INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Babies got to go out today in a temporary pen. It was very hot here but outside there was a breeze at least. Kiddos are 3 weeks old.

Dominique Cockerel

Hatchery Buff O

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Well, as of yesterday I'm beginning a new adventure with the addition of Peafowl!!

I had 2 broody chocolate orpingtons sitting on 7 peafowl eggs for the last 28 days. All 7 eggs were fertile but only 6 hatched. One shrink wrapped and died after beginning to zip the shell open. I think my broody was getting up off the nest too often. So 6 chicks hatched but one died overnight last night. No clue why, it was just dead in the nest under mama this morning.

It looks as if I have 5 healthy happy chicks now. I'm planning to let the broody orp raise them unless she doesn't do a good job. I think the parents of these are pied? I don't know much about their colors yet.
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This is the peacock they came from
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Stunning fella! If you have had success with turkeys, peachicks will remind you a lot of them. Hope Broody raises them I think you will have better success. Once the get past a week they do pretty well.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here are some Orp babies from @Faraday40 (Sorry for the poor photos...shooting through netting and bars....)

Yellow Band. I LOVE the coloring on this baby as a chick.

Blue Band

Red Band

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Loving all your pictures! Note to self ~ take duckling pics!
So my Khaki Campbell duck is broody and a Pekin! I have had a Pekin go broody before but never follow through. I'm hoping the Khaki girl had a discussion with her to stick it out. My Pekin drake is fathering her ducklings, the ducks that hatch from the cross look like a black Swedish. The Khaki is a very good mom, and super feisty protecting her babies.
I have 3 broody geese. One of the 3 is due to hatch like today. I heard her "talking to the eggs" several times today so I know we are close. I always have a wait list but will holler if there is any extra goslings.
Our new dog Remi is working out very well. He is great around the animals, very attentive about things that don't belong. Remi only barks if he sees something like a ground hog or other wildlife. Remi will bark at strange cars or people. Once we finish the fencing around our property he will have free run. I am dead set against allowing dogs to run unconfined. I use a leash or tie out, and stay outside with him. He knows what critters belong like our 10 yr old barn cat Sassy. She HATES dogs but was actually rubbing on his leg yesterday! He is still a bit afraid of the cows, I think its the size of them.
My teenage chickens free ranged with the Leghorn today without incident. I was very proud of Foghorn, he was calling them all and feeding them. There are a few cockerel but he didn't care. There is about a dozen EE and Leghorn teens and he stepped right up watching over them.
Tomorrow will see how it goes with my EE flock. Beefy concerns me being a game breed, although he has never acted aggressive to other birds (except Foghorn!) Those 2 boys will never free range together they fight between the fencing on the coops. I have some misc breeds of chicken that will remain in his flock. Eventually join the new EE with my older flock in a separate coop.. Foghorn will also get more girls but a bigger coop! Both boys are good dependable roosters, but I want to keep my EE bearded and muffed. That hatch was the last offspring of my lavender Ameraucana
rooster. We lost him to a hawk late winter we think, I have never found any remains.
No calves yet...

 

[Leahs Mom]

@jchny2000
Photos, yes! The new dog too!

Hopefully those calves come soon so YOU can get some rest.

Tell me about the geese. I know they can be good aerial predator deterrent but how do they house? For someone like me, could they house with the chickens? Do they roost?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@jchny2000
Photos, yes! The new dog too!

Hopefully those calves come soon so YOU can get some rest.

Tell me about the geese. I know they can be good aerial predator deterrent but how do they house? For someone like me, could they house with the chickens? Do they roost?

Thanks, has me worried its been so hot! Poor girls.
The one bird I will always have is geese. They are very multi functional for any homestead, farm or just better living.
You can and do need to house them with chickens, Guinea, quail, peafowl, pheasant or ducks. The species they are meant to protect. I start all my gosling in a mixed setting as possible. Handle a lot, and make sure they are raised with the species they protect. Geese can be pretty fierce. 5-6 ft of wings hurt if they flog, let alone the bite! They can easily tear skin and will. Ganders are fearless sometimes not in the best interest of the gander. (Coyote will kill them or a large stray dog) My new dog is afraid of them yet, he could easily kill them. Its the body language, size and sounds that ward off a would be predator. They hiss loudly at anything that doesn't belong! Some geese will roost like Embden hens, Canadian and Chinese. Most prefer being on the ground to sleep. Geese are not as messy as ducks, but close. They need to "dunk" their heads in water and have at least a kiddie pool to clean and preen feathers. It also helps them clear nostrils. Eggs are amazing and very rich. Goose and duck eggs make excellent baked goods and pastries. Chinese are the best bang for the buck, lay more and consume less feed. My Chinese only come to their feeder in the hard winter. Mine are 100% free ranged day and night. I've found cooping them up made the flock a target for the new goslings. They know their boundaries, my oldest fella Gee turned 6 in May. Brood areas is more important than housing truthfully. The hens like a huge straw or hay nest, high and dry. Even in negative temps, my flock will not go inside a building but they are not trained to. They have a good shelter and will not use it.
Here is Remi and my oldest DD. And yes he has some pit and lab in him.. Dad was a lab mom was a mutt. He is pretty special, very gentle with my Dad.

 

[Faraday40]

Here's Cookie (the Bantam Menace) otherwise nicknamed "Cookie Monster" when broody:

She's got 23 chicks with her in the brooder, 2 chicks still drying in the incubator, + 3 eggs with hatching status unknown.

 

[desielducks]

I know I posted in here once before about call ducks. And was able to get some ! But unfortunately as i always am. I was blessed with all boys! Wondering if anyone is still selling babies/eggs or if anyone has any adult girls their willing to part with! Thank you

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Here's Cookie (the Bantam Menace) otherwise nicknamed "Cookie Monster" when broody:

She's got 23 chicks with her in the brooder, 2 chicks still drying in the incubator, + 3 eggs with hatching status unknown.

Oh goodness what a brood!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Temps were a bit better today, so I was able to get a lot of garden weeding done. Have very few sugar peas coming up I may go ahead and replant and hope there is time. I found an early variety red beet so they are going in tomorrow. I have learned to leave some space unplanned, I always find something else "oh I gotta try that!" I pay close attention to companions for other plants.

Cornish cross had the first free range today but several wouldn't leave the coop. I am going to let them out with my Leghorn tomorrow see how that goes.... Discovered one of my older goose hens, Mama is ill. My goose flock is always near my back porch overnight. When I went out this morning she was still in the same spot. Dull stare and not moving around. She is egg bound pretty sure, that's a first for my geese. I can definitely feel the egg. Looked her over thoroughly, no injuries. Soaked her a few times today and Gee is standing over her like a guard dog. He knows I won't hurt her and got just as many chest rubs and pets on the neck. She won't eat or drink. Its not wise to separate her from the flock without any sign of disease, geese are tightly bonded. Taking her away from her flock will only stress her more. She is the same goose that adopted 17 duckling a few years back. The mother flew into a passing semi on the road.
Still no calves Cow neighbor stopped in to check and said "anytime" LOL and told me Pixie has perfect udders. He had dairy cows and sold milk several years ago. He was shocked Pixie hasn't calved yet. He is keeping watch for a 2nd calf I can give her once hers is born. I am seriously looking for a Hereford bull calf to get my girls. I hate disbudding so introducing a polled bull calf would be awesome. Lowline or shorthorn even smaller breeds that go well with Jersey. I know I could AI and am still considering it. Keeping a bull hasn't been a big issue so far, and when his times up, I fill my freezer. Moose has been so exceptional I may offer him for sale first. He is not aggressive or mean at all, just wants to play rough. He can dump over a 75 gallon stock tank no problem. Moves our heavy steel feed trough all over the pasture. He is like a huge bored teenage boy with nothing to do! I have a few months left to work on it after 3 years its too late. All you get from a 3 year old is hamburger and stew meat. He will stay long enough to breed my girls again and neighbors cows if he needs.