INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[SallyinIndiana]

After hearing little peeps last night, I have my first two chicks of this batch. They are still in the incubator for now since they are wet but they are adorable.

On a different note my adult product roo killed off one of my 12 week pan fry chicks last night. I guess we need to get him another coop or temporary housing set up. I would put him in with the hens but one has a sore leg and he attacks it constantly. The leg was doing better till this morning. I had left the garage door cracked and the hen escaped out to where the roo was free ranging. After the roo mated with her the leg looks worse than the first night we had her in the garage. I went a head and put her back in with the rest of the hens since it was clear that is what she wanted.

John ~ are you sure you don't need a mean rooster replacement?

 

[oldrooster]

After hearing little peeps last night, I have my first two chicks of this batch. They are still in the incubator for now since they are wet but they are adorable.

On a different note my adult product roo killed off one of my 12 week pan fry chicks last night. I guess we need to get him another coop or temporary housing set up. I would put him in with the hens but one has a sore leg and he attacks it constantly. The leg was doing better till this morning. I had left the garage door cracked and the hen escaped out to where the roo was free ranging. After the roo mated with her the leg looks worse than the first night we had her in the garage. I went a head and put her back in with the rest of the hens since it was clear that is what she wanted.

John ~ are you sure you don't need a mean rooster replacement?

Sally if it where me (I know he may be your pet and you may not be able to handle the thought) but I would re home that roo to the crockpot!

 

[Old Salt 1945]

I moved the six turkey poults to their outdoor pen; they have been ready for some time, but the pen hasn't. My plan is to keep a pair and return the other four to my friend that I hatched for. Now the problem: I read up on sexing turkeys and it's my understanding that they can't be sexed until 4-6 months. Guess I'll be feeding them all for a while longer.

Throw a "PlayChick" magazine in the pen and note which ones linger near it and which ones shun it.

John

 

[Old Salt 1945]

After hearing little peeps last night, I have my first two chicks of this batch. They are still in the incubator for now since they are wet but they are adorable.

On a different note my adult product roo killed off one of my 12 week pan fry chicks last night. I guess we need to get him another coop or temporary housing set up. I would put him in with the hens but one has a sore leg and he attacks it constantly. The leg was doing better till this morning. I had left the garage door cracked and the hen escaped out to where the roo was free ranging. After the roo mated with her the leg looks worse than the first night we had her in the garage. I went a head and put her back in with the rest of the hens since it was clear that is what she wanted.

John ~ are you sure you don't need a mean rooster replacement?

Is he fryer size?

You could do what I just did. Clip 1/8 - 1/4" off the upper beak. Nip 1/8" off the talons while you are at it. I use a dog nail trimmer; the guillotine type. Quick, easy (once the chicken it caught), and painless unless you accidentally nip YOUR finger.

Seriously, it doesn't hurt the bird unless you hit the quick and make them bleed. I have done that and the bird didn't show any ill effects. But it looks at me with pure hatred whenever I approach.

John

 

[HouseKat]

The post office called me at 6:20 this morning to tell me that my chicks had arrived. When I got to the post office loading dock a few minutes later I was greeted with the sound of dozens upon dozens of peeping chicks. My first thought was, "Oh my gawd, the hatchery screwed up and sent me 100 instead of 10!" It turned out that a farmer was getting a rather large shipment today, and the big boxes of chicks were his. They handed me my little 9" x 12" box and I headed home.

As soon as I opened the box one daring chick hopped up on the side and looked at me, she was instantly my favorite. When my cousin and I divvy up the chicks I'm telling him, "You can have any ones you want except HER! : ) I looked them over, got them settled in the brooder, and made sure they started drinking some water. Later on when I got out of the shower I found my husband in here with them, I think he may be hooked too!

Here's a link to my Google+ where I am posting pics and videos: https://plus.google.com/u/2/108504528764462877739

They are five Easter Eggers and five Black Australorps from Cackle Hatchery in Missouri.

 

[BackyardBitten]

first off---ROF(rolling on floor) laughing at oldsalt's comments

congrats to everyone with new chickies! I am envious of those who can hatch ur own! I hope next spring my DBF and our daughter and I will all be in a new house to where I can have more chickens and possibly try my own hand at hatching!!!

Fed my older girls some cantelope and honey dew last night for the first time. As always, Big Red (aka my red pullet Rosie--who is my fave) had to be the first to try it. She didn't know what to think at first, then the next thing I know, she is over by the cup that the fruit is sitting in-taking out each piece of fruit one by one with her beak. I tell you, the nerve of some inpatient hens!!! My two leghorns were just kind of checking it out here and there. I am anxiously awaiting the first egg since they are all 17 going on 18 weeks old. Can't wait to get it!!!!

hope everyone is doing well!!! Can't wait for this big chicken get together, just gotta make sure we have no other plans on that weekend.
TTFN!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Sally if it where me (I know he may be your pet and you may not be able to handle the thought) but I would re home that roo to the crockpot!

I plan to bring him to the party if he makes it that long. Not a pet, I was wanting to use him to hatch more production hens. But he keeps getting meaner by the day. When we first got him, all he did was run around and start mating once our pullets were big enough. Catching him is not easy but DH can do it. We sold the rooster I could catch because at the time we had too many roosters. I'll have way too many roosters again in about 2 months. I was kind of hoping to do all of rooster reduction at one time.

Quote: he is a fully grown mean production RIR. He is a lot skinnier than the other RIR roos that we had (1 sold the other passed from 1 heart troubles).

 

[CountryHen19]

Haha... I was watching the video HouseKat put up on the link she posted of her new chicks. The video ended and DH asked from the other room..."What's going on?" He thought Rocky and Buddy (the other one in the house brooder with Rocky) were having issues I guess lol.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Haha... I was watching the video HouseKat put up on the link she posted of her new chicks. The video ended and DH asked from the other room..."What's going on?" He thought Rocky and Buddy (the other one in the house brooder with Rocky) were having issues I guess lol.

I played it also. As soon as the peeping started, my Labrador came prancing in from her nap in the hall with her ears perked up, well, what passes for perked up with a Lab.

John

 

[Old Salt 1945]

OK. Here goes. A goofy idea that I need some help with.

I want to rig up some kind of a halter on one of my Indian Runner ducks and with a leash so I can walk him around the Boone County State Fair sorta like you would with a dog. I think it would be a hoot.

I have a halter I got for my Lab, Millie, when she was a pup, but even that is too big. The kind I am talking about has a circle that goes around the neck another circle that goes around the body just behind the legs (wings) and a strap that connects the 2 circles down the chest.

Trouble is the blasted ducks are so slick. I don't want it so tight that it hurts the little beastie, but I don't want to have to chase it down when it escapes. Right now, I'm thinking velcro strips to make it easily adjustable, but trying to get the critter to hold still long enough to assemble it would problematic. I have had no luck taming the ducks down. When I am around, the whole flock runs in terror from me. This was true even at 1 day old. Try as I may, I can't seem to get them to settle down. At least, under leash, it will look like the duck is leading as it tries to get away from me.

The fair is the 3rd week of July.

Anybody got any suggestions other than that I need professional counseling?

John