INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Update: after letting her roost by herself for a few days my girl that was getting picked on is now traveling with the flock!!

Also, I need some input, again

I kept one roo that seemed to be the most docile of the bunch. He seems to do great with the girls (based on my very limited knowledge of chicken behavior) but he's been "sneak attacking" us. The whole flock will be following me or DH then all of a sudden roo will jump at the back of our legs. What is this about and how do I get him to quit doing it? My biggest concern is he doesn't injure one of my kiddos!

So good to hear your hen is doing better!
Ugh roosters! Stop him. Now. Roosters will be a guardian to your hens within their ability. No match for most predators, but sounds an alarm.
Most roos quickly herd/call their ladies to the coop if something isn't right. They will defend and protect the hens, many are taken and killed by predators..
Teach the kiddos and family to toe him in the chest. firmly toe and push. Not to injure him, but firm! (almost a soccer punt but not a goal, lol)
Enough to move him away. Keep repeating until he leaves/backs off, Another option is to embarrass him.
If he is small, pick him up, Hold him firm, until he stops struggling. Big roos, Pin to the ground.on his back even if possible.
I have body slammed my big gander, big boy no kidding, I am real small but I wont let a bird intimidate me.
Some roos will not learn.so be prepared that he may be going to the freezer. They are saying to you that THEY are the boss.
Since the flock follows you, he is trying to control his flock and your family is included.
Every family member that's old enough must teach him otherwise. If everyone follows the same practice to stop him, he will learn humans are well above his pecking order.

Pip - Racin - I thank you both for the information. I am soaking this up as much as I can. Going to make some hard notes so I also have reference however I know when the time comes I won't need them anymore. I like the ability to sex the barred chicks early, that might help. As I still have not got myself around to buying an incubator I am relying on my girls to do the work at the moment. If they ever start laying Momma (the barred) is 6 months old now and I am yet to see an egg from her.

Here are my 'girls' in question for the colouring combination.





Now to find something suitable to match them all

They are just beautiful little ladies

I am a noob on colors & gene patterns too.

Quote: Thank you, Sophie is just precious

Crowing's all about the roo. Seems the #1 does the most, like a status thing

I don't think there is a set limit, but PM racinchikins to reserve space if you need to.
There is always aprons for the "favorite girls" but watch the boys spurs, trim them back often.
Aggressive roosters will kill a hen eventually if she is wounded by repeated matings and pecking.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I use wider side of the board, when they roost in winter it helps to keep their feet and body warm.
Usually mine get the tree limbs and I wire them from the top of the run.

Success! We have the chicken enclosure finished and in use:

https://plus.google.com/u/1/108504528764462877739/posts

Next question, they are just over four weeks old now, what's the lowest temperature that they can be exposed to? We're going to have some cool nights and don't want to hurt them.

Quite impressive

Day one is 95 degrees Fahrenheit. each week -5 degrees until fully feathered.
Also watch how they act, huddle and piling up means they are cold. Listless spread out too warm.

They are lovely! each of my sebright's patterns are different. They are such sweet friendly birds.
love the deck!

Tomorrow is day 14 for my eggs which is pretty exciting but I put I cracked in there taking the risk because they cost a lot of money. So I just candled that one (usually a day before the others just in case it's not developing and I don't want it to explode) and it looks the same as it did on day 7. I'm just wondering is dead or is it just slow to develop? Also the air cell in that one is saddle shaped.

7 day candle for chicken eggs you should see blood veins.Day 14 the embryo is obvious, and getting big.
Look at this thread for a lot of good info, sally sunshine has really worked hard at sharing this info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
cracked eggs are a gamble, if its a tiny spot you can use a crayon to seal it up.
Rotten eggs can cause infection to the other eggs.

I'm trying to figure out what chickens I wanna get rid of there all pets so idk I'm keeping 12 big hens but idk ill see what ones I wanna get rid of when I get home

ugh I am so sorry.

If you have to do it, post on the BuySellTrade thread.
Its a really hard choice, think about which birds likes to spend time with you the most.
Craigslist is full of good people, and some not so good and really weird.
I really think if you sell, have a your dad or a friend or there too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Another one from Indiana, I don't have any chickens yet but need some so what is one of the best layers to get, and where to get them.

and our thread

Layers, Australorp holds the world record.

Quote: Thank you

Baaaaaaaa! My Bo is NOT pleased. he is living in the livestock trailer right now. 40X8 feet is just not enough I guess

 

[Too Fast]

Joined BYC last week and just found this thread. I am in SE Marion County and I have two white Leghorns and four red Sex-links the we got at TSC in early April. Hoping for eggs any day. I just wanted to introduce myself to this thread. I will try to keep up.

Welcome Thunder Chicken. Love your name! Are you nest boxes ready? You have a fake egg or golf ball in them? Your leghorns should lay soon, we got our leghorns and sex-links on Feb 28th. Leghorns started laying on June 20th.

And yes, this thread moves quickly!

 

[bloonskiller911]

So to preface this I have never incubated anything but chicken eggs. I have a duck egg that should have hatched yesterday, but nothing. So very frustrated right now. I've been trying to keep the humidity up, and when I last added water I must say that I did candle the egg and it appeared to being moving inside, but I did not see any internal pip. Any advice from those of you that have incubated duck eggs before!?!

Thank you

 

[Indiana Dave]

My oldest daughter just won Champion in the feather-legged bantam class with her Buff Cochin rooster at the Parke County Fair! Very proud of her. About 14 or 15 in the class. Wish I had room to hatch some more eggs, but my coop and cages are full

She also won Grand Champion with her Barred Rock eggs. We never had an egg class when I was in 4-H.

...on another note, I entered my honey in the open class and got my first Grand Champion in open showing. My 10th year in 4-H was in 1991, so it's been a while since I have showed anything.

Sold our barrows at the 4-H auction last night...a real tear jerker for the girls, esp. my oldest. Felt bad for her but its another deposit into the college fund.

Just rambling to get up to 20 posts so I can bid on the egg auction....

 

[Indiana Dave]

Quote:
Cool name....figured you for a turkey guy.

 

[Webechickens]

Welcome from east central Indiana!

 

[DarthLayer]

My second year of owning chickens is today and a birthday for 7 hens ( actually there was 24 but I gave 13 to my friend and then 3 of mine died to a predator and another one died from hypothermia because she went broody in the middle of winter
Today they are going to have some delicious treats and free range with my protection ( been seeing tons of hawks lately not going to risk it)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well... more than 3000 posts since I've been on here.

(I don't think I'll try to catch up...

wish I could get a "readers digest" version... )

I have begun to mix my own feed for various reasons. As part of that, I got a bag of Fertrell, Organic Poultry Nutribalancer (mineral mix). I wasn't able to get a partial bag so I had to get the whole 60 lb bag. That's enough to mix a TON of feed so, needless to say, I won't go through all that for quite some time!


Just wanted to see if anyone might want to purchase some of my bag. I'd figure the cost per lb. and price it that way if anyone wants some.

I'm in Northern Indiana near South Bend, Elkhart, Mishawaka, etc.

If anyone is interested, send me a pm




PS: I have a spreadsheet that will figure how much you need to put into any size batch of feed you might be making.