INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Faraday40]

The Odd Family Update:
My intellectually challenged silkie MaiMai hatched an orp egg 10 weeks ago. (This was the 1st time she went broody and didn't try to incubate her food bowl. She actually incubated & hatched a chick!!!) At the time, I also had a traumatized serama pullet afraid of other chickens, so I decided to see if I could bond her with the little family to help integrate her into my bantam coop. She spent 4 months living alone in a storage tub and it was time for 'Solo' to move out.

Remember:



10 week old orp pullet
6 month old serama
2+ year old silkie (mama)

Here are some pics of my odd family. They are still companions. It's been pretty cold out, so I often find some seramas snuggling under this orp. The serama looks bigger in the pics than she actually is. For some reason she kept running up to the front. (She has that "look at me" type of personality.)

 

[Faraday40]

Lots of updates here, both happy and sad. I'll get the two sad updates out of the way first.

First, my wonderful Silkie roo that I posted about a while back passed away. I believe that it was Marek's, though I can't be sure. He had been progressively becoming more lethargic and paralyzed in his legs and tail over the course of a couple weeks. Finally, after several days in a row of not leaving the coop at all and being hand-fed, I decided to end his suffering.

Next, and this one is even more tragic, I had a predator attack last week which resulted in the loss of my favorite momma Silkie hen and her recently hatched baby (which itself was the only egg to survive incubation). This happened in broad daylight, and I'm still not sure what it was, though I was close to getting a look. I was outside working and had been working mere feet from the coop for several hours. Around 7:00, I was on the other side of my property (about two acres), when I heard the chickens making panicked noises which were different than their egg-laying clucks. So I ran back. Upon rounding the corner to the rear of my property, I saw silkie feathers flying, so I sprinted towards the coop. A hole had been pried back in the corner of the hardware cloth just big enough, about three feet up, where it meets a fence. I knew it was too late for the silkie, but I pursued anyway. Upon chasing whatever it was about fifty yards into my woods by following the feathers, I found my silkie, but it was too late for her. I buried her in my garden. I never found her baby. She was such a great momma too. She let me handle her and the chick without issue and even after her brooding was done, she let me pick her up. Whatever the predator was, it was small to have gotten through the hole that was pried open. Maybe a weasel or raccoon? I don't know.

Because of what happened, I've returned to trapping. My woods are the only woods the near area, I'm surrounded by housing additions, so every garbage-gathering mammal lives in my woods (along with beautiful animals as well, such as deer and coyotes). This is temporary, but setting the trap right by the coop makes me think I can target and dispose of only those predators which have gotten too bold and approach the area despite the lights and my presence.

In addition to the trapping, the longterm solution is that I'm building a mega fortress chicken run! I started the project earlier this week and should be wrapping up by the end of the weekend if the weather will let up. I'll attach some pictures!

https://imgur.com/a/H0BXmIK

I'm likely going to move the coop out of the run altogether and just have the entrance of the coop/ramp go into the run. There's a small section under the playhouse that's covered. Otherwise, I'm wrapping the entire thing in hardware cloth.

My final update is that my other silkie has gone broody, but she's not quite the natural that my deceased silkie was. First, she pecks at me when I get eggs out from under her. It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying. On top of that, when I move her, she runs out of the coop like I've tried to kill her. My other momma would just wait patiently right next to me and then sit back down. I picked up 12 chicks from tractor supply last week and I decided to place a couple of the chicks under her at night, as I've read they can be accepted by the broody hen. I thought it worked, indeed she sat on them all night, but the next morning, she got up and walked outside for a good long while. Then when she returned, she couldn't quite figure out what to do with them. She clucked loudly and sort of nervous paced around them while staring at them. Then she finally sat in a different nesting box. Thanks a lot, momma silkie. So I returned the chicks to the incubator. Of course, if my roo hadn't died, I'd happily let her nest on some eggs. Oh well, I'll deal with her somehow.

So sorry to hear of the loss of your fav silkie & chick and your sweet rooster.
Your new fortress upgrades should help.

As far as the other silkie, you may still be able to get her to adopt. New moms can get confused and darkness helps a lot. Basically if you keep it darkened and keep the chicks under her, she'll be fine. As a day or two pass, she'll 'talk' and start to bond with them. I use a plastic storage tub inside so I can keep an ear out for trouble. Confused hens may peck at chicks as intruders. I place a lid with soaked chick feed near the hen so the chicks can peek out and grab a snack. Once you see the hen tidbit and the chicks respond by running out to eat, you're good. Some hens have a better learning curve, but it's far easier if you can get her to adopt the chicks.

My golden silkie (from post above) is not very bright. It took her a while for her to get the hang of it, but she did well in the end. My other silkie loves being a mama but she can get distracted if she sees some shiny object or thinks treats are coming. I've seen her run off to chase after something and then realize she forgot her chicks and run back. Thankfully the rest of my flock is accustomed to having chicks around, so another hen may hang out & watch near them until the distracted silkie returns.

 

[man_of_fishers]

So sorry to hear of the loss of your fav silkie & chick and your sweet rooster.
Your new fortress upgrades should help.

As far as the other silkie, you may still be able to get her to adopt. New moms can get confused and darkness helps a lot. Basically if you keep it darkened and keep the chicks under her, she'll be fine. As a day or two pass, she'll 'talk' and start to bond with them. I use a plastic storage tub inside so I can keep an ear out for trouble. Confused hens may peck at chicks as intruders. I place a lid with soaked chick feed near the hen so the chicks can peek out and grab a snack. Once you see the hen tidbit and the chicks respond by running out to eat, you're good. Some hens have a better learning curve, but it's far easier if you can get her to adopt the chicks.

My golden silkie (from post above) is not very bright. It took her a while for her to get the hang of it, but she did well in the end. My other silkie loves being a mama but she can get distracted if she sees some shiny object or thinks treats are coming. I've seen her run off to chase after something and then realize she forgot her chicks and run back. Thankfully the rest of my flock is accustomed to having chicks around, so another hen may hang out & watch near them until the distracted silkie returns.

Thanks! I’m going to try a tub. When you say, “soaked chick feed”, do you mean just pour some water in a shallow plate with feed so that they get water and feed together? Right now, I have them under a brooder plate, so I’ll have to take that out so they go to her for warmth.

 

[Faraday40]

Thanks! I’m going to try a tub. When you say, “soaked chick feed”, do you mean just pour some water in a shallow plate with feed so that they get water and feed together? Right now, I have them under a brooder plate, so I’ll have to take that out so they go to her for warmth.

Yes. I put warm water in a flat dish and sprinkle some chick feed into it. The feed swells as it absorbs the water. Chicks can get their water & food at same time. I sometimes add vitamins to it. No chick or hen can resist this mush, so it's what I do when a weak chick needs some TLC. Usually the 1st time I put it in, the hen gobbles it all up, so I must repeat. I only use a small amount - like a mason jar lid - so it doesn't sit there all day and get icky. I have regular dry feed and water on the other side of tub. Eventually mama will lead them over there and teach them, so this is only a few times a day during the 1st few days. I'm recommending this because your chicks may have already used up their initial reserves and will need to eat - but also need to stay under the hen as much as possible for bonding.

 

[Pollitos6]

Hello guys, I decided to expanding my backyard poultry and got me 3 Turkeys. My intention was to keep them as pets. However, I just learned that the turkeys that I got are meat turkeys (Broad breasted Whites and bronze) and therefore their lifespan is very short. My heart sunk . When I did my research it said they could live 10 years (did I just type their breed wrong?)
Could someone PLEASE tell me if they have keep these type of turkeys and live a long time? I got them at Rural King yesterday. I am considering in trading them for another poult with longer lifespan, as I don't have the heart to process them, or even trade them for silkie chicks.

I appreciate your guys advice!!!

 

[Pollitos6]

Lots of updates here, both happy and sad. I'll get the two sad updates out of the way first.

First, my wonderful Silkie roo that I posted about a while back passed away. I believe that it was Marek's, though I can't be sure. He had been progressively becoming more lethargic and paralyzed in his legs and tail over the course of a couple weeks. Finally, after several days in a row of not leaving the coop at all and being hand-fed, I decided to end his suffering.

Next, and this one is even more tragic, I had a predator attack last week which resulted in the loss of my favorite momma Silkie hen and her recently hatched baby (which itself was the only egg to survive incubation). This happened in broad daylight, and I'm still not sure what it was, though I was close to getting a look. I was outside working and had been working mere feet from the coop for several hours. Around 7:00, I was on the other side of my property (about two acres), when I heard the chickens making panicked noises which were different than their egg-laying clucks. So I ran back. Upon rounding the corner to the rear of my property, I saw silkie feathers flying, so I sprinted towards the coop. A hole had been pried back in the corner of the hardware cloth just big enough, about three feet up, where it meets a fence. I knew it was too late for the silkie, but I pursued anyway. Upon chasing whatever it was about fifty yards into my woods by following the feathers, I found my silkie, but it was too late for her. I buried her in my garden. I never found her baby. She was such a great momma too. She let me handle her and the chick without issue and even after her brooding was done, she let me pick her up. Whatever the predator was, it was small to have gotten through the hole that was pried open. Maybe a weasel or raccoon? I don't know.

Because of what happened, I've returned to trapping. My woods are the only woods the near area, I'm surrounded by housing additions, so every garbage-gathering mammal lives in my woods (along with beautiful animals as well, such as deer and coyotes). This is temporary, but setting the trap right by the coop makes me think I can target and dispose of only those predators which have gotten too bold and approach the area despite the lights and my presence.

In addition to the trapping, the longterm solution is that I'm building a mega fortress chicken run! I started the project earlier this week and should be wrapping up by the end of the weekend if the weather will let up. I'll attach some pictures!

https://imgur.com/a/H0BXmIK

I'm likely going to move the coop out of the run altogether and just have the entrance of the coop/ramp go into the run. There's a small section under the playhouse that's covered. Otherwise, I'm wrapping the entire thing in hardware cloth.

My final update is that my other silkie has gone broody, but she's not quite the natural that my deceased silkie was. First, she pecks at me when I get eggs out from under her. It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying. On top of that, when I move her, she runs out of the coop like I've tried to kill her. My other momma would just wait patiently right next to me and then sit back down. I picked up 12 chicks from tractor supply last week and I decided to place a couple of the chicks under her at night, as I've read they can be accepted by the broody hen. I thought it worked, indeed she sat on them all night, but the next morning, she got up and walked outside for a good long while. Then when she returned, she couldn't quite figure out what to do with them. She clucked loudly and sort of nervous paced around them while staring at them. Then she finally sat in a different nesting box. Thanks a lot, momma silkie. So I returned the chicks to the incubator. Of course, if my roo hadn't died, I'd happily let her nest on some eggs. Oh well, I'll deal with her somehow.

Oh my!!! I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Faraday40]

Hello guys, I decided to expanding my backyard poultry and got me 3 Turkeys. My intention was to keep them as pets. However, I just learned that the turkeys that I got are meat turkeys (Broad breasted Whites and bronze) and therefore their lifespan is very short. My heart sunk . When I did my research it said they could live 10 years (did I just type their breed wrong?)
Could someone PLEASE tell me if they have keep these type of turkeys and live a long time? I got them at Rural King yesterday. I am considering in trading them for another poult with longer lifespan, as I don't have the heart to process them, or even trade them for silkie chicks.

I appreciate your guys advice!!!

You'd want a heritage turkey if you plan to keep around as a pet. Broad breasted are like cornish cross and bred to grow big quickly. It might live past harvesting age but likely to have some health issues.

 

[Molpet]

Hello guys, I decided to expanding my backyard poultry and got me 3 Turkeys. My intention was to keep them as pets. However, I just learned that the turkeys that I got are meat turkeys (Broad breasted Whites and bronze) and therefore their lifespan is very short. My heart sunk . When I did my research it said they could live 10 years (did I just type their breed wrong?)
Could someone PLEASE tell me if they have keep these type of turkeys and live a long time? I got them at Rural King yesterday. I am considering in trading them for another poult with longer lifespan, as I don't have the heart to process them, or even trade them for silkie chicks.

I appreciate your guys advice!!!

Heritage turkeys can live 10 yrs.
BB are meant to harvest at 16 to 20 wks... I kept a hen for 18 months before I decided it was kinder to have my brother dispatch her... But some people claim they have kept them alive for a couple years
BB are Heartbreakers

 

[Pollitos6]

You'd want a heritage turkey if you plan to keep around as a pet. Broad breasted are like cornish cross and bred to grow big quickly. It might live past harvesting age but likely to have some health issues.

O

You'd want a heritage turkey if you plan to keep around as a pet. Broad breasted are like cornish cross and bred to grow big quickly. It might live past harvesting age but likely to have some health issues.

Oh no!! do you know of anyone willing to trade ( baby ducks, silkies or even one heritage turkey in exchange for these three poults? I live in Indianapolis but willing to deliver.

 

[Faraday40]

O

Oh no!! do you know of anyone willing to trade ( baby ducks, silkies or even one heritage turkey in exchange for these three poults? I live in Indianapolis but willing to deliver.

If you lived closer I'd be willing to trade. I'm hatching some in 2 weeks and plan to keep only 2-3 for Thanksgiving/Christmas. BUT.... I'm in the western suburbs of Chicago, and I doubt it's worth a whole day trip to get a turkey. You probably would have better luck just selling your BB turkey and finding someone near you who has some heritage poults. Craigslist or Facebook probably would have some leads.

* If it's the act of processing that you cannot do, I'm sure there are live butchershops that can do it for you.