INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[strssdmom]

i guess i shouldn't shock you more when i tell you we have only had chickens for a year and we had to start our entire life over when our home burned down in January. oops..

here are a couple of our chicks.

Wow, that is a huge challenge. Hope all is going well. Your chickens are adorable!

 

[critterwhisper]

I have 27, i got them for eggs,and meat down the road,but in the process fell in love with the girls! Anxiously awaiting my first eggs from my older 15,i plan on selling our extra eggs,got six families waiting,and hoping to do a local farmers market but with teenagers baseball,softball,my fulltime job andmy schooling seeing how i will have the time- lol! Love watching my girls just hanging out in their run--who knew chickens could be this fun

 

[Crafty chick]

I'm at 70 chickens total, 12 hens and 58 chicks. And 70 eggs in the incubator.....I'm screwed lol

LOL

 

[Crafty chick]

I have 5 BO, 8 months old, and 5 bantams about 4 weeks old, and 4 BO babies Ihatched 3 weeks ago

 

[Too Fast]

The coop is 6x8 and the run will be 8x12 (and the space under the coop). It's all going to be fenced in with 1/2" hardware cloth that will go at least 12" into the dirt. We have a lot of predators in our area.

We were so relieved that they got better. Thank you!

We researched how far to bury the hardware cloth and found out you can have equal protection if you bury it a few inches and then take it 24'' out horizontally. I started digging down 24'' down by hand in the nice soft clay soil we had and found out about the horizontal bury. Seems digging animals like coyotes or raccoons give up when they find out it's beneath their feet. I'm very confident in our chicks' protection, we leave the pop-door open at night so they can come out in the morning at will. We have 2x4 welded wire from about 2' up and all over the top. Yeah a determined possum can get thru that, but I'll take my chances.

 

[Too Fast]

So how many chicks does everyone have?

I always hear about your chickens, but I can't figure out who has just a few (maybe living in the city) and who has more than say 15 or so. I would love to know because that is how my brain works. LOL Are there any on here that raise chickens for profit? If so, how many do you have?

Also would love to know who on here has more than 5 years experience?

I love to learn from anyone's experience, but it would be nice to know who has been through this many times over and who is just starting out, like me.

This is our first year with chickens. Lovin' it! We were going to get 3-4, but have 8. Yeah, chicken math lol.

A little of both actually. I looked at all the plans on this site and changed my mind dozens of times but I found one that could look similar to our woodshed and then made some modifications to it to fit our space.
Here is the inspiration: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hcarlsonlewiss-chicken-coop
I found a window that a neighbor was selling that is 3x5, so we had to fit that in and make room for window boxes. I wanted big barn doors to open into our compost bin for cleaning, so the roosts had to go on that side, the nest box had to go on the side closest to the house, and then I wanted windows for cross ventilation on the north side, but the whole project was getting out of control so I'm screening them in and making doors to cover in the winter. My husband wants to make a cupola so it goes with the woodshed (I love this) so it will be another modification too. I spent a lot of time reading a thread on what people wished they had done differently and that was really useful. Also, I now know I want to build a table above the nest boxes that is big enough to hold a dog crate so that I can keep some birds separated if they get sick (done with them being in the basement). Our coop will be off white with gray/brown trim similar to this http://pinterest.com/pin/261560690830948454/ and will have copper/dark brown colored accents like the garden and the cabin.

I'd say that its cost about $1000 so far which is crazy, but it will be cute and will blend with the log cabin (by colors) and the woodshed (by style) when its done. I still need to order some sand and I might need to get some paint for the inside. Also, I'd really like the auto chicken door (someday) and a chicken fountain.

Ha sounds like us. Looked at so many designs, and what people did to make it like they like, did the things that worked for others after much learning here and at the library. Decided to paint it like our yard barn, red with white accents. We have about $1100 in it now, and 98% complete. That first egg will be awesome!

 

[me me me]

I work for a power utility company as a lineman and I am currently on call 24-7 every other week. Have a daughter turning two Saturday, two dogs and have added 70+ assorted chickens 2 peacocks 7 goats and a lamb in less than two months the lamb and 3 of the goats are bottle fed 4 times a day and I'm fermenting feed and growing fodder.

I need help- if you see my mind lying around please return it to me because I seem to have lost it

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

haven't posted on here in a while-since i found out my slw were roos, but i have been trying to keep up with most of the posts-- and the roos now have a nice new home to rooster it up! Love all the pictures!

So some of my co-workers found out today that I have chickens. I thought it was funny how they kept looking at me like I have the "plague" or something. One person said i didn't even look like the type of person that would keep chickens. ( i guess i wasn't aware that there is a certain look that chicken owners have?????) I told them that my chickens are like pets and i do enjoy being around them, and to me it is a kind of stress relief almost. But anyway...i guess that means that some of my co-workers will now be asking for some nice fresh eggs!

Also went to the feed store after work to get some necessities and it took every ounce of strength I had to not walk out with two little buff orpintons. (my boyfriend would dis-own me if i did!)

Hello, my name is BackyardBitten and I a chicken aholic and I almost had a relapse today at the feed store.

Quote:

Does the water heater thermostat actually keep 99.5 degrees plus or minus a degree? I would have thought maybe a 5-7 degree temp swing.

John

Nice job crafty it looks great!

and to our thread

Mine keeps pretty steady. May very up or down a degree at the very most but my house is a little drafty at times.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a lot.. to many.. I honestly do not know at the moment, around 150 including whats hatching out right now, in the brooders, and out in all the pens. I had chickens several years ago for a few years. Only meat birds back then. My grandmothers both always had laying hens. I had moved into town and gave up my birds until last year, my future son in law asked me if I wanted some birds, his dad had too many and was giving chicks away. well, I blurted out without even thinking SUUUURE!!!!!! My DH just looked at me in horror. I got 6 GLW (still have 4, traded 2 for 25 meatbirds!) and it grew from there. I have added, swapped traded bought and sold. We have 17 BA, 15 LO, Unknown several EE, BR and GLW. 4 Muscovy (1 hen still AWOL), 2 pekin ducks. 7 chinese geese, 4 guinea hens. 3 pigs, 2 goats several barn cats and a pug.

I guess I probably have 5 years of chicken experience maybe more, not sure. I was a wildlife rehabber and director of animal control several years also.

Corturnix quail eggs on the way, Peafowl and Cows are next....

Did I mention I love critters?

 

[hogster160]

i guess i shouldn't shock you more when i tell you we have only had chickens for a year and we had to start our entire life over when our home burned down in January. oops..

here are a couple of our chicks.

I am so sorry to hear of your house fire, and am praying for you and the family. 10 years ago, well I guess its been 11 now, we lost our home to a fire. My family survived, thank the Good Lord, we lost one animal. the other 3 survived. It is one of the hardest things we have ever been through. Starting over is never easy, and takes a lot of time. It took 1.5 years to settle with the insurance company, they really didn't want to pay for anything. My house sat for 8 months before they would start rebuilding, when it really should have been knocked down and rebuild totally. Anyway, I hope all is well with you and the family, chicks too.

Deb