INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[leslea]

I could her my daughters eggs in incubator last night. Started to peck holes this morning. Hopefully there is some chicks in incubator when my wife gets home to check. This is her hauling chicks the other dayand this is my son last night

Adorable

 

[leslea]

My older DD lives in the historic cottage home district by Arsenal High near downtown Indy. Her neighbor a few doors down has chickens and a roo, and they surprisingly fit right in and don't seem loud-- maybe because of blending with typical city-related noises. Because of that aspect, backyard chickens may make better neighbors in cities.

Two years ago, when we were surprised with cockerels, I found that even after we rehomed all but one, his crowing (all hours of the day) drove me crazy while I was trying to work in my home office in a fairly peaceful neighborhood. I personally like to hear a rooster crow-- in the distance! haha

I agree with several of you that polling neighbors may lead to more problems. It could cause conflict between neighbors who disagree and might snowball into general noise complaints concerning a neighbor's dog, truck, leaf blower, screaming kid, etc. etc. Then you might be forced to leave the neighborhood. hahaha -- just joking about that part, but my point is you can't please everyone, so you might as well not ask! I do believe in being a considerate neighbor, though, so IMO, I'd see how keeping a roo goes and if you think it's becoming a stressful situation, you could rehome him-- and of course it would be advantageous to set up a rehoming option beforehand.

Well said.

We had a neighbor at our old neighborhood who thought our dog should never bark. We tried to appease her but eventually the dog learned that she was mean and hateful, and naturally of course he barked at her. We were harassed until we moved (years). Animal control came out to visit quite a bit. Mind you, our dog was an inside dog who only went out to do his business, so the instances of him barking were maybe 5 min a day, if that. But we had to deal with AC and even the police, anyway, whenever this woman felt like expressing her displeasure at the fact dogs bark sometimes. She even complained to my husband about the dog when he came over to warn her the dog would be outside (in our fenced yard) while I was in labor giving birth to our daughter. No "Is your wife okay?" or "I didn't realize the baby was due today" or "Oh, another homebirth, congrats, let me know if I can help." Just *****-*****-***** about the dog.

The irony is that now that we have moved, she has adopted a dog. A PITBULL. I guess she doesn't think that breed will upset any of her neighbors.

Regardless, I have always *always* always tried to be a kind and sweet and even giving neighbor. After all of that, I will never again bend over backward to try and please a neighbor. What I do on my property is my business as long as it's within the law and I will never again let another person drive me crazy out of trying to be nice. Consideration is one thing, but I now have a limit (and it's a lot less than it used to be).

 

[leslea]

Well I didn't mark my calendar and I think I ended up setting my eggs a day after I got them from @raicinchickins but I had two of my own with external pips last night and one had hatched this morning. My BCM. I have 9 that broody hens have hatched and between the bator and broody Marans another 60 yet to hatch! I broke down and bought a chick hutch from RK this morning because I just can't seem to find the time to build anything for all up and coming chicks! I have about 30 that are now 3 weeks old in a very large tote and 14 that I recently moved outside. I think I'm still going to need something else! In a couple of weeks I'll move the 3wk ones out to the garage brooder and the others??? Hmmmm!

I am super excited that for the fourth year in a row we have Orioles again! Every time this time of year they become visible gathering nesting materials and then they are gone. So odd they manage to stay hidden after that. Love Love Love seeing them though!

Lastly RK here in Martinsville has Dark and Light Brahmas now. Along with the other typical breeds of RIR Barred Rock Cornish etc. They also have ducks guineas and bronze turkeys.

Hope all you mothers out there have a wonderful Mothers Day! !

I put oranges and jelly out, crossing my fingers to see some orioles.

 

[leslea]

kabhyper ~ It's just like you to already have a perfect photo shoot of your new chicks completed and posted! I don't know how you get your chickens to cooperate so nicely. Do you have a worm on a stick that you wave as you tell them to hold still and pose?

Yes, do share!!! My friend Julie (Chicks in Hats on Etsy) has her daughter put a hat on a chick then jump out of frame real fast...but I haven't even attempted chick portraits sans chapeaus, because there is no way these chicks are sitting still!!!

 

[raisinemright]

I to

Well said.


We had a neighbor at our old neighborhood who thought our dog should never bark. We tried to appease her but eventually the dog learned that she was mean and hateful, and naturally of course he barked at her. We were harassed until we moved (years). Animal control came out to visit quite a bit. Mind you, our dog was an inside dog who only went out to do his business, so the instances of him barking were maybe 5 min a day, if that. But we had to deal with AC and even the police, anyway, whenever this woman felt like expressing her displeasure at the fact dogs bark sometimes. She even complained to my husband about the dog when he came over to warn her the dog would be outside (in our fenced yard) while I was in labor giving birth to our daughter. No "Is your wife okay?" or "I didn't realize the baby was due today" or "Oh, another homebirth, congrats, let me know if I can help." Just *****-*****-***** about the dog.


The irony is that now that we have moved, she has adopted a dog. A PITBULL. I guess she doesn't think that breed will upset any of her neighbors.


Regardless, I have always *always* always tried to be a kind and sweet and even giving neighbor. After all of that, I will never again bend over backward to try and please a neighbor. What I do on my property is my business as long as it's within the law and I will never again let another person drive me crazy out of trying to be nice. Consideration is one thing, but I now have a limit (and it's a lot less than it used to be).

I understand your frustration, but please don't talk down PITBULLS, they are a great breed! I just had to rehome my Bloodhound because he wanted to kill every animal we had, not his fault it's his nature. My "PITBULL" is the greatest dog my family has had. There is nothing wrong with the breed just the owners and media playing into it just like "scary assault weapons". You must remember the most decrative military K9 was a scary "PUTBULL". They are very courageous breed and will die for their family. I'm not posting this for argument but I do not like it when people talk bad about a (once was the most popular breed for us family's) the scary "PITBULL"

 

[leslea]

Well, this morning's report from the Treehouse is good. All seven chicks/keets are doing well. The surviving BR is still the smallest/shyest of the bunch, but she eats and drinks and follows the other chicks, so I am not worried anything is wrong with her. If I'd have known they would be so much smaller than the other chicks, I might have gotten 3 to better my chances of having 2 BR hens. Oh, well. Just glad they are all doing well.

My little boy is doing well, too. All my kids, chickens, and dogs are doing well today. So is the DH. That's all I could ask for on a Mother's Day!

Our hound dog did perk up his ears at the chicks last night. We sent him outside. Mostly the dogs do not care at all about the chicks. My terrier has watched me handle them and she definitely knows they are there, but shows no interest. Just hoping that blasé attitude carries on once they are in the yard together.

DH has been holding the guineas. He said he has a fantasy that he will sit down our deck and one of them will fly down from a tree to sit in his lap. LOL!

Good luck, man! Whatever motivates him to help me finish the run, I guess.

Hope everyone is going to have a great day today. I have a pack of 50 seed starter pots, 5 packs of seeds, and a bag of dirt waiting for me. Never could find lavender plants (if you can believe that) or lemon balm (somewhat more believable) for my raised beds, to go around the run. Figured I'd start some from seed, maybe the run and the raised beds will be done and ready to plant in by the time they are big and heart enough to put out.

Hubs wants to fix me breakfast.

Enjoying all your updates.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Never could find lavender plants (if you can believe that) or lemon balm (somewhat more believable) for my raised beds, to go around the run.

Are those beneficial for the chickens, or just nice to have around?

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers!


Is there a Chicken Keeper's Day? Cause there should be. ;-)

 

[leslea]

Are those beneficial for the chickens, or just nice to have around?

Well, rosemary, lavender, and lemon balm are all nice perennial low-maintenance herbs that smell terrific and are non-toxic to chickens. I was going to plant veggies back there, until I read that the chickens would eat them or pull them up. Then, I read this article about natural pest maintenance/freshening the coop and realized the herb garden would be the best way to go.

Additionally, by laying down hardware cloth as the base of the raised beds and ringing them around my run, that should give burrowing predators very minimal chance of making their way inside my run!

Here's the article from the chicken chick: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/06/15-tips-to-reduce-flies-around-chicken.html

She uses more herbs than those three, but I know I can make those three work in my yard. I look forward to picking the herbs by the handfuls and throwing them into the coop as a daily ritual. At my old house, I never could use all the lemon balm (grows like a weed) or lavender I got! I never had luck with rosemary but I am told that was a fluke of my old house.

 

[leslea]

I to
I understand your frustration, but please don't talk down PITBULLS, they are a great breed! I just had to rehome my Bloodhound because he wanted to kill every animal we had, not his fault it's his nature. My "PITBULL" is the greatest dog my family has had. There is nothing wrong with the breed just the owners and media playing into it just like "scary assault weapons". You must remember the most decrative military K9 was a scary "PUTBULL". They are very courageous breed and will die for their family. I'm not posting this for argument but I do not like it when people talk bad about a (once was the most popular breed for us family's) the scary "PITBULL"

I love dogs of all breeds. My point was that this neighbor adopted the one breed of dog almost certain to get her complaints, especially those driven by unwarranted fear. I find that ironic considering she was on the phone complaining about an American Foxhound. You would think she'd go for a Bichon Frise or some other dog known for being quiet. All it's going to take is one mother walking with her children on the sidewalk, being barked at by the "big, bad" pitbull and this former neighbor of mine is going to know what it feels like to be unfairly complained about.