INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Ok, so my leg bands are taking for ever to arrive. I bought them a week ago and they finally posted a tracking number last night and it still doesn't look like it's actually been shipped yet. So I'm on the hunt for the small 4" zip ties. Anyone have luck finding various colored ones locally? I'm going to try the dollar stores tomorrow. I know lowes doesn't have them, well scratch that. Now that I think of it we may. I don't think they are permanent items though and if we already sold out of them, then that's it.

So let me know if anyone has found them locally and what stores.

Harbor freight might, or homier tools in huntington...maybe but thats probably a bit far for you.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Why would it be difficult, might impact your choice. If the hen lays few eggs, that is not great. If the feathers get in the way, trimming every 10 days is a solution. If it is genetics that make the frizzle hard to get, compare to getting the right blue in the BLRW 50% of the time, then I would make plans to sell the non frizzles while the breed is popular.
Next looks are big for me, all else being equal. I will pick a dark red or a blue chicken over an orange, white or black most days. Go with what you want to see every day too.

You are so practical, Sally! I should have specified: Orps or Cochins ~ Which are better for Pets?
I already have my order in with bradselig, but I was just asking for a new round of input since leslea and goatluver are interested in both breeds.
You made good points, though, as usual!

 

[BackyardBitten]

a BIG thank you to SallyinIndiana!! She let me add to her Welp order that is coming at the end of Feb and I am now expecting 5 little BLRW pullets!!!!

I am ecstatic as they are #1 on my list of breeds. I'm also going to give a couple to my sister as a birthday present as well! Things are starting to look up! So hopefully Big Red will be coming home at some point too, just have to work out the details.

Hope everyone's chickens are doing ok despite the little snow coverage we had today. Good nite all!

 

[leslea]

Oh, I see the grazing frame. That is so smart!

 

[leslea]

Orpingtons are amazing little plump feathered beauties! Look up the breed/ google it! Lol you'll see.

TBH I think they're all pretty amazing. It's easy to see how one can end up with one of everything...

 

[leslea]

Quote:

I don't use DE inside or out. I want the good bacteria to proliferate inside so I don't put anything in that will kill anything. I use wood shavings indoors and I don't have a dirt floor so I start it by putting a little dirt down from the garden then the wood shavings. I rake it around to keep it stirred up and add shavings from time to time to keep it dry.

Outdoors on the dirt is a wonderful substrate for the deep litter. You don't have to do anything to it. It will break down on it's own. I just keep piling more in there and when I clean out the indoor litter I put it right out onto the run/pen with the wood chips.

Sounds simple enough!

 

[HouseKat]

I think they slow the eggs laid first and the majority of the eggs in the nest hatch closer to 21 days from the last egg laid.

I wonder what the cashier thought when you were buying the hair bands. I'm sorry you did not like them.

My dad - a very large, burly guy - used to buy red nail polish to use in his computer workshop, that raised some eyebrows at the drugstore!

 

[leslea]

I have had sparrows in my chicken feed before, which I strongly discourage this as wild birds can carry diseases and pass them on. I have gave my chickens wild bird feed, even the ones that say for wild birds only. i make sure to look at the ingredients. I buy ones that contain a corn (chopped, ground, and so on), millet, milo, and suet . BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) are extremely good for a chicken diet. I find it is especially good to feed them when showing, like fish oil pills makes a dog coat shine, it seems to make the chickens coat shine.

So far we haven't had any house sparrows, thankfully. Tons of woodpeckers, goldfinches, wrens, titmice, chickadees, cardinals, juncos, pine siskins...but no pests like starlings. The only birds I could do without are the house finches. Still, who knows what they might have?

I guess I could move my bird feeders to the front yard. It's still wooded so I should get plenty of birds. Then the chickens wouldn't be eating "after" the wild birds.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Has anyone seen this picture of a car port coop? How cool is that!?!? I would never have to shovel the run again!!! Putting this idea away for the future....Although I don't think car ports are all that cheap.

around $900 but yes I have sure considered that. May be a bit dark if not position well.

I was determined to get some good photos, but it's freezing out there!!! We have flurries too.
Does anyone else do this? You think, oh it's not so cold out there, the ground is frozen enough, I'll just run out in my jammie's and house slippers... Then half way to the coop I realize it's much colder, so for a split second I think I'll run back in, but hey I'm already halfway there, keep going! I get everything opened up, and I am regretting running out there without even a coat.

Then...while back inside and warm...
I hear this awful noise, almost like a baby starting to wail. I look out the mudroom window and Big Roo is intimidating the feral cats off from their food! All his girls are gathered around one of the bowls, while two cats are cowering trying to get back to their breakfast. I intervened only because it's total crap cat food.
Yes, without a coat or real shoes.

Day 1152014-no egg song yet,
Annie

LOL! Wow scared the cats!

 

[Mother2Hens]

That's a good idea. He really likes being a hitman so I've paid him 50 cents to off mine before. I can't do it either. I still feel guilty about each one. Somehow I would really like to jump that fence though to be able to eat the boys with a clean conscience since it's way better that what I can get at the store. How do you do that?
Also I know I already asked about feed the other day but I have an additional feed observation. When the organic feed store I buy from ran out of the food I use, I had to get some food at tractor supply to hold my flock over while they were making more. I bought crumbles that were the most recommended by the staff as their highest quality.

It's still half the price of what I normally buy so it was fine. I've been feeding it to my chickens and no kidding, they are going through it like its candy. That 50 lb bag won't last more than a week and a half when my other food lasts close to 3. It doesn't seem to be as cost effective as I had expected. Also I have been so happy with our egg production while on the other food. In the last four days we've had 3 eggs instead of the 10-15 I've been getting. Maybe that's just because there was a change but it's interesting

. We will be going back to the organic food ASAP.

CRSelvey ~ Is the commercial food what your chickens had available to eat during the cold spell(s)? Maybe they just increased feeding because of the cold. Or maybe not.

I use Purina Layer -- and had used All Flock before the orps started laying. I don't know if there's a source for better quality chicken food around here, but I should check out the new chicken store in Indy next time I'm up. My hens are so spoiled that they don't like the sunflower kernels from one local store because they prefer the kernels from a different store! And I've tried giving them cracked corn when it's cold and they examine it and walk away. When I tried mixing the corn up some with the two types of sunflower kernels, they cherry-picked all of the bigger kernels out and left the rest for the wild birds. And my EE likes grapes, but not blueberries while the others prefer blueberries over grapes. geez

As far as processing -- It's just not in my blood, either. I admire people who can process, but there's no way I could.

I have been wondering about if any of you who do process chicken can freeze it and sell it to someone like me or CRSelvey who'd like to know where it came from?
Or is that against the law?