INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pginsber]

Morning everyone! Thought I'd share what I found in one of my nest boxes this weekend.

I have no idea who laid it but it's cute!

Got the last of my birds moved outside last night, the house is MUCH quieter now! Coop is a little crowded, which is really more of an inconvenience for me but it'll work for now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like a Sparrow laid it!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I had a tiny egg like that one time. When we cracked it open there was only white. I was hoping for a tiny yolk

 

[browncow15]

I had a tiny egg like that one time.  When we cracked it open there was only white.  I was hoping for a tiny yolk

Lol! I've had small ones before but not that small! They usually just have white, I haven't cracked that one yet.

If it had been blue I would have thought a robin snuck in!

 

[racinchickins]

Those of you with Alpacas, I have a friend who is looking for fiber to buy. She needs it cleaned and processed, but wants to spin it herself. If you have any available, let me know.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I thought it was spelled Carrie in the movie/book.... lol

Referring to Stephen King? The car story for him is/was Christine.....Carrie was a whole other bowl of crazy flakes.

Ya, this one wasn't Carrie or Christine. It was Kari, my daughter picked it. Kari is a character from Digimon. The name in Japanese means "fruit(reward) of reason". I liked it because the car was very well designed, so it fit.

 

[Carole AM]

I killed another boar coon today---2nd one in a week. They are climbing up & into the barn from the stall rafters. Good thing I am keeping the chickens locked up in another room!

 

[oldrooster]

Quote: Can you tell I am not a Steven King fan? I goof up over 2 of his most famous works!

 

[Mother2Hens]

So, I've been observing my birds as they get settled in, and I've got some peck-order stuff going on. I have read up again on it, and im pretty sure i know whats going on, but i wanted to to run it by the Voice of Experience (that's y'all) in case im way off base.
My barnyard mix, Penny, is number one for sure. The two comets and the two e.e.s, who already know penny, stay well out of her way. The two orps, who are each twice as big as penny but are new birds to her, do not seem intimidated by her. they go where they want, sometimes following her and sometimes paired up by themselves. The smaller 4 stay out of the orps way too, but the big girls have shown no aggression at all.
The possible issue is that Penny has been pecking at the orps, and everyone else, as they're roosting down for the night. She'll be the first one on the bar, and the next chicken who tries to fly up and sit down gets pecked. The smaller birds just fly off and try sitting somewhere else, but the big orps don't run from her. They just sit there, getting pecked. I let it go for a minute, but it was alarming and I stepped in- probably a dumb noob mistake- and picked penny off the perch and set her on the floor. After giving me the evil eye for a minute, and probably trying to decide whether she could take me on, she flew back up and sat down between the orps, and did not resume pecking.
I'm figuring Penny feels like the bigger birds may be a threat to her status, so she's trying to put them in their place. They don't seem to be interested in challenging her, or backing off either. So my thought at this point is it will probably all sort itself if I leave it alone, and I should just watch everyone for injuries, in case it does escalate.
Oh, and here's another funny thing- the white EE keeps trying to stick her head under the gray one. If I didn't know better I'd say it looked like she's trying to nurse. I think she's probably looking for comfort and protection? She's also one of the most vocal, and she'll coo and purr and perch on my hand and let me pet her.
Does anyone else handle their chickens like parrots? I had each of them but the big orps perched on my hand or arm with a standard pickup, and none of them, even penny, seemed to mind. I think they were as surprised as I was that it worked!
Okay, enough new owner babbling. Thank you all for your gracious patience. ;-)

hoosiercheetah ~ It’s interesting, but sometimes disturbing to watch the pecking order in action. I’m one to intervene if I see it happening and it’s more than a couple of pecks. I can’t watch an animal suffer. Injuries have to be treated, so I’d rather intervene before it gets to that point. All I have to do is say, “Stop!” and point my index finger at the guilty one, look her in the eyes, and she knows to stop. I’ve never had to do more than “the teacher look.” haha Like Lonely Page Turne said, they can be trained. I agree with Chick Crazed, too, when she said, “Trust your own instincts though, because you will get to know your birds and their personalities and habits.” IMO, that statement really applies to every aspect of chicken raising.

My large Orp chick wants to be one of the big girls, which didn’t work out so well the other night when I let her try. But when she’s ready to try again, I will be standing there in the coop supervising since it’s five against one. I think that what Pipd once said is true; they view you as the rooster and want to please you.

Having a ruckus every night at bedtime is normal even for established flocks. My neighbors probably think that I’m having a cock fight at my house every night.

jchny has a good method of reducing pecking order issues. She spends one-on-one time with each flock member so they feel “even” in her eyes. Another important tip is to observe them eating at least once a day to make sure they aren’t keeping lower ranked hens away. Additionally, when I give them treats like seeds or fruit, I make sure they all get some.

And about your EE “nursing” --lol -- my EE does that, too, to avoid being pecked. The problem is that it makes the others even madder because she ends up knocking the hen off of the roost by burrowing under. That’s why my RIR Nene ended up roosting at the top of the coop box door-- she had to get away from my EE.

And don’t worry about babbling-- I make it a habit! I do enjoy hearing about chicken behavior more than any other topic although it’s fun to discuss a range of topics.

 

[raisinemright]

Here is most of my flock! They are starting to get the hang of the perches!

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

I don't know why I didn't realize this before but blu kote is just gentian violet. I dunno which is cheaper but whichever one is I guess that's what I will use lol