INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Yes !
We've had them for 3.5 years & love them.
We are working with two breeding groups currently.
Send me a p.m. , & we can discuss them in more detail .

Here's a couple pix I took yesterday :
JB & Brownie

his son jr & a couple of his girlfriends

@iamfivewire
I love the way they look...very beautiful rooster too!

Please tell us a little about them. How are they for egg laying? Cold hardy? (I see some pretty large wattles there.)

 

[flyladyrocks]

That would be terrible. I was glad mine were in our barn last night when the bad storm went through.

 

[Finnie]

Fox 59 is interviewing a guy from Gibson county. Family is okay but their property destroyed. First thing we noticed was destroyed hoop coops. The chickens are missing. The teenage boy is running around the fields looking for his chickens.

I feel bad for that boy.

 

[ellymayRans]

Can the duck keepers clear something up for me? 

I've seen conflicting suggestions on feed for ducklings. Some say that an 18% starter or all-flock is fine, (so long as it's unmedicated), but I've seen others that say you need to get down to 14-16%

Anyone care to weigh in?

I use to feed higher protein gamebird feed but then read that the "only feed non-medicated" was inaccurate; to make life easier I began feeding regular medicated chick starter grower and have had no issues. Those batches are now adults or months from adults and all did great. I have had 1 duckling out of approximately 30 that showed signs of the deficiency for niacin but a day of vitamin water and he was and is still great! My experience has been with Roen, Khaki Campbell and Muscovy Ducks.

 

[ellymayRans]

Got my first turkey egg today! Of course in the mud. She couldn't just use the straw nest area under the tarped end of the pen! Not sure if it's a Narragansett or Bourbon but assuming Bourbon since that's the only I've caught allowing mating.

We have also added a new member to our family. Our boy is turning 7 this summer and figured it was the best time for him to pass on his awesomeness to the "next generation LGD"!
He has been dog aggressive in the recent years so we went with a female and all I can say is Wow! Our boy stepped up to the plate for sure! They are two peas in a pod.

Meet Lucy!

 

[ellymayRans]

This one didn't post for some reason

 

[ellymayRans]

FYI
According to the employee responsible for the chick bins at the Martinsville Rural King he is expecting Lavender Orps, Cuckoo Marans and a "rare breed" described as if polish (crested) but he didn't know any more than that, shipping Monday 3/6 arriving Tuesday 3/7. He didn't say how many. I know they had a couple handful of the crested ducks last week but they sold them all that day.

Of course they have the sexlinks, Amber, RIR, black Australorps, guineas, white, barred & partridge rocks, brahma, and some EE pullets. Maybe a few other commons. I just can't remember. They are expecting roen, Peking and Khaki ducks soon too.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Does anyone grow herbs or veggies just for their flock? If so, what and why? I need to build a strong case before telling Husband I need MORE garden space

@EmSteele A similar idea...after our chickens ate all of our grass in their fenced in part of the backyard the first year we had them, DH made two grazing frames that we've used ever since. They're nice because the chickens can't pull grasses out by the roots. Whatever is planted has to fit through hardware cloth (like grasses). I bought some seeds specifically for grazing frames because I was worried about grass seed having chemicals. This one includes different types of clover, and because of our mild winter, they've kept growing. Peaceful Valley Omega-3 Chicken Forage Blend for Irrigated Land from www.groworganic.com They have a section of chicken-related products.

 

[JanetMarie]

Can the duck keepers clear something up for me?

I've seen conflicting suggestions on feed for ducklings. Some say that an 18% starter or all-flock is fine, (so long as it's unmedicated), but I've seen others that say you need to get down to 14-16%

Anyone care to weigh in?

Too much protein in duck food can cause Angel Wing, so I wouldn't go with a higher protein feed. If you use prepared commercial feed, maybe just get some duck feed.

Also, medicated feed blocks thiamine in order to starve any coccidia, and also blocks thiamine nutrition from your birds, which can cause issues. As long as you keep their environment clean, coccidiosis should not be a problem.

I make home-made feed for my chickens and ducks, and add nutritional food yeast, which contains niacin and other B vitamins.

 

[ellymayRans]

@EmSteele
 [COLOR=8B4513]A similar idea...after our chickens ate all of our grass in their fenced in part of the backyard the first year we had them, DH made two grazing frames that we've used ever since. They're nice because the chickens can't pull grasses out by the roots. Whatever is planted has to fit through hardware cloth (like grasses). I bought some seeds specifically for grazing frames because I was worried about grass seed having chemicals. This one includes different types of clover, and because of our mild winter, they've kept growing. Peaceful Valley Omega-3 Chicken Forage Blend for Irrigated Land from[/COLOR][COLOR=2F2F2F] [/COLOR]www.groworganic.com [COLOR=8B4513]They have a section of chicken-related products.[/COLOR]

Thanks! He is a mutt but vet says Shepherd mix, I can only assume that he has some lab in him but I really do not know for sure. My neighbor swears he was the lead dog for a team in the Iditarod race! Lol!
She is a full blooded German Shepherd.