INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Thanks everyone. Carl was an EE. He was supposed to be a pullet. My two EE hens are sweet as can be. So, Lil Gray is definitely an EE mix of some sort. I guess I'll just let him do his thing and see how it goes. I've never really given much thought to the temperament of rooster before so every one's replies have been extremely helpful....

Sadly on another note... To make a long story short, my neighbor shot Carl because he had been going into their yard pretty regularly (and he was a jerk, but he was my jerk ). Just found out today that they also shot one of our guineas because he was picking on their turkey. (Another guinea went missing about a month ago so now I'm starting to wonder about her as well) I'm a bit frustrated because they didn't say a thing to us that indicated that our birds were bothering them. (They have chickens as well). It's taken us a week to figure out where our birds went. All that being said... I need to figure out how to keep our birds out of their yard. We free range and I really don't want to take that away from them, but the last thing I want is more dead birds. They said our birds being over there is not a problem, but it obviously is so we need to remedy it. I was thinking of putting up a 4 foot welded wire fence between our yards and running an electric string across the top. Do you think this would do the trick. We live on 20 acres, but whoever owned our property before us put the house right next to the only other house even remotely close. Our neighbors are off of our front yard and our backyard is about 3 acres so I want to make sure the birds still have plenty of room. The idea of keeping them contained to the run kills me...

Thanks for any advice.

Sorry to hear of your loss. Its worth a try, the birds will respect the wire. If I had to permanently coop them, I would probably cut numbers drastically! Its just not ok for me to cage them all day.
I know for many its impossible, and they keep their flocks small to allow ample room.
I have to agree on the comments with roo aggression. My polish, orpington, OEGB and maran roos are sweet and no problem. My orpington roos will even brood with the hens, and "mother" the chicks.
My EE, Australorp and wyandotte roosters will go after people. I even have a few silkie roos that challenge me! I do notice that the human aggression goes away when the cockerels are growing up, and the roos are maintaining their spots. I usually only remove roos that are cruel to their hens or other flock birds. Since my species all comingle, roosters usually wont challenge me due to my ganders standing watch. If I get attacked, that roo goes to "jail" (dog kennel) for 2 weeks immediately! Unless the gander has flogged him before I catch the roo

I have 2 boys, Red my GLW and Bruce my Australorp that are in jail "frequently"

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
That may prevent the problem. If they normally avoid the drive, I bet it would work.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hope everyone is doing well! Welcome to any new members I may have missed. Please feel free to jump right in!
Really excited for our projected count at chickenfest, should be a fantastic turnout. Remember we will also be doing chicken trains/swaps as well as our BSTF event.
I will have mixed chinese/african/embden geese, pekin ducks, possibly muscovy and a few chicken breeds available to bring. Coturnix quail breeding trio or quads. Can also bring muscovy hatching eggs, coturnix quail eggs, EEs. Please PM if interested.
I am looking for white leghorn roos, and barred rock roos. Bantam Cochin pullets or hatching eggs.
My Dad is in extended care at a nursing facility now, and doing great. He is able to talk longer and answer questions with less pauses. stand/walk short periods.
Release to come home is projected mid July

Still working with medicare to get Moms wheel/transport chair, ugh.. talk about a pain! I did medical billing for a few years, no idea how much more difficult things have become. Mom has mobility issues, dizzy spells and falls frequently. This thursday after her eval, Dr has ordered her to be in a chair outside the home, rollator inside. So far 3 trips to Dr and 3 to the medical supply

Paperwork has started for an electric chair. Short term she will need a transport chair going forward. Been very challenging to get her from the car to Dads room every day. I go in and ask for a courtesy chair right now and that's really helped her see him more often and allow longer visits without her tiring out.. I have been terrified of her falling outside and breaking a bone. She laughs, I walk pretty fast usually and she says she is riding in a race car

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

[COLOR=3366CC]pginsber[/COLOR][COLOR=8B4513]~ haha  I don't think she'd enjoy the car ride. I'll have to take a new video of her playing so you can see how she's improved![/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=CC6633]CCCHICKENS ~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]That's pretty much the case with kids, too, as far as being born with a particular temperament. You can use techniques to shape their behavior, but they're born with distinct personalities. In Nene's case, I had to channel her energy to playing the piano! hahaha   Just for the record [/COLOR][COLOR=8B4513]-- @CRSelvey
has unfriendly Cochins.[/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=008000]Quinstar ~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]That is just bizarre that nice neighbors would shoot your birds for trespassing without even discussing the situation. Apparently they didn't think you would find out? Or maybe someone else shot them. I know you asked for advice about fencing, but I have to put my two cents in even though it may not be correct. If it were me, I'd go to them and say, "Someone shot Carl! I'm so upset! Do you know who would do that?" If he admits it, I'd say, in a surprised and hurt tone, "Really? I would have thought that you'd talk to us if Carl was causing a problem." That way you are getting your message across, but you're not accusing him or acting out in anger. If you start putting up a fence, you're assuming that they shot your birds, and it makes the situation even more uncomfortable since there's been no communication. It seems like the most important thing is to discuss it with your neighbors. That way the situation is out in the open if you decide to put up a fence. Disclaimer: I am not a trained professional. [/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=800080]atrueb00 ~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Aww-- and those are your first chickens ever, aren't they? They are beautiful! I'm glad my two are blue since I'd never be able to keep them so clean like yours.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=8B4513]Tomorrow, my son is bringing over some "safety scissors" (his GF is a teacher) to trim my Silkie's feathers so they can see better. His GF read about Silkies on BYC and learned that some people's Silkies died from not being able to see where the food/water was. I'm sure that wouldn't happen to mine since I make sure that I see all of my chickens eating and drinking everyday mainly making sure that the leaders aren't being bullies. However, I would like to trim them because I want them to be able to see better. Do any of you who have Silkies or Polish or breeds with obstructed viewing ever trim your birds?[/COLOR]

I don't trim my polishes crests because it would ruin them for show until they grow them back. But in my very first flock, I had 3 polish. You could tell they couldn't see te best, but they seemed to adjust to it. I didn't use to lock my chickens up at night. They got stuck outside on night, because they couldn't see to get back in and they froze (there was snow on the ground). I felt so bad. All chickens get locked up now, but polish aren't aloud out when it is cold.

 

[Minminme]

[COLOR=000080]flyladyrocks[/COLOR][COLOR=8B4513]~ I'm still catching up on the thread, so I'm not sure if anyone answered this, but yes your 8 week olds should be able to free range, but I would supervise them until you feel comfortable that they wont 'be picked on if you have other chickens and that they know where their food, water, and shelter is. In case a hawk flies over, it's good to have bushes or lawn chairs or something that they can dart under. [/COLOR]
 
[COLOR=8B4513]We have a fenced-in part of the yard where our chickens free range including the chicks that my broody hatched. They free ranged after one week. We attached 3' high chicken wire to the back, bottom area of our neighbor's "alternating board" privacy fence to prevent the chicks from slipping through. As I'm reading posts, I noticed that @ChickInDelight
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]also uses 3' chicken wire.I think it was Leah's Mom who mentioned before that she attached vinyl poultry fencing to the lower part of a chainlink or field fence to prevent chicks from slipping through.[/COLOR]

[rule]
[COLOR=800080]Minminme[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]~ So excited that you're coming, especially all the way from West Virginia! Maybe you'll win[/COLOR] [COLOR=A52A2A]DOOR PRIZES![/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]And you can[/COLOR] [COLOR=A52A2A]SELL CHICKEN APRONS![/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]If I had a tent, I'd let you use it. I had too much camping as a child-- in a VW camper with a pop-up top! Too bad we didn't keep it since they're worth a lot now.[/COLOR]

Thx for the friendly remarks and I too am looking forward to making the trip from WEST Virginia to meet everyone. Pricing tents today. Reservations made at Whitewater camp ground for the 18th thru 21st. Would anyone mind if I brought my dog with me for company and security?

this is my girl her name is Chickadee. (Chicky) for short.

 

[chickiebaby1]

Can anyone tell me if this is a roo or pullet. I'm thinking roo, but I have no experience with polish.It is about 6-7 weeks old. Thanks so much.

 

[Minminme]

Can anyone tell me if this is a roo or pullet. I'm thinking roo, but I have no experience with polish.It is about 6-7 weeks old. Thanks so much.

I'm not by any means a pro at this but my guess would also b a Roo. All the pullets I've ever seen have a "full" head of feathers as a crest. The roos tend t have them only on top and they get goofy scraggly looking.

 

[chickiebaby1]

Another question. Can anyone tell me what kind of chicken this might be? I think it's a mix of some sort. It has lacy looking feathers, almost like snow flakes. I've never seen this kind of feathering, and it doesn't really have a comb at all, just a flat spot. Any ideas.......

 

[barb s]

My apologies for not getting this posted yesterday. Reservations for Chickenfest should be in now. But I am sure that there will be no problems if you turn them in a little late.
As of now we have

jchny2000 Mother2Hens CRSelvey Minminme flyladyrocks Bradselig SallyinIndiana racinchicken lilmizscareall pipzipnreadytogo chickrookie leselea CCCCCCCChickens

attending Chickenfest. A couple more who have said that they hope to be able to attend but can' not commit yet. If I have missed any one I apologize and please let me know. Hopefully a few more people will reply yet.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Thx for the friendly remarks and I too am looking forward to making the trip from WEST Virginia to meet everyone. Pricing tents today. Reservations made at Whitewater camp ground for the 18th thru 21st. Would anyone mind if I brought my dog with me for company and security? this is my girl her name is Chickadee. (Chicky) for short.

Of course you should bring Chicky!! -- I assume it's okay with the campground.