INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
This is where I get mine: http://www.sherv.net/doctor-emoticon-1297.html
To use on THIS FORUM, find what you want, right click on it and choose: copy image
Then just paste it here.

Have to do the url for some other forums depending on how they're set up.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

This is where I get mine: http://www.sherv.net/doctor-emoticon-1297.html
To use on THIS FORUM, find what you want, right click on it and choose: copy image
Then just paste it here.

Have to do the url for some other forums depending on how they're set up.

O cool, thanks!

 

[Delawaremommy]

Okay, y'all, brace yourselves! I got pictures of many of my girls that are in their molts and there's a whole lot of stinkeye in these pictures!

A lot of my girls are tufty and have stopped laying, but a few stand out for their molts. Wynne, one of my Easter-eggers, has kind of gone fluffy. Her sister, Mako, was like this a few weeks ago, but has already grown in her feathers for the most part. Here's Wynne:



It's funny with this bird how she sometimes has the most evil looks, but she's really one of the most gentle birds in my flock. A little bit 'silly' sometimes, though (as in seeing a wall and running into it before she can stop herself

). I didn't get a picture of Mako because she was deep, deep in the gigantic forsythia bush.


Miss Kate the Barred Plymouth Rock and She Who Sleeps Staning Up the Partridge Plymouth Rock are both just starting their molts.

Katykins is kind of shy:



She Who was not comfortable, but let me take her picture (these girls are so pretty

):




Fancy, She Who's 'twin', is not looking so fancy at the moment, but the little diva would not let me get a picture of her! She has been all over me since she started her molt, but as soon as she saw the camera, she was out of there! Wonder why?

My poor little golden Sebrights, Rosie and Amy, decided to do a simultaneous explosive molt. Talk about moody! Rosie's a spitfire as is, but add a bad molt on top of that and you'd better stand back!

Amy:




Poor Rosie the grumpy-grump:




Scooter (otherwise known as Cuter Scooter) had her molt a few months ago and is looking so nice! She decided she didn't like me taking pictures of her molting sisters. "Nothing to see here, nothing to see." (Notice Amy in the background giving me a good stink-eye?

)




Some of my other girls have already gone through their molts and are looking gorgeous now. Here's my Easter-egger Merlin, AKA 'Merl-Girl':




And the always lovely Cressida, another Easter-egger in my flock:





I had to save the best for last. Poor Diana. Try not to laugh too hard at her.

Diana's molt doesn't look too bad on the surface.



Yes, there are some pins here and there, but at least she's mostly covered, right?



Oh, the shame...



...For in fact, Diana is not covered in possibly the worst place for a hen not to be covered...






Edited because I don't know what happened to my grammar.

Poor poor little seabrights!!!!!!

Agree to disagree. I agree.

It makes me feel better to know you have a backup plan, though I was posting that more to show that even if one keeps their chickens as pets, one doesn't necessarily have to heat their coop for them. Many people do not have a backup plan for if the power goes out, which is when things can go badly in a way that most don't think of. I have heard of chickens dying from the cold after being used to heat for most of the winter. That is one of my largest concerns.


The other is fire, and I'll tell you why. In the era of my chicken-keeping time known as 'Before I Knew Better', I did a lot of stupid things. One of them was to have a heat lamp in my coop without much thought as to cleaning dust off of it or securing it so it couldn't fall down. I thought I would be smart by using a 60 watt bulb instead of the usual big 250 watt bulbs in the lamp--you know, less of a fire risk, right? Unfortunately for me, this did not stop that little bulb from shattering one night. I don't know when it shattered, but it left live wires open for the rest of that night, which could have easily ignited the dust in the air. I thought nothing of it, just cleaned up the bulb and removed it.

Then earlier this year, someone who, though I don't know all that well, I have a lot of respect for in the way she keeps her birds, had her barn burn down with all of her chickens and a few other animals inside. That was very eye opening to me. Again, I felt deep respect for her as she got up, dusted herself off, and rebuilt--I feel I would have been crippled by it all. And then I thought of that shattered light bulb and how close I came to the same scenario. I researched and researched and researched some more, at which point I came to the conclusions that I am frequently posting here.

I don't want someone to have to have their coop burn down--or for someone to have a close call like I did--in order for them to learn from this experience. This is very real, very scary stuff. So while I am completely against the use of heat lamps (even with those lightless heat bulbs--the ceramic part can fall off and pose a fire risk as well!), I suppose I can't see anything hazardous about the way you heat your coop in regards to fire risk. Just remember to check the length of the cord frequently and dust out the outlets every time you unplug it and even more frequently than that--chickens make a lot of dust!


Mine are solely kept as pets as well, so I do understand wanting to baby them a lot--that's why my girls now have a nice sunroom for natural heat without having to worry about power outages or electrical fires. Need I repost the picture of my barred Plymouth Rock henny, Cricket, in the pink dress?

I think I will anyway.

love the dress!

We raked up some leaves yesterday and threw them in the chicken run. I guess leaves are like crack for them!

I haven't even had to rake...our backyard is sloped and the leaves naturally gather along the back fence where you are sure to find at least one chicken hiding and searching for tasty bits

AMWCHICKIN I wouldn't have "met" all of you wonderful people if it hadn't been for chickens. I read through the Heritage LF posts, and while informative, it upset me. It kind of seems like some of the people posting had no heart. If I would have no choice in putting down my entire flock, it would be one thing. I understand the extra work and risks I am taking in keeping them all. I may end up putting down a couple if they don't respond to treatment, like the one that had puss dripping from its eye; I almost did it the other night because I couldn't bear to watch her sit there and struggle. But I thought, no, I'll give her a chance.


HERITAGE LARGE FOWL THREAD A discussion of Mareks Disease (MD), Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), and bio-security that just finished on the Heritage Large Fowl thread might be of interest to all on this thread, but to amwchickin and pipd in particular. The upshot of much of the talk between those mostly showers and breeders, as I read it, seems to be that MD and MG are everywhere, and it is inevitable that chickens will contract them, so there is no sense in taking bio-security measures or culling sick birds. Some believe that the strong will survive and will produce stronger progeny, while those birds who need meds to survive or who survive poorly should be culled. A few saw no reason not to take these survivor birds (who carry and spread disease) to shows or sell them, since they believe that the diseases are unavoidable anyway. It all seemed like a great way to ensure the spread of disease The discussion runs on the Heritage Large Fowl thread from page 1588, post #15873, through page 1595.


Reading AMW's comments, I felt tearful. Here was someone who had invested time, money, and effort into her chickens, and genuinely cared for their well-being as individuals. She would do what had to be done - either cull or accept quarantine - with what was best for her birds uppermost in her mind. Many of the Heritage Large Fowl thread members (HLFTM) felt the same way and were willing to accept the same consequences. Some of them had invested decades in developing their flocks, and had decades of the work of others preceding their own work. But other HLFTM were unwilling to give up their investments or their show careers and tried to justify their attitudes with a 'survival of the fittest' philosophy. When they put their philosophy into action by showing or selling communicable disease-carrying birds, they impinge on the rights of others. They endanger the flocks of others and put a domino effect into place where the next owner may unintentionally infect other flocks. All of this sets more bird owners up for unnecessary heartbreak. Yes, these diseases occur and may be acquired naturally via wild birds, but that is far different from purposefully infecting birds. Owners and breeders who knowingly sell or show disease-carrying birds should have their NPIP status revoked and be banned from all poultry clubs, associations and shows for life.

after reading about both mg and md I think that me myself and I will practice bio security by either hatching my own eggs or getting chicks from hatcheries. Had seriously thought of showing eventually but don't want to lose my beautiful girls that currently live at my house. For the ones that bring sick birds are they hoping their competitors have to cull their flocks so there is no competition? crazy folks...just crazy!

 

[Delawaremommy]

Have a ? for everyone. Where are you getting meat bird food? TSC only carries layer and I'd like to mix 75%layer with 25% meat bird for extra fat this winter as my coop is unheated. Does Rural king sell it?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Have a ? for everyone. Where are you getting meat bird food? TSC only carries layer and I'd like to mix 75%layer with 25% meat bird for extra fat this winter as my coop is unheated. Does Rural king sell it?

I think rural king sells it. Dont hold me to it but I am pretty sure I saw itthere. You can look on their website.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

pipd-your Wynne's feathers look like a silkied ameraucanas feathers

 

[kabhyper1]

These guys will be three weeks on Wednesday. Not sure about sex, but I'm hoping for girls of course. I feather sexed them at a day old and saw girl, and they are all feathering out at the same pace, so

(my phone made their legs look way more orange than they are) They all have pea combs
Silver laced wyandotte x EE ?? ( I forgot to label the eggs)

Minorca x Silver laced wyandotte

Silver laced wyandotte

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

These guys will be three weeks on Wednesday. Not sure about sex, but I'm hoping for girls of course. I feather sexed them at a day old and saw girl, and they are all feathering out at the same pace, so

(my phone made their legs look way more orange than they are) They all have pea combs
Silver laced wyandotte x EE ?? ( I forgot to label the eggs)

Minorca x Silver laced wyandotte

Silver laced wyandotte

You will be able to tell proabbaly around 6-8 weeks. Maybe a little later. 3 weeks is too soon to tell. Feathering sexing is not very accurate unless you are very experienced at it. I am hoping girls for you!

 

[bradselig]

I also thought it was certain breeds that can be feather sexed and not all. Either way, if it works for your birds that would be awesome! I have the hardest time sexing wyandottes. Straight combs are much easier to tell sex at a younger age for me.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I also thought it was certain breeds that can be feather sexed and not all. Either way, if it works for your birds that would be awesome! I have the hardest time sexing wyandottes. Straight combs are much easier to tell sex at a younger age for me.

I dont go by combs on the wyandottes. I go by coloring. Around 7 or 8 weeks they get more white especially in the neck feathers, then I look at the comb.