INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

jchny~ Did your Birthday chick shipment from your sister arrive today--

No, I am a little disappointed over it. Seems he was working up to a proposal to marry my sis.
They have been dating 3 weeks...She refused. I would have too, Oh my!
Its ok, glad my sister didn't make a big mistake, she broke it off with him yesterday, way too fast and pushing for something permanent.
She was married 37 years. needs to take it slow.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: OH what a lovely splash color! I certainly would!

 

[ellymayRans]

[COLOR=A52A2A]jchny~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Did your Birthday chick shipment from your sister arrive today-- or do you have to wait until Thursday?[/COLOR][COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [rule][COLOR=333333]Originally Posted by Little Ameraucana Mom [/COLOR]/img/forum/go_quote.gif [COLOR=333333]I just can't keep up with all of you. Been really busy round here. Glad the rain finally stopped. this is pic of my back yard. It was ankle deep. Oh well the ducks loved it. !!![/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]

[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]My relatives from Berlin came to visit us on Saturday because the little boys wanted to see our chickens. It poured all day. I did "plant" some (refrigerated!) eggs in the nesting boxes so they could "find" them. The rainy day was followed by a stormy night. On Sunday morning they headed back to my sister's in Louisville where the storm had also headed. As you all probably know, Lville had 6" of rain and floods. Upon arriving at my sister's house (that she moved into a month ago), they found that the sewer back-flow prevention valve had burst, which resulted in sewage plus tons of rainwater shooting out of the basement toilet and flooding the basement. Her sump-pump/back-up pump worked fine, but because of heavy rain, water kept filling as fast as they tried to empty the area. What a memorable trip for my sister's daughter and family![/COLOR] [rule][COLOR=800080]LeahsMom~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Thanks for the tip about using wood chips in the run. Our elderly neighbor across the street recently had to have a large tree cut down because ivy had consumed it. There's still a large pile of shavings in her yard, which she has offered to me. I've used some to mix into our crummy clay soil, but I hadn't thought about putting some in the run area since they free range during the day. I think I'll try that, though. I have construction coarse sand in the other sections. Btw, I enjoyed your photos, too![/COLOR] [rule][COLOR=0000CD]ellymayRans~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Nice to see you posting again! You have beautiful roos. [/COLOR]

Thanks M2H! I would lurk when I could but what a busy busy summer!

 

[ellymayRans]

New coop! This is once the walls were up roof on and nest boxes ready. I'll have to get pics of the outside. We used reclaimed barn wood and we love it. 9x9 for the LF. Now the bantys have their very own the old 3x4

 

[ellymayRans]

My beloved Big Boy! All of my Ooo 7 full grown roos are good boys but he is such a doll! Wish I had 10 more like him!

One of his 7 girls.
I also have a Blue Marans hen and Golden Cuckoo hen. They are lovely too..I really want to hatch some of these next go around.

Ok I'm done. Promise! Lol

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

My beloved Big Boy! All of my Ooo 7 full grown roos are good boys but he is such a doll! Wish I had 10 more like him!

One of his 7 girls.
I also have a Blue Marans hen and Golden Cuckoo hen. They are lovely too..I really want to hatch some of these next go around.

Ok I'm done. Promise! Lol

Please feel free to share more!! Love to see your babies!

New coop! This is once the walls were up roof on and nest boxes ready. I'll have to get pics of the outside. We used reclaimed barn wood and we love it. 9x9 for the LF. Now the bantys have their very own the old 3x4

congrats! I love to expand!

 

[toodlesmom]

I hope you all find the heritage birds you want. I don't see why Heritage RIR would not get along with the BO's unless the BO's are mean. My HRIR are really as sweet as can be and don't fight other breeds for the top pecking spot. They barely squabbled among themselves to set up an order. There are 2 flocks that I mingled no problems. Plus I really had them in 3 small pens for most of their lives so they thought they were 3 tiny flocks. Then I went and added an EE rooster and he is currently the top rooster at night but the low one during the day, only because he is smaller and scared of the RIR size. But at night he has the favorite roosting spot and no one even tries to make him move.
I don't know if I will have Heritage RIR chicks this spring, but come fall 2014 I should have a few young birds depending on how my hatches go.


My front yard looks like all of the mud every spring. So much so that now we don't mow the front yard until the rain season is past so at least the mud is hid by the taller grass.

We got rid of our gas hot water tank because of the gas company fees. I was looking into the tankless kind but the electric tankless ones are on a list of things the electric company is trying to charge extra fees for having and using. Something about the increase in electrical demand causing the electric company demand problems. I don't know if I fully believe the electric company but at least right now I don't have to pay the gas fees.

The breeder selling the Heritage English BOs was afraid that her birds were so gentle that they would be picked on by other breeds. I thought that the Heritage RIRs were supposed to be much more gentle than the production birds. Maybe it is the production birds she is used to. I hadn't heard anything about BRs being rough at all. She suggested that, if I wanted different colors of birds, I should try an all-Orpington flock in all the Orpington colors. Interesting thought. I won't be looking for RIRs until spring, so they would be younger, giving the BOs an advantage.

 

[toodlesmom]

Thank you for responding. I want to get into the heritage birds for basically the same reasons as you do. There are 3 or 4 breeds that I would like to try my hand at breeding. But what I mostly want to do is have a flock of pure breed heritage birds that will make pure breed heritage mutts. I know that you can't really call them pure breeds because they are mixed. But imo if the rooster is a pure bred heritage bpr and the hen is a pure bred heritage blrw then the chicks are going to be beautiful pure bred heritage mutts. Does that make sense to anyone but me. I don't know maybe my thinking is way off base.

Other than a few breeds that I know are definite I'm gonna have I can't make up my mind what I want to end up. Someday maybe I will have some of all the breeds that I have on my wish list.

I'm glad to hear the positive feedback on the breeders that I had mentioned. I did place a order for spring chicks from one of them. So come this spring I will be getting Isbars, Bredas, Light Sussex, Coronation Sussex and Swedish Flower Hens. I can't wait.

We live near Columbia City in Northern Indiana. I would be very interested in possible going in on a an order with you depending on when you are wanting to place it. I really need to wait until spring before I get anymore. I would be willing to meet you half way. Just let me know and maybe we can work something out.

I hope to be able to go to the Nationals in Ohio this year but don't know if we will be able to.

I don't know if we will be able to go to the Nationals this year either. My husband isn't sure whether he has to work, and I can't drive.

You are going to have quite a flock come spring! Lots of different and interesting breeds! Who are you ordering from? You must have some land to spread out on. We live in Indianapolis, on almost an acre. My husband doesn't want more than 6 chickens and no roosters. We'll see how he feels once he gets used to them. He didn't like cats when we got married either, and now we have a whole clowder of them, and he is devoted to them!

I am going to buy one or two of the Heritage English Light Sussex pullets and two or three of the Heritage English Buff Orpingtons pullets this fall. Next spring I'll at least add Heritage RIRs and BRs. I'd like a really orange New Hampshire Red, too. Guess I want colored chickens more than colored eggs!

 

[Too Fast]

I had a non-vaccinated chicken checked for md and it came back negative. I have a can of lysol in my truck and use it faithfully. Hubby not so much. Although he will use it before he gets out of the truck once he is home. I buy my feed a couple bags at a time, so I limit my trips to the feed store. Yes it is in the air, on other birds, and just about anywhere really, but I try to limit what I bring home. Not sure if it makes a difference. I am not buying chicks from anywhere. I will only use a broody to hatch. And I don't give the vaccine. I am breeding for strong birds that can survive in my area. IMHO the vaccine only make the bird not have the tumors. Right or wrong, not sure either way. I'm too new to chickens, but want healthy eggs and meat. I only have chickens for eggs and meat. I do not show. Nor do I go to shows. All my birds are healthy, they run, fly and act like chickens. I think its better than the alternative.


I do the same thing. About half of their yard is dl the other half grass. I did use straw though. I didn't realize the problems that come with using it. The chickens have pretty much made a small mess with all the pieces, its pretty shredded. I guess I won't use it anymore. I also use leaves, grass and wood mulch. I never thought about putting the dl from the coop out there, I take it to my compost where they work it closer to the garden for me. I have a 3 bin system set up, one they can't (or haven't) gotten into. For moldy stuff, stuff they shouldn't have. The other two are ongoing I clean it up the scratch it out. Keeps them busy.
When I had to replace my anode rod a couple of years ago. the old man in the ace hardware looked at me like I was nuts for replacing it. He literally would not sell me one. Said it was a waste of money. That once the rod goes, you only have a year or so left. Maybe I should have gone to a big box store, not my town store. I didn't replace it. Should I go buy one and replace it now. Its been probably 3 years?

Yes replace it anyway. The anode rod is sacrificial. This way it gets corroded before the metal in the tank does, since it's composition is a bit different then the tank's composition. Think of it like the anode and the cathode inside the water heater. There will always be some minimal amount of electricity flowing in water that has dissimilar metals submerged. The lower metal on the galvanic table will get consumed first, that is the job of the anode. There is some speculation whether or not to replace them in some situations, but it won't hurt and will only help. Sorta like the fallacy that cold wet weather will give you a cold. Not true, and has been disproven many times. People stay indoors and around each other more in colder weather, that is what spreads disease. Anyway, if you can change it yourself, I say spend the $60 or so and help you heater out or wait for the heater to leak and spend $1,000.

 

[Too Fast]

New coop! This is once the walls were up roof on and nest boxes ready. I'll have to get pics of the outside. We used reclaimed barn wood and we love it. 9x9 for the LF. Now the bantys have their very own the old 3x4

Nice. You know the bantys are happy to get their own place!