INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

I am happy to introduce the newest additions to my flock, Georgette, Louise, Mabel, Elda, and Kit!

Georgette and Louise the Black Copper Marans:






Mabel the Welsummer:




Elda and Kit the Silver Gray Dorkings:






ETA: ACK! Posted too soon! Anyway, we had a looooong trip to and from Ohio, but the babies are all healthy and energetic. Well, in between naps.

Precious~I love my BCMs, sweet hens almost as gentle as my NN. Nice choices! Will love watching them grow.

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[Chaneys Ranch]

Well, only a week behind now. Heading to bed, flat wupped from tilling and planting.
Will continue to try to reach Dave this week for chickenfest plans. We will be going down saturday to try to catch him in person If I don't reach him by phone.

 

[Mother2Hens]

So I mentioned to Mother2Hens of my bantam Cochins putting themselves in their night cage every night. Essentially I just open the door to their temp tractor and their cage and they basically go in on their own. I'm pretty sure they learned by repetition of doing it every night but it still cracks me up.

It's interesting how easy chickens are to train. As I recently mentioned, whenever I've had new flock members join the coop with the mean hens, I always stand in the coop when they go in at night and start battling about who is perching where. It only takes a couple of nights before they know where their place is and that they're not supposed to peck each other, but I still observe them in the coop at bedtime for a week or so until I'm sure they're in a routine. I just don't want to see any suffering or injuries. They're my pets. They're just like kids, too. The other night my son was over and was supervising the chickens getting settled for bed. The chickens were sneaking pecks and trying to knock another one off! The minute I walked into the coop, they got into position like little angels. Sometimes they pull the same thing if I step out of the coop. I'll step back in and they all suddenly have halos over their heads. It's not like I ever yell at them or touch them. All I have to do is look them in the eye and point my index finger. They know all the areas in the yard--in and out of the fenced-in area, the gates, doors, cutting through the garage, and all the rules--what's allowed, what isn't. They're smart animals! Well, except for my one Splash Silkie, "Ditzy."

Our first broody is hatching today. There are chicks I have seen at least 3. Some are the light colored EE. The others are the dark EE.
Mt question is will broody 2 keep sitting . I had a second sumatra go boody and steal eggs about 2 weeks into the first batch. So her eggs are not due for another 2 weeks. But they are sharing a nest and have been trading eggs quite often. They even sit on all of the eggs when the other gets up to eat / drink.
The eggs for the 2 broody included a heritage egg or two so I'm really wanting her to stay on the eggs.

SallyinIndiana ~ Wow, that sounds confusing if they trade eggs! I guess you have them marked so you know which ones aren't due yet. I hope someone can advise you.

Bonbon walked her chicks up to sleep in coop with all the other chickens again tonight. I forgot to remove two eggs in one of the nesting boxes. I swear I saw her eyes light up when she saw those eggs! Instead of going to the other box where she and her chicks slept last night, she suddenly decided to sit on those eggs.

Yikes! So I went around and opened the egg collecting door and swiped them away. Then she went to the other box with her chicks.

So I think my Silky hen has finally gone broody. She has been sitting in her nest for most of the day. My question is, when would be a good time to put some more eggs under her, she is only sitting on one and also is it okay to leave her in the pen with her mate. It is just the two of them in the one en-closer and whenever I have tried to separate them they get very agitated. I don't want to do anything to upset Scarlett because I want her to sit on eggs. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first time with a broody hen. Also should I just put her eggs under her. I have been saving them everyday and I also have some bantam and top hat eggs, along with copper marans. I figured I might be able to sneek in the polish eggs because they are the same size as hers. Any suggestions.........

Thanks in advance

chickiebaby~ I just had my first broody experience so I am no expert, but if you have two chickens who are used to always being together, I would keep it that way. My broody spent a week in a nesting box in the regular coop with no problems until one of the hens wanted to use her nesting box to lay an egg. The encounter resulted in a broken egg, so that's when I moved Bonbon to her own small bantam coop. As far as your other questions . . . From what I remember reading on this thread, it's best to add eggs at night when it's dark. I think you have up to a week to use fertilized eggs, but the sooner the better. Also, you want them all to be due within a three day period. Hopefully kabhyper will read this to verify. She was my "hatching coach" who advised me about my first broody, Bonbon.

Hey! I just went out to check on the birds and one of my roosters was lying on his side. I know we have had this discussion before but searching the thread yielded far too many results and it wasn't in the first few pages. He seems perky and alert but wobbly and keeping his feet mostly clenched. I know liver was one of the recommendations to give him, I separated him with some canned dog food with liver (for now until I can escape the house to find some real liver) and water. He is eating his dog food like a pig. I am hoping it is either a bit of heat stroke or a vitamin deficiency. Is there anything else that I might have in the house that might help until I can get some liver? I think I have some save a chick vitamins. Is that worth putting in his water?
ChickCrazed~ I know you posted this a couple of days ago . . . how is your roo???
CCCHHICKENS ~ I love your Ameraucana babies!

 

[Mother2Hens]

Well, only a week behind now. Heading to bed, flat wupped from tilling and planting.
Will continue to try to reach Dave this week for chickenfest plans. We will be going down saturday to try to catch him in person If I don't reach him by phone.

jchny ~ Please don't stress over setting this event date! You have a lot going on dealing with your Dad's dementia issues not to mention your mom and your farm. We can always go to Plan B and just meet in a park somewhere and have a simple picnic with no training sessions. I'm guessing that most people mainly would like to meet their online friends/ see them again/ talk chickens. We don't have to have a labor intensive afternoon planned out. I'm sure that we all agree that we don't want the get-together to be another weight on your shoulders!

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

I wish it was that easy!  But here is the thing.  We are looking at using a little tykes playhouse as an interim coop while dh and ds build the big coop, or building a small coop on the back porch.  The big coop won't be done til the end of the summer into the fall, so in the meantime we need something fast (they are 4 weeks old and love being in the run and I am beginning to panic! We go out of town in 2 weeks and they need the coop by then). I wish we had a few hundred dollars to go buy a coop but we don't (3 major car repairs in less than a month) so now we are scrambling. 

We cannot even plant a tree with out permission from the historical society. Build sheds, putting in a fence, all have to be approved but I can find NOTHING online for Chicken coops! I will have to call tomorrow. 

If you can get a shed (I found one for 200 and talked the lady down to $100) it is very very very easy to convert. I live pretty close to you and could show you.

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

Well, a little update (sorry this is probably annoying everyone :/. I am so so so bummed. I have terrible depression and I'm struggling badly right now). My temporary gate works OK, but not great. My run...I need to go to the store and get more posts. I put it up as tight as I could but it was difficult for myself and my son's physical therapist (yep, she helped me. My fiancee not so much). It's very very loosely put up. I know I did it wrong. But it's working for now. I'd like to get it fixed somehow this week. Anyway, some of my birds have found a way to escape. Either they're flying over the fence (which they have never done and they are only flying over the fence into my back yard, never the one to my front), or they found a gap and got through that. Luckily they have figured out that it's home.

I got my gardens completely planted. No more planting for the year. Yay. I bought some lavender to plant around the coop and I might do marigolds and lemon balm. I'd like to try to keep the bugs down. We shall see. Everything is growing too well. I planted too much because I didn't expect everything to grow so well. So if someone wants some starts for lettucw, broccoli, grey zucchini, spaghetti squash, Bush beans, pole beans, peas, sugar pumpkins or Boston marrows you can have them for free.

 

[ChickCrazed]

It's interesting how easy chickens are to train. As I recently mentioned, whenever I've had new flock members join the coop with the mean hens, I always stand in the coop when they go in at night and start battling about who is perching where. It only takes a couple of nights before they know where their place is and that they're not supposed to peck each other, but I still observe them in the coop at bedtime for a week or so until I'm sure they're in a routine. I just don't want to see any suffering or injuries. They're my pets. They're just like kids, too. The other night my son was over and was supervising the chickens getting settled for bed. The chickens were sneaking pecks and trying to knock another one off! The minute I walked into the coop, they got into position like little angels. Sometimes they pull the same thing if I step out of the coop. I'll step back in and they all suddenly have halos over their heads. It's not like I ever yell at them or touch them. All I have to do is look them in the eye and point my index finger. They know all the areas in the yard--in and out of the fenced-in area, the gates, doors, cutting through the garage, and all the rules--what's allowed, what isn't. They're smart animals! Well, except for my one Splash Silkie, "Ditzy."

SallyinIndiana ~ Wow, that sounds confusing if they trade eggs! I guess you have them marked so you know which ones aren't due yet. I hope someone can advise you.

Bonbon walked her chicks up to sleep in coop with all the other chickens again tonight. I forgot to remove two eggs in one of the nesting boxes. I swear I saw her eyes light up when she saw those eggs! Instead of going to the other box where she and her chicks slept last night, she suddenly decided to sit on those eggs.

Yikes! So I went around and opened the egg collecting door and swiped them away. Then she went to the other box with her chicks.

chickiebaby~ I just had my first broody experience so I am no expert, but if you have two chickens who are used to always being together, I would keep it that way. My broody spent a week in a nesting box in the regular coop with no problems until one of the hens wanted to use her nesting box to lay an egg. The encounter resulted in a broken egg, so that's when I moved Bonbon to her own small bantam coop. As far as your other questions . . . From what I remember reading on this thread, it's best to add eggs at night when it's dark. I think you have up to a week to use fertilized eggs, but the sooner the better. Also, you want them all to be due within a three day period. Hopefully kabhyper will read this to verify. She was my "hatching coach" who advised me about my first broody, Bonbon.

My roo is the same, he is in sick bay in my garage in a kennel. He is not paralyzed, just very uncoordinated, which makes me think it is the vitamin issue that has been posted before. I don't remember ever hearing anyone say how long it took their chicken to get over it. I was able to track down liver Saturday night but he didn't eat any of it until Sunday morning, so it has really only been 24 hours since I got it in front of him. He is eating well but I am worried he isn't drinking enough with this heat. I'm at work so there isn't anything I can do other than hope he will take care of himself. He has been a really sweet boy through it all though. I have a feeling he will be my new favorite roo by the end of this! Oh, and it is Gregor, one of the Bielie roos that is having the issue. I gave all the others liver yesterday just in case. Does anyone know if they are more prone to this once it happens? Or WHY it happens?

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

My roo is the same, he is in sick bay in my garage in a kennel.  He is not paralyzed, just very uncoordinated, which makes me think it is the vitamin issue that has been posted before.  I don't remember ever hearing anyone say how long it took their chicken to get over it.  I was able to track down liver Saturday night but he didn't eat any of it until Sunday morning, so it has really only been 24 hours since I got it in front of him.  He is eating well but I am worried he isn't drinking enough with this heat.  I'm at work so there isn't anything I can do other than hope he will take care of himself.  He has been a really sweet boy through it all though.  I have a feeling he will be my new favorite roo by the end of this!  Oh, and it is Gregor, one of the Bielie roos that is having the issue.  I gave all the others liver yesterday just in case.  Does anyone know if they are more prone to this once it happens?  Or WHY it happens? 

Add electrolytes to the water. It's better than plain water in the heat. Have you tried the poly vi sol?

 

[ChickCrazed]

Add electrolytes to the water. It's better than plain water in the heat. Have you tried the poly vi sol?

You know I haven't, weirdly enough I was thinking about trying poly vi sol on my drive in to work. I had some save a chick and added that to the water. I figured it couldn't hurt. I will try to run by the farm store on my way home. I think the water bowl has gone down a bit, but I have not SEEN him drink.

In all the roo chaos I also forgot to mention my other veterinary emergencies this week. One of my dogs had to be rushed to the ER with a swollen face (this would be the second emergency canine visit this month - holy $500 down the drain batman). And then one of my two Hedemora chicks (from Brad) seemed to be pooping a very small amount of blood on Thursday. I rushed out and had difficulty finding Corid but did finally get some and get it in the little boogers. So I am still treating them, they seem fine and perky and I still saw a bit of blood yesterday but as long as they are perky I feel like they aren't critical. I am about at my wits end with sick animals! It seriously always seems to all hit at once.

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

You know I haven't, weirdly enough I was thinking about trying poly vi sol on my drive in to work.  I had some save a chick and added that to the water.  I figured it couldn't hurt.  I will try to run by the farm store on my way home.  I think the water bowl has gone down a bit, but I have not SEEN him drink.

In all the roo chaos I also forgot to mention my other veterinary emergencies this week.  One of my dogs had to be rushed to the ER with a swollen face (this would be the second emergency canine visit this month - holy $500 down the drain batman).  And then one of my two Hedemora chicks (from Brad) seemed to be pooping a very small amount of blood on Thursday.  I rushed out and had difficulty finding Corid but did finally get some and get it in the little boogers.  So I am still treating them, they seem fine and perky and I still saw a bit of blood yesterday but as long as they are perky I feel like they aren't critical.  I am about at my wits end with sick animals!  It seriously always seems to all hit at once.

I feel ya. I saw a poo that was almost all blood. But only one. So confused. Didn't know if I should try corid or not. No one is acting sick at all.

Well, except my cockerel who is sneezing and congested.