INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hey everyone, just wanted to shout out a reminder to old thread members as well as new Hoosiers that have joined.... We need help. Anyone that's comfortable with Excel or Google Docs, WE WANT YOU

We are trying to add contributors that will help keep our member list updated and events, co-ops and more added on our member page, Please PM me if you want to pitch in and keep our state thread active. If you have recently joined our thread, please send a PM to me, CluckAcres, bwindell, mother2hens if you would like to be added to the member list.
Posts may not be seen, so please send a message to one of us.
Members list and more can be seen here:
www.backyardchickens.com/a/indiana-bycers-members-events-links
We really need more people willing to help keep members updated! Thanks to everyone and am so glad to see so many people joining our thread.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I will be gone - fishing camping an partying WOOOHOOO for DH birthday this weekend, so PM if you need anything at all. I still get Internet at our campground. Isn't Internet toooo awesome....its even portable LOL

leaving Friday morning should be home by Monday.

 

[Too Fast]

Hi everyone! Been super busy this week, just got done reading 99 new posts

I would like to say

and to our thread, all of our fellow Hoosiers that's joined us!

Love all the pictures, all the babies and fantastic looking coop builds!
I have several chicks available, from day old to a few weeks. All large frame GLW, EE, and BR/GLW cross. your choice $2 each. If anyone is interested please PM me.
Will also have Chinese white and brown geese, and Muscovy ducks hatching. Asking $5 each, will do quantity discounts or swaps/trades for livestock also. Geese are excellent watchdogs, but are not flock "guardians", they will alert you LOUDLY if something is out of place. I also found out a few days ago they break up fights! My Rooster Rebel escaped from his fence, and Red, the oldest rooster saw him... it was ON! So i am rushing to grab my net, and my Gander promptly walked over, grabbed and SAT on Rebel!

I could not believe it, but I walked over and grabbed Rebel up. Big G and Red just walked away.

Ha. Funny story about the goose breaking up the fight.

 

[vickichicki]

JGarreth, Chickentender - Welcome to the thread. Glad you are here!

Emsteele - lol @ more chickens. I have banned myself from going to TSC until chick season is over.

Cluck and Crafty - Grats on the jobs guys. Hope it goes well for you both.

AATH - I assume that is the only picture of the duck you have. I can not quite tell what it is, might be a mutt. It looks darker than a regular Mallard and Blue Winged Teal are alot smaller, but similar looking to the mallards, I think you would have noticed if it was alot smaller than a regular Mallard. The Mallard lay greeny white eggs while the Teal lays straight white eggs. Might help you identify.

Am - Very cute picture. Looks like somebody may have been helping eat the berries

Me me - I am thinking your picture is of a rather masculine roo. Look at the size of those waffles and comb..

Animal - I have chicken wire on the front of my coop and I tarp them up when it's is cold or excessive 'bad' weather. I use 5 gallon buckets for nesting boxes for my RIR's. Might not work for breeds much larger though.

Mother - Love the cat picture. I am a huge cat fan.. When I get older I hope to be that 'cat lady', maybe with a few chickens thrown in.

Jchny - Enjoy your trip. I am rather envious. Have not been fishing for about 2 years. Pout pout.

Hopefully that has covered everyone... If not, I am sure I can fix that later.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

I think this an obvious roo but being new to yard birds I'd like a second opinion

Why, it's just not possible that that could be a roo!!

There is only a 10% margin of error in sexing chicks, or so they told me....

And it's your third "pullet" that isn't really a pullet? Did you buy 30 pullets, or is it some sort of miracle? Because the chances of them making a mistake are slim.

Sorry. Not only is that a roo, he looks like an over-achiever, too!

 

[vickichicki]

I knew I had missed some stuff so here is part two...

Too fast - I agree with the survival of the fittest. The silkie I have will not be a bred chicken. I am hoping it turns out to be a girl for brooding. I heard they do rather well at that. The fact he/she is still having problems means I am sure there is underlining issues. I no longer clean the silkie up, but it is still messy back there. If it does not happen to live to a ripe old age I would not be surprised.

Am - See I should have gone back through the posts further.. welcome to the thread! Hope this thread will be a good learning experience for you. Lots of people here have wonderful advice and suggestions. Just ask away.
In reference to the questions you did ask. I no longer put out oyster shell for my girls. They were never really having an issue, but after I introduced it I started getting warty looking shells. Completely fine, but as I sell mine, I felt bad about them being in there next to some perfect looking eggs. I occasionally get the wavy shell too. Not often. Those we keep for us. Your chickens should not need grit if they have the ability to forage for themselves. They will eat small stones during there ventures. Grit is more for birds that are confined and do not have the ability to find there own stones and grit.

Me me - We are currently trying to divert some of the water off our property. we are backed up to a stream/drainage ditch. Over time the drainage swail between us and our neighbour has become built up, so rain no longer drains to the stream. I think some french drains would be a good idea as well as maybe some gutters on the coop so I can divert the water.
I figured the exposed concrete would make the chickens excited about the new 'wet bath'. I can envision chickens being stuck in the concrete in hilarious poses, like the good old cartoons.

Sir - What a great looking flock. They kind of look like Red Stars or Red Sex link.. But I may be way off.

Bloonskiller - Not sure what to suggest for the Crawdads. We have garden snakes galore In our yard, drives me crazy as I have mowed over several of them. Having to explain away whats all over the mower to my wee one is difficult. I will ask my DH if he can offer some suggestions.

New note.... So I go back to edit some of my post due to bad punctuation, spellings or leaving off letters (I am good at that one). However when I type it starts eating all my words after what I have clicked too. Driving me nuts. So excuse the grammatical issues. if I fix them I end up with half of my sentence eaten away by the letter monsters.

 

[animallover2202]

Ok with all that being said more questions 1 how should I attach the 5 gallon buckets to make a nesting box and how many do I need?? 2 what's an easy bedding I can use??? That's easy to use. I've tried corn cob bedding ceder shaving straw and those get mess to clean (messes with my lungs) 3 the new coop is going to be 6ft x 12ft will that be big enough?? 4 how big does the run have to be??? 5 how do I teach chickens to use a poultry nipple??? 6 what's a good roof material that's easy to install??? Thanks for answering all my questions

 

[mcurry]

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.

These look like my Buff Orpingtons at that age. I won't claim to know just by a pic since I'm new, but that was my first thought

Oh no mcurry! So.sorry about the coop. Depends the size difference on the BO and RIR... might take a while of them in a cage in the others coop to get them aquainted before letting them loose together. If you can fence a corner in the RIR coop for the BO, that might work.

My BOs are a wk or two younger than the RIR. I originally had them in the brooder together, but separated them after 2 weeks due to crowding. I ended up putting them there yesterday & watched. The roos are bossing the RIR & the RIR are a bit bossy with the BO pullets, but no fighting. They allowed them in the roost area to sleep so that was a relief. I fixed the in process coop, but just heard severe winds hitting again today. I may never finish this coop. Lol

 

[strssdmom]

Ok with all that being said more questions 1 how should I attach the 5 gallon buckets to make a nesting box and how many do I need?? 2 what's an easy bedding I can use??? That's easy to use. I've tried corn cob bedding ceder shaving straw and those get mess to clean (messes with my lungs) 3 the new coop is going to be 6ft x 12ft will that be big enough?? 4 how big does the run have to be??? 5 how do I teach chickens to use a poultry nipple??? 6 what's a good roof material that's easy to install??? Thanks for answering all my questions

How many chickens do you have???

Coop:4 sq. ft. per bird.
Run: 10 sq. ft. per bird

Bedding: I thought cedar was toxic to birds when mixed with the ammonia of their waste. We use pine chips and pine shavings. Still messy, but if you make the bedding thick (Deep Litter Method) and stir it up daily it will dry out and help control the smells (only needs to be cleaned out every 6 months or so). I also heard you can use FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth in the coop litter to keep the little drier.

Good Luck!

 

[mcurry]

I need advice. I have a week old Buff Cochin Bantam that is doing this odd clicking sound almost inaudible at times when she breathes. She has no discharge, is acting normal, eating, drinking, normal poops & has only sneezed once since I purchased her. She's in a brooder with 2 Australorps same age & another Cochin Bantam same age. None of them are doing the weird breathing. Should I medicate her with antibiotics or could this be an allergy or maybe food getting in her nostrils etc ? I don't want to ignore this & lose her or let something spread through my other 15 chickens. Please help & thanks.