INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[chick rookie]

Had a better day today, Thank God! Over did it on reorganizing and cleaning things up around here. My daughter and Granddaughter have moved in with us so needless to say my chicken room has just been turned back into a bedroom. I had to move two brooders out of the house and into my storage building and then set them both back up again. Then move the Captains bed with trundle out of DH's side of building into the bedroom (after vacuuming, dusting and washing windows), set it up and make the bed. Then moved a Loveseat out of my den and put it in the room so she has seating if friends come over. Oh but wait...the chicken room was also my little Michaiah's playroom (she loves the baby chicks and its a good life lesson for her to watch them grow and change), so I had to move all of her books, craft stuff, toys, babydoll crib and stroller and "kitchen" out of the room. My Den is now her playroom. Oh I also had to remove a chest freezer out of the den and make room for it in my mudroom/laundry Room. Im sitting here in my Lazyboy feeling the back and leg muscles throbbing in protest and content that I only have one big job left to do tomorrow, cleaning the chicken, duck and Silkie coops. but I'll have lots of help with it...my son and his kids are coming for dinner, I will put my three granddaughters to work...LOL.

Been there Done that last year ... Take a LONG HOT SOAK and maybe read some... that what I did... ALLOT!!!!!! LOL

Hi and welcome! LOL @ getting cut off -- I happened to be in TSC over the weekend with my son and husband and he caught me looking at the chicks - just as I was turning to walk away (they didn't have what I was looking for) the sales person came by and asked if I needed any help and before I could even open my mouth he pops off with, "NO - we have all the chickens we need" --- oh, foolish, foolish man..............

Soooo what did you end up being home?????

Hi All - I'm new to the forum and to raising chickens. I'm in Southern IN near Louisville, KY. So far, I have 4 RIRs, 3 NHRs and a bossy mutt hen. I still want to get BRs and BOs and who knows what else I'll end up with before my hubby cuts me off.

Welcome

BO's are great!!

I'm still impressed by how fast things are going and how the cold is not slowing you down one bit. Our new run is 90% done but the cold is preventing DH from finishing it the rest of the way. If hawks were nonexistent, the run would be usable. But the government got involved. I'm not a big fan of the government getting involved in as many things as they do.

I have special food for the days my DH comes home hungry and cranky. Not great food just stuff that I can give to him and say here you fix it yourself and not feel too bad. Typically either sandwich stuff or canned pasta or frozen leftovers. Even then if the first words out of DH when he gets home are about what he will be eating next, he knows I will not be happy about it. At least for now he has started asking "so what do I need to do extra for the chickens today" or the next best thing "do you have MORE chicks hatching today?" It has been a while since I have hatched chicks, at least a week but it did not take DH long to notice the newly filled bator.

we have a " fend for yourself " day once in a while... lol

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: And if you are going to his place, we are not too far away. I don't have many but as an add on kind of thing It might be worth the stop. I have at least 1 HRIR and a few barnyard mixed with some of those being black sexed link chicks.

 

[chick rookie]

Surprise before I left for work!

Triplets 1-boy and 2-girls
Doesn't my fam look thrilled I woke them up at 4:30 to come help in the barn, and then I have to leave them to go to work lol.

Nice... Congrats

Thats a fantastic lil staycation for the kids! Not bad for adults visiting either.

the babies and broody!

Very nice progress! Yep time for a break.
How exciting!

I am so sorry for lil crook. You betcha, I have an empty bedroom lol, youngest DD moved out a few months ago.

hope your dog's ok. Is it a fence issue? I know how difficult it is to see one hurt.
Love the babies playing, congrats getting the babies outside!

I do really dry ferment for chicks, but they can get pretty messy. I use the ferment "juices" to moisten the feed.
Its very beneficial for them to have it, but it needs to be in your comfort zone too.
A more grain based feed is ideal but they will need grit to digest it properly.
good post!

o yes it's a fence problem!!! BUT we have put up a 7 ft tall fence, that didn't work, the GP ( biggest one ) went under it, got the first dog hit and broke her back, she is getting better every day. So we put electric on the bottom, middle and 5 ft up, that didn't work, same dog knocked a whole in the side of the garage and out the overhead door that was open, so we tire him up when we would leave, he chewed it in-two, Got the other GP hit by car, nothing broke but a pinched nerve that prevents him from picking up his back right leg, but he is getting better too, So we had to put a chain on the bigger GP when we leave. and no one has got out so far... but we have had AC waiting on us 2x now when we got home telling us " some one called and said he had no water and no shelter" took him back and showed him someone lied!!!, the second time we were told we couldn't leave the dog tied for more then an hour!! Well I asked what the heck we were supposed to do to keep our dogs home... he had no answer other then what we already have done...

We will just have to deal with the fines I guess cause I'm not going to let any more dogs get hit by cars!!!!!!!! Don't know what else to do.

LOL wow what a fantastic birth, all one doe?

LOL nope unless I getta go too!!!!

Hey the more the merrier!!!!!

Up for grabs - Decorative Grasses!




This grass is all the same.

This one is different. It gets tall, but not as big.


I also have 2-3 of these.
PM if you'd like some. I'll be cutting it down soon, so it's easier to dig up.

I don't know if you know the answer or not but gonna ask anyway...lol are Yucca plants ok to have in chicken runs.

 

[chick rookie]

WOW I'm all caught up !!!!!

 

[CluckAcres]

Quote:
Re: Ornamental Grasses
Leah's Mom & ellymayRans ~ We have several types of ornamental grasses. That's where Adeline and Bonbon hid their eggs last winter when they began laying. It's like a giant bird nest. My DH cut them all back last weekend with an electric hedge trimmer and put the trimmings in the mulch pile. Adeline was over at "her" bush afterwards wondering where it went! All of our chickens (and cats) love to disappear into the large ones. They're great places to escape from predators. Ornamental grasses are so versatile -- different sizes, looks, good for sunny areas, good for shady areas, etc. You can plant large types close together to form a "fence." Low maintenance -- just cut them back in early spring, and if they get too overgrown, they can be divided. As far as bamboo, there also are many species, but they can easily get out of hand and take over yards.
Leah's Mom ~ I took this photo today of one of our ornamental grasses that DH just cut back. Sometimes they're not perfectly round at the base if an animal, like a hen named Adeline for example, makes a path to regularly walk in and lay eggs! It is obviously dry and straw-like now, but soon it will quickly turn into a lush green plant. I think that one is Maiden grass, which looks like the photo attached. As I mentioned before, there are tons of colors and sizes.

These two photos are the same stump -- Adeline is a size reference.


Maiden grass photo from Internet. This is what the stump will turn into.
CluckAcres ~ It was 60 degrees and Sunny today here in the southwestern tip of Indiana. It was great to have my five chicks outside and to do yard work with my six hens. We're supposed to be in the 70s all week. Hope spring is making its way north, too!

it's 55 right now suppose to be like 65 today. It feels so nice. We was outside doing yard work all day yesterday. Thinking of taking some chicks outside today at the peak of the day. sent from your friendly neighborhood poultry raiser! cluck... cluck...

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Man you really don't know how great that really sounds....

Seriously, you're welcome to come for a cabin visit! We like to have it used as much as possible

Thats odd, but I have an emben hen that flies. She is white, some black feathers towards her tail. She has no problem clearing the 6 foot fence.
Maybe a cross? or who knows, albino birds do occur! Bet its quite stunning in flight.

The geese took off for a few hours, but I saw them fly back in. The white one definitely had the black wing tips, which matches perfectly the snow goose description & pics. Plus, we are on the migratory path, so I'm pretty convinced that's what it was. We still find it odd that it was a loner of its breed.

LOL nope unless I getta go too!!!!

You can join Chick Rookie here for a cabin staycation -- it sleeps 6 so find 4 more friends to bring along!! Chicken addict slumber party

Wow! 35 is a lot to make in such a short time! I've been looking for scrap fabrics while in hobby craft stores, but most of it doesn't look stretchy enough. Fleece and cottons would be perfect though! I just got the newest issue of Backyard Poultry in the mail over the weekend and they have a whole article on chicken aprons and costumes. Would love to get started on some for my flock!

It actually didn't take too long to make them working together. We didn't worry about them looking pretty, as we knew they were going out in a barn! With how we make them the fabric doesn't have to be stretchy. We sew a piece of elastic in place -- just the ends are stitched down & it freely slides through a casing at the top. That way you can pull the elastic all the way over to one side to slip the wing in and then pull it all the way over to the other side for the other wing. You can use whatever fabric you want.

 

[chick rookie]

Seriously, you're welcome to come for a cabin visit! We like to have it used as much as possible

The geese took off for a few hours, but I saw them fly back in. The white one definitely had the black wing tips, which matches perfectly the snow goose description & pics. Plus, we are on the migratory path, so I'm pretty convinced that's what it was. We still find it odd that it was a loner of its breed.


You can join Chick Rookie here for a cabin staycation -- it sleeps 6 so find 4 more friends to bring along!! Chicken addict slumber party

It actually didn't take too long to make them working together. We didn't worry about them looking pretty, as we knew they were going out in a barn! With how we make them the fabric doesn't have to be stretchy. We sew a piece of elastic in place -- just the ends are stitched down & it freely slides through a casing at the top. That way you can pull the elastic all the way over to one side to slip the wing in and then pull it all the way over to the other side for the other wing. You can use whatever fabric you want.

where is it at? but I don't know when I could actually get away...

 

[PeacefulWalls]

where is it at? but I don't know when I could actually get away...

We're in Goshen, which is Elkhart county -- about 2 1/2 hours north of Indy, about 20 miles from the Michigan state line.

 

[atrueb00]

It actually didn't take too long to make them working together. We didn't worry about them looking pretty, as we knew they were going out in a barn! With how we make them the fabric doesn't have to be stretchy. We sew a piece of elastic in place -- just the ends are stitched down & it freely slides through a casing at the top. That way you can pull the elastic all the way over to one side to slip the wing in and then pull it all the way over to the other side for the other wing. You can use whatever fabric you want.

That is really cool! I've made diapers with elastic and it worked okay. I just used scrap cloth but the fluffy silkie butts needed more room in the fabric. Did you make your own pattern or buy one? I've seen patterns online but none specifically for bantams so I always have to modify the original to get them to fit right.

 

[atrueb00]

Hey kab sorry I took so long to reply. I'd feel really bad about taking Gus he's so gorgeous. However, what about a stud service type dealy, lol. It wouldn't be til F3 that we could get consistent results but I'd be willing to split the chicks with you or something along those lines and you could 'loan' me Gus for a month or so until I got some good fertile eggs. Then I would need to 'borrow' him again next year lol...gosh I just couldn't take him though. Too bad chickens can't be insemination like cows lol.


I'm ordering some hens from chicken hill and then I found her blue partridge brahmas and got hit with the love bug. She ships a minimum of 6 and will include 1 free of each breed I buy ...but I can't take 8 more birds. Would anyone be interested in taking some of these? Blue laced reds and blue partridge brahmas...straight run. I know I will want a blue and splash hen and maybe 2 blue partridge hens but I couldn't keep any more, so that's at least 2 of each...I'd have to grow them out to see what sex they are but they're super pretty.

Then of course part of me thinks I might be trying to do too much all at once lol. And if anyone wants to order so we can split shipping that's cool too.

.

http://www.chickenhillpoultry.com/bluepartridge

With silkies, a lot of people AI. Sometimes all the fluff back there makes it hard for nature. I was watching a show on National Geographic Wild channel called Shear Madness and in the episode 2 weeks ago Natalie does AI on her silkies. Looks pretty simple.

Well, Ive had a bad good day...LOL that doesnt make much sense does it? Started out by Crook crying like crazy this morning squawking and fussing so much I picked her up to my chest
and held her for a while and she loved it

. My Momma stopped by and laughed at me for being such a softy and hooked on "something" just a day and a half old

. The DSL guy showed up
and I now have internet access, NO MORE I4s auto correct errors!

YAY! After Lunch the little girl I babysit started a fever, started at 99.4, an hour later was 102.6. her Mommy came home after two calls

(I would have bn there in 10 minutes). I went to chk on little Crook and get her to feed her and give her a dose of vitamins, she died

. My "D"H came home and
immediately "demanded" something to eat...what the H..., days just gone down hill from there. Im ready for a vacation...does anyone have a spare room??? Lol. grrrrrrrrr!

I am so sorry for your loss.

Surprise before I left for work!

Triplets 1-boy and 2-girls
Doesn't my fam look thrilled I woke them up at 4:30 to come help in the barn, and then I have to leave them to go to work lol.

Did one doe have all 3 babies? Are triplets common? Just can't believe there are three and oh so cute!

First nice day of spring!!!! The bobble heads got to free range for awhile, and the new duck ladies got to meet the flock with little to no issues. they took right too each other.

Your silkies look amazing! Would love to have a silkie flock that large and great looking one day! Some of them even appear to be posing for the camera with their chests poofed out and tails up!