INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[gunchief25]

Morning all Cockadoodledooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

 

[kittydoc]

We're north of Indy and have a mixed flock. This is our third year. BTW, I am a veterinarian and do PT testing for NPIP certification, and also split my ginormous bottle of antigen with folks who do their own testing. Message me if I can help.

 

[Leahs Mom]

In other news... Anyone with experience with ducks? Are they difficult to take care of compared to chickens? How well can they be kept with chickens (as in, sharing a run space but probably a separate coop, feeding the same feed (all-flock feed), etc.)? I'm not definitely set on getting some, but the FW Children's Zoo got some call ducks and I think I'm in love.

I don't have ducks but sure have read about the mess they can make, wet litter, etc. Take a quick look at this too.... It may be best to house them separately unless you have lots of time to clean your housing...

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2014/07/ducklings-chicks-and-aspergillosis.html

 

[RoseZella]

Lost my first chick to my sons dog. We gave them leftover noodles and I guess the dogs couldn't resist, dug under the fence and pulled a silkie out

 

[ChickCrazed]

We're north of Indy and have a mixed flock. This is our third year. BTW, I am a veterinarian and do PT testing for NPIP certification, and also split my ginormous bottle of antigen with folks who do their own testing. Message me if I can help.

Do you work on chickens at all? I may want to send a blood test in for Marek's (had an inconclusive necropsy on a cockerel) and am not really sure how to get one drawn since no one seems to work on them!!! Nice to meet you and welcome to the thread!!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I still have a few adult chickens that are laying well that I would like to remove from my flock to change the pecking order dynamics. I really hate to make them into soup as they are still productive, healthy girls. The ones that I want to remove from the flock were 2 years old in March. All hatchery girls. 1 EE, 1 Red (possibly 2), 1 BR. All these girls get along with each other very well and are the top girls in the flock. I would recommend them for someone that is starting a new flock but doesn't want to wait for chicks to grow up.

All were raised on 100% organic feed with Fertrell Nutri-balancer as the mineral mix.

PM if interested

 

[Stevenson]

I am looking for some hatching eggs in Southwestern Indiana. Preferably non-hatchery, pure bred standard size chickens. I like dual purpose chickens, but I would be willing to consider anything! Please let me know if you have anything you would sell. I live 30 min north of Evansville. I am willing to drive a bit to pick these up.

Thanks!

 

[DevaughnWifey]

North Eastern Indiana here.

Lost another layer last night...

I didn't think she was missing, but there are too many feathers for it to just be a "feather snatch"... Boo on hawks!!

 

[amwchickin]

Ugh, it's been a busy hot week so far.

I thought I was going to have a sad post about losing my favorite chicken yesterday. Cheeks, my nicely bearded EE was missing. No feathers, nothing. After catching so many critters, I thought maybe one got smart and got her. (And so sorry to hear about the recent losses that a few have posted. It's tough.)

SO I go to throw them some cereal that had just gone past human consumption quality and all the sudden I see this chicken fly out of some weeds and then land just outside the fence. It is Cheeks! She relieves herself (a large one...sorry) and comes running into the chicken yard for treats. So I think, well she was hiding, but then I'm thinking, no something else is going on here.

I got 3 eggs from her starting Father's Day and then have had NOTHING since. I was not happy to see that the only layer had stopped laying. After 3 days. I walk around the area where Cheeks flew out of and nestled into a dug out part tree rooting is a pile of eggs!


There are 19. 19! So Cheeks has been laying consistently for a few weeks. I go tell my DM and DF the good news. How I got a broody EE after +/- 22 layed eggs, I don't know. And Ozzy, my adopted Birchen Marans is her main squeeze and he is on her all the time. Ornery Roo!




And here she is settled over (almost all) 19 eggs. I marked them, but I am going to move her today so I will candle them at that point. Hopefully she transitions ok.

And then I will patiently be waiting to see what comes out!!

So will a Marans X EE be Olive Eggers? Granted Chewie, the black Cochin hasn't had his way. Probably not, Ozzy is pretty selfish of her.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

In other news... Anyone with experience with ducks? Are they difficult to take care of compared to chickens? How well can they be kept with chickens (as in, sharing a run space but probably a separate coop, feeding the same feed (all-flock feed), etc.)? I'm not definitely set on getting some, but the FW Children's Zoo got some call ducks and I think I'm in love.

Ducks are very easy in the warm weather. Ducklings are overly messy and really really brood better outside.
Freezing weather requires water in heated dog bowls or lots of trips out with fresh water. A duck like a dog will get wet and more wet and shake water all over the place. They will get wet in the run and make their way to the bedding in the coop and shake. Not horrible in the summer but in the winter wet frozen bedding needs changed almost every day above freezing and new bedding down when temps don't break for over a week. Duck eggs are very very good. More rich is the best way i can describe them. Ducks like to make mud holes that almost look like snake holes. They are basically digging up bugs. Those bugs make the yolks really really orange and cut down on feed in the warm weather. Ducks eat a mountain of wood in the winter. Ducks eat 5X more oyster shell than hens. Duck egg shells are thicker but will still break if a toddler tosses them on the floor.