INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

goodb ~ It seems like especially where chickens are concerned, there are many viewpoints about how they should be raised. I sure don't blame you for adding heat although I agree that the brooder bulbs aren't the best choice. My experiences can be read on page 1908, post 19086 and page 1898, post 18980.
Renae~ Are your RIRs laying?
bradselig and CCCHICKENS ~ I really want chickens that want me to pick them up! My five hens tolerate it, and my orps are more tolerant, but I want ones that love being held. I always liked large chickens and I do like their eggs, but we've found bantams to be really adorable.

My LF do not enjoy being held at all, my bantams do though. the LF enjpy being pet, just no held. At least in my experiences anyways. I enjoy them both and wouldn't get rid of either one, I just like the bantams more.

 

[Leahs Mom]

It's a shame we don't live closer! I fit the "hippie" or "crunchy" requirements fairly well...
I run from anything that smells of baby powder. I'm the clutter queen, but since moving have made a pact, with myself, to eliminate the excess.
I did not do a home birth, but after my first(all natural/water) I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Ha, TMI for some of you!
Quote: Hmmmm well....

All 4 of my kids were born at home (seriously)

 

[Mother2Hens]

I have both. The large fowl cochins are very mellow. Since lavender had her chicks, and I spent so much time with her, I can now pick her up and do just about anything with her. Blueberry is huge, and seems intimidating, but I can carry him around like a parrot. He never acts like a rooster. The bantam cochin I have had experience with is Oliver, the little black roo my mother in law now has. He isn't afraid of anything, has complete control of the backyard, all the dogs are afraid of him, and he will try to push people around, when in reality you can reach right down and pick him up and he will fall asleep in your lap. He has a bit of a Napoleon complex. I have always felt that larger animals are more gentle than small ones. I had a pony as a kid that was awful, but draft horses are the calmest things you will ever meet. Bigger animals have less to prove I guess. It's all a matter of preference. Do you want a little brave silly hyper rooster that runs everywhere he goes on his tiny little legs for constant entertainment? Or the regal and gentle giants with all of their fluff, albeit a bit more shy?

Teeny little beautiful nut jobs...

or

Gentle giants...

Well, I don't want a rooster-- large or small! Haha Well now I am more confused than ever! As I said earlier, I always liked large animals over small ones, but we enjoy Bonbon because she's like a toy. I often call her Little Baby, but she has that Napoleon complex, too. She walked up and pecked my giant fluffy cat right in the face for no reason. The only reason I'm leaning toward bantam ones is that I could raise two of them with two silkies. On the other hand, the reason I added to my original five was to have more eggs to give to relatives and friends, so LF ones would be better.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I am hearing a lot of different opinions on LF vs bantam cochin.. It is a hard choice.
We will probably get a trio of each eventually! Am learning to add small groups to find out what breeds I prefer.
So far DH and I want blue...but size is a debate! My breeding pens will need to grow a bit bigger

 

[Mother2Hens]

Hmmmm well....

All 4 of my kids were born at home (seriously)

My husband's brother and two cousins (male and female) went to IU when my husband and I did, and after we all graduated, my husband's brother and cousins stayed in the Bloomington area (out in the sticks), married, and the wives all had home births. They all had professional jobs, but enjoyed living frugally, and living off the land as much as possible.

Like everything else, homesteading rises in popularity every so many decades. Before I was born, my parents tried that lifestyle for a few years since war Victory Gardens spurred an interest in home farming. In the 60s, Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring" led to a great awareness and activism in environmental issues including how pesticides affect the food we eat. That led to a big interest in "health food" and being a vegetarian in the 1970s. Movements go in cycles and some stick with the practices of whatever the interest is while others drop off and find other interests. It's great that we have opportunities to try new lifestyles and learn new things whether we stick with them or not-- like they say, it's the journey.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Looking for a natural and safe sleep remedy... been awake since 6 am, ugh..

 

[Leahs Mom]

I wasn't sleeping well either. For me it was because I had chocolate too late in the day. Don't handle caffeine well since I'm not acclimated to it.

It's sad, but if I removed all chocolate from the diet I'd probably sleep much better.

 

[Leahs Mom]

M2H -
I was never a hippie type strangely enough. I just like the idea of healthy eating and living (though my head-knowledge doesn't always translate to lifestyle action).

I did - and still do - a lot of reading about the changing issues in medicine, health, farming practices, etc.... and ethics therein. I read the "research" on issues that affect our food supply from both perspectives. (If you can call what certain philosophies with monetary interest in continuing unhealthy practices put out there as "research"....I always try to consider the source in these things.)

I try to do as much research as possible on medical issues and look for "root causes" rather than just keeping symptoms under control with

​

pharmaceuticals. (This goes for human health or animal husbandry.) I try to gather enough knowledge to know when a chemical intervention is necessary, but always keep looking to learn the cause so that changes can be made in lifestyle or husbandry for the purpose of PREVENTION rather than remediation.

I've come to the conclusion that if we can figure out how, in confinement, we can raise our food-source animals as closely as possible to the way they'd do it themselves in the wild (which is, of course, the way God created them to live and thrive) that they, and we as the consumers, will likely be adding a great deal to our health and theirs.

Even though I've never "farmed", I lean more and more toward the realization that if I want food that is the healthiest option it may come down to raising my own. (Currently I have some good local sources for meat that is raised as closely to how they would live if in the wild as possible and am very grateful for that. I'm also still able to get raw, fresh cow or goat milk, etc.... but often find that there are feeding and husbandry practices that are still not as optimal as I'd like.)

Well...enough

 

[lilmizscareall]

Looking for a natural and safe sleep remedy... been awake since 6 am, ugh..

St. John's Wort!
Last year, I had a terrible bout of insomnia and I just drank warm milk with honey. Studies have shown that it doesn't actually have anything in it that helps you sleep, but that it's merely psychological!

 

[Ardizzone7]

Well my too made it through the night but his wattles are badly swolen. Is there anything I can do to help them? I know it has to hurt. He is eating well and drinking well. Any advice would help. FYI he was under the porch all day and I wasn't able to get him out until last night.