INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

Something that might be helpful for the future...

To keep my runs from getting flooded or packed down into hard earth, I do a deep litter in the outdoor pen. When I first put up the pen/run, it was grass. As they wore that down over time, I began to fill it with wood chips, the wood shavings that I cleaned out of the indoor coop, and whatever else was available.

The goal is to keep the ground underneith "alive"...to make a deep bedding that they can hopefully scratch through even in winter and still find worms under there. I keep dumping more and more into that run and it is awesomely alive instead of impacted and muddy and dead. The deep mulch keeps water from pooling too.

I had the people who cut down some trees leave the wood chips and then let them "cure" in a pile for about 6 months before I used them. When you see worms in the pile it's good to go. Many places that cut down trees are willing to dump chips on your property FREE when they're cutting something down in your area. Call a few and ask. They don't like to have to haul them back to their place and dispose of them. It's free mulch.


But...if I didn't have the wood chips I could have used raked up leaves, grass, etc. I also put ALL INDOOR WOOD CHIPS out there when I clean them out. I just haul it in there and dump it in a pile. They love to dig through it and distribute it when you first put it out.

Here are some photos inside the run area when I had just dumped in some chips. They go to town and dig through for whatever is alive in there.







You can see in the next photo what the run looks like from the side. They go out of here to free range most of the time. However, it gives me a pen to close them in when necessary. Notice the deep mulch/litter. Lots of worms and bugs under it that they dig through when they're stuck in the pen.

And a couple of winter photos.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

thanks John. They actually aren't for me. I like to bake with them but my 9 year old turned out to have an allergy (seriously?!) so I can't use them. I put an ad on CL to unload them and a lady answered that wants them because she is allergic to chicken eggs. The irony. I'm pretty far for her though. She wants me to meet her half way and i just dont have the time to do it. I could put you in touch if your interested in selling a few.

I'm not too interested in driving somewhere to sell or give away eggs. I'm a couple of miles west of Lebanon. If she's interested, she can come here. I only get a 1 or 2 per day, so it's likely not worth the trip for either of us.

John

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Leah's Mom I use those wood chips in my run too. But I need to put some kind of wall along the run fence so that I can raise the ground level before spring or when the snow starts melting and the spring rains come, Mud will abound. There is still grass in my run, we just pile the chips on the bare ground, then the chicks and ducks spread them out and grass starts to grow in the chip covered ground. I am waiting on more chips but for some reason our tree trimmer friend has not been in our area. I'm thinking of calling a second trimmer but the thought of wood chip overload is preventing that.

 

[julie0477]

I'm not too interested in driving somewhere to sell or give away eggs.  I'm a couple of miles west of Lebanon.  If she's interested, she can come here.  I only get a 1 or 2 per day, so it's likely not worth the trip for either of us.

John

I get close to the same amount. She asked if I could save them back a couple weeks (that usually gives me two dozen). I'm not sure where she is in Indy. If she's closer to you than me she'd probably take you up on whatever you have to offer. I'll see where she is.

 

[Delawaremommy]

try rural king in Martinsville....they had ISA pullets last weekend....

 

[kabhyper1]

Hey guys, my silkie roo broke the tip of his beak off on the hardware cloth in his run today. Just the very end of it. It bled a little bit. Will it heal on its own?

 

[pginsber]

I'm new to understanding biosecurity. I think I'm misunderstanding something, so I trust the long-timers will share their experience and straighten me out
Since I have a Mareks positive flock, I am apprehensive to step foot in TSC or Rural King when they have chicks.
Surely folks with poultry diseases on their shoes, coats, hands, etc. shop at those stores, too, when they shouldn't be. Maybe even the people who work there carry diseases on their person.
To me, it seems inherently bio-UN-secure to buy chicks from a farm store. How can these things be true? Those ideas don't seem to make sense together to me.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm new to understanding biosecurity. I think I'm misunderstanding something, so I trust the long-timers will share their experience and straighten me out
Since I have a Mareks positive flock, I am apprehensive to step foot in TSC or Rural King when they have chicks.
Surely folks with poultry diseases on their shoes, coats, hands, etc. shop at those stores, too, when they shouldn't be. Maybe even the people who work there carry diseases on their person.
To me, it seems inherently bio-UN-secure to buy chicks from a farm store. How can these things be true? Those ideas don't seem to make sense together to me.

it is a risk, but it is a risk because wild birds carry it too and just about anyone could somehow have brought it into the store. But the same goes for a lot of places. If the disease is on one's shoes then in theory it could be on a grocery store's floor. I have a special pair of shoes for the chickens but that is more to keep the mess out of my house. Turns out it is good for bio reasons too. DH on the other hand is not as careful with his shoes. If our flock comes down with something, it still might not be him, it could be the wild birds, my chick buyers, random people that just stop buy and look at my chickens without asking, the list goes on and on. Still I don't vax the chicks. Please don't take this the wrong way but with a flock that is positive wouldn't you want to buy chicks from a place that does give them a shot against the disease. Also I don't think you are a large risk if the clothes you are practicing good bio measures including changing your shoes and clothes before leaving your house everytime. This would keep the risks lower for your car and the places you go.

 

[Delawaremommy]

yeah I think that's what got me lol

I worry about people who have been mounting chickens for that long......poor little chickens....

We've had over 4 inches last night and today. I should've emptied my rain gauge when it stopped for a while! Our creek is out of the banks and roaring like a ...... And the chickens are all hiding!

I got my baby girl dog back yesterday. She's doing better. She didnot have an intestinal blockage but her small intestine was looped thru a section of torn membrane . I can't give you the names for all of that. But so far she is keeping food down!!! First time in 2.5 weeks!!

Glad the pup is good again!

I also have well water. I have blonde hair and it turns my hair orange so i get malibu treatments every couple weeks. City water literally makes me sick if i drink it.

Is that the lie your telling about why you dye your hair?!?

Barb S : i know a guy up around my way that has some iowa blues (i think he has 3 left) that he is looking to rehome to a good home - prob too far away tho as he's about 90+ minutes north of saginaw MI. If you are interested , send me a p.m. & ill contact him & send you phone # etc...... we got 2 nice deleware pullets from him recently - they are nice lookin birds

Does he ship chicks? I will possibly be looking for more Delaware chicks in spring but would like better quality than the hatchery babies I have now.

Leah's Mom I use those wood chips in my run too. But I need to put some kind of wall along the run fence so that I can raise the ground level before spring or when the snow starts melting and the spring rains come, Mud will abound. There is still grass in my run, we just pile the chips on the bare ground, then the chicks and ducks spread them out and grass starts to grow in the chip covered ground. I am waiting on more chips but for some reason our tree trimmer friend has not been in our area. I'm thinking of calling a second trimmer but the thought of wood chip overload is preventing that.

I put down straw to cover some of the water damage in my girls pen...they are now busy putting it where it really needs to be according to them! silly little girls. Then this morning I added insult to injury by throwing in some old raisin bran, a little scratch and some grapes (also known as chicken crack at my house) which all sank into the straw so they had to forage for it all. Too funny watching them try and find the good stuff.

Later today or tomorrow they are going to go next door to my brothers house as his backyard is full of baby crickets which I am pretty sure they won't mind helping eradicate for him!

Welcome all newcomers and hope everyone had a good weekend even though it was rather wet!

I finally caught up!!! and I am claiming post 15259 as my 50th post!!!!

 

[Delawaremommy]

I think!