INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: LOL my BRs are very chatty ladies. My big tom greets me with a thundering gobble and handsome strut! I love the temperament of the breed.
I have a quad of BR, and 1 lone BBW that was small and looks like a normal hen. We kept her, May cross her with my BR tom so see what it gives me.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Took a few photos on the last warm day (Saturday)

These are the 16 wk old kiddos (hatched Labor Day wkend by "mama red".)
Gray is full SFH; Blacks are 1/2 SFH and BA. There are 2 blacks and one SFH gray.

This is the smaller black kiddo.


This is the larger black kiddo. This one has larger wattles than the other black but I still think a female.



This could be a bad hair day.





Peek-a-boo






And the 1 yr old sfh.

I LOVE your little grey hen, she looks precious! They are just lovely.

Quote: M2H are you thinking bantam, or large frame cochin?
I am back and forth myself. DH wants LF and I love the bantams. Egg size is about the same!
He saw jsummers blue roo last summer and hounds me nonstop about that rooster!
I told him go talk to Jess! So I promised they are the next breed to add.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Thank you very much! This is great info. I'm still getting use to this sight. I'm pretty excited about the Jersey Giants because I'm finding that I may be the only one in the area with any number of them. Once I get set up that is .

Will you do both colors? I was very intrigued by them when first looking at breeds. Roos are HUGE!
They are hard to find in heritage lines, and just gorgeous.

What are all of you planning for the super cold monday and tuesday next week? We are thinking of putting our chickens in the barn. High of 1 Tuesday low -14 tuesday night. I think it's a bit cold for an unheated coop.

My peas, younger guinea and any smaller/younger birds will have stationary heat.
My DH has hardwired fixtures with guards so lamps can safely be used.
Last bad cold spell, I lost some younger guinea and I will not risk my peachicks.
They have large sheds as coops so plenty of room to move to, or away from the heat.

I'm so excited! If you guys remember I had a complaint on eggs I sold on eBay. Buyer filed a claim against me stating that it was my fault the eggs arrived frozen (well that's after blaming me for not packaging it how she wanted even though she never told me how to pack and they arrived still in tact, then blamed me for not requesting hold for pickup even though she didn't ask me to request it nor did she give me her phone number, etc). I just received an email from paypal stating that they have closed the complaint and "ruled" in my favor! Yes it was only over $25, but it's the principle of it! Hmm, now what to do with the money? I was expecting them to rule in the buyers favor as it seems like they always do. Now I need to try and get her negative feedback taken off.

Awesome news, and glad to hear eBay was fair! I have to say I have never been dissatisfied with how they handle disputes.
And you are exactly right, anyone that doesn't know about hatching shipped eggs should take time and research before bidding.
Temps, packaging, time limits and PO handling is just a small part of it!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So sorry about the confusion M2H I haven't gotten used to posting with quotes in them. I guess I really made a mess of that one! Hope everyone has a great 2014 and stay warm on Tuesday!

No worries, it takes a little time to figure all the stuff out. Glad you are jumping right in! Want to let our new friends/members know too, its ok to talk about new puppies, promotions at work, anything that is new and exciting, please feel free to share! Bad day at work, need to sound off

we all do it. Its not just about chickens, this is our thread and we share a lot of fun and tears too.

Quote:
My grandmothers both used a product called "bag balm" to coat combs and waddles. It is made to protect udders of cows, goats etc.
I use it on my own chapped cracked hands because I hate to wear gloves

(I know, Duhh)
And even wound care for larger livestock, working dogs, etc.
But this is to prevent it. once they have it, they will have to heal, and If one does get frostbit, I still use bag balm.
I am not an expert or anything, I just go with what I have learned from my own experience and what my grammas did

Its a definite add to any first aid kit for your farm.

I think we are going to put our big ones in the barn with the alpacas. They can nuzzle down in the hay or roost on the gates but it should be warmer in there. We will run the salamander here and there to warm it up for all of them. There are only 4 silkies outside still since the 12 week olds are still in the house and Ashes and Snow are too brooding eggs. So I may just bring the the other four inside for the extreme cold. My large girls except for 3 have aprons on, and they seem okay in the coop, but I'm worried about frost bite in -14 weather. Its our first year with chickens so I wasn't sure how low of temps they could take. We have a heat lamp, but it worries me to use it in the coop.

The type of fixture is important too. I have used a regular brooder lamp but was sure checking all night!
They scare me to death. I really overdo making sure its fastened securely and high enough to not catch bedding on fire either.
I watch all my bird species close, and if I see any huddling or shivering they are getting heat, right now.
I had DH hardwire fixtures and mount safely with wire guards, that way if they are badly chilled, they can get relief.
I lost a few young guinea and was just sick over it, I kept telling myself they were ok.
The last subzero temps taught me a painful lesson.
I do want to add, guinea are not as cold tolerant as a chicken, so my situation is different.
Same with peafowl, they may need warmer sleeping area than regular poultry will.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Originally Posted by Leahs Mom
Would you care to define "hippie styled"??

Originally Posted by SallyinIndiana SallyinIndiana ~ There are many Bloomington/area hippies around--but maybe too far south for you. Bloomington hasn't changed in that aspect since I lived there many moons ago. Do you belong to any area co-ops, homesteading groups, etc. where you could network?
bradselig ~ I was just kidding you about the spelling since chisNchickens had just mentioned that she's a stickler for spelling and you responded with a misspelling. I know it's tough when you're not using a separate normal sized keyboard-- and then there's auto-correct!
Re your eBay experience: Congrats on beating The System! My son has had a couple of episodes with eBay transaction in the past, and PayPal has been a great asset.
Leah's Mom ~ Those Woody Woodpecker coiffures are so cute on your young Swedish Flower Hen/Black Australorp mixes, but how did they end up with them if neither SFHs nor BAs normally have little crests? Or do they "grow out of that stage" as they mature?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Brad- Glad to hear that they ruled in your favor. Just like you said, it wouldn't have been the $25 that bothered me, it would of been the principle. ( I didn't want to go back and fin the post to quote it )

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I don't remember who said something about Problems with frostbite, but I have found vasiliene to work great! If you put it on a white chicken you might notice a little yellow spot on their feathers (usually neck area), from where it might run off onto their feathers. But a quick bath when it gets warmer, makes it an easy fix.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Originally Posted by Ardizzone7 IMPORTANT!! Recently a member used a protective ointment on her chicken's comb and its comb turned black. I looked in my "Chicken Health for Dummies" book and found that ointment should NOT be massaged in the comb. Massaging can cause the comb have frostbite. Protective ointments like Bag Balm or Vaseline are fine if you dab them on. Before my chickens went to bed this evening, I used coconut oil to dab on my chickens' combs, waddles, and legs/feet mainly as a moisturizer. Ointments are better as a protective barrier.
I'm going to PM Ardizzone7 in hopes that she sees this before possibly massaging an ointment.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a very large & prominent quail rooster I have to dispose of, I set him with my 4 largest hens, and he is terrible to them!
2 of my hens have wounds on the heads! Shame, he is very tame and social with people. This guy is nearly 14 oz, disappointing.
My oldest hen Speckles was in there too (7 months old!) he is soooo lucky he didn't hurt her

Going to give him time out and see how he does in 2 weeks.. but am sure it will be the same outcome.
Have been working towards raising true jumbos, having a hard time getting birds over 10 oz without letting them go past 8 weeks.
I did finally boil the eggs to try them, WOW are they yummy! Going to save up a bunch and try pickling the eggs next

 

[Mother2Hens]

jchny posted:
My peas, younger guinea and any smaller/younger birds will have stationary heat.
My DH has hardwired fixtures with guards so lamps can safely be used.
Last bad cold spell, I lost some younger guinea and I will not risk my peachicks.
They have large sheds as coops so plenty of room to move to, or away from the heat.

I agree. The topic of whether to use heat or not is a controversial one, but like anything else, educating yourself to make an informed decision is the best route. We are familiar with our own chickens and other creatures, so we know if one seems weak or another has been stressed or whatever the situation may be.

I used a little heat in my coop last winter and have continued to do so this winter. Fire is always a concern anytime a electrical device is used, but I read manuals, follow instructions, and take other precautions like using a ceramic heat emitter bulb with bulb guard, make sure fixture is secure and cannot come apart, keep fixture, bulb, etc. dusted, check daily, make sure there's enough area for chickens to move away from heat source or safely closer to it. I would not use a clamp light since they can come apart in several areas. I used one last year and wrapped all the components together with wire in case it came apart, but this year I use a ceramic fixture with a bulb guard. My coop is attached to the garage, so I run the cord through a cut out in the hardwire wire and plug it in a garage outlet. I also have a heated dog water bowl in the coop with the cord plugged in the garage. If I needed to use an extension cord, I would make sure it was for outdoor use, was in good condition, and was the correct wattage for the fixture.

The main reason I use heat is because when there is freezing rain or snow/ice and my chickens are wet, I think they should be dry when they go to sleep for the night instead of being wet in the freezing cold. That's stressful. As I've mentioned before, I also use it to just take the edge of the temps if they are below freezing. I have plenty of ventilation and the coop box part is never closed all the way, so it generally just raises the temps around 10 degrees in the box area where the heat emitter is located, and they have room to move around. When the temps are cold, they line up side by side on the perch.

In addition, I have some clear plastic covering the coop/run from the bottom to approx. a foot from the top. Depending on temps, I can adjust the plastic, but I always have ventilation at the top areas. I have not had any issues with humidity in the coop. My floor is deep litter combined with some coarse construction sand.

Why is everyone talking about next Monday and Tuesday? Down here, we're supposed to have a winter storm tonight. Meanwhile my younger daughter who went to Chicago for New Year's is snowed in.