INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chisNchickens]

Anyone ever get silkies from tsc? Curious as to what the quality is like

They are hatchery quality...not for showing. So it depends on what you like. If you like the show quality birds you see here (like I did) - you won't be happy with hatchery birds.

 

[chisNchickens]

Well, wasn't that nice of them...

If you want a fluffy little hairball that will lay the occasional egg, there is nothing wrong with a hatchery silkie (as long as it is a hen.. roos don't lay eggs.

)

If you want a bird to take to the shows and bring home the ribbons, you probably won't find it at TSC. That's when you look for private breeders.

But not everybody cares if their birds meet the Standard for that breed.

I truly don't think their looks affect their personalities and that's one of the best parts of any chicken.

Of course this is just my opinions, formed in over 25 years of chicken keeping, with the last 5 focused on "Show Quality".

Smut is a term used to describe off-color. Like a buff with some darker feathers throughout. Not a hateful term, just descriptive...although it may not sound nice;-)

 

[chisNchickens]

I havent used any of it before, but I think they carry it at Rural King.

Diatomaceous Earth will destroy the lungs. Do NOT use it as a duster or in the coop unless you want sick birds. I know it is a trend, but it is a bad one. It has its places but breathing it in is a no-no. Too bad so many people use it in such a manner.

 

[chisNchickens]

thanks for the info on silkies being dark, that mean my three chicks with fluffy butts are probably cochin?

I just gave 3 chicks the equivalent of a brazilian. Kinda feel bad about it, but it was that or worry the pasty butt would kill them. Because I couldn't tell if it was the actual problem or just getting caught on their fluff.

My favorite chick jumped out of my hands this morning and fell to the floor. I am 5'4" and was holding the 3 day old at about waist height. HAve I killed it? Its back inthe brooder and seems to be acting ok

No, Silkies have black skin and bones. They come in several colors: white, black/blue/splash, buff, partridge, gray, lavender (self blue). There are other varieties but those are the ones currently recognized.

 

[vickichicki]

They rescheduled the coming of the baby. Will be going in tonight at 8pm. We got up at 4am for nothing. And couldnt really get back to sleep because they wanted us to call every 2 hrs to see if we can get in.

Ugh.. I drug my fluey achy body to the puter to find out if there is a new addition to the Acres household...

I love the fact you have to call every 2 hours to see if you can get in... "No, I am sorry, no baby for you today, it does not fit our schedule"

Good luck for this evening.

Sure everything will go smooth and when the baby is here you will forget about all the time you had to wait.

 

[Too Fast]

Thanks everyone for the compliments on our coop. We don't want to add up the reciepts yet lol. It was budgeted for about $300, I think we missed that by about $200. And oh yeah, haven't bought anything for the run. Heard that 1/2'' square wiring is not cheap! We will need 5 or 6 25 ft rolls. However, we are very happy with the results, much happier I'm sure than if I had someone build it for us. Probably would've been $1200 to do it. And still no run. At least we used a lot of pallets for framing, parts, etc. We got so many ideas from this forum, looking at all the other designs and incorporating what we wanted. I don't know of anything I'd do different. So many people have said they wanted better access to the inside, so I made sure to do that. And I love our pop door with it's rope attached for easy opening from the outside of the run when that day comes. The birds are growing so fast!!!!!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Is there any one close to Bargersville that would want to show me how to clean a chicken? I had a bird mysteriously pass away today.

 

[PandoraChick]

Hi, I am Jeanne from Chesterton area of Indiana(In between Michigan City & Chesterton actually).

I am looking for silkie & cochin breeders in my area if anyone knows of any!

I currently have about 35(15 1 yr olds in the coop) and 20 various baby chicks! Addicting for sure!

 

[Too Fast]

Is there any one close to Bargersville that would want to show me how to clean a chicken? I had a bird mysteriously pass away today.

I don't know how, but I probably need to learn. Looks like we have a couple roosters among our 8.

 

[Mother2Hens]

My dads allergic to latex so I have to watch out when he's around

animallover~ I'll send you a box of the nitrile gloves that jchny recommended. Your dad shouldn't be allergic to them. (online info): nitrile is becoming a popular option in hand protection is because it does not contain any natural rubber latex, so it can be used by workers with latex allergies.