INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[bradselig]

Quinstar have you been to this swap before? I never have so hoping its decent. Is there usually a good amount of birds?

I really enjoy the wolf swap. I will be going again this month. There is typically a bunch of chickens and would assume there to be a few more due to people cutting down before winter as well as extra birds from 4H fair.

 

[BryLT3]

Anybody going to Wolfs that has a Indiana BYC shirt should wear them. That would be cool!

 

[Quinstar]

Quinstar have you been to this swap before? I never have so hoping its decent. Is there usually a good amount of birds?

My only bit of advice is get there early. The good stuff tends to go fast. I've seen some really rough looking poultry and some really quality looking poultry. I've found it's hit or miss, but there is always a lot to choose from.

Anybody going to Wolfs that has a Indiana BYC shirt should wear them. That would be cool!

Definitely!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I finally gave up on my old fermented feed since I was starting a new bigger container.  The battle with the yeast creating alcohol instead of lacto- ferment was ongoing.  One day fine, the next day attracting a boatload of flies.  That is always my cue that the yeast is back.  The birds still happily ate all the first batch but now the flies on my porch are almost non existant as long as I get the chicken poop cleaned up regularly!
Today I am waiting for another tree service. A couple weeks ago one said they were coming and never showed up.  There is another one in my neighborhood today so I am waiting for them now. This time I got their phone number, so I will call mid afternoon and remind them! I am looking forward to what the compost from the chickens will do for my garden next year!
My son and I have both ended up in the ER b/c of those nasty buggers.  Both times the doctor said "Oh it can't be from mosquito bites" until they saw us. The swelling was so bad is started cutting off circulation. I can relate!

Okay , back to the real world, got to get some work done!

They are terrible! I hate the things! I didn't go in for swelling, even though I do swell bad. I was ski for 3 months because of those things.
The school finally let me just go half days. They are terrible pests

Just an FYI, went to get chick feed from TSC and pulled out a bag of Dumor Starter/Grower and the outside was covered in grain mites! Not sure if its isolates to the Marion, IN store or through out their distribution but I highly recommend staying away from them as they can be veey difficult to get rid of. I know by experience! Lol

I eill have I look up pics of them! I have never seen them before

 

[Leahs Mom]

You "guys" are more brave than I am going to the swap meets! (Not real excited about the possibility of bringing home diseases...)

My dad's doctor was talking to me this week about the meet. Told me he got some there but he was never going to do it again.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Got my shirt in the mail today

 

[lilrider]

I've bought chickens from auctions for years down in Southern Indiana. Went to Dinkys Auction almost every week when I could. Never had a problem.

 

[atrueb00]

Is anyone else having trouble with flies this year? We hardly had any problems with them last year, but they are terrible this year. Do any birds eat them? I know my chickens ignore them, but was wondering about Guineas or Muscovys?

Funny you should ask - we were just discussing flies at my house last night -- DD and I were noticing that we haven't seen hardly ANY horse flies this year, that deer flies were there but at reduced numbers but that regular ol' house flies are AWFUL. Every now and then one of the girls in the coop will catch one against the screen door and take a peck at it, but they pretty much just ignore them as far as trying to eat them- though they do seem annoyed by them if/when they land on them, etc (who isn't, lol). I've never noticed any birds (birds other than chickens that is) going after adult flies, but I do know they love larvae if/when they encounter them.

O.m.g yes! They are bad here. I have been spraying my coops and areas down with bug spray just to get rid of them. They are really bad after the rain storms. The chickens won't eat them but the ducks will.

They are horrible this year. We got a week or so of relief after we sprayed most of the area down with permethrin. But seven was not helping. Also it seems like it is mainly house flies or large house flies not so much horse flies or mosquitoes. My ducks will eat them if the flies are slow or still but the duck pool tens to be the breeding area this year so there is a never ending supply for the ducks. The chickens and the ducks will eat the flies right off the fly tape.
I'm thinking of asking Dh to respray the permethrin 3 times in a set of 10 days apart. Then most of the eggs should be gone. I need the duck pool to provide enough water for the ducks to stay cool but at the same time I want it gone.

They (houseflies) are really bad here too - wonder if it is b/c it has been so wet and the past 2 years were droughts?? I have seen my girls try to catch them but it is the dog that does the best job!

Guess I am not the only one with fly issues this year! The chicks were little last year at this time, they weren't outside until fall so I thought the mass amount of flies was normal. We've put out fly paper and fly traps that just use sugar water to attract the flies and trap them into a glass jar-can't really use pesticides b/c of the honeybees and our yard is all organic. Those glass jars were filled within 3 weeks. So gross!

 

[atrueb00]

Hello all Indiana Chicken People. I have been on here for almost a year but just found this forum. Ive been on a couple of the others.

Im from nothern Indiana in Goshen and have a couple chickens Im trying to find.

My flock consists of the following:

2 Black copper marans (pair) love my rooster, only mature i have, pic below
8 young Blue laces Red Wyandottes not yet laying and unfortunately all splash (2 pullets and 3-4 cockerels for trade or sale)
3 blue eggers, not sure if true americana but one looks the part
1 bared rock
3 isa browns
1 Tolbunt polish (after this weeks Elkhart Co fair ends)
and a couple young ones that were to be blue coppers and one olive egger pullets but they all SEEM to be roos, not cool.

anyway, here is what Im looking for:

Black (or maybe Blue) copper maran hens/pullets
Black/dark Blue laced Red Wyandotte cockrel (maybe roo) to balance my 2 splash hens
Olive egger

If anyone has any of these and is relativley close by, let me know
thanks all

Here's "Big Guy"

Big Guy is quite the looker! Welcome to the Indiana thread, I am happy to see another person from Northern Indiana!

 

[atrueb00]

I've bought chickens from auctions for years down in Southern Indiana. Went to Dinkys Auction almost every week when I could. Never had a problem.

I got my first and second batch of silkies from Dinkys. Try to get down there every couple months or so. Just love walking around seeing all the cool stuff for auction. Also addicted to the Amish cheeses and donuts.

Also forgot to mention we've been to the Tri-K Pigeon & Bantam Club in Kankakee County Illinois. Was a really short trip for us in NW Indiana. Lot of variety, even got a half bushel of apples of all things. But the silkies I saw weren't the best taken care of, they had scaly leg mites. Other birds did look well taken care of though.