INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Along the lines of rats and mice in the coop at night - this is a pretty disturbing video. At least when they go towards the chickens they peck them away. Chickens can't see at night, however, so if there are enough of the rats you can see how this could be a problem.

wow, thats creepy!

Quote:
I'm not sure how much you spent on the eggs, but chicks have gotten trapped under turners before. maybe a small basket from the dollar store could help. Still when my chicks get going in the bater they climb on everything other eggs, sponges, thermometers, even other chicks still attached to the egg shell.
Also shipped eggs are hard enough to hatch, I would not purposely do anything that could cause them harm. Shipped eggs are more delicate in a way and need special care while incubating. Some people don't turn shipped eggs for a few days to give air cells time to "heal".
I do let them stand at least 3 days incubating, so the air cell stays intact. Good advice!

Quote: great idea! They will tumble all over everything

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I just placed an order for a heating plate, the cover, 100 leg bands, and 2 nifty chick waterers from premier 1 supplies. Now the stuff just need to hurry and get here! It will likely be a few weeks before it arrives, since most of the stuff I ordered won't even be available again until March 1st. And ground shipping always takes forever.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Off to bed, looking forward to seeing racinchickin's new "toy" at work tomorrow!!
should be a fun morning!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I got a few pictures the other day.

Salmon Favorelle Bantam



White rock Cockerel

 

[Mother2Hens]

Off to bed, looking forward to seeing racinchickin's new "toy" at work tomorrow!!
should be a fun morning!

Well, if that's your idea of a fun morning . . . hahaha
DH and I had a fun afternoon working outside with the hens in our 68 degrees and sunny day!

Too bad it may snow tonight.

It was nice while it lasted.

We have 10 acres but we only maintain about 1.5-2 I think.

Much of our property is a ravine but the rest is mixed terrain. We have had a lot of work done to get some flat yard and getting things to drain betterbut there is still much more I'd like to do. When we first had the house there was a HUGE pool too but I had it filled in. It was one of the best things we have done here.

Here are a few pics:



The first area is our dog yard. The second is our front yard. The third is our ravine that doesn't look like much now but it's really lovely in the spring. It's our backyard. My Dh has plans for a zip line and a cleared area for sledding in the winter.

It looks like a good place to carve out a creek where your new fancy geese can swim!

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

Needing some ideas on good egg production brown egg layers for our indiana winters. Wanting to get into a breed that I can use solely to sell eggs for. Everyone seems to like brown eggs best. Any ideas?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Needing some ideas on good egg production brown egg layers for our indiana winters. Wanting to get into a breed that I can use solely to sell eggs for. Everyone seems to like brown eggs best. Any ideas?

Plymouth rocks

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

Thank you I have looked into them before and they were on my list.

 

[CRSelvey]

[COLOR=8B4513]Well, if that's your idea of a fun morning . . . hahaha[/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=8B4513]DH and I had a fun afternoon working outside with the hens in our 68 degrees and sunny day![/COLOR]    [COLOR=8B4513]Too bad it may snow tonight.[/COLOR]   [COLOR=8B4513]It was nice while it lasted.[/COLOR]
[rule]
[COLOR=8B4513]It looks like a good place to carve out a creek where your new fancy geese can swim![/COLOR]

There is a creek but it's way down there. I've never even taken my kids for a walk to it because it's such a steep hill. Maybe if we really do clear a path down with some steps and a rail it would be ok. I worry too much.

I wouldn't mind a regular salt water pool (maybe 12,000-15,000 gallons) but this one was 26x40, 10.5 feet deep and held 25,000 gallons. We are on well water so in the summer it world cost over $1200 to have water brought in to fill it and a few hundred dollars per month in chemicals to keep it balanced. Gross and expensive. They built the pool right up to the deck so there was no room to walk around it and thre were trees dropping leaves into it all day everyday. The first four years I lived here I was either on bed rest being pregnant, taking care of babies, or both ;-) so it was just too much trouble. Now we can play in the yard without worrying about someone falling in an unfencable (is that a word?) pool. We have also removed over 40 trees so the yard actually gets sun and I was able to clear garden space... If not for all that I would never have ended up with chickens. Now I wouldn't mind having one again if it would be smaller, less deep, and easier to maintain. Do geese like salt water?

I am so happy for everyone's chickens that it's warming up. It's wonderful to see them playing in the yard again.

 

[chick rookie]

Wow looks like a bantam egg!
Love all your babies! Are those pyr's, I love the dogs!
I agree with Racinchickins, I would take out the rails needed, and stop the turner for the due date.. Early into the incubation, Humidity isn't as big an issue.
Sending good hatching vibes!

that's first thing I said too... lol yep those are GP's

I use one of the lawn leaf catcher things that you pull behind a garden tractor. I dump piles at each coop, then on to the pigs pen, and toss a bunch in the hay cage for the goats and cow. I never have to store it long LOL! (I wish we had more acreage to plant sorghum and alfalfa.) If I do store any, it goes into the loft of the livestock trailer, or more in the pigs pen. The pigs just devour it, and its very healthy for them too. And its great for deep litter in the coop also!
I also gather pine needles as often as possible, the catcher picks them right up.

Great idea on the saline!

I do that also they all love me for it lol My goats dig for pine needles.