INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Kiniska]

The one that I saw was made with hardware cloth so that was nice. I think it would be easier to warm up in the smaller space but it would help to add a layer of the blue foam insulation to the inside of the coop (assuming the chickens didn't try to eat it). Maybe just under the coop and coop roof.

Oh they will eat it. They will feast on it if they can reach it.

 

[CRSelvey]

Oh they will eat it. They will feast on it if they can reach it. 

I was thinking that too. Maybe covering it with screen or small hardware cloth could work.

 

[hanakimi]

Got home from my trip last night. All is well. Chickens and chicks are fine.

Went through the chicks that hatched. Some mixes, some Bresse, a Basque Hen, a BBS Barnevelder, another boy Legbar and two pullet legbars! That gives me three pullets and six Roos out of ten eggs set.

Then when I went to collect eggs....21!!!!! I actually called our niece to see if she collected eggs the day before, and she did. That is 7 more eggs than my previous best day. Both legbars, both Welsummers, and all 8 Bresse laid eggs, plus a lot of others whose eggs I can't be sure of. I guess everyone has decided to get with the program.

Congrats on your hatching and more eggs I've gotten 8 eggs one day from all 8 girls and i was very happy. although on average i get 6 but some days less or more eggs then that. With all the weather calling for more snow getting eggs from my girls to me feels like a reminder Spring is on its way as i cant see any sign of it yet in my garden or yard.

 

[chick rookie]

Oh they will eat it. They will feast on it if they can reach it.

I know mine would... lol

The one that I saw was made with hardware cloth so that was nice. I think it would be easier to warm up in the smaller space but it would help to add a layer of the blue foam insulation to the inside of the coop (assuming the chickens didn't try to eat it). Maybe just under the coop and coop roof.

the one I saw had hardware cloth on it too. I'm thinking they would eat it cause they peck any and everything.

I was thinking that too. Maybe covering it with screen or small hardware cloth could work.

they could still get at it through the squares. don't ya think?

 

[raisinemright]

I am going to attempt to build a brooder/grow out pin inside my barn. The chicks are getting a little to big for inside the house. I hope the weather holds off the ice cold temps. They will get a little more room and it should be better for all

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Got home from my trip last night. All is well. Chickens and chicks are fine.

Went through the chicks that hatched. Some mixes, some Bresse, a Basque Hen, a BBS Barnevelder, another boy Legbar and two pullet legbars! That gives me three pullets and six Roos out of ten eggs set.

Then when I went to collect eggs....21!!!!! I actually called our niece to see if she collected eggs the day before, and she did. That is 7 more eggs than my previous best day. Both legbars, both Welsummers, and all 8 Bresse laid eggs, plus a lot of others whose eggs I can't be sure of. I guess everyone has decided to get with the program.

welcome home. I wish I was getting 21 eggs a day. But truthfully we are only eating about 5-6 dozen a week so 21 would be a bit much. Still I could stop buying eggs. I have all these chickens that are so close to laying and only get about 5-7 eggs a day.

Hawks are back for those of us that have Hawk issues. I had 4 circling my grow out pen today. It is covered with a net so for now I can watch the hawks without too much concern. But I'm so wanting the snow to pass so I can put my flimsy somewhat kite like owl back up. We had some crows this morning in our trees but turns out they were eying our ducklings. But the ducklings knew and hid at least 30 seconds before the crow flew right into the net.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Well I have not had a great day! After having no success catching the mink, my chicks seem to have been lost in the mail. They were shipped yesterday afternoon from Missouri, so they were not coming far. They were shipped Priority 1 day. Tracking information hasn't been updated since they were in TN last night around 10 pm. I am hoping they aren't lost somewhere, but the post office closes in 30 minutes and if they aren't there now there is a very good chance they will get caught in the impending snowstorm.

I was so excited to get them and now there is a good chance they won't even survive the trip.

Meanwhile the war is on with the mink. I modified the trap in the hopes of making it more alluring.

 

[hanakimi]

Off topic but I was finally able to answer my question today if my bees were still alive and with the nice weather I'm having today i was able to see them out of my 2 hives. This is exciting as I'm looking forward to trying my bee's honey from my plants this year. When you first start a hive as I did last year one doesn't usually have enough honey to harvest the first year as the amount they make you leave for them to eat during the winter.

 

[racinchickins]

Off topic but I was finally able to answer my question today if my bees were still alive and with the nice weather I'm having today i was able to see them out of my 2 hives. This is exciting as I'm looking forward to trying my bee's honey from my plants this year. When you first start a hive as I did last year one doesn't usually have enough honey to harvest the first year as the amount they make you leave for them to eat during the winter.

Congrats on them making it through the winter. Neither of our hives made it, so we are starting over again this year.

 

[hanakimi]

Congrats on them making it through the winter. Neither of our hives made it, so we are starting over again this year.

I'm so sorry to hear that about yours and I hope you do much better this year.I thought mine were dead because of the usually cold and snowy weather we got this winter, so i am getting 3 new nucs to replace my 2 hives and when i bought my hives last year i bought 3 hives but i acquired 2 nucs so i had an extra hive to use its supers if my others hives needed them. So now i need to get 2 more hives from Legacy Apiaries the place where i got them from last year. I don't know what type of hive and wood you have selected to use but for myself i wanted cedar for ease of maintenance/rot resistance, it's lighter to carry then pine and i liked the medium hive advantages i read about that claim it overwinters better and maybe that's why mine are still alive and if so it was worth the extra price. I hope it's ok to talk about/endorse a product i used and like in this thread. I'm ordering again from http://www.legacyapiaries.com/ as i like that they are from Evansville, IN(i like to support local business when able to even if they are way south of meAnd through my phone calls and email interactions with them last year about my slightly customized order they seemed to really care about the bees,their products and their customers. I will say that on my order I kinda created what i wanted in my hives compared to what they offer, so what i paid was different then their prices listed. So if you would like something a little different then what you see in the listings i would suggest asking them if they can do it. Like in mine, I wanted my frames to be a beeswax foundation, not the RiteCell plastic one they offered and my bottom boards were screened for IPM. I hope we both have great success in our apiaries this year