INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

​

 

[Indyshent]

So can anyone tell me what breed my new rooster might be? I was told he is a Ameraucana. He looks like my old Easter eggers. The person I bought him from said he was hatched from a blue egg. Shockingly my hens took him in instantly. I didn't do quarantine because they are NIPI certified and I didn't have a place to put him. He is very sweet, loves to be petted and held.

Do you think he is old enough for breeding? I haven't even herd him crow yet.
View attachment 1222750 View attachment 1222751 View attachment 1222752 View attachment 1222753 View attachment 1222754 View attachment 1222755 View attachment 1222756 View attachment 1222757 View attachment 1222758

Also here is my new Border Collie Puppy Named Nova! My fatherinlaw bought her for me for Christmas.
View attachment 1222760

Glad they took him in! Being in a single sex environment often causes sexual frustration for the lonesome group, and that probably aided here. Your guy was probably kept with other roos, so it might take him awhile to properly blossom because he's either used to being afraid of bigger, older guys beating up on him, or he didn't have said older guys to teach him what to do. Either way, he'll figure things out. He's plenty old enough.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

A question regarding these brutal temps:
So far the only problem I have noticed is that when the girls drink water they dribble down the feathers under the beak so there are some ice crystals there. Is this a problem or will it resolve itself?
One of my girls has frostbite, but this occurred during the first frigid cold spell and when I closed up their coop because I got scared they wouldn't be warm enough.

 

[Faraday40]

A question regarding these brutal temps:
So far the only problem I have noticed is that when the girls drink water they dribble down the feathers under the beak so there are some ice crystals there. Is this a problem or will it resolve itself?
One of my girls has frostbite, but this occurred during the first frigid cold spell and when I closed up their coop because I got scared they wouldn't be warm enough.

I also made the mistake of closing up my coop my 1st year with chickens. Thankfully most of my chickens had pea combs.

I would try raising the height of the waterer or switch to a diff style of waterer to avoid those icy dribbles. The goal is to keep things as dry as possible, but all we can do is our best. ie- I use a heated horiz nipple drinker. It works great, but my roo decided to eat some snow last week. He now has a little frostbite on the tips of his wattles. My other boy was more sensible & stayed inside. He still looks perfect - even though it's only -7'F this morning.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I also made the mistake of closing up my coop my 1st year with chickens. Thankfully most of my chickens had pea combs.

I would try raising the height of the waterer or switch to a diff style of waterer to avoid those icy dribbles. The goal is to keep things as dry as possible, but all we can do is our best. ie- I use a heated horiz nipple drinker. It works great, but my roo decided to eat some snow last week. He now has a little frostbite on the tips of his wattles. My other boy was more sensible & stayed inside. He still looks perfect - even though it's only -7'F this morning.

With the set up I have, it is as high as it will go. I'm afraid to switch to a different watering system right now because I have read that they could take awhile to get used to it. Plus, I'm not sure how to do it with the set up I have and working in these temps, I need my hands without gloves. Ugh!

 

[kanina]

More pics

My June 17th hatch (Trouble their Sebright mama on the feeder)
GG = Buff Colombian Orp
Blizzard = Silver Blue laced orp
(What's funny is that I tried to sell these two pullets with no success. Now I'm kind of happy to still have these beauties. I have a pair of silver laced orps to put with Blizzard. I won't breed GG, but I never had a buff orp, so now I do.)

They are gorgeous! We're considering adding Orps back next year. I miss Ana my buff orp. She was such a sweet girl. And with me tentatively sending half my flock to my grandma's this spring, I can't plan on anything until the birds have, well flown the coop>

View attachment 1222294 Our feral born Manx, named Sandal, who was an indoor/outdoor cat was killed overnight. He didn't come in before bedtime. Pretty sure a coyote. There were tracks around every outbuilding. It looked like Sandal was sleeping in the greenhouse, and the coyote got in there.

I won't find another cat like him, as he was one of a kind.

So sorry about your cat, he's so handsome.

So can anyone tell me what breed my new rooster might be? I was told he is a Ameraucana. He looks like my old Easter eggers. The person I bought him from said he was hatched from a blue egg. Shockingly my hens took him in instantly. I didn't do quarantine because they are NIPI certified and I didn't have a place to put him. He is very sweet, loves to be petted and held.

Do you think he is old enough for breeding? I haven't even herd him crow yet.

Also here is my new Border Collie Puppy Named Nova! My fatherinlaw bought her for me for Christmas.
View attachment 1222760

I'm with Indy that he's probably an EE. Lot's of people selling EEs as Ameraucana's because we didn't take the time to research. I'm guilty of this, thankfully once I figured it out I was able to rectify my ads. My girls do lay a true blue, have puffs and slate green legs, but no one falls under standard coloring.

About the crowing, Kronus didn't crow regularly until about 8 months old. He had this pathetic little gurgle for the longest time, now you can hear him down the block and he sounds like he should. My silkie roo came to me as a crower, they had to get rid of him because he crowed too much and they were in town. I've yet to hear him make a peep, but he knows Kronus is king.

 

[kanina]

Quite a bit to catch up on, glad to see the thread moving along!!!

Grandma's birthday is today and its her first birthday without her mom. She's shutting a lot of people out in her sorrow. It hurts my soul, but I'm just trying to be supportive so she can work through it. She thinks she's ready to take on birds again so come spring she's going to (maybe) take Thea, Rhea, Molly and some of the grown Olive Eggers from November's hatch. Which will leave me the rest of the Olive Eggers and one EE to fill in my holes. Its looking like I have three roos from that hatch, but I'm trying to not pay attention hoping they'll magically turn into pullets

Water and ducks with chickens is a nightmare. I was going to get a heated waterer but the ducks can't submerge their bills so that didn't work. We got two rubber tubs following some old wives tales, I'm filling water twice a day. Which isn't bad when its chilly but is a nightmare in this sub zero weather.

It was -13 last night. I'm very concerned about my silkies, but they snuggle in with the others. Nobody will go out in the snow so we have fresh straw down and the ducks will venture out, but have their own version of the floor is lava. The chickens just go from house to house looking for the next warm thing.

Which reminds me, on the topic of roosts, is a 2x2 or a 2x4 better? I've read so many mixed responses that I'm not sure what's best for my zone.

 

[kanina]

The ducks version of the floor is lava.

 

[pginsber]

Well-I got no help from you with my self-control, so I gave in and ordered chicks.

I only wanted a few, so I did the minimum order with Ideal.

If they all live through the journey from Texas, I'm sure we'll be looking for homes for some of them.

Barred Holland
Jaerhon
Naked Neck
Dominique
Rhode Island White

 

[JanetMarie]

Washed Dominique rooster feathers yesterday, and some of mixed Dominique feathers before that. The Dominique feathers are more beautiful. The mixed boys' feathers look better on their bodies.