INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Minminme]

this has been a really odd "Easter" day. Didnt even seem like Easter around here at all. My youngest Grandchildren were at their other Grandparents home, so there was no Easter Egg Hunt this year. The older kids think its "dumb" to get Easter Baskets so their candy was just poured into a plastic bowl and it was a chocolate/ Jellybean free for all.
My Granddaughters FFA ham sold at auction for 3grand so she has $ in her college account so we had Roast Beef for our dinner. My adult children all had other places to be so they were in and out at different times all day. I had chicken chores t do and my H had sleep to catch up on (nothing new there). Left the girls out of the Pen to free range and opened the littles grow out pen so they could "kinda" take over the big girls pen for a while. Waddles ( my duck formerly known as Armelia) and Blinky along with Diamond and Earl were all out with the Big girls too. When I went out to close everyone up in their respective coops I noticed a suspicious amount of black and dark brown feathers all over the big girls pen right by the enterance to the grow out pen. I did a headcount and I am missing 4 babies

. Two of my favorites (White crested Polish) a Black Copper Maran chick and one of my Welsummers. I dont know if a cat got in there or they got in a tuffle with the big girls somehow and ran off or if a Raccoon or possum got in there before I got out to close everyone up.

Its a big dissappointment to know you do everything you can to protect your babies and they still get hurt or end up where you do NOT want them to be. Easter was no fun this year!!!! Im going to have to wait until early morning to go out and check if any of my other babies suffered any injuries. GRRRRRRR!!!!

Hope everyone elses day was better than mine!!!
The End (of another chapter in the Soap opera that is my life!)

 

[Mother2Hens]

Silkies have to be the strangest looking creature I've ever seen.
I'm going to date myself and declare my nerdness by saying this, but they remind me of Tribbles. Or the original Muppet Show.
How do yours do as egg makers?

hoosiercheetah ~ First, I'd like to comment that although I've been a life long cat lover, your avatar scares me a little! lol

I've only had chickens for a little over two years now, and I always preferred chickens that looked like chickens. I thought Silkies were too weird, but through exposure therapy from regularly viewing photos of all kinds of unusual chickens on byc, I've learned to accept the ridiculous.

I am a proud owner of three irresistible 3.5 month old silkies that came from the owner of many "unique" chickens, bradselig. I think kabhyper said that silkies are like living stuffed animals, and that's so true!
pginsber ~ Haven't tried that . . . yet, but a lap chicken, especially a silkie, sounds nice. Next you'll have to get some diapers for it! The first time I saw a silkie was on the segment of the PBS documentary, "The Natural HIstory of the Chicken" where a woman had diapers on her silkie and swam with it in her pool. I was both fascinated and mortified when I saw that. Now years later, my kids have told me that I'm turning into that same crazy woman!

 

[Mother2Hens]

Minminme ~ What a terrible thing to happen on Easter ~4 missing chicks!

I hope you can figure out what happened. Were there other chicks in the same pen or just those four?
At least you had some good family news with your granddaughter's FFA ham! That's an amazing price.


Need advice from experienced broody owners, please.
I started thinking about after Bonbon hatches the eggs-- I'm afraid the chicks will fall down the stairs. I thought about putting Bonbon's nest at the bottom floor, but I figured she'd feel safer up high. I could switch poop drawers so that the drawer with the solid bottom (instead of the one with the cut-out for the steps) is at the top, and she could get out during the day by using the little door on the top right if I left it slightly open. So basically, she'd be using the top floor. Or would it be better just to keep her at the bottom level? The coop is just a few steps outside the back door, up against the house. Or should I wait to move her until closer to the hatch date? She went out for her daily fresh air today by running down the hill and out the gate to the front of the house where their favorite dust bath is located. She took a long bath and did some free ranging and then started going into the big coop. I picked her up (growling) and put her on her nest in the little coop. She settled right in. Luckily, so far we've missed the notorious poop of the day that broodies are known for.

Here's my original post about the cage:
Broody Bonbon
This is a rabbit hutch that I bought last summer for a quarantine coop (original CL ad photo). I bought it from a guy on CL for $100 who handmade it out of cedar from his uncle's tree. (He watched Rabbit TV). It's so nicely crafted (for a cage) that I had to have it. After I got it, I cleaned and steamed it, painted some interior parts that weren't cedar, and covered the existing wire windows with hardware cloth. It has two pull out poop trays and the top floor had a cut out section where DH added a chicken ladder that he made (I guess rabbits just hopped to the second floor!) Then, it sat empty for a year, but after CCCHICKENSand Sally's suggestion today to move Broody Bonbon, DH and I cleaned it up and made a door with lock. After dark, I relocated Bonbon and the five hatching eggs to her new private coop that sits a few feet away from the big coop. I figured that if she wants, she can watch and listen to the other chickens, but at least not be bothered with them wanting to lay an egg where she's brooding.

Ardizzone ~ You're a lucky duck to get a 100% hatch-- they are adorable!

What breed?
CCCHICKENS ~ Thanks for posting a photo of your beautiful blue Ameraucana bantam hen! Loved the other photos although they weren't labeled for the uneducated viewer like me.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

9 fuzz but's in the brooder!!! One chick was having a hard time getting out. I helped it out. It was really dry from being peeped and not getting out. It's a strong willed little chick. It's out and still moving around hopefully it pulls trough!! Happy Easter everyone!

Congrats, they are precious! Most that I help make it just fine, its usually just humidity.

Well my Easter sucks took a load of milk to goshen and they are 7 hours behind.

Ugh, am so sorry. Know exactly how that feels too! My DH hauled steel for months. He got really fed up waiting to be unloaded! After doing the math, some loads were coming in minimum wage by time he was getting home

He went back to driving a tri-axle locally after that. Not worth his stress and the heavy chicago/steel area traffic.

Hi Everyone!!!!

I just have to share that I incubated duck eggs for the first time and All of the 20 eggs I set hatched!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! Here is a quick pic. I will post more later today.

Goodness! Congrats on the hatch, and welcome to our thread

if I haven't said it already.

Happy Easter everyone!

On the topic of quareintene, the poultry vet I meet at Purdue said to quareintene for at least 6 weeks. I usually do for a month, but not I will extend it to a month and a half.

Good to know, thanks very much for posting!

Quote: You will have to set a price and judge your market. They are a popular bird!
Some are just stunning in the BLRWs, I hope to add a few someday.
My sexlinks have been very popular too, and the boys are huge!
My TSC is continually sold out, so there is a definite market locally for me.

 

[tvlgal85]

Would anyone like free roosters? I have 4 right now and that is way too many. All of them are mixes, but they are all very pretty. I live about 10 minutes south of Lafayette. If anyone is interested please send me a private message. Thanks Kim

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

So guess what.

We boiled 2 dozen eggs yesterday for deviled eggs, and then dyed them with the kids. Well, today we went to peel them and--oops--they weren't boiled long enough! Those eggs weren't even soft boiled! So the girls got a festive Easter treat.

I had two brown, a green, and a pale blue egg boiled to try dying them, though, and they turned out gorgeous! Here they are:



The back left was a nice green. Back right was brown. Front left was a paler brown. The pink one was the pale blue, and it turned out about the same as the white eggs that we dyed the same color. I had hoped it would be more purplish if I dyed it red.

Oh, well. Those brown ones were gorgeous, though! Can't believe we never tried dying them before!

Speaking of white eggs, I'm super happy to say all the white eggs were provided by my own girls!

Not a single store bought egg this year! Hopefully I can keep that going through the winter with frozen eggs!

Hope everyone's having a happy Easter! Now I've got to go because we're about to sit down to eat!

Ugh I did the same thing recently, went to make deviled eggs and yeah.. not done. Wilbur my pig loved it!

I am moving my chicks into the coop tonight. They are 6-7 weeks old. I am wondering though if I should still give them supplimental heat on Tuesday evening when the temps are supposed to dip back down to freezing at night, or if they are old enough to adjust on their own?

What breed of chicks? If they are feathered they should be fine, if you have reduced heat weekly.

Quote:
Great post, my Dad and oldest DD use lots of it. Will give this a try, thanks!

Jchny2000: how do you freeze eggs? Did you have the same experience as HoosierCheetah? Stuck a week old silkie chick under our broody hen yesterday. The hen seemed to have no idea we stuck one under her, and the chick took to her new mom straightaway.

Went out to the coop several times and the broody hen had changed nests--leaving the poor chick alone in a vacant nest. If she saw the chick, she would peck her. Grrr!

Had to bring the chick in last night, which is NOT want I wanted to do.

We had her in our arms as we watched TV. She's quite social and a snuggler.

Made her a baby area from a Rubbermaid tote, heated, with stuffed animals she snuggles under for a mom. When we put her in bed (in her tote nest) she chirped for about 5 mins and then fell asleep.

She seems to prefer to be petted and or talked to all the time. Good thing DW is retired...I think she's adopted a lap chicken.

We had 5 or 6 little girls today at Easter and not sure who love holding the chick more--the girls or the chick. I'm not sure this chick knows she's a chick. She acts like a lap dog.

We don't really want a lap chicken. We wanted a solution to our broody hen situation.

Interested in others' experiences of putting chicks with broody hens, please.

I use the soft plastic type ice cube trays, they will hold 2 regular chicken eggs in each cube. I have used the normal trays too but some chicken eggs don't fit.. Poke the yolk and white with a fork a few times. Freeze. Put them all in a ziplock bag, and store in a plastic container with a lid, and date them. We go thru so many eggs, I never see freezer burn! But, you won't have a sunny side up egg from frozen eggs either. These are used for baking, scrambled eggs and misc..If I want a fried egg sunnyside with a runny yolk in January, I have to hope someone is laying. I cannot stand the taste of store eggs anymore, just don't eat them if my girls aren't laying

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I fixed the vanilla post, if anyone's interested.

Thank you for indulging me as I went way, way off topic. I'm really passionate about my baked goods.

Oh, and if you've never made ice cream with real, fresh vanilla beans, do it. It will knock your socks off.

Very! I LOVE vanilla, cant wait to do this! A tiny bottle of extract is crazy, 3-4 bucks an ounce.
There is NO off topic here its our thread. Post your dog, kids graduation, new car....
As long as its family clean its ok.

Quote: ROFL I told kab they are abomidable snowmen!!!! She has the Pic to prove it!

. First time hatching eggs. My dad did when I was growing up. Anyone have advice for a first timer?

Exciting for you, congrats! Once you have stable temps, add eggs and close it. in 18 days, take the turner out and add water. Seriously less you touch, more you hatch. If its forced air 99.5 degrees. still air 100.5.Here is a more detailed hatching page, but I do not touch them unless there is an odor. Just my preference.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

good luck and hatching vibes to you!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I have one, so does my parents.. where? LOL but I sure love vanilla home made ice cream. put cherries, strawberries, blueberries on it.. YUMMMM.

Okay my fellow Hoosiers, I have a question for y'all.

I have been reading the forums and I either don't have a clear answer or haven't found the right post, so I was hoping you'd be able to weigh in on the right time to integrate new chicks.

I have three Ameracaunas that are three or four weeks younger than my other Oprs and Barred Rocks (5 weeks old yesterday) I have the large brooder cage split at one end where the younger chicks have been kept for a few days. The older girls don't pay them any mind at all. Only one Orp sits and sleeps by the dividing wall between them, but never pecks the hardware cloth or makes any troubling actions toward them.

So how do I know when to actually remove the divide, or do I let them have play dates that are supervised? The other forum threads I have read don't really fit my situation cause they're so close in age, but not size. Helpful advice greatly appreciated...

See dont touch is an easy safe way to introduce birds. Try supervised. Sounds like they are ok already. If not, you can split up and try again in a few days.

Quote: X2, on the side is a natural way to hatch.

Quote: X2

found this in with the horses when I went out to feed, there was 2 of them but when I got close enough to take the pic they flew away and this is all I got. have no Ideal what they were???
my little bantam chicks I got a couple of weeks ago... 2 of them ( the unknown ) don't seem to be growing at all they are getting feathers but are the same size as when we got them. is something wrong with them. I did have a real hard time getting them over pasty butt but that has been gone for 3 days. They eat and drink normal, they are even perching, but just aren't growing... whats up??? anyone have any ideals???
My kids that I moved to the big coop this week got to go free range with the big girls and they found their way back home tonight and I didnt have to put anyone to bed... yeah!!!!!
2 of my 7 week old EE's has turned into Lt.Bahamas

. Or some kind of Columbian maybe???
The Silkie chicks that I got from TSC ( that brad had to tell me what they were ) look like they may be white, according to the little white wing feathers I am seeing now. Just keeping my fingers crossed that they are female!!!!!!!

DH GOES BACK TO WORK IN THE MORNING!!! Normal here I come... lol

Odd to see. Who knows what that was! Look white.. did u see any marking at all, hear any sound?
May be doves.
Your bantams may be too cold. up the heat for them, pasty butt is too cold or hot normally. ACV in the water.
Congrats on NORMAL! I need it BAD. Things are too hectic here and I really need some quiet time.

Well got two more pens built today. Now just need to build a couple temporary coops. I was able to make an "A" frame type cover for one pen just to get me through the night. They were all happy to be back outside and I was happy to get them out of the garage! I have two more pens to fence it and I should have enough. Then I gotta get onto actually cleaning out my garage and coops! Just not enough time in the day! I did get a couple pics snapped of the white silkies and black/blue showgirl pens that moved outside today.

Your flock is just gorgeous! Congrats! I will be doing breeding pens myself prolly too. DHs work schedule is really kicked in. Grateful for the cash flow of course! But I have so much going am about lost where to start. Like you, am going to focus on the breeds I want to work with the most. We have that fencing and several 4x4 posts so am going to start with them.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

this has been a really odd "Easter" day. Didnt even seem like Easter around here at all. My youngest Grandchildren were at their other Grandparents home, so there was no Easter Egg Hunt this year. The older kids think its "dumb" to get Easter Baskets so their candy was just poured into a plastic bowl and it was a chocolate/ Jellybean free for all.
My Granddaughters FFA ham sold at auction for 3grand so she has $ in her college account so we had Roast Beef for our dinner. My adult children all had other places to be so they were in and out at different times all day. I had chicken chores t do and my H had sleep to catch up on (nothing new there). Left the girls out of the Pen to free range and opened the littles grow out pen so they could "kinda" take over the big girls pen for a while. Waddles ( my duck formerly known as Armelia) and Blinky along with Diamond and Earl were all out with the Big girls too. When I went out to close everyone up in their respective coops I noticed a suspicious amount of black and dark brown feathers all over the big girls pen right by the enterance to the grow out pen. I did a headcount and I am missing 4 babies

. Two of my favorites (White crested Polish) a Black Copper Maran chick and one of my Welsummers. I dont know if a cat got in there or they got in a tuffle with the big girls somehow and ran off or if a Raccoon or possum got in there before I got out to close everyone up.

Its a big dissappointment to know you do everything you can to protect your babies and they still get hurt or end up where you do NOT want them to be. Easter was no fun this year!!!! Im going to have to wait until early morning to go out and check if any of my other babies suffered any injuries. GRRRRRRR!!!!

Hope everyone elses day was better than mine!!!
The End (of another chapter in the Soap opera that is my life!)

Ugh am so sorry. I hope you are able to figure out whats happened.

pginsber ~ Haven't tried that . . . yet, but a lap chicken, especially a silkie, sounds nice. Next you'll have to get some diapers for it! The first time I saw a silkie was on the segment of the PBS documentary, "The Natural HIstory of the Chicken" where a woman had diapers on her silkie and swam with it in her pool. I was both fascinated and mortified when I saw that. Now years later, my kids have told me that I'm turning into that same crazy woman!
ROFL tell em suck it up and let you enjoy your birds

They are my lil bit of sanity.. so not kidding.

Minminme ~ What a terrible thing to happen on Easter ~4 missing chicks!

I hope you can figure out what happened. Were there other chicks in the same pen or just those four?
At least you had some good family news with your granddaughter's FFA ham! That's an amazing price.


Need advice from experienced broody owners, please.
I started thinking about after Bonbon hatches the eggs-- I'm afraid the chicks will fall down the stairs. I thought about putting Bonbon's nest at the bottom floor, but I figured she'd feel safer up high. I could switch poop drawers so that the drawer with the solid bottom (instead of the one with the cut-out for the steps) is at the top, and she could get out during the day by using the little door on the top right if I left it slightly open. So basically, she'd be using the top floor. Or would it be better just to keep her at the bottom level? The coop is just a few steps outside the back door, up against the house. Or should I wait to move her until closer to the hatch date? She went out for her daily fresh air today by running down the hill and out the gate to the front of the house where their favorite dust bath is located. She took a long bath and did some free ranging and then started going into the big coop. I picked her up (growling) and put her on her nest in the little coop. She settled right in. Luckily, so far we've missed the notorious poop of the day that broodies are known for.

Here's my original post about the cage:
Broody Bonbon
This is a rabbit hutch that I bought last summer for a quarantine coop (original CL ad photo). I bought it from a guy on CL for $100 who handmade it out of cedar from his uncle's tree. (He watched Rabbit TV). It's so nicely crafted (for a cage) that I had to have it. After I got it, I cleaned and steamed it, painted some interior parts that weren't cedar, and covered the existing wire windows with hardware cloth. It has two pull out poop trays and the top floor had a cut out section where DH added a chicken ladder that he made (I guess rabbits just hopped to the second floor!) Then, it sat empty for a year, but after CCCHICKENSand Sally's suggestion today to move Broody Bonbon, DH and I cleaned it up and made a door with lock. After dark, I relocated Bonbon and the five hatching eggs to her new private coop that sits a few feet away from the big coop. I figured that if she wants, she can watch and listen to the other chickens, but at least not be bothered with them wanting to lay an egg where she's brooding.

Ardizzone ~ You're a lucky duck to get a 100% hatch-- they are adorable!

What breed?
CCCHICKENS ~ Thanks for posting a photo of your beautiful blue Ameraucana bantam hen! Loved the other photos although they weren't labeled for the uneducated viewer like me.

Julie, lay a board to block the other levels for a week. that will give the chicks time to know where momma is.

Would anyone like free roosters? I have 4 right now and that is way too many. All of them are mixes, but they are all very pretty. I live about 10 minutes south of Lafayette. If anyone is interested please send me a private message. Thanks Kim

Welcome to our thread!!

I sent you a pm. I often am able to pair a rooster with hens I sell. They are all welcome here. everyone needs a home.

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

Ok I just put most of the girls from the big baby brooder out into the tractor with the big girls. Cross your fingers...