INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chic-n-farmer]

Could be Cinnamon Queens or some other hybrid layer. If so, watch out! You will be up to your eyeballs in lovely brown eggs

I got some red pullets for my birthday now they are about 4 weeks old doing great growing and eating everyting. love going out when it is nice. we got them from tractor supply does anyoe know what kind of chicks they can be they are no very red i have some pics.

 

[jhfamily5]

Ok here I go, try not to laugh! 

Do I need to leave a bowl of grit and a bowl of oyster shell out for my ladies?
I've had these hens about 2 wks and they are laying wonderfully! I am feeding them organic feed and organic oatmeal and organic fruits and veggies as treats. I recently bought both grit and oyster shell and put them in in separate bowls to help themselves if they needed it and then I noticed the egg shells appear to have like a slight wave almost like they are putting on extra shell maybe or maybe I'm just paranoid! Lol!  I let them out to roam several times a day to gobble up as many bugs as they can find. I have a coop that holds 5 chicken inside a mesh covered 10x10x6 dog kennel because we have lots of wild life out here including 4 hawks who have been buzzing around us lately.

And what do I do about the ground??
I've been moving the kennel and coop over a few feet in the grass every 4ish days because of the poo. Should I just leave it in one area and just let it pile up or use sand maybe and then how do I clean it for them?? Ugh sooooo confused about the ground!! I just want happy healthy ladies and I don't want to mess it up.

From what I have read, the wave/wrinkle is usually due to stress (scared, picked up/jostled or mated) while the shell was forming however oyster shell should be left out (free choice) in a separate container. The hens will know how much to eat on their own. When they don't have access to extra calcium sources, they pull the calcium they need from their bones and that can lead to all kinds of health issues.

I personally use washed river sand in my runs and in my layer coop. (Pine shavings in the best boxes though.) I used super small hardware cloth zip tied over a hay fork as a giant "litter scoop" to remove the droppings. The poop drys out fast so little to no odor, no mud, no mold/mildew, no poop packed down and no moving everything every few days and it is cheap. I let my girls free range after they have laid for the day and they put themselves to bed in the evening so I just go out and close up the run. I would let them out all day but I have 1 Ameraucana hen who likes to make us egg hunt so we wait. We have a LOT of hawks but have good Roos who keep a vigilant watch and protect the ladies and lots of trees/bushes for quick cover. So far no losses so we have been lucky. The neighbors farm dog came over once and my LF Cochin Roo saved the girls by fighting him off until I came running out and my neighbor voluntarily re-homed him since he couldn't keep him on his farm. When they can't be out they are on sand all day and they seem to love it. Clean feet, no extra grit needed and dirt bath Mecca. Can't praise it enough!

 

[jhfamily5]

Ok here I go, try not to laugh! 

Do I need to leave a bowl of grit and a bowl of oyster shell out for my ladies?
I've had these hens about 2 wks and they are laying wonderfully! I am feeding them organic feed and organic oatmeal and organic fruits and veggies as treats. I recently bought both grit and oyster shell and put them in in separate bowls to help themselves if they needed it and then I noticed the egg shells appear to have like a slight wave almost like they are putting on extra shell maybe or maybe I'm just paranoid! Lol!  I let them out to roam several times a day to gobble up as many bugs as they can find. I have a coop that holds 5 chicken inside a mesh covered 10x10x6 dog kennel because we have lots of wild life out here including 4 hawks who have been buzzing around us lately.

And what do I do about the ground??
I've been moving the kennel and coop over a few feet in the grass every 4ish days because of the poo. Should I just leave it in one area and just let it pile up or use sand maybe and then how do I clean it for them?? Ugh sooooo confused about the ground!! I just want happy healthy ladies and I don't want to mess it up.

From what I have read, the wave/wrinkle is usually due to stress (scared, picked up/jostled or mated) while the shell was forming however oyster shell should be left out (free choice) in a separate container. The hens will know how much to eat on their own. When they don't have access to extra calcium sources, they pull the calcium they need from their bones and that can lead to all kinds of health issues.

I personally use washed river sand in my runs and in my layer coop. (Pine shavings in the best boxes though.) I used super small hardware cloth zip tied over a hay fork as a giant "litter scoop" to remove the droppings. The poop drys out fast so little to no odor, no mud, no mold/mildew, no poop packed down and no moving everything every few days and it is cheap. I let my girls free range after they have laid for the day and they put themselves to bed in the evening so I just go out and close up the run. I would let them out all day but I have 1 Ameraucana hen who likes to make us egg hunt so we wait. We have a LOT of hawks but have good Roos who keep a vigilant watch and protect the ladies and lots of trees/bushes for quick cover. So far no losses so we have been lucky. The neighbors farm dog came over once and my LF Cochin Roo saved the girls by fighting him off until I came running out and my neighbor voluntarily re-homed him since he couldn't keep him on his farm. When they can't be out they are on sand all day and they seem to love it. Clean feet, no extra grit needed and dirt bath Mecca. Can't praise it enough!

 

[jhfamily5]

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This is the first scooper I made. I recently made one with a hay fork (so no sides on it) and I like it much better. I don't have a pic of it yet but both scoops work great. I just think the flat one is easier to skim with.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
we have a small mud spot in front of the door leading to the run. Since we walk there is it nearly impossible to seed the area. I was thinking about transplanting grass in hopes of getting rid of the mud.

if that does not work perhaps a concrete paver or two from walmart or other big box store when they are on close out this fall.

I will look into trying that. We might add some to inside the run too, at least a little path so I can walk in and drop off the table scraps.

Duck lovers, I'm looking into khaki ducks. I was wondering if anyone had experience with them. You know the general questions. How dig do they really get, are big and how many eggs do they lay. Can I mix two in with my chickens?
Also does anyone near central Indiana have some of these ducklings for sale?

 

[CluckAcres]

Ok here I go, try not to laugh!

Do I need to leave a bowl of grit and a bowl of oyster shell out for my ladies?
I've had these hens about 2 wks and they are laying wonderfully! I am feeding them organic feed and organic oatmeal and organic fruits and veggies as treats. I recently bought both grit and oyster shell and put them in in separate bowls to help themselves if they needed it and then I noticed the egg shells appear to have like a slight wave almost like they are putting on extra shell maybe or maybe I'm just paranoid! Lol! I let them out to roam several times a day to gobble up as many bugs as they can find. I have a coop that holds 5 chicken inside a mesh covered 10x10x6 dog kennel because we have lots of wild life out here including 4 hawks who have been buzzing around us lately.

And what do I do about the ground??
I've been moving the kennel and coop over a few feet in the grass every 4ish days because of the poo. Should I just leave it in one area and just let it pile up or use sand maybe and then how do I clean it for them?? Ugh sooooo confused about the ground!! I just want happy healthy ladies and I don't want to mess it up.

Grit & Shell: I would leave the grit and shell seperate, but i sometimes mix a scoop of it in with their feed. They eat around the shell if they dont want it.

Tractor: I would move the "chicken tractor" around the yard. Use the flock as mowers during summer. I dont mow a big part of my yard and just move my tractor around and they mow it for me. Win Win situation. If you dont want to move it i would put sand down or just put hay or straw down in the run and when you want to change out the straw or hay all you have to do is scoop it out and put it in a compost pile. I use many methods and they all seem to work great for me. Oh do you have a top on the tractor?

Food: Is there a reason you use all organic food?

 

[jgarreth]

Hello!! New here and to chickens but I am already having a great time with them. (except cleaning the coop..blah) When I run out of what I have on hand, I'm going to try the sand. I don't want to experience a super stinky coop in the heat/humidity of an Indiana summer. Great to see an Indiana forum!

 

[CluckAcres]

Hello!! New here and to chickens but I am already having a great time with them. (except cleaning the coop..blah) When I run out of what I have on hand, I'm going to try the sand. I don't want to experience a super stinky coop in the heat/humidity of an Indiana summer. Great to see an Indiana forum!

Glad to have you here!! Yes dealing with the cleanings is the worst part of having poultry. But if your like me its kinda on a plus side too. More compost for the garden and flowers!!!

 

[Kiniska]

Yeah, chicken poop + humid hot conditions = unhappy me. However Cluck is right, makes excellent compost!

On another thought. I will probably have a few too many English Orpington Roosters in a few months. These will be the pretty grey/blue Orpingtons. So if anyone is interested drop me line. I am very open to barter. These came from Renie's Peeps and so far have been super nice birds. Hopefully next year they will have lots of little ones then I can say they came from me.

 

[AmLambson]

Grit & Shell: I would leave the grit and shell seperate, but i sometimes mix a scoop of it in with their feed. They eat around the shell if they dont want it.

Tractor: I would move the "chicken tractor" around the yard. Use the flock as mowers during summer. I dont mow a big part of my yard and just move my tractor around and they mow it for me. Win Win situation. If you dont want to move it i would put sand down or just put hay or straw down in the run and when you want to change out the straw or hay all you have to do is scoop it out and put it in a compost pile. I use many methods and they all seem to work great for me. Oh do you have a top on the tractor?

Food: Is there a reason you use all organic food?

Yes I have a mesh tarp on the top of the dog run to keep the hawks out. We got a metal dog kennel around the coop because we have coyotes come threw occasionally too. There isn't a specific reason for using all organic other than I try to buy organic as much as possible for us. I'm getting into the "farm to table" and trying to buy as much food locally as possible. My husband has dreams of "living off the grid" in his words. Lol! Another question- Do I need to take the hens to a vet to get looked at yearly to ensure their good health?