INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Attention all chicken addicts...
I think I just got some additional housing that would probably house another 20 birds. Haven't purchased yet...and I think it will take some time to refurbish... but may at least have it in my possession by next weekend.


I think there is therapy for these things

its hopeless there is no cure. U must post pics! that will correct any pain and suffering you endure. And makes your fellow infected bycer's feel better as most have this disease too.

Quote: Ugh no kidding, but I did raise them for about a year, i just could not do the processing, it was a terribly bad experience. Chickens, am ok with since the roos get so mean.
Bunnies I just cant do, yet...

I have been looking at these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Neon-Elasti...ee-Shipping-/141059146574?hash=item20d7c7c34e

The spiral ones look like they stretch out in the same manner as the number bands. Kind of like those slap bracelets. The ones I'm looking at look like a rubberband or ponytail holder. I'm thinking they might be a touch bit harder to get on as I would need to point all the toes into the hole and raise the band up over to get past the foot. But they are a lot cheaper. I'm trying to find an easy way to mark the birds by year for the layer flock.

I have them, and like them a lot. The only birds that got them off were the BBW turkeys. Ebay always has good deals on them.

babies!!!! so fluffy and cute. 4 meat birds, 2 black astralorps, 3 EEs, 3 white rocks, 3 wyandottes, and a rare ( thinking blue andalusian).

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

i'm sorry Julie

bad days happen, just look toward the brighter side in the morning

and dont go to sleep frustrated. i know, easier said than done.

X2

julie0477 I hope your boy is okay!! Sounds like a bad day all around


Needing advice. I have 4 bearded silkie eggs that my girls have layed and no broodies. I thought there were only 2 and then I found 2 more buried under the hay in the nesting box. They don't seem to be paying much attention to them. Any thoughts? Should I just wait it out longer and see if they lay a full clutch? I don't have an incubator.

I have never experienced this before. Newbie.

When a broody clutches eggs, she collects til she thinks its time to hatch. I have had broody's but haven't let them hatch, yet.
If you want to break the broodyness remove her, crate her and don't let her stay on the nest.
To encourage her, make a nest and put all the eggs in there.

My day: got up early to put dinner in the crock pot. Left for work with it unplugged. Had to throw it out. Went to pick up my kids after school. Got a ticket. Tonight I found my 17 wk old silkie boy under a tree when it was time for the coop. Went to pick him up and he didn't move. The boy can't walk or stand. I see no obvious injury but he was literally JUST FINE hours ago. I put him in a crate with food and water in the basement. I'd like to think he just got injured some how but I don't know. I have a bad feeling.

I am so sorry, they seem really fragile. Lost my oldest pullet fluff a few weeks ago,
just dead, no obvious problem, injury, nothing. Think its the hot/cold horrible weather affecting our birds.
Laying is off too, I got 4 eggs today from around 260 birds, including the lil quail.

 

[julie0477]

Will silkies be OK if put in a chicken yard with LF birds?  I have Wyandotte, Cochin, Orpington, Jersey Black Giant, Guinea, Indian Runner Ducks.

A few of your gorgeous white silkies would sure look good mixed in with them.  I'm just concerned that they might get beat up.

I have a 9 year old granddaughter who would probably steal one and try to get away with keeping it in her room.

John

I have had silkies (and sebrights) and LF mixed together since spring and they all seem to get along. There has been no beating up of the little guys thankfully. My bantams don't seem to realize they are smurfs. Especially the sebrights. I suppose it depends on how aggressive your roosters are.

 

[julie0477]

I was gone about 18 hours and behind again by over 100 posts I did get far enough to see that several folks are having birds "go down in the legs" so I wanted to post a couple things that I hope may be helpful to somebody. The first is this link that talks about some of the leg issues and causes. Note particularly the info on vitamins. There are various issues that "usually" affect birds during specific age ranges as a "rule of thumb". There exceptions to the rule of thumb however. There is a lot of info here...keep reading all the way down https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry When I first heard about various "B" vitamins having an effect on leg issues w/chickens was a few years ago in one of Joel Salatin's books. Here is some info that is very interesting on riboflavin in young chicks in particular. I think if you click on the images they will come up large enough to read. Quote: Pastured Poultry Profits Author: Joel Salatin Chapter 26 In It's Entirety For Educational Purposes Only. No copyright infringement intended ETA: Someone had remarked earlier how they wondered how the birds could be fine one day and not able to walk the next. In another part of JS book, he mentioned that was what happened. One day they were in that condition. After feeding the liver, they recovered quite quickly as well.

thanks for posting. This is good info. My lil guy is eating well and drinking his vitamin enriched water, but still can't balance well enough to stand. He sure wants to though. I'll keep working on him. I've never had this happen but I've also never had this many birds at one time or had silkies which seem a little more sensitive. I'm learning a lot this year. Also, the silkie that some one wants to go broody.... You could try filling her nest with like six golf balls to give her the feeling she's filled the nest. If she's thinking about being broody it might put her over the edge.

 

[CityHen-Indy]

I had my blues in with the big ones for awhile. They don't roost. So you need two of them. So they can sleep together on the floor. They don't see well, so they are basically sitting ducks for hawks. My blues did fine, but since they have vaulted skulls, a peck on the head from a big chicken will likely make them dumber than they already are, or kill them, so I put them in their own coop with the white girls. I wouldn't recommend it unless they are raised together.

I have one Silkie pullet which was purchased as day-old with my standard chicks. She's fine with the big group and doesn't get picked on, except I noticed recently the big girls roost on the top perch now and leave "Diva" on a lower perch by herself. Not so good for this coming winter so I'm regretting not getting her one or two little buddies. I'm rearranging the perch to be a single 2x4 and that should help, but I still think she needs a pint-sized buddy. She may just need to become a house chicken if the dogs will accept her.

 

[CityHen-Indy]

Should ha

I have one Silkie pullet which was purchased as day-old with my standard chicks. She's fine with the big group and doesn't get picked on, except I noticed recently the big girls roost on the top perch now and leave "Diva" on a lower perch by herself. Not so good for this coming winter so I'm regretting not getting her one or two little buddies. I'm rearranging the perch to be a single 2x4 and that should help, but I still think she needs a pint-sized buddy. She may just need to become a house chicken if the dogs will accept her.

. Should have included length of time they've been in the same coop/run...17 weeks. I'm thinking I would have seen issues by now. She's living with PRIR, BR, SLW, SF, SS roo and CM. Hope the happy flock continues

 

[Old Salt 1945]

I have one Silkie pullet which was purchased as day-old with my standard chicks. She's fine with the big group and doesn't get picked on, except I noticed recently the big girls roost on the top perch now and leave "Diva" on a lower perch by herself. Not so good for this coming winter so I'm regretting not getting her one or two little buddies. I'm rearranging the perch to be a single 2x4 and that should help, but I still think she needs a pint-sized buddy. She may just need to become a house chicken if the dogs will accept her.

I LOVE your avatar. Got a good laugh from it.

John

 

[CityHen-Indy]

...

I LOVE your avatar.  Got a good laugh from it. John

Thanks. If I bring Diva the Silkie in the house I'll definitely have to switch to a smaller coffee pot. She'll never be able to lift the full size! Ha

 

[Kiniska]

I can almost guarantee two yolks in that.

You were right Thunder. That super long egg was a double yolker. As a bonus it was fertile as well. Happy my boys are getting the job done.

 

[julie0477]

Well on a happier note in my other wise posts of doom I have a new layer sitting in a nest box today. Wooohoooo!

I also have a buff orp that's been sitting more than half the day every day. I think she's thinkin about babies