend to be very docile, lazy birds.
Egg breeds, like red sex links particularly, can tear themselves apart after a few years of popping out giant eggs pretty much daily. This isn't guaranteed, though most will decline in production after fewer years when compared to breeds which don't lay quite so often. All girls eventually hit menopause anyway after a few years.
4. Docility and children.
If you have children who frequent the coop area, chickens can be fantastic lap animals. Sweet natured chickens may occur in any breed, and the same goes for mean ones.
Leghorns and EE tend to be flighty and may throw some extra-protective roosters fairly often. Wyandottes, Australorps and Rocks sometimes throw meaner roosters.
Orpingtons, Cochins and Brahmas all tend to be quite docile, though Light Brahmas have been overbred by hatcheries and sometimes wind up being of atypical dispositions. Dark Brahmas aren't so popular, and all the ones I've picked up from feed stores were all handled easily even by toddlers (despite these birds all weighing 9-12+ pounds and being up to, if not over, 27in tall). Silkies tend to be very docile.
Something to keep in mind is that--just like with puppy mills--super fancy and mass produced breeds are going to be of lower quality, which is why they're called "hatchery quality" birds. A mean Brahma is like a Cocker Spaniel that pees everywhere, so to speak.
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I stopped by there today, too, and they told me the same thing! They are probably getting asked all day long, seeing as how the displays are up, but empty.
I have a dilemma. Agrarian will be getting a few chick breeds in the next few weeks that I have been wanting. So I called and reserved about 8 chicks. Then I got to thinking, that for as much as it will cost to buy them at Agrarian (with their mark up), I could get the same chicks delivered to me straight from Meyer Hatchery. Then I wasted far too much time on Meyer's website, figuring out a theoretical order.
If you don't order the minimum 15 chicks, not only do you have to wait until after March 31, but you pay about $14 extra in shipping. Once your cart goes from 14 chicks to 15, the calculated shipping cost changes from $33 something to $20.
I figure it like this: I could pay about 9+ tax for 8 chicks at Agrarian (more if they consider some of mine "rare") which comes to about $77.00. Or, I could pay about $63 ish for the same chicks delivered. OR, I could pay the whole $77. And get 15 chicks! (Drat that chicken math!)
I really shouldn't just add 15 chicks to my flock. It would be better if I sell off the extra 7. What should I do? I was wondering if anybody on here would want to split a Meyer order with me.
If you don't order the minimum 15 chicks, not only do you have to wait until after March 31, but you pay about $14 extra in shipping. Once your cart goes from 14 chicks to 15, the calculated shipping cost changes from $33 something to $20.
I figure it like this: I could pay about 9+ tax for 8 chicks at Agrarian (more if they consider some of mine "rare") which comes to about $77.00. Or, I could pay about $63 ish for the same chicks delivered. OR, I could pay the whole $77. And get 15 chicks! (Drat that chicken math!)
I really shouldn't just add 15 chicks to my flock. It would be better if I sell off the extra 7. What should I do? I was wondering if anybody on here would want to split a Meyer order with me.
- Aug 28, 2014
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Okay, so awhile back I posted an ad about "British tailed Araucana". Turns out, they really were British tailed Araucana, and British tailed Araucana are a pretty different looking breed. They're supposed to have tails and small crests. Having tails and no ear tufts would make them much easier to breed than regular Araucana, which have the double-lethal tufts and problems mating.
Barnevelder, Ayam Cemani, Ameraucana, British tailed Araucana hatching eggs
BT Araucana roo
BO, BA and Cochin chicks
Looks like an EE roo
Mixed breed crested roo
Marans/Polish mixes 2 roos, 1 hen
Barnevelder, Ayam Cemani, Ameraucana, British tailed Araucana hatching eggs
BT Araucana roo
BO, BA and Cochin chicks
Looks like an EE roo
Mixed breed crested roo
Marans/Polish mixes 2 roos, 1 hen
Angels Eggs
In the Brooder
Hello Indiana. Angel's eggs here in Peru In. I am fairly new to this. I have 13 layers and two roo's. All are RIR. Having a blast with them. All my pulletts are laying. All are at six months. I want to sell the eggs to the locals, I sent in the application to the egg board at Perdue and waiting on a reply. Is that all I need to do to be able to sell my eggs?
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