INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kabhyper1]

My girls eggs have had quite a few blood spots lately. Is that a sign of too much protein?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Those car ports sell around here for $358.00 brand new. I wish I had thought of that when I was building my coop n run. Only problem with bringing home a car port for a coop...my DH would have confiscated it before I told him what it was purchased for! He's not a happy camper about my having chicken children, they take my time away from waiting hand n foot on him (oh oh did that sound sarcastic?) lol. He sure doesn't complain when I put his breakfast on the table though!

ya, the family sure love the eggs! That's an awesome price for a carport.
I would worry most about how dark it might be, but skylights are easy

Hey everyone! Saw some big snow flakes falling today. How is everyone?

froze with the new wind chills, yep flakes and about an inch so far today.
So very done with winter.

Hey I currently live in Dyer, Indiana and tried, unsuccessfully, to get the city council to change the laws that don't allow backyard chickens. My wife and I are now looking at moving (not because of the chicken issue) to Crown Point, IN. Does anyone know the rules and regulations regarding backyard chickens there? I have tried to look through there town code online but couldn't find much. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Call crown point city/town hall, probably talk to code enforcement.
If you hit a dead end, I will make some calls and try to help!
I use to work with their animal control, super busy people, they don't mean to be short but understaffed etc.
I was with Animal control back in the mid 90s up there, worked in schererville, dyer & St john.
Oh and forgive my manners,

and our thread

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I can't comment on cochin myself, but every one i meet are sweet and friendly. a perfect stranger can hold them and they are content.
They like people and being social. They will be my next breed to add if things work in my favor and I can get my breeding coops set up.
I have too many dominant breeds to add cochin to the general egg flock, but they will do very well in their own space.
You already know about the orps, they are just as sweet! One frizzle is all you need, in the breed you work with or the flock you keep.
There are frazzles and i forget what else but some have feather issues and skin problems from it too.
it all comes down to social interaction, love them, hold them and name them. Some breeds will just not be as friendly.

So, for anyone interested in breeder quality Large Fowl Cochins, I have been trying to track some down and found a breeder in Ohio that has some. I might be taking a road trip over there if anyone is interested in tagging along or wants me to bring something back for them. He also seems to have a variety of other breeds including Iowa Blues, Phoenix, Sebrights, BB Red Old English, Bantam Black Rosecombs and Mille Fleure D'Uccles. In the Cochins he has all 7 standard colors (Barred, Buff, Blue ,Black, White, Gold Laced and Silver Laced). He said he has Black, White and Partridge Cochin hens available now. I've asked ages and prices PM me if you want his contact info or want to jump on my bandwagon.

http://www.scbirdfarm.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/scbirdfarm

I LOVE his blue LF cochin.
If you were going in Feb I would be saying YES! DH is on layoff til then

I get real stingy and pennies scream because I will not let go of nothing involving cash

Thanks for all the info on small zip/cable ties. I bought some larger ones from lowes and found very thin smaller lengths from the dollar tree. I also bought some of those rubber/latex/silicone hair bands to see if I'd like them. I do not lol. I probably would if they were the right side, but I have to wrap them around the leg twice and it's just awkward to do so and uncomfortable for the chicks. So I'll stick with zip ties for now.

I was given some by youngest DD and same thing, double wrap. Used on my quail to mark my heaviest and friendly birds.
I mess around the quail a lot, and they are always on my hands so its easy to watch the bands.
So far they are working well for them.

Quote: Orpingtons are amazing little plump feathered beauties! Look up the breed/ google it! Lol you'll see.
For my LF chickens they are my first choice. Just wonderful friendly birds.

Quote:
LOL, thats one good thing on incubators, at least I know when they will be here, sorta!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Here's a couple photos from the DIY thread:

I hope you guys get a kick out of this... I think I heard Big Momma saying this about Margo Pollo today!

thanks for sharing!

I wanted to work outside this weekend but it is going to be so darn cold!

yes, its really delaying my breeding coops. Can't set corner posts if the grounds frozen!

 

[kabhyper1]

All this talk about Cochins... somebody needs to come over and give the big guy the birds and bees talk so I can get some eggs from these two!!!

 

[Mother2Hens]

All this talk about Cochins... somebody needs to come over and give the big guy the birds and bees talk so I can get some eggs from these two!!!

Yours are so gorgeous! If you have any missing, don't look in my yard!

 

[Mother2Hens]

I have blues, blacks, and splashes.

And if any of your English Orps are missing, don't look in my yard!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

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?

You have to be approved by USDA to sell it. Now, if someone wants to come here and process their birds raised here its ok.

Very confusing and it scares me to think about it all!

DH's best friend comes over and helps us, and he takes half of the birds home.
I make him take them, no arguments period! He and I barter computer repair stuff for farm raised food.
There's several steps. the 4 of us do whats comfortable for each person and works very well..
He is always very grateful and really helps to "get it over with".
His wife is a dear, close friend and cannot face it. Its ok.

Quote: Be sure to keep the wild birds away from your flock. hang the feeder far away from your coop.
I see some, even bluebirds in my coops and it always worries me about disease.

Quote:

my DH goes to sally beauty supply for lures paint. he uses glow in the dark polish for some.
had some really good catches since he started doing it!! Makes me go with, makes him very uncomfortable

Quote: I stopped using DE. caused too many respiratory problems.
The natural bugs do the job. just keep the substrate turned often.

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!

Sleep well

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Did something new today. I had gotten a whole hog for the freezer from a local farmer & picked up the meat yesterday. I had the butcher bag up the fat trimmings and today I rendered it to make lard. It was pretty easy to do. Now I'm frying up the cracklings -- have a feeling they won't last long around here! All together I got 9 1/2 pints of lard plus a lot of drippings from the cracklings -- it'll be great to fry some eggs in

OOOOOOOH no kidding u made me hungry! Lard is pure gold it doesn't last long here!

lesela ~ What did you see on FB today? It didn't show up.
You are SO lucky to have a pileated woodpecker visitor!! We had one for several years, it was a privilege to see it come to our tree by our deck. I've never particularly been a bird lover, but I do love all kinds of woodpeckers and pileated ones are the ultimate. (Chickens just don't seem like birds to me-- at least not like tiny wild birds).

leslea posted: Oh! This might sound silly, but do wild birds eat chicken feed? Do chickens eat wild bird seed? I'm thinking "yes" and "yes" but I didn't see any discussion of it anywhere.

As I mentioned earlier, my chickens leave the stuff they don't like for the birds. I know it's not the optimal situation, so I'm going to take the stuff the chickens won't eat like the corn and unshelled sunflower seeds, and milo and put it in the bird feeder that the chickens can't reach-- however the birds drop stuff to the ground. It's best to keep the wild birds and chickens apart, but it's pretty much impossible. One thing that wild birds can carry is Scaly Leg Mites, which my BR had. Not the end of the world, but it's a hassle to get cleared up.

That redheaded woodpecker is just precious! I fed one outside my office for several years.
Tons of mealies! it would tap on my window every afternoon.
They get really big. My boss thought he was just amazing.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

All this talk about Cochins... somebody needs to come over and give the big guy the birds and bees talk so I can get some eggs from these two!!!

My girls eggs have had quite a few blood spots lately. Is that a sign of too much protein?

Good question, I am seeing that too.