INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and I have used the door for 2 years and never had any problems with it getting stuck down or frozen in the winter.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I don't have silkies, but I have a friend in Canada that has plenty of them and breeds them. Very cold temps and hers do okay. I do believe she keeps the temps in the silkie area above "0" F. (Their area is regularly in the negatives. They've still not gotten above freezing this year at night yet!)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just posted this on the NCK thread and going to post here also:

Miss Gray update.

-Still looking "bright" today but not moving around lots. She spent a lot of time today just laying in the grass but it was not a "sick looking" laying but just lounging.

-She started talking a little today. Yesterday she was silent.

-First thing in the morning she tried to make a nest in the grass clippings I had put in the indoor pen. When I realized thats what was going on, I brought in the portable nest box and gave her an annex and she went right in and laid her egg. All before 8:00 am.

-She is eating and I'm still able to give her a few drops of the wound formula on ground beef. Funny, though, she got wise to it and decided not to eat the pieces tonight that had the tincture on it. So I have to not put so much into each piece. I was trying to get the whole dose on 1 piece instead of spreading it out but she got wise to that.

-Yesterday when I first brought her up I had her in the outdoor portable pen on the grass. Overnight she was in a dog crate inside. When I got home at mid day I moved her outside on the grass to the portable pen. I tried adding Emma to the pen with her...Emma is the only one that is reasonably nice to her in general. That didn't work so I had to remove her again. Emma was intent on being sure that Gray knew she was in charge and wanted to give her a little peck on the back of the neck now and then. However, that's exactly where the wound is and I needed to remove her. She was causing undue stress being in there anyhow as it put Miss Gray on high alert.

I did see that there was more injury than I saw yesterday as she's torn down the left side from the neck. From the evidence I can find, it looks like she was near enough to one of the hawk hide things I put out that she was able to get under it and keep from being killed. Her feathers are all around it. Most of the feathers are pulled out of the back of her neck and some down the side but there were still long enough feathers that it covers things. I decided not to cut them back unless there is a need. It seems that keeping them covered is a good camoflage...I guess I'll have to determine that over the next few days.

I did put more NuStock on the place I didn't see before but at this point I think that's the last NuStock I'll be using on her. I'll explain that in a later post.

She's back in the small crate inside for the night.


Here's the outdoor portable pen when I tried adding Emma. (Got this pen in 2012 when I first got the chicks...from Craigslist. It folds flat. I bungee a tarp on top for hawk protection and shade.









Because I didn't cut back the covering feathers, you can't see the wound..but you can see how it goes down the left over the shoulder.

 

[bradselig]

Yay!  I got me some lavender babies!!  How many are left to hatch yet?

about half a dozen. I saw 2-3 were pipped when I pulled these guys out. This hatch is going much slower than normal, but as long as they are coming out ok, I'm happy!

Pretty chicks Brad.

The suspense is killing me. I love using broodys, Ihate not knowing whats going on!

Thanks! I have about a dozen silkie eggs between 3-4 broody hens (one can't make up her mind!), 4 under my broody showgirl, and 4 under a modern! When pulling out the fresh eggs out from under the silkies, I saw one egg had a "pip". Not sure if it's really hatching or grumpy broody hen pecked a hole in it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow or Friday!



Thanks! I love both! I originally went for the partridge and now just getting into the cuckoo. Have more cuckoo eggs incubating right now. Yours are beautiful as well! My partridge pretty much lost the barring with age.

 

[kabhyper1]

I saw a dark little head peek out, its a partidge! 7 to go!!

 

[Mother2Hens]

Bonbon Delivers! 21 days


I worked in the backyard all afternoon with the chickens, and every couple of hours, I'd check on Bonbon. I had felt totally positive about the hatch since Bonbon appeared to be a serious broody. Although I knew that logically she might not hatch at exactly 21 days, by late afternoon I was starting to brace myself for the possibility that the hatch would fail since she's a new mom. I thought of all the posts I've read from members who've posted that their broodies were supposed to hatch, but nothing had happened yet, and they were worried. Those posts were always followed by thrilling news of their broodies' hatches. Around 6:00pm this evening my son stopped by, and I decided to check on Bonbon. I looked in and heard peeping and then saw a teeny tiny chicken foot sticking out from under Bonbon! Then the miniature chick stepped out a minute to see the world-- and test out her voice! Here's a video: Bonbon's first chick 6:00pm May 7, 2014
kaphyper gave me great advice, and coincidentally, her Silkie hen Suki is in the middle of hatching, too! kabhyper said not to look under Bonbon to see what's going on because I could shrink wrap any hatching chicks. The eggs came from jchny-- 3 bantam OEGB and 1 bantam Mille Fleur. Hope they all hatch!! Thank you!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So, two new things to add to the equation.

First, I'm not so sure now that I was hearing difficult breathing sounds from the gray EE. Gray stopped making the rumbly breathing sound after I put him in the isolation cage - until last night. When I had him in the towel, and he calmed down, I was gently stroking the feathers around his face with a cotton ball, he laid his head down in my hand and started rumbling. I think that the rumbly breathing I heard might have been him purring. I'm going to feel really stupid if that's the case. I really really wish someone who knew something could come look at these birds and tell me whether or not I actually have any problems.


So, his eye problem really could be just an injury... if so, could it have infected, and that spread into his sinuses, and cause some of the other stuff I'm seeing? I absolutely can not afford to pay a vet to look at this bird.

Oh, and I put his friend in, and they're both much happier for the company.


This post has been edited because I'm a dork. I don't usually try to hide my shame, but this time I've gone to wasting people's time, and I'm not okay with that.


Wish me luck.

LOL you are not a dork! And not a waste of time by any way at all! Thats how we learn, asking questions and posting problems. Someone will learn from it, and so will all of us. I am reading just to catch up, WAY behind. But did want to say its our thread, posts like yours help us all. No worries!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Goslings are doing great

! #3 hatched today, and was no problem taking it.
Ganders "pin" their opponent, or intruder in a fight. The stronger gander is the winner by pinning the other down, like a wrestling match, literally. Wing and neck grabbing, flogging with wings, they can be pretty fierce and the bite/twist is painful! My ganders will not let other birds fight like a pair of roosters for example. they immediately intervene. If a gander or goose attack me, they get pinned. I have to keep the role of flock leader or would not be able to control them. 14 geese is a lot of big birds! So if one attacks, I grab the neck with one hand high right below the skull, and other arm goes around the wings, fast. And we go to the ground immediately. I hold the bird down until he stops struggling. I stop everything right then, and do it now! I am not harming my bird, and he doesn't get to harm me either. This corrects the behavior in a young gander in 2-3 times, usually less. Goose (hens) rarely attack a person unless they have babies. In this case he was doing his job, but I cannot let him think he can attack me, even in this instance. He is almost 10 months old and just massive already, my largest goose breed. I really need to take some pictures!

keep promising and forgetting to take the camera out with me...

 

[Mother2Hens]

So, I went to a feed store today. It shall remain nameless to protect the innocent (me!). The lady working was rather helpful, but also very negative. She asked about my biddies and I told her. She proceeded to warn me that my silkies weren't cold hardy and my BRs would be aggressive to my children. All my chickens, actually. She said all bantams are aggressive.

Surprised she didn't tell me my guineas would fly the coop and NEVER return the day I let them out.

If it were not for BYC and the awesomeness that is the internet leading me to read up on these birds for 10 years, I'd have left that store very upset. As it was, I was able to say "Okay," and change the subject.

I know some people have lost silkies outside in the cold winter, especially the polar vortex. But who's to say my coop isn't going to be warm enough with its square footage, insulatin, and a flock of 8 in there together? Maybe she will be right and all my chickens will attack my kids even though we are handling them every day and going to feed them treats. I guess I'll be glad to see 'em freeze then, huh?

WTHeck is wrong with people? She said all of that in a helpful, nice way, but...I came home and googled what she said and as usual, it's one of those "your mileage may vary" things.

Just needed to vent.

The way I look at it is it is much like the input one receives on a site such as this - just look at the vast difference of opinion on issues (even some of the most basic questions) that often arise - both 'sides' of the opinion convinced that their opinion is the correct one and offering information that may be completely contradictory to the input of the next person.

Ol Wise Grey Mare ~ I've encountered more variations and complications in raising chickens than I did when raising children!

leslea ~ It is too bad that the saleswoman had to rain on your parade! She probably thought she was giving you practical advice, but her generalizations were so "cut and dry" that she not only misinformed you, but also caused unnecessary worry. It's annoying when people feel they must after the fact start listing everything you did wrong according to their judgement. Btw, my bantam Bonbon is a sweetie and my BR Tweedy is not aggressive. Silkies aren't cold hardy in extreme polar conditions-- but there are many options if it gets too cold for any breed. That woman thinks like Henny Penny . . . "The sky is falling!!!"

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Okay, more pics!



Lynda in profile. (Don't mind the poop!)








All the kids holding chicks!

And lastly...the guineas! Wow, they are wild compared to the baby chicks. They tried to fly out of the box on the way home. Thanks again, Brad, for putting me in touch with Trey.

We don't know if these are boys or girls yet but we are calling them Thelma & Louise thanks to their escape attempt! They peep about 10x louder than the chicks. @jchny2000 , he said he thought these two were chocolate. What do you think?



So now I guess I can collapse for the day and rest! The brooder is too quiet...no one is peeping...guess I will watch chicken TV for a bit.

The dogs have still not made any sign of noticing the birds, even with the addition of the loud keets. Hubby said he thinks I desensitized them with Animal Planet streaming chick cam!

I told him that was my plan all along...just hoping I'm not delusional in the early days. You know how all new moms think everything is working out perfectly.

Goodness, they are precious! Congrats on all the chicks.. Some of mine (lavender guinea) are from trey also! I am leaning chocolate PIED so he really blessed you with some beauties

His guineas were one of my best hatches last year, and I had quite an assortment from him. Winter was hard on the late summer keets, so I wont hatch past july this year. When they are around 4 months, we can tell what sex they are.

Hawk attack today ... I think.

OH NO..

I am worrying daily, one is constantly overhead this last week. Is anyone missing?

Here is my progress from Monday. The beginning of a breeding coop. By the way those aren't the legs, I just used longer boards that I could use them as braces for the actual legs and it isn't going there, just working on it inside one of the barns so I don't have to drag all over the place. I probably won't get to work on it until this weekend. If only there was more time in the day


And yesterday my dad called me and said he was driving down a road and saw a hawk eating something it had killed on the side of the road and a group of buzzards were waiting several feet away, waiting for its scraps

Looks like a great start!! We are scrounging wood for our breeding coop project too. I keep begging DH to get pallets, its a great way to repurpose. He wants to use new wood.
Hawks are thick this year, and I have one nested at the back of my property in a cottonwood. Teeth clenched and watching close! Really stinks, I have 2 new squirrel families this year, and had a bunny move in.. something got. Her kits were all over the front yard and nearly starved. I knew they were not in good shape, 2 DH was able to just pick up. We have been able to save one of the 3 we found, the other 2 were too far gone

and lost them by the next morning. The third is thriving on goats milk and lots of clover and dandelions. I am struggling on what to do with it, If I release it, its sure to be somethings dinner here.