INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[alliejean]

Hello all! We've been busy getting our garden in here, this is our first so we will see how it turns out!

Leah's mom- I hope your chickie heals quickly!!

Those of you that have automatic chicken doors. Where did you get them from? Are there any that don't cost $200 to buy? We've got a couple of long trips coming up this summer and I want to make things as easy as possible for the person taking care of the animals!!

My husband whipped up these for our coop doors and so far so good. They were slightly more than $5...I think the junk yard charged us like $12 each for the antennas and then we had to get a couple of 12 volt battery things to hook into them. We also opted to get a digital timer that goes in the wall like a thermostat because it looks better and that was a little more also. It was still easily under $40 for all of that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-radio-antenna-from-a-junkyard#post_11919410

 

[leslea]

Hi! I am so excited! I have my first broody hen! We have about 9 days left. She's sitting g on 3 EE eggs. If they don't hatch Rural King still has chicks! Hoping for a hatch though!

Good luck!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Life with te broody seems to be going well for her. But with it being my first time to have a broody hen, I'm probably getting on her nerves. I keep peeking through the screen door at her. Then when she takes her once a day break, I start thinking maybe she gave up. I almost steal the eggs for the incubator. Then she comes back and starts puffing and somehow goes from a mid sized chicken to a big puff ball sitting on eggs.

 

[raisinemright]

They are in heaven now. 1 more acre of pasture to graze on!!

 

[Mother2Hens]

Just wait they will be dust bathing and decide to take a nap. Then from a kitchen window, it will look like they all just died in their dusting spots.
hoosiercheetah ~ Sunbathing is pretty weird, too. They tend to lay on their sides next to each other for support, and their exposed wing is stretched/spread out.
You might think that your chickens have injured their wings. Here's an example I found online:

Why Do Chickens Sunbathe?
Online Info: Chickens and other birds sunbathe for temperature regulation and relaxation. However, the most important reason for sunning is to maintain feather health. The sun converts compounds in their preening oil – secreted from a gland at the base of the tail – into vitamin D, which is essential for good health. Sunning also can dislodge feather parasites because the excess heat will encourage insects to move to other places in a bird’s plumage. This will give the bird easier access to get rid of those parasites when preening, and birds are frequently seen preening immediately after sunning. Additionally, sunning is used to dry wet feathers.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

That motor is pretty strong...I'd be worried about squashing a chicken in it. The made-for-chickens doors are made so they don't have enough juice to injure a stupid bird standing in the way.

That's why I was thinking of something from an RC car - the motor would be able to move the door, but not injure anyone.

My husband whipped up these for our coop doors and so far so good. They were slightly more than $5...I think the junk yard charged us like $12 each for the antennas and then we had to get a couple of 12 volt battery things to hook into them. We also opted to get a digital timer that goes in the wall like a thermostat because it looks better and that was a little more also. It was still easily under $40 for all of that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-radio-antenna-from-a-junkyard#post_11919410

Or you could do that! If you want to have remote control, use something like this instead of the timer:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Heath-Zenith-Outdoor-Remote-Kit-SL-6139-D/100654967

That's just the first one I found online; I'm sure there are others, although 10 bucks will be hard to beat.

FWIW, this is what I'm going to do to my coop, pending enough free time to get the antenna and build the door.

Also also, if you're feeling nervous about the wiring, mail or hand-deliver me your parts, and I'll do the soldering and wiring for you. Then you'll just have to mount it to line up with your door.

 

[number9]

Last summer I had a couple of hens that suffered from fowl pox pretty bad. I know that this is spread by mosqitoes but is there anything I can do to prevent it or make it easier on the birds. Just want to get a jump on it.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Mother2Hens:
hoosiercheetah ~ Sunbathing is pretty weird, too.

Thank you for sparing me this grief! :-D

Is there any other bizarre chicken behaviour I don't know about?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Does anyone want to borrow a still air incubator with turner? I'm not using it right now and won't be for a long time.

 

[browncow15]

I have this crazy idea about building one out of a used garage door opener, so you'd have a remote you could use from the house.  It might not lock per se, but if the overlap in the door is an inch or more, nothing's getting through.

You could probably pick up just the parts you need to make it work from an R/C hobby shop.  I don't know if it would be less than 100 dollars or not.  I'm thinking you could even buy a 30 dollar RC car at walmart and use the guts to do the job.  The only problem there would be transmitter range.  Something designed for remote aircraft would probably be better.

I just thought of four different ways to make that work.  What's your time frame?  I could sketch something up for you, or at least search out the parts to see if it saves you anything to build your own.

FWIW the add a motors that I'm seeing online all say they're x-10 or other remote compatible.  You'd just have to buy the remote units and hook it up.  But I think that's getting you closer to the 200 dollar price tag.

I'll see if I can come up with something cheaper.  ;-)

A remote would be awesome for when I'm home! I'll need something in place by the 2nd week in June if I'm going to do something.

My husband whipped up these for our coop doors and so far so good. They were slightly more than $5...I think the junk yard charged us like $12 each for the antennas and then we had to get a couple of 12 volt battery things to hook into them. We also opted to get a digital timer that goes in the wall like a thermostat because it looks better and that was a little more also. It was still easily under $40 for all of that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-radio-antenna-from-a-junkyard#post_11919410

Hum, this is cool! I wonder how heavy the door can be and still have the antenna lift it? I have a guiliteen (sp?) door that's 12" X 16" and double thick osb.

That's why I was thinking of something from an RC car - the motor would be able to move the door, but not injure anyone.


Or you could do that!  If you want to have remote control, use something like this instead of the timer:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Heath-Zenith-Outdoor-Remote-Kit-SL-6139-D/100654967

That's just the first one I found online; I'm sure there are others, although 10 bucks will be hard to beat.

FWIW, this is what I'm going to do to my coop, pending enough free time to get the antenna and build the door.

Also also, if you're feeling nervous about the wiring, mail or hand-deliver me your parts, and I'll do the soldering and wiring for you.  Then you'll just have to mount it to line up with your door.

I wonder if you could make it interchangeable? The remote would be perfect for when I home (which is most of the time) but I was thinking something on a photosensor or timer so it wasn't as critical what time someone needed to be here for chores. I may take you up of your wiring offer, defiantly not my forte. Hammer and nails I can do or hubby can help, electronics not so much!