INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

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I just love your girls, beautiful!

 

[CluckAcres]

Why not grape vines? They cover well.

Don't those take along time to grow?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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Yes, they are kind of slow. My vine was only about 8 ft at 3 years, at my other house.

 

[Mother2Hens]

beelerchicks~ Welcome to the Indiana Thread! Please feel free to ask any questions and post photos of your new flock or any other pets, etc.

Momma2Silkies~ When I asked what the breed was of your (exotic shorthair) cat, I wondered if it was a Persian that had been shaved for the summer. You explained that an exotic shorthair is a Persian with short fur, so that makes sense! He looks very soft and cuddly.




hogster said that one of her smaller birds was attacked by a larger one which resulted in a wound.
pipdzip advised her to: Cover that wound with Blu-Kote and the other birds should stop messing with it. It's the red color that attracts other birds to a wound, which is why a small sore quickly can turn into a pretty nasty case of cannibalization.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]That's good to know, but I wanted to add a consideration that Leah's Mom recently noted. A drawback of Blu-Kote is that it is difficult to tell how the wound is healing when it is covered in blue dye. She uses NuStock ointment. I'm not saying the Blu-Kote is bad. I just thought that Leah's Mom had a good point.[/FONT]

kiniska~ Thank you from all of us animal lovers for making sure the puppies are well taken care of! The good thing about most shelters is that they are an improvement over being abused or neglected. Most require spay/neutering before adoption as opposed to buying an animal from a classified ad or vendor. "No kill" shelters are wonderful, but unfortunately there are too many unwanted animals because people don't want to spend money to have them spayed or neutered. Most cities have clinics that offer these services at reduced costs to encourage owners to be responsible. I'm betting that those cute puppies will be adopted whether they're at the city pound, Humane Society, or a No Kill Shelter. On the other hand, their adoptions reduce the chance of older dogs being rescued. I am sorry that some loser people put you in the position of having to make decisions.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Craftychick~ Good to have you back! You've been asked about. : - )
Craftychick posted: I opened a window and yelled " come on girls!" And they waddled as fast as they could for treats. I bet it blew their minds to see someone call chickens like a dog and them listen. So happy I don't have to round them up and chase them like a fool when it's time to go in. I have them trained to "go home" at any time of the day.

You're lucky to have a flock that follows directions! When I supervise mine in the far backyard, I'll call "Girls" in a certain voice and sometimes they come and sometimes they ignore me. For behavior modification, I started giving them treats if they came in to their fenced-in area when I called. It helps if I have a little container with some sunflower kernels or something that makes a rattling noise. When I call them, I'll rattle the container, and that gets them moving!
How do other members call their flocks? Any tips?

Plants~Good & Bad for Chickens and Vines to Cover Run
Cluck~ I happened to just make a list of annuals and perennials that I could choose from that chickens don't like. Just from the little experience I've had, I have noticed that mine leave poisonous plants alone. I don't think you have to worry about having such plants around because they instinctively know what to stay away from. I am interested in planting ones that they won't bother. To keep them happy, my husband made two grazing frames with special grasses for them. As far as a fast growing ground cover that stays green year-round and the chickens won't eat it, I know one that I've posted about my obsession in eradicating it. It's euonymus or winter creeper (there are several variations of it). It could work very well for your purposes, but be warned that you have to stay on top of it or it will take over your yard and crawl up your trees and through fences. It's ironic that I would even recommend it since I have worked so hard to get rid of it (lost cause) because it had gotten out of control in our yard. It is also good winter foliage for the hens to use for cover (along with our holly trees). It grows overnight (almost as fast as chickens do), so you have to really keep tabs on it.
Here's a photo:



Lining the nesting box . . .
Originally Posted by strssdmom
Well, thinking ahead, I am wondering what you all use in your nesting boxes for nesting substrate???? I was considering straw, but some people have told me there are a lot of mites that come with straw. So, what do you use? Are you happy with it?

strssdmom~ I had a pet rabbit put to sleep because of a neurological problem, which my vet thought was probably caused from mites from the straw bedding. Mites in straw can cause itching, infections, and brain damage. Pine shavings are good and fairly inexpensive when purchased in a large compressed bag for $4.50. Cedar is bad because of the oil. Corn cob bedding and hay can easily mold, which is harmful to chickens. Chopped cardboard is more absorbent than shredded paper. That's about all I know.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Well, thinking ahead, I am wondering what you all use in your nesting boxes for nesting substrate???? I was considering straw, but some people have told me there are a lot of mites that come with straw. So, what do you use? Are you happy with it?

You could use pieces of artificial grass door mats. You know those silly-looking green ones with the daisy on the corner? Or something similar.

The chickens will do fine with it, it will cushion the eggs and it is washable. Sounds perfect for your allergy problems.


I use deluxe pine chips which is a lot better than the average pine bedding. A lot less dust and small shavings.

 

[Crafty chick]

Cluck~ pole beans! They grow crazy, but not too hard to take out when summers done. I made a fort for the kids with them and bamboo sticks last summer. They grow as high as whatever they climb. Just protect the bottoms so they don't peck them before they get a chance to climb.

 

[oldrooster]

Just read "MORNING GLORIES (Ipomea spp.); entire plant; plant contains LSD-related hallucinogens; may contain toxic levels of nitrates."

I did not know this!! Who would of thought!! Drugs for chickens really?

yes there are 3 or 4 plants I can't think of right now that are in the same family as morning glory I think they are called night shades.

 

[strssdmom]

Yes, they are kind of slow. My vine was only about 8 ft at 3 years, at my other house.

Ya, didn't think about that. I was just thinking about the final product! Sorry! Trumpeter Vines are cool, and faster growing.

 

[bradselig]

You could use pieces of artificial grass door mats. You know those silly-looking green ones with the daisy on the corner? Or something similar.

The chickens will do fine with it, it will cushion the eggs and it is washable. Sounds perfect for your allergy problems.


I use deluxe pine chips which is a lot better than the average pine bedding.  A lot less dust and small shavings.

Great idea! My hens are constantly pushing all the bedding to the outer edges of he lay boxes and getting atleast 1 cracked egg daily from the eggs falling on the floor of lay box. Off to find those mats now!