INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

Never too many, especially if one uses freezer camp. 

Ohh I like it, I'll just start rounding and estimating.  My biggest problem comes when someone responds to a CL ad wanting a break if they were to buy all of the little chicks I have for sale.  The well how many do you have and what would be the price for all of them, drives me crazy.  I have multiple small groups of around 10-15 chicks but I really don't have a set price for someone to buy all of them.  It is so much easier when someone says I'm looking for 5 chicks that are as young as you have, what breeds are available?  Or do you have any of this breed, what age and are there 6 left.

O Yeah I would be horrible with babes! They are so easy to mis count!

 

[minmin1258]

Lol are they on your couch?

Yeah I have a couch and love seat in the Den they have been living in. They are probably sick of my camera antics. The boys just kind of sat  long enough for a picture and then got tired of me. They climbed down the couch back into the big box. I'm glad they get along. 4 roosters in one box is usually a bad idea.  Thank goodness for the air purifier, or it would be super messy in there. It keeps the room very clean. 

Thanks for the idea! Never thought of using the air purifier to keep dust and chicken dander down. Air purifier goes in the room with the brooder box tonight! Lol

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Does anyone else not truly know the answer to how many chickens do you have?
It has been a while since I have counted my chickens that are outside and I did not write it down last time.
I feel bad when people call about a CL ad and ask well how many do you have. I kind of also don't want to add them all up since the number would be too high for those not in the midst of chicken math.

I just say I have 65. I know it is around there, but don't know exactly.

 

[bradselig]

Thanks for the idea! Never thought of using the air purifier to keep dust and chicken dander down. Air purifier goes in the room with the brooder box tonight! Lol

I have baseboard heat. So it can get pretty dusty in the house with the brooders. With me being a cheap ....umm.... Tight wad, I use a 20" box fan with a 20x20 pleated fur acne filter taped to the back of it. It keeps air circulated and collects dust as it pulls air. I'd guess it's not nearly as good as an air purifier, but definitely helps control the dust.

 

[Mother2Hens]

The video doesn't show bradselig Silkies very well, but I was trying to get the Orps. Look at the size of the dark one's legs in the photo below. Or maybe they just look so gigantic next to the Silkies. Btw, I had completely cleaned out the kennel as I do everyday, and the finished touch was the water, which somehow started immediately running out all over the clean kennel (luckily the chicks were outside of the cage. So, I had to start over, but I still need to cut some foam core board for the sides.


Originally Posted by bradselig

Trying to stay warm this morning is pretty easy when you have two dogs on your lap!

bradselig ~ I clicked to enlarge the photo, so I was going to ask what that large black furry object was in the background, but I read the rest of the posts and discovered it's your Bouvier herding dog. She appears to be working hard.

 

[lilmizscareall]

Does anyone else not truly know the answer to how many chickens do you have?

It has been a while since I have counted my chickens that are outside and I did not write it down last time. 

I feel bad when people call about a CL ad and ask well how many do you have.   I kind of also don't want to add them all up since the number would be too high for those not in the midst of chicken math.

A client asked me how many chickens I have. I replied with: Just 7... She was surprised that I had that many! Really, that's not that many, right? I look at people with only a few and all I can think of is, how can they stand to keep so few?!?! I think 15 sounds like a good round number. Any more than that and I'll have to sell my house, or somehow purchase the rental next door, demo it and have more land.

 

[kabhyper1]

A client asked me how many chickens I have. I replied with: Just 7... She was surprised that I had that many! Really, that's not that many, right? I look at people with only a few and all I can think of is, how can they stand to keep so few?!?! I think 15 sounds like a good round number. Any more than that and I'll have to sell my house, or somehow purchase the rental next door, demo it and have more land.

LOL!

I'm pretty sure my family thinks I am an animal hoarder. The five dogs and 2 parakeets were too many for them. Then I added the 32 chickens. Yep tune in, it's either going to be an episode of Animal Hoarders or Intervention. I'm just waiting to get called to some random hotel room full of family, or get a knock on the door from animal control.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Yeah I have a couch and love seat in the Den they have been living in. They are probably sick of my camera antics. The boys just kind of sat long enough for a picture and then got tired of me. They climbed down the couch back into the big box. I'm glad they get along. 4 roosters in one box is usually a bad idea. Thank goodness for the air purifier, or it would be super messy in there. It keeps the room very clean.
kabhyper~ I have air purifiers in the bedrooms, including the one where the silkies and orps are. When I posted the first videos of them, I meant to say something in case anyone wondered what that loud hum in the background was. It sounded like I was using a video camera from 1902! haha
Your silkie photos look like professional shots that would be made into posters! They are so irresistible!

we are going to put a metal roof on ours, and install tracks that clear fiberglass roofing sheets can be slid into in the winter for 3 sides and a 3/4 piece in the front with a heavy rubber strips in the walk way, like you see in the big industrial walk in freezers. already have the metal given to me just got to go pick it up.
he tore the M------------ ligament that runs down the back of his knee and has a bone chip (from his knee cap ) stock in between his cap and cartilage.
He goes in for surgery the 12 for repairs. they say he will be on crutches with a leg brace for 3 weeks then physical therapy for 3 weeks... going to be a long road...

chick rookie ~ Are you just talking about the porch for your coop? That sounds really nice with clear panels that slide on tracks! Last fall, my DH and I put down square pavers in front of the chicken coop to make a little patio, which I named "The Chicken Pavillion," which sounds much fancier than it is. Your plans sound like yours will be a very nice pavilion!
What terrible injuries your DH is dealing with. My gosh! So, is his surgery tomorrow the 12th? Best of luck to both of you!

 

[Mother2Hens]

Anyone have any tips on how to kill the grass where I want my new bed? I don't want to put down chemicals. I do realize I probably should have done it last year, but there was too much going on.

Originally Posted by CRSelvey: Don't you have any chickens you can use for the job?

. I'm just teasing you, but I thought they would take out a grassy area pretty quickly if you put them in a tractor.

CRSelvey ~ I almost posted the same thing before I read through all the posts! My chickens have no problem obliterating the grass.
About Pesticides and Insecticides and Rodenticides:
These chemicals filter through the soil into groundwater, which is where our water comes from for drinking, bathing, etc. If you have a private well, EPA rules do not apply, so you are responsible for the safety of your water. Besides chemicals that a homeowner might use, soil often contains other contaminants from clogged sewers, herbicides, fuel tanks, landfill, etc. Besides the health risks for people, your chickens may eat insects from contaminated soil and your garden vegetables may contain contaminants.

Birds, including chickens and other fowl, cats and other rodent eaters die from eating rodents that consumed "second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides" used by exterminators, farmers, and homeowners. They're found in such brand names as d-Con, Hot Shot, Generation, Talon, and Havoc. They kill rodents by thinning their blood slowly over several days-- death occurs from internal bleeding. Meanwhile, it repeatedly returns to the bait ultimately ingesting many times the lethal dose. The rodent becomes lethargic, unable to dart for cover, and becomes an easy target for natural predators. When your chicken or cat enjoys the easy catch, it ingests a massive dose of rodenticide. In turn, your chicken dies from secondary poisoning and dies from stomach hemorrhaging.

Another note: Currently about 15,000 calls per year come in to the Centers for Disease Control from parents whose children have eaten rodenticides. Even if you place bait where children can’t get it, rodents are apt to distribute it around your house and property.
source: Poisons Used to Kill Rodents Have Safer Alternatives | Audubon ...

 

[SallyinIndiana]

A client asked me how many chickens I have. I replied with: Just 7... She was surprised that I had that many! Really, that's not that many, right? I look at people with only a few and all I can think of is, how can they stand to keep so few?!?! I think 15 sounds like a good round number. Any more than that and I'll have to sell my house, or somehow purchase the rental next door, demo it and have more land.

I can't see doing all of the chicken stuff for 3 chickens. Buying food would be cheaper but to get 2 eggs a day or a dozen a week just would not be worth it to us. Then again we have a larger family and eat a lot of eggs and products containing eggs like cookies. But so much of the chicken work is the same for 3 chickens or 15 chickens. Daily feeding, daily water, the coop needs to be bigger but the bedding still gets dealt with on the same time line. Deep Litter is my recommendation and those cute little prefab coops have trouble with deep litter.

Set up a chicken run where you want the beds to be and the grass magically goes away. Typically it takes less than 10 days in a tight run for the grass to go away in the fall. I have found it best to do it in the fall then cover with deep litter bedding. That said we are not gardening this year, so I'm hoping the grass seed I planted in the back yard during a snow storm grows back over what the chickens turned up last summer and fall.

As for the poisons, we use seven spray to help with bugs BUT nothing in the house other than some mild cleaners. Cat food may not be the best for toddlers but at least it does not land them in the ER. I recommend Barn cats over mouse poison traps. We only have a few flip traps too as fingers get broken really easy when children are young.
I have thought of trying to come up with a way to use the mouse that has eaten poison to keep predators numbers low. I haven't thought of anything that my chickens would not try to get at the poisoned mouse.