INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chick rookie]

racinchickins ~ Thank you for posting the poultry sales info. Very helpful!

I looked up Mottled Java chickens and they are stunning. I ran across these EE chicken photos online the other day and thought its pattern was pretty-- would it be called mottled? (I'm still on Chicken 101 level!)

I'm probably still on chicken 101 too. I looked them up as well and they are beautiful. these EE's look like they would be mottled to me. I know I might want some, will have to read up on them and see how egg production is. Would be Awesome to have that much color in my hen house... DH says to say thanks allot for getting me started on yet another chicken...... lol he might as well for get the add on and just start a whole another coop.... I agreed

 

[bradselig]

[COLOR=006400]racinchickins[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]~ Thank you for posting the poultry sales info. Very helpful! [/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]I looked up Mottled Java chickens and they are stunning. I ran across these EE chicken photos online the other day and thought its pattern was pretty-- would it be called mottled? (I'm still on Chicken 101 level!)[/COLOR]

I think its a splash.

 

[Too Fast]

I could skip toboggan for spring.

Naw, can't do that! Too much fun, and it's our tradition.

Since woodpeckers are the only wild bird that I know anything about, here is a Woodpecker Lesson for this evening - lol!

The amazing one that leslea photographed is a Pileated Woodpecker (It can be pronounced both ways-- like Pile-eated or like Pill-eated). And it's the one that inspired Woody Woodpecker's look. There are many varieties, but these are the ones that I see the most often, especially the red-bellied (it's hard to see their red bellies when they are always against a tree!) and the Downy (smaller and fluffier). You're lucky if you ever get to see a Pileated one because I've read that many bird-watcher people have never had the luck to see one in person. We were so lucky to have one live in our far backyard for several years.

Btw, you are absolutely right, jchny, that we shouldn't have our bird feeder near the chickens-- especially after we've dealt with scaly leg mites.

The feeder is in such an otherwise perfect place.

We've had the pileated in our backyard before, those things are huge and they sure trash whatever they are pecking while looking for bugs. It's like a chainsaw how the chips fly. They make a great sound, too, sort of low pitched.

 

[leslea]

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.

We love the woodpeckers. With all our trees, we get several species. We saw our first downy just before we moved here, when our daughter was a baby. We decided it must be her "spirit animal," so it if fun seeing loads of them here at the new house.

The thing I saw on FB was the carport coop. One of my friends tagged me.

Yesterday I posted my hand-drawn plans for adding on to our existing coop, and another friend said I needed an intervention! LOL

Like I told her, though, the run isn't going to build itself.

It's not pretty, but this is what I drew:



I don't know if it'll make any sense to anyone but me and hubby, but it felt good to get all the plans on paper so I could start budgeting for costs. I'll hopefully start picking up materials every payday until the weather gets nice enough to start building.

I realized while drawing this that with my run being on a slope, it should be great drainage! I think that when it does rain, it will just drain into the beds I have planned for the the north side of the run.

 

[leslea]

I could skip toboggan for spring.

I need one of those huge 2 person sleds. We have a steep, long driveway and guess whose big butt broke one of our plastic sleds on the first snow day!

 

[leslea]

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.

Thanks, everyone, for the head's up about the wild birds. I'll definitely move my feeders to the front yard.

 

[leslea]

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!!!

Beautiful!

 

[leslea]

Bonbon MIssing -- and Found with The Motherload!

I arrived home a little after dark from a meeting and my DH had just gotten home and was going to lock the coop, but noticed Bonbon was missing! I tried not to panic because I had a feeling she was broody. The past week, we've noticed her not being with the others and then showing up later. I had seen Bonbon display an interest in sitting on eggs in the coop one time before. I also had been wondering if she and Adeline were taking a break from laying or if she had a stash somewhere. I hadn't taken time to look around, but had planned to tomorrow. Then she disappeared. Adeline seemed to know where Bonbon was because she hadn't been calling her like she normally would have done. DH and I were both out with flashlights calling her and looking everywhere. We noticed a lone egg by the (covered) swimming pool. I eventually found her inside a big plant of ornamental grass. She was quietly sitting on eggs, and then I looked farther back and saw even more! There were at least 16 of both Bonbon's and Adeline's eggs with a few cracked. DH got some thick gloves to pick up the broody bantam with as though she was a giant condor! She didn't seem too upset, and we put her in the coop next to Adeline. DH was a little miffed that Bonbon didn't answer when called! lol

So, I've said a million times that I'd love to have a broody hen. I do have concerns like kabhyper had about her Cochin -- that she's too young. I guess I will wait to see how she acts. I might be asking some of you about purchasing fertilized eggs. I would have to move her to the garage or basement if I do let her get broody. One amazing thing to note is that a raccoon, opossum, etc. didn't get all of those eggs. Bonbon's nest was located next to the fence in the fenced-in part of the yard. Behind the fence is the open part of the backyard with grass, trees, etc. That area is where the wild animals come from when they visit our fenced-in yard.

As far as the wrinkled egg photo I posted the other day, now I know that it has to be either my RIR or my SLW.

I should have taken a picture of her on the nest, but here's the nest and eggs.

Bless her little heart!

 

[leslea]

Since woodpeckers are the only wild bird that I know anything about, here is a Woodpecker Lesson for this evening - lol!

The amazing one that leslea photographed is a Pileated Woodpecker (It can be pronounced both ways-- like Pile-eated or like Pill-eated). And it's the one that inspired Woody Woodpecker's look. There are many varieties, but these are the ones that I see the most often, especially the red-bellied (it's hard to see their red bellies when they are always against a tree!) and the Downy (smaller and fluffier). You're lucky if you ever get to see a Pileated one because I've read that many bird-watcher people have never had the luck to see one in person. We were so lucky to have one live in our far backyard for several years.

Btw, you are absolutely right, jchny, that we shouldn't have our bird feeder near the chickens-- especially after we've dealt with scaly leg mites.

The feeder is in such an otherwise perfect place.

So far here at the new house (which we call The Treehouse!) we've had Pileated, Downy, Red-bellied, and Northern Flickers. I love wild birds! I am actually writing a novel about two birders who fall in love...although now I am sure in one of the sequels they will have to start keeping chickens...

 

[leslea]

hit the wrong button sorry wasn't finished... Bad news I lost one of my good Buff's tonight!!! that makes 2 in 2 nights. I don't get it??? no signs of fighting or being hurt in anyway. even got a egg from her today. Anyone have any ideals????

Sorry to hear that. I am a total newb so I have no idea. How old were they?