INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[atrueb00]

atrueb00 ~ Thanks for posting the photos!! Do you bathe them for a reason? Besides the fact that they're white! lol Just curious. I've only bathed my chickens when there was a health-related problem. I know that @kabhyper1 has mentioned bathing hers-- probably because she's always doing photo shoots!
I will have to get some Before and After photos of my two Silkies' haircuts. Hopefully their eyes will be intact. I bought some "Kindergarten scissors" today with blunt ends to avoid accidents. I assume the blades will be sharp enough to cut feathers.

The white chickens do look really dirty if I don't bathe them occasionally (at most once a month). They get a lot of visitors and I'm afraid the neighbors wouldn't like them as much if they had mucked up feet and dirty feathers all the time. It also gives me a chance to really look them over, trim beaks and nails, put Vaseline on their feet and give them a dose of Poly-Vi-Sol. Sometimes I just fill up a tub (the kind people use to water horses) with a couple inches of soapy water and let their feet soak instead of doing their whole body. This past weekend I bathed them and the littlest one was acting strange, like she was cold despite the 85 degree weather. I brought her inside and wrapped her in a beach towel. Our kitten, Max, decided she'd help to warm up the little hen. Was so cute! She laid right on top of the chicken while the hen slept.

 

[Delawaremommy]

Okay....so I have been in hiding for over a year as a chicken owner....well last week the HOA caught wind and they are giving me ten days to get rid of the girls. I refuse. So here is what I am asking. If I get a letter together for the homeowners in my neighborhood to sign can I run it by all of you for feedback in getting my chickens legal to keep? I would appreciate any and all help in drafting the letter. My mom is still mourning Petries' untimely death and I can't imagine what would happen if they all had to go at once.

The items in the letter to the HOA will have limits on number of chickens allowed per household (I was thinking four?) and the standard that Marion County has for housing fowl including no roosters within so many feet of another residence (which will exclude roosters from our neighborhood altogether as I think it's fifty feet).

There is an animal control officer living up the street from me that I am going to ask to help on my behalf as far as basic needs. Feed, water, housing (both size and placement) etc.

I am concerned about how to put pest control in the best light. We do live along woods so there are possum and raccoon, as well as owls and hawks.

I am trying to see this from all angles and as I said I would value all of your input!

Help save Gertrude, Esther and Nugget!!

 

[ChickCrazed]

Okay....so I have been in hiding for over a year as a chicken owner....well last week the HOA caught wind and they are giving me ten days to get rid of the girls. I refuse. So here is what I am asking. If I get a letter together for the homeowners in my neighborhood to sign can I run it by all of you for feedback in getting my chickens legal to keep? I would appreciate any and all help in drafting the letter. My mom is still mourning Petries' untimely death and I can't imagine what would happen if they all had to go at once.

The items in the letter to the HOA will have limits on number of chickens allowed per household (I was thinking four?) and the standard that Marion County has for housing fowl including no roosters within so many feet of another residence (which will exclude roosters from our neighborhood altogether as I think it's fifty feet).

There is an animal control officer living up the street from me that I am going to ask to help on my behalf as far as basic needs. Feed, water, housing (both size and placement) etc.

I am concerned about how to put pest control in the best light. We do live along woods so there are possum and raccoon, as well as owls and hawks.

I am trying to see this from all angles and as I said I would value all of your input!

Help save Gertrude, Esther and Nugget!!

Oh man, so sorry! Here is a letter I put together for another forum member a few weeks ago. It might give you some ideas on things to include that are a bit outside the usual. Feel free to pirate and plunder my words as necessary!



To whom it may concern,

I would like to voice my support for those desiring to keep backyard chickens in urban or suburban areas. A quiet, therapeutic hobby that can be done on a small lot, chickens not only help provide a bit of self sufficiency and sustenance in times when grocery bills are skyrocketing, but they also help teach children basic husbandry skills and develop a work ethic that most children today are sorely lacking.

In a time when crime rates are outrageous and houses stand empty, I feel that we should embrace a past time that encourages people to put time and effort into their property and teaches our youth the value of working for something, even as simple as the eggs for that morning's breakfast.

Unlike most pets, chickens require investment in suitable housing and take some effort to find and purchase. Because they require such investment we take pride in keeping our coops clean and looking nice and we take a lot of pride in our chickens. Because they require such investment, those who undertake to keep them see them as treasured pets. Unless there is abuse, which can happen with any type of animal, there is no noticeable smell or unsightliness. Unlike those who take a free dog and park it on a chain to bark at all hours of the night, chickens are quiet and most people don't even notice that their neighbor keeps them! Abuse can and will happen but you should punish those few individuals rather than refusing to take a chance and punishing the many who will be shining examples to the youth of tomorrow. Let's allow chickens to once again provide for the small family. Let's teach our youth the value of working hard and enjoying profits from our labor. Maybe then we will start to see society and crime rates turning around.

Although it is unlikely that I will be able to attend the meeting I would welcome visitors to my property and welcome questions.

 

[ChickCrazed]

I have turkey math again....fighting it.....fighting it.....

 

[Leahs Mom]

The items in the letter to the HOA will have limits on number of chickens allowed per household (I was thinking four?) and the standard that Marion County has for housing fowl including no roosters within so many feet of another residence (which will exclude roosters from our neighborhood altogether as I think it's fifty feet).

4 is too few. The least I've ever seen allowed is a total of 6.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and one more thing. The less details you include the less restrictions you suggest.

I don't think anyone needs to tell you specifically where to put your housing, what you feed your birds, etc. Does anyone come into your home and check on what you feed your dog and cat? If so, that's pretty invasive.

Just my thoughts.... don't invite them to restrict you more than you need.

 

[Delawaremommy]

thank you....big help in where to start.....I will be using some of it!!!!

 

[shellybelly]

So we had the horrible storm last night, i let my birds out this morn, earlier than usual because we had to hook up the generator b/c my house is out of power, so it's about 4am. i had 3 turkeys as well that i let out. so i went out around 8 to check the generator and fill the feed buckets- and no chickens, no turkeys, no guineas anywhere. they usually hang out by the coop and under the pines, i finally found one of my female turkeys peeping along the driveway, i look and find her sister under the pine, dead, feathers ripped out and in a sorry state, i picked her up and took her to the burn pile (b/c a viking burial is the best burial) and the sister (i called them Thelma and Louise) can running behind me peeping and now wont leave the spot i found her in. my male turkey is MIA as are 12 of my 16 chickens! my guineas can back, and im mad at them for not protecting the others-how silly of me but i am. and i'm so sad! i feel like i failed =(

just had to share my pain

 

[Minminme]

Just saw this on Pinterest -- what a cool coop!

 

That is absolutely adorable!!! My kinda coop! Maybe I'll see if my son can make me one o them that Ethiopian looking things t add to "Chicken Country". Lol

 

[Minminme]

The white chickens do look really dirty if I don't bathe them occasionally (at most once a month). They get a lot of visitors and I'm afraid the neighbors wouldn't like them as much if they had mucked up feet and dirty feathers all the time. It also gives me a chance to really look them over, trim beaks and nails, put Vaseline on their feet and give them a dose of Poly-Vi-Sol. Sometimes I just fill up a tub (the kind people use to water horses) with a couple inches of soapy water and let their feet soak instead of doing their whole body. This past weekend I bathed them and the littlest one was acting strange, like she was cold despite the 85 degree weather. I brought her inside and wrapped her in a beach towel. Our kitten, Max, decided she'd help to warm up the little hen. Was so cute! She laid right on top of the chicken while the hen slept.

Cute picture. When I first looked at it I couldn't tell that was a cat...it has very unusual coloring and markings! That's a picture for the "caption this" contest thread. Lol