INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chick rookie]

The TSC got their first batch of chicks the last week of Feb in 2013. Haven't heard when this year, IDK if we need any more yet. Must stay away........
Multi quote: For the first person, click on the multi button, and add any others the same way. For the last quote, click on quote and they will all be in the reply box.

our feed store said they were having chick day in March like always and I can order Rear breeds then. but if DH aint back to work by then I wont be doing that.
I have done lots of Multi quotes, it just didn't work this time,

 

[CRSelvey]

CRSelvey ~ I had wondered if there was a way to help you get Lucy to Purdue through the "chicken train' system (as bradselig calls it) since you said your DH was out of town and you have two little ones. The I looked on a map and saw that Greencastle is directly below W. Lafayette and not as far as I had thought. I've been to both cities many times, but not from one to the other. Anyway, I'm glad the trip worked out.
I just read your post right after my dissertation written to chick rookie about how we all often feel inept in our abilities to raise chickens, and that we are too hard on ourselves. If we all think about it, we've learned tons of info and have shared so many experiences that we all can learn from. And as cliche as it sounds, we should take one step at a time in order to not feel overwhelmed. Did Purdue say when they'd have info? Besides taking such good care of Lucy and your flock, you have been researching info from many sources so you can make educated decisions.

CCCHICKENS ~ I don't still get allergy shots because I didn't feel like they helped-- and I had tried them off and on for long periods of time. Apparently, they work for some more than others. They've helped my son who is able to have the serum mailed to him, so he can give himself the injections. Just going to the doc's office and having to wait afterwards for 20 mins. was such a hassle. I've found (for an unknown reason) that my allergies have fluctuated since I was young. I'd go through several years of really bad allergies and then they'd improve for several years. I've had that happen with headaches and migraine headaches since I was young, too. Some years are way worse than others.

Thank you for thinking of it, that was really sweet! I left here at 11:20, made it there by 12:50, left there by 1:10, and was back at my son's school at 2:45 for a 2:55 pickup. My step-daughter is 15, so she's just at the right age to want to help, but unable to drive, lol. It was fast and let me tell you there was no making better time with those roads. It was the first time I'd ever seen the snow drifting across the fields like that. It was so pretty and little Savannah and I entertained ourselves looking at the pretty old farmhouses on the way.

I don't know when I will have the results. They had a long list of things they check, so they can see what diseases Lucy may have had, what her overall health was, if she was lacking in anything, and if she had structural issues. I'm really looking forward to knowing more. At least her dying wasn't in vain.

I was thinking about the allergy thing you guys have been talking about. Lately I have been reading about the benefits of local honey. If you get your honey from someone in your immediate area, it has just enough pollens from there to help you build an immunity by having a teaspoon 1-3 times per day. If you mix that with a teaspoon of the ACV with mother, its supposed to really boost your immune system. You don't have to have them together, but it might make the vinegar taste better. Then, you can smash up a bit of garlic and olive oil (or your favorite) and make a salad dressing as another way to add it into your day. The garlic is supposed to help even more. I'm definitely not a doctor but seems to make sense.

I'm thinking of getting some straw or hay to put in the coop for the girls to keep even warmer (and to give them something to do). It was straw that everyone recommended before right? I have sand in the coop now and shavings in their nesting boxes. I can clean it out pretty easily in a couple of days, so it is just a thought.

 

[CRSelvey]

Just one more note about yesterday and then I will try to pipe down until we get results. I really appreciate the thought of help more than actual help M2H. I wouldn't have been able to have physical help from anyone who actually had chickens. I would not want to put anyone else's chickens at risk for helping one that was already gone. Biosecurity has become increasingly important and interesting to me lately.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Adorable

I had them too. All the allergy tests and the shots, about 3 years, 3x a week.
I can eat crab, lobster, own a cat, and enjoy spring! Never had so many pin pricks in my life.
It was worth it, spring and flowers dont phase me a bit now.

Muahahahaha secret agent egg man! I plan to add BR for breeders and WL hens for layers.
If I see em, the trough is getting emptied out

Seriously, I want to add a white layer, and am very pleased with my BR hen.
White leghorn and barred rock are going to be added this year.

Ya, when I got tested, they told my parents, it would be like little shots in the back. Nothow I would describe it! More like a million little cuts in your back with irritates rubbed in them, plus I had some on my arms. I had about 175 in my back and 20 in my arms. I did it two sets though, and boy you can bet I was dreading the second time. I have been getting them for 10 years. I don't try much new stuff, they tell me with the shots that I can eat some of my highly allergic foods I which I do some like straxberries, because I never really had an reaction), They were trying to convice me to try crab, lobster and a bunch of other stuff. Never have never will. I have enough foods to eat that I can vhave a little variety, I am to chicken to risk an allergic reaction. I still sneeze like crazy though! Overall better with than without.

CCCHICKENS ~ I don't still get allergy shots because I didn't feel like they helped-- and I had tried them off and on for long periods of time. Apparently, they work for some more than others. They've helped my son who is able to have the serum mailed to him, so he can give himself the injections. Just going to the doc's office and having to wait afterwards for 20 mins. was such a hassle. I've found (for an unknown reason) that my allergies have fluctuated since I was young. I'd go through several years of really bad allergies and then they'd improve for several years. I've had that happen with headaches and migraine headaches since I was young, too. Some years are way worse than others.

I used to go to fort wayne all the time, but that was a lot of driving. So now I just go to Bluffton. I have been getting my allergy shots for 10 years. After my last shot on friday, recieved a phone call that I need to set there the whole 30 mins. I wait 10 and I leave. There is another place I can go i bluffton, and you only have to wait 10 mins so I will probably switch, the current place is pathetic. You have to wait 30 mins after your actually appoitment before they even call you up, then another 30 mins on to of it! I haven't looked into giving them to myself (although thinking about it). Some of the people just don't know how to give shots. Wrong area, almost poking the needle back through my arm etc. Plus they forgot to write down I got a shot, so it said I was late. They were going to give me about an 1/8th of my normal serum. That wouldn't of gone over well, since about 90% of the food I eat, I can only because of the shots. I have a few friend who they never worked for. I think it really just depends on the person, when ou are severe allergies, you try just about everything to control them!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I was thinking about the allergy thing you guys have been talking about. Lately I have been reading about the benefits of local honey. If you get your honey from someone in your immediate area, it has just enough pollens from there to help you build an immunity by having a teaspoon 1-3 times per day. If you mix that with a teaspoon of the ACV with mother, its supposed to really boost your immune system. You don't have to have them together, but it might make the vinegar taste better. Then, you can smash up a bit of garlic and olive oil (or your favorite) and make a salad dressing as another way to add it into your day. The garlic is supposed to help even more. I'm definitely not a doctor but seems to make sense.

That doesn't work for me. I kind of thought it was myth too, does it work for anyone else?

 

[racinchickins]

I have a question for those of you that process your own chickens. Do any of you have a plucker? Getting the feathers off is the most time consuming part for me, and it makes for a long day when you are by yourself. I've looked on Craigslist to see if anyone has one for rent, but haven't seen anything. I've got a batch of birds coming up on their 'one bad day', and I'm going to buy one. I'm thinking of offering it for rent also to help get back some of the cost.

Have any of you ever thought of renting or bartering for one when you have a bunch of roos to process? I'm buying it regardless, but wanted to see if my thought process matched up with others.

I could totally see this enabling my chicken math......."Sure you can use my plucker, just give me a dozen eggs/chicks of xxxxxxx....." lol.

 

[leslea]

leslea ~ Yes, I write about chickens every night on the thread! lol I'm a freelance graphic designer, but I've always written advertising copy, marketing materials, etc. I actually have a degree in Fine Art from IU, but after I graduated, I completed a "commercial art" (now called graphic design) apprenticeship with my dad who was the VP of design for an advertising agency and printing company. I learned the old-fashioned way-- on the drawing board until later when Apple computers became the standard tool. Most of my experience has been in healthcare working at two hospitals in their marketing depts., but I've had other experiences like working for a small agency and for a university. It's nice now for me to work part-time from home for a few choice clients so that I have time to spend with my chickens since my three kids have flown the coop.
So, tell us about your fiction writing business! I think we could all use an escape by reading fiction-- we've had too much reality this winter!

They're both adorable chickens. At least you have chix to take pics off. I am *dying* here. 102 days.

Oh, boy, old school GD. I love working from home, too. Sounds like you have the ideal set-up now!

I used to do a lot of freelance writing, had a syndicated newspaper column that was in 100s of small town newspapers. It was a lot of fun to do and I thought maybe I'd try and be the next Erma Bombeck! But that's a very tough racket to break into, really. I really love to read and I wondered if I could write a decent novel. I spent seven years on my first one. I thought I was doing better when I only spent 3 years on my second. Then I wrote a bunch of short fiction for anthologies and magazines. I have *yet* to make the kind of money with fiction that I made freelancing, but I think it's a bit like keeping chickens...if you're doing it for the $ you gotta look at it from a different angle than I was.

So...after trying my act as a fantasy author, I'm now focusing primarily on romance (contemporary and historical). My fantasy stuff is here. My new stuff is here. I know chickens will eat into my routine (and writing time) but I have wanted them for so long I do not care. I will make it work! And I'm sure I will end up writing about chickens, too! I don't see any good novels about chickens! And really, there should be something, for those of us wiling away the hours/days until those little peepers arrive.

 

[leslea]

They actually turn out quite well. We get enough wind that nothing dries stiff. The only things that don't turn out ideal is that our towels aren't very fluffy. In the coldest weather (like now, argh!), we dry them inside on racks. You wouldn't believe how much our electric bill dropped when we quit using the dryer. Our clothes always smell so fresh too after they hang outside. It's not for everyone (we don't have kids, so not as much laundry) but it works for us.

Now if only I could sleep.........

Ever tried melatonin?

Hrm, maybe I will try a clothesline this year.

 

[leslea]

Thank you! I really did. She was in my original group of chicks, but she was the only one that was mine specifically. She was bossy, funny, and always interested in what I was doing, but would also let my kids hold her any time they wanted.

Once again, I am so happy I was reading this thread while I was waiting to hear back from Perdue. Even though I saw those links everyone kindly posted today during my search last night, I still reopened them to see if I missed anything. One took me to the Perdue ADDL link where they had a different phone number than the one I had called and a different person all together. It saved me so much time, so THANK YOU all again (3 times

).

I was able to get Lucy there today and back to Greencastle with 10 minutes to spare before picking my kids up from school. Now I just get to sit here and wait to see if my ignorance caused this or if it was out of my hands. I am trying to stay positive and think that even if it was something I could have helped, that I am now learning from it and I'd do better next time. There are so many kinds of chickens I want to have now and I've had expansion plans since before my coop was completed. Now, I'm not even sure I will be able to have more any time soon.

I hope for your own peace of mind they give you good news. I'm so sorry you lost your favorite bird.

 

[bradselig]

I have a question for those of you that process your own chickens.   Do any of you have a plucker?  Getting the feathers off is the most time consuming part for me, and it makes for a long day when you are by yourself.  I've looked on Craigslist to see if anyone has one for rent, but haven't seen anything.   I've got a batch of birds coming up on their 'one bad day', and I'm going to buy one.  I'm thinking of offering it for rent also to help get back some of the cost.  

Have any of you ever thought of renting or bartering for one when you have a bunch of roos to process?    I'm buying it regardless, but wanted to see if my thought process matched up with others.

I could totally see this enabling my chicken math......."Sure you can use my plucker, just give me a dozen eggs/chicks of xxxxxxx....."  lol.

I have seen one listed one the Indy Craigslist occasionally for rent. Not sure if it worked for them, but it could see a huge benefit by doing it.