INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[PeacefulWalls]

The day will come when you will want your oldest to start driving everywhere that is on your calendar. No more having to drop off or pick up for activities, well church and school. I think a party at the friend's house you still have to drive for a year or so after they get their DL.
And the best part, if I remember my mother right is we loved driving as teenagers so she made it a reward. So we would have to do the grocery shopping and stick to the list (no cell phones way back when to call and add stuff) in order to be permitted to drive to the church activity. Perfectly planned now that I look back on it. My mom got two things done without leaving the house.

Oh, yeah, she's counting the days until she gets her permit -- she turns 15 in January. We stopped by the BMV booth at state fair and she picked up the driver's ed info book. I know she will be a careful driver, but it's those other people on the roads out there that worry me! We live on a pretty busy county road & have seen lots of drivers do really stupid stuff just in front of our house. There are so many impatient drivers, drivers with road rage & those only looking out for themselves, etc that's it's scary thinking about sending her out there...

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Oh, yeah, she's counting the days until she gets her permit -- she turns 15 in January. We stopped by the BMV booth at state fair and she picked up the driver's ed info book. I know she will be a careful driver, but it's those other people on the roads out there that worry me! We live on a pretty busy county road & have seen lots of drivers do really stupid stuff just in front of our house. There are so many impatient drivers, drivers with road rage & those only looking out for themselves, etc that's it's scary thinking about sending her out there...

I remember I couldn't wait to drive. I would sneak the keys off my dad's dresser and take the old Chrysler out for a spin when I was 14. Small town living back then nobody really thought twice about it. My son turns 17 next week. Been through driver's ed. He can't get his license until October because he never had interest and we are making him get one. I ask him if he wants to drive and he always says, "not really". So I have to make him practice. I just don't get it.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Here's a shot of the nipple water bucket. Easy to do. Drill holes. Screw in nipples so that they just barely compress the silicone washer.




I rotated the original, but when I loaded it to BYC, it reverted to the unrotated version. Tip your computer.

The top is just sitting on the bucket, not snapped down. Hang it so that the chickens can walk under it without having to duck.
Note the rope length adjuster. Use a bucket with a wire handle (bail). Plastic bails will eventually crack and break. Any chicken standing under the bucket when this happens will also break.



John

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I have read on several different sites kids just love them hardboiled, nutritional value is excellent. Look so appealing too!

Pginsber - that is SO funny. My first set of chickens.... I was so happy when they started to lay but once it happened I couldnt eat the eggs. I just couldnt do it! ha Such a waste. They were perfectly good not even fertilized RIR eggs. Beautiful golden yolks. I was pregnant at the time so I attribute it partly to that. That was about ten years ago. Then three years ago we started keeping chickens again and I was ok with eating the eggs until I tried incubating a few and I saw the development by candling.... now I have a hard time with it again. I mean I still do eat them, but I think a lot more about it than I did. I have to push all baby chick images out of my head and oh what it could be.... lol

Ugh yes, when I started hatching eggs made me gag. I have to keep reminding myself why I have chickens.

Quote:

I hearby submit my application for tallest sunflower by the chicken coop:

WOW you have my vote!

 

[Old Salt 1945]

I have made several versions of feeders from 5-gallon buckets. They more or less worked, but not well.

I made this feeder from some scrap 1/2" plywood. It works really, really well.

Note the 2x4 fencing on the front of it. It keeps the varmits from scratching or billing out the feed. I seldom see a pellet on the ground.
It holds 100# of feed.
There are 2 slanted baffles in it. The back baffle slopes toward the front to direct the feed toward the front. The other slopes toward the back baffle with a 1 inch gap between the two. The bottom on that baffle is 1 inch lower than the lip at the front.

Since I used 1/2 inch plywood, the joints are reinforced with cleats. The top has a 1/2" x 1/2" lip all around for a drip edge so water won't get into the hopper. Additionally, I set the feeder under the shade tarp. The tray has no rain protection, but poultry will eat wet feed. Actually, they prefer it wet.



John

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

To keep allergy symptoms to a minimum, eat local honey! Local as in harvested from the town/city you live in.

Ugh, thanks for posting, I have been miserable since sunday. Ragweed, goldenrod and queen anne's lace is awful this year.

My dog had her puppies last night! I guessed she would have 6 man was i wrong she had 10!!! That's a lot of puppies. I will post pics as soon as I can.,

Oh my, that's a lot! What do you breed? Watch them close for weight and if they are able to nurse enough, bottles and canine milk supplement are available.
I bred Labs, Shepard, Rotties and golden retrievers for police dogs.
My Monique, a golden retriever, had 17. C-section and only one was developed enough to survive.
I stopped breeding dogs after that, just heart wrenching. Had her spayed and nearly lost her too.

We know about chicken math, or just various poultry in general math, but this morning I had an episode of calendar math! Our kids started school last Friday already (ick!) and I just got around to writing down activities for the year on my calendar. We went from 2 kids in middle school (both in orchestra) to 1 in middle school (orchestra) and a freshman in high school (orchestra & choir). Between church youth group (now both the jr youth group & sr youth group, 4-H (2 clubs) and orchestra & choir activities, our calendar is bulging through next June! And I haven't even seen the regular activities calendar for the high school yet or put in any of our family activites. Thank goodness neither of the kids are in a sport or band -- in the Goshen schools those both devour every spare second of your time!

When I raised my oldest 3, between sports, scouts and 4H I never sat down. Baseball, softball and soccer, scout leader meetings, 4H leaders meeting ugh! My kids loved it all and still talk about it. Its amazing how well rounded the kids became as adults. I never said "no" and made the time for them, no matter what was going on.
You are an awesome parent to give them the opportunity to learn, be independent and grow

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Here are some pics of my critters.

The yard is 64' x 64'. The tarp is for shade. The coop is inside the barn. It is 8' x 16'.



14 week Blue Cochin rooster. I have 2.


14 week Silver Laced Wyandotte pullet. I have 5.


14 week Jersey Black Giant pullet. I have 4. Note the metallic blue-green sheen on the black feathers. It is really striking in direct sunlight.


18 week Buff Orpington pullet. I have 5.


14 week. Gold Laced Wyandotte pullet. I have 4.


14 week Blue Cochin pullet. I have 3. 2 Buff Cochin roosters in background.


14 week Pearl Guinea male, I think. I have (I think) 2 males, 1 female.


Another 14 week SLW pullet.


18 week Gold Laced Wyandotte rooster. I have 2.


14 week Indian Runner ducks. I have 4 Blue, 2 Chocolate, 2 Fawn and White.



John

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Hehe, I am one of those moms! If they used my lil tracker they had to run my errands first! sure miss those days

Quote:
You are so not kidding!

Just an update, I got my refund on those quail eggs. After candling them last night, 1 more was cracked and I got 3 out of 13 that weren't damaged. Well wait to see if they even develope.

Brad
Good for you! Hope the 3 do make it, I have had 3 -0- hatch shipments that were unbroken eggs, sellers made good but is still disappointing and takes up space till you can look for veins. One was Amerucana eggs (2 shipments) and the eggs were scrambled both times. I gave up and plan to go thru an indiana member here on BYC. The other was African geese and not a one was fertile and air cells were detached also. I wish more people would pack like you do, OMG just perfect!
Arielle is a fantastic member for packing also, has beautiful BR turkey eggs and also packs very snug and safe. Snoodles is my only poult that survived out of the hatch, but he was already dry and out of the hatcher when I had the power failure. I was really pleased with her shipment, not her fault my electric went out. I originally had several developed and pipped but the stupid LG had a temp spike after the power came on. I add water during hatch and remove any chicks once a day if they are dry.

We had a close one today. Our first (and hopefully last) hawk attack. My feather kids have been free ranging with the alpacas on an acre with 5 foot 2x4 welded wire fence, in between 4 houses with a combined total of 10 dogs, under about 20 trees for 3 months. So we have had minimal predatory issues. Apparently our squirrel population has dwindled or this was a young stupid hawk. I was standing outside talking on the phone when I saw the alpacas freak out, I looked over and saw Blueberry fly into the fence in fear. That's when I saw the hawk, I swear was the size of a dragon, hit the other side of the fence. Thank goodness we have so many pens and fences. He got confused and didn't make off with any of my kids. I lost one of our RIR girls for a bit, while I was picking up and carrying everyone to the coop. Then I found her in the barn hiding behind the feed bins. Poor things were petrified. They are now enclosed in the coop and run. I don't think they would come out today if I left it open. They got quite a fright. Probably no eggs for us for a few days.I hope this doesn't screw up Godivas egg production healing. She is doing great. No eggs, but at least its better than 4 soft ones in 2 days. She has been eating her calcium. So when the scare is over hopefully she will start laying normally.

If I have my goats out on tether, the hawks seem to stay away. (only Bo until my lil doeling is older) Same for the geese, they free range when I am outside. I have read several posts about peacock defending flocks too, but am not letting my peachicks out yet. My peacock is a real aggressive boy ( over 6 weeks) and is already challenging the turkey poults. My peahen is very calm and sweet. They flare their wings down and rush just like a guinea if challenged. I am stumped on the eggs, i have well over 30 chicken hens at POL and all but 3 have stopped laying. This cold front and weird weather has to be affecting them. I am feeding purina flock raiser and free choice oyster shell. LOTS of mealies and will be adding fish meal next week to boost proteins.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

My gold star rosemary and my silkie seem to have a system going. I wondered where her eggs have been. She ALWAYS lays, but no eggs the past few days. I caught her today. She's been going into my broody silkies pen and laying, and then the silkie has been rolling it under her. So now I have at least two eggs that are due a week later than the rest of the hatch

. You think it's ok to leave them? Or do I really need to candle and pull those last eggs? I'll have to start leaving her pen closed up while I'm at work. She still has access to the outdoors and Food and water. It's a little a frame tractor. Just no dusting i guess.

Exciting news. A tractor will work well for her. Candle if you feel you need to, but if its a broody hatch why not let her be the mom.

Here I go again... Seem to do a lot of whining here of late.

I received a stunning little addition to my flock yesterday thanks to the lovely pbirdhaven. He was a gorgeous pale splash bantam cochin with lots of comb at 10 weeks. Put his fuzzy butt into the quarantine pen and he ran around eating all the grass, scoffing the grain and picking at a water melon. Paying no attention to the girls who had lined up like soldiers at the fence line to check him out.
I was in heaven

He is cute as a button, does not seem flighty because of the girls...perfect!

Roll on night fall. Around 20 mins after dusk I pop my back porch flood light on and step outside. The quarantine pen fence is completely crushed. About 5 feet from the pen is my new rooster, mauled to death.
I have cameras on my house and it happens right after it gets dark. I can barely see the chicken on the camera running around frantically, but without the lights on I can not see what it attacking him. I have come to the conclusion it was a dog by how trashed the fencing was and the fact the little guy had a single bite and a broken wing but was left intact.

I am so frustrated and angry with myself and I feel like a big let down on pbirdhaven for giving me such a beautiful bird... I may just scream

Oh no, Vicki

I am so sorry, Been thru it to with Sable my dads bottle baby goat. The dog grabbed him, and killed him right thru the gate. It happens, sure does sound like a dog! Don't beat yourself up over it. I know you care very much about your birds and their safety. All you can do is fix what didn't work and start over. Do report the attack to animal control so its recorded, If you see the dog show its face, and it will be back, call the animal control right away. The owner owes you damages for your loss, and needs to be responsible for the stray dogs actions. So very careless and irresponsible of them! Dog ownership means responsibility, and proper care and confinement. I will not hesitate to shoot a stray dog that's aggressive after loosing my Dads lil baby goat.

My gold star rosemary and my silkie seem to have a system going. I wondered where her eggs have been. She ALWAYS lays, but no eggs the past few days. I caught her today. She's been going into my broody silkies pen and laying, and then the silkie has been rolling it under her. So now I have at least two eggs that are due a week later than the rest of the hatch

. You think it's ok to leave them? Or do I really need to candle and pull those last eggs? I'll have to start leaving her pen closed up while I'm at work. She still has access to the outdoors and Food and water. It's a little a frame tractor. Just no dusting i guess.

Hope someone that hatches with a broody can help. I cant take that risk my geese would harm them.

Quote:
It sounds like you may be thinking of owning bees. Once you get bees you can plant an orchard. Kind of like the poultry that leads to goats then cows then a homestead.

yikes, bees spiders and roaches just make my skin crawl and shiver. UGH but I do love apples, honey and nuts.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Yup Thats me too, I need light to see stuff and read anymore

Phew... Okay, the walls are finished on the coop addition, the chicken door has been attached, and the winter vent covers are built. I also got the first coat of paint on the interior and on both the human door and chicken door.

So over the weekend I will be painting, applying hardware cloth over the vent openings and windows and over the floor, and then back filling the floor with gravel and dirt.

Almost done!
(Oh, uh, no pictures because my first coat paint job looks awful.

)

Pipd I bet its amazing.