INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Faraday40]

Since we had a little sun this afternoon, I let Smudge & chicks have a little grass time. Here she is with the weekend hatch + a few 3wk olds thrown in. I really take advantage of the fact that hens can't count! LOL

Smudge is wearing a stylish hen apron b/c the roos caused some baldness. I'm glad I left it on her b/c now she needs it for poop protection. What poor moms everywhere do for their children!

The turkeys belong to this group. One has pasty butt, so I kept both turkeys & a few chicks inside to monitor. I had them in with the broody briefly, but one of the chicks noticed the long legs & began to peck. The turkey made a strange noise which made the chick peck / attack. Poor turkey afraid for its life tried to squeeze out through the bars. All the commotion made the other chicks join the mob. I rescued them & brought the 2 turkeys & the smallest chick inside the house.

 

[Nyla]

There is pieds in: Black , Blue, Chocolate , Lilac and possible Lavender!
Then there is solids in: Black, Blue, Chocolate, and Lilac
Then I have barreds in: Black and Possible Lavender!

I will take a dozen! just kidding. So sweet! What other colors do you have?

 

[Faraday40]

A very sad morning : Our dear, old Mr Dummy-Pants died last night. it was also a blessing. He was failing and not walking much. He didn't eat/drink yesterday, so I knew I'd have to put him down today. He died and spared me the additional pain of killing my beloved pet. He was our all-time favorite rooster and became a pet after he could no longer breed. He was amazing! He was very patient with kids, a gentleman with the hens, a great flock leader & guardian, the peace-maker, big, & stunningly beautiful. He is the rooster that all of our future roosters will be compared to. I can't find words to describe my feelings. He will forever be missed.

RIP my friend.

DD is taking it very hard. Although we all loved him, he was technically HER rooster. Yesterday she gently carried her big smelly buddy inside to watch TV together. She hugged him as she cried. Then she placed him on the floor next to her. That old rooster used what little strength he had to stand up and walk over to her for hugs when he saw her crying. He was trying to get back into her lap. That basically sums up why we loved him. He always acted more like a dog than a rooster.

 

[JanetMarie]

That is really sad. It brings back memories of when Goldie, our pet Orpington rooster, was ill and dying.

About a week before he died we shared half of a muskmelon together sitting on the kitchen floor. He was so personable and we loved him.

 

[cjfox2012]

Question time!

We've had our 3 ladies for about a week now, and I have a couple questions:

1) Barbie, our biggest/oldest (Australorp) seems to be picking on Tabitha, our smallest/youngest (Buff). Usually Tabitha just avoids Barbie (which is disheartening, because if one's in the run the other is in the coop, and vice versa) but Barbie still gets some pecks in when Tabitha runs by and even occasionally chases her. And they share the coop at night, which I worry about them fighting in. Barbie completely ignores Ginger, our black sex-link, however. Is this just pecking order stuff and I shouldn't worry myself?

2) How do I start socializing them with humans? I've been making a concerted effort to spend as much time inside the run with them as possible, and they're fairly passive around me. Still a little wary, but hang out near me after some hesitation. They don't respond well to attempted petting, usually running for the coop. Do I just keep spending time with them until they get familiar enough with me to let me get them and/or pick them up?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Faraday40]

Question time!

We've had our 3 ladies for about a week now, and I have a couple questions:

1) Barbie, our biggest/oldest (Australorp) seems to be picking on Tabitha, our smallest/youngest (Buff). Usually Tabitha just avoids Barbie (which is disheartening, because if one's in the run the other is in the coop, and vice versa) but Barbie still gets some pecks in when Tabitha runs by and even occasionally chases her. And they share the coop at night, which I worry about them fighting in. Barbie completely ignores Ginger, our black sex-link, however. Is this just pecking order stuff and I shouldn't worry myself?

2) How do I start socializing them with humans? I've been making a concerted effort to spend as much time inside the run with them as possible, and they're fairly passive around me. Still a little wary, but hang out near me after some hesitation. They don't respond well to attempted petting, usually running for the coop. Do I just keep spending time with them until they get familiar enough with me to let me get them and/or pick them up?

Thanks in advance!

1) They're probably just sorting out the pecking order. As long as everyone gets to eat/drink and there's no blood, it should be fine. Once in a rare while, there may be a big bully, but most of the time, it just takes a while. I wonder if Ginger is the #1 & that's why she's not in the pecking battle. I was surprised the 1st time I added young chickens to my existing flock. My"lowest" hen was the bully. I guess she feared losing her status to the new pullets, so she made sure to continue to prove she was above them. The top hens just ignored the young pullets b/c they had nothing to prove.

2) Treats. Chickens love mealworms. Try giving them a few & then they'll come closer. Eventually they'll take them from your hand. Once they realize you're the bringer of food, they'll want to be your friend. Some chickens love to be pet & cuddled; others prefer their independence. Age is another factor. When a bird is nearing point of lay, they calm down. Baby chicks bond easily and make great pets. The period in between takes patience.

I have kids & they like to hold / snuggle the chickens. They often hug a hen while reading, watching TV, doing hmwk, & of course while playing outside too. Orps are a very docile breed, so I'm sure they'll become your buddies in time.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So today around 10 am, I went to my new home to do some cleaning. The lady who owned it before was a pack-rat and died. Her children refuse to clean it up. Instead they are selling the house to us on payments and we get to keep anything on the property we want. Well I spent the last few days clean the place up and throwing out junk. Today the lady's sister and daughter came over. The lady's sister trashed everything and took most of the stuff I had put in boxes with my name saying" NYLA"S WANTS" She didn't care. She gave me an attitude, took the things she wanted, and made a huge mess going through everything I had nicely boxed. It feels like the moment I first walked into the house.. All messy again! Plus she tracked mud all over the place.. The daughter of the lady who owned the house kept telling her to stop going through stuff and making a mess. The the lady's sister looked at me and demanded MY PURSE!! Said that it belonged to her sister and she wants it. I told her no, that my purse is mine, that I bought it from the store. She called me a liar and demanded it. I told her no once again and said she can leave if she keeps it up. It's my house, that I put $2000 down already. The daughter yelled at the lady saying stop it and told her they should leave. The daughter left but the lady acted like she was going to leave, but then got out of her car walked back to the door and banged on it, because I locked it. She said she will be back later today, tomorrow, and the next day to get more stuff that she wants. I said okay. Once she left the property, I locked up and went back to my current home. I plan to go back at night and pack up the things I want and put them in my storage container so she can't take anything else. The lady tried demanding the security camera system too. The daughter said no that I needed it for my protection.

Finally when everyone was gone, I locked up and left.

I will admit it, I'm way less patient then you are! Hope you got the locks changed. I am so sorry to read this! No way would I let it go, but I'm very practical and I guess pretty firm on "my stuff". I have zero patience for people that think they are "entitled"! There is a reason obviously things we not left to her... I would assume from this the parent was taken advantage of by that sister. What a mess.

A very sad morning : Our dear, old Mr Dummy-Pants died last night. it was also a blessing. He was failing and not walking much. He didn't eat/drink yesterday, so I knew I'd have to put him down today. He died and spared me the additional pain of killing my beloved pet. He was our all-time favorite rooster and became a pet after he could no longer breed. He was amazing! He was very patient with kids, a gentleman with the hens, a great flock leader & guardian, the peace-maker, big, & stunningly beautiful. He is the rooster that all of our future roosters will be compared to. I can't find words to describe my feelings. He will forever be missed.

RIP my friend.

DD is taking it very hard. Although we all loved him, he was technically HER rooster. Yesterday she gently carried her big smelly buddy inside to watch TV together. She hugged him as she cried. Then she placed him on the floor next to her. That old rooster used what little strength he had to stand up and walk over to her for hugs when he saw her crying. He was trying to get back into her lap. That basically sums up why we loved him. He always acted more like a dog than a rooster.

I am so sorry to hear it, and for your DD missing him tonight. He certainly was a pet and a beautiful fella.

Question time!

We've had our 3 ladies for about a week now, and I have a couple questions:

1) Barbie, our biggest/oldest (Australorp) seems to be picking on Tabitha, our smallest/youngest (Buff). Usually Tabitha just avoids Barbie (which is disheartening, because if one's in the run the other is in the coop, and vice versa) but Barbie still gets some pecks in when Tabitha runs by and even occasionally chases her. And they share the coop at night, which I worry about them fighting in. Barbie completely ignores Ginger, our black sex-link, however. Is this just pecking order stuff and I shouldn't worry myself?

2) How do I start socializing them with humans? I've been making a concerted effort to spend as much time inside the run with them as possible, and they're fairly passive around me. Still a little wary, but hang out near me after some hesitation. They don't respond well to attempted petting, usually running for the coop. Do I just keep spending time with them until they get familiar enough with me to let me get them and/or pick them up?

Thanks in advance!

Treats! Couple times a day if you are home. Food will win any bird over usually. Watermelon is a big win, once my garden is producing I give them all kinds of stuff. Sit in or by the coop, 15 minutes a day. Just talk to them and be present. Once they realize you are a treat dispenser they love you. Pet chickens take a lot more attention. Keep at it. I have had several roosters become lap birds.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Still planting ugh I have well over 200 starts. 3 types of tomato, Several peppers. Spaghetti, yellow and butternut squash. Pumpkin, watermelon, beans, sugar snap peas. Sweet corn. Onion and potatoes already in, doing well. Going to do trellis planting for some of the plants, first year. We put hot wire up around the garden to keep geese etc out of it.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Have 1 Scovy and one Goose determined to hatch eggs! Both mothers are a pancake on the nest. My 1 Khaki duck is also broody but her first clutch was bad. She has resumed laying and stealing the Pekin eggs. Not letting the EE brood, 10 adults in that coop. I have 3 girls that will brood chicks But its not enough coop space.
50 Cornish cross coming the 30th, new line of Chinese geese due around the 11th.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Potatoes are doing great and yes I have to weed!