INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I did get a pump... there are 2 I looked at:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190807837198?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
This even has a video.
and this one, I purchased:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161076844221?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Due to the price.
Milking a goat is different than a cow, and my hands are a little stiff. So it was the best option for me.
Sugar, I used a large platform built in the goat shed, but she is ok with anything LOL. Sugar will let me just walk up and milk her no problem. She is a very calm goat. I am building a stanchion for Sophie since she is a timid goat and tends to kick. Would much rather buy a folding one but timing wise its not going to happen.
Oh my, thats too cute! They are a little owlish in appearance when they give you the hate stare lol.

BOOOOOOO!

Yes, I definitely see where they get the whole owl thig from. My AMs always are giving hate stares lol, they always look so grouchy but are very sweet.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

First, the fun stuff! I have 7 black/lav English Orpington eggs chugging along, halfway to hatch. I believe all 7 are alive.

Now the bad news. As some or most of you know, Mt. Healthy hatchery has a salmonella problem for the third year in a row. They sell to Tractor Supply and other retailers. These are human strains. No deaths, but lots of people landing in the hospital. The cdc.gov page has lots of good info. I just don't understand why this has not been eradicated.

FYI!

Thats so sad to hear. My BAs came from them 2 years ago December. Were all healthy birds. Sounds like they better get a handle on their cleaning practices to start with! I won't be purchasing from them going forward, too much risk.

Just stopping in!
My 2 year old and I will be heading to the State Fair today! She will definitely be wearing her BYC'er shirt and I'm debating still if I'm going to wear mine. I'm a tank top girl, this time of year. So if you see us, I'm Annie and she's Pearl!

Good to see you, Rene says HI! He has quite a harem established, mostly the EE girls seem to love him.
I hope we can plan another order, I still want a tank top! If its 70 degrees, its flip flops, tank and shorts weather for this chickie

.
Its not looking like we will make the fair this year. Probably best, I need to start downsizing some anyways.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Okay fine, I'll go to bed.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Thanks for posting!

Picked up two foster puppies last night. Initially, I was told they are 6 week old Lab mixes. Based on experience, I expected Pit mix, but breed was unimportant.
So, we're expecting 2 bouncing, pot belly, lab pups, ready to have a safe place to get older in preparation for adoption to their forever home.
When we picked them up, they definitely were not 6 weeks old. I would guess more like they just turned 5 weeks.
DW was less than enthused at the idea of potty training 2 puppies, but she had a chance to say NO before we brought them home...
Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well.

oh my

Quote: The real stuff comes first! hope your workload pays off well, take care of you too!

Quote: I am in Richmond a lot! Please post when you can.

Quote: Great post also! Keep the coming guys!

Quote: Have you settled in on which double milker you are going to get. I saw some homemade ones on Ebay that look like they might work. The most goats I'll have in milk next year will be three. My DH so far is refusing to hand milk and I like the clean aspect of no flies in the milk bucket. But the one from the farm selling on ebay takes about 15 minutes to milk a first time doe. And it costs almost $100 with shipping and a second vacuum pump.
http://www.danshafarms.com/Goat-Sheep-Cow-Battery-Powered-1-2-Gall-2-Teat-Milk-Machine-1-2g2tbpp.htm

Or this one that plugs in, but we don't have electric in the goat area.
http://www.danshafarms.com/12-Volt-...lk-Machine-With-Power-Supply-RDX-44012vdc.htm

Editing to ask which dewormer you use for you goats if any.

I use ivermectin currently, and plan to alternate with Valbazen, both are a pour on dewormer and can be used for all of the livestock and poultry I keep. I have also used the water additive but have to look it up, forget the name. It was more specific and didn't cover broad spectrum.

 

[Mother2Hens]

DH and I were at the fair today. Wore our BYC shirts, but didn't see anybody else in them. However we were stopped by a lady who said she had seen somebody else wearing one and wanted to know what it was all about. I explained about the website and the Indiana community and how friendly everybody was, and referred her to this thread.

We saw lots of pretty chickens, plus some less pretty ones. And ducks, turkeys, rabbits, mules, donkeys, horses, goats, etc. My DH also liked the antique tractors. I appreciated the quilts and the funnel cake. Seeing all the chickens in person certainly helped us firm up some opinions about which breeds we're interested in. And I did a pretty good job recognizing many breeds without looking at the cards on the cages, which made me feel good about the research I've been doing. I must say there were some labelled Ameruacana that looked like EEs to me. But what do I know? And I've decided I need some ducks, goats, mini donkeys, alpaca, and horses. Which means I also need a new house with more land. Can I blame this on chicken math?

Chickens are the Gateway Drug!

Thanks for the PR about BYC Indiana!
Originally Posted by kittydoc

First, the fun stuff! I have 7 black/lav English Orpington eggs chugging along, halfway to hatch. I believe all 7 are alive.

Now the bad news. As some or most of you know, Mt. Healthy hatchery has a salmonella problem for the third year in a row. They sell to Tractor Supply and other retailers. These are human strains. No deaths, but lots of people landing in the hospital. The cdc.gov page has lots of good info. I just don't understand why this has not been eradicated.

@kittydoc ~ Thank you for posting the salmonella information! I agree with @hoosierchicken that Mt. Healthy is an ironic name.
I read some of the cdc info. It also mentioned the importance of hand washing, and not allowing children to kiss/cuddle chickens -- it's so easy for young children to wipe their eyes, nose, or mouth while they're cuddling/playing with a chicken -- way before a parent says, "It's time to wash your hands."

Btw, it's dangerous to mention "English Orpingtons" in my presence. Can't wait to hear about your hatch!

@chickiebaby1
I'm impressed with your brooder box!

And your little washable house/grow out pen. Btw, when I've used that type of brooder light, I've found that they easily come apart, so I made this pictorial last spring when there were so many members using clamp lamps for brooders. Just passing this info along.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

There was talk awhile back about card readers you attach to cell phones/tablets to be able to accept credit cards for payment. We just got another side stack of PAYanywhere brand card readers. They are $10 but you also get a $10 credit on first time use. Plus your first $2000 in sales are free. Otherwise its 2.69% per swipe and like 3.69% + $0.19 per manually typed card transactions. Also mobey is supposedly available in your bank account next day.

Anyone use this brand? It seems you can get them free off their website but doesnt have the first $2000 transactions free deal that I can find. Im thinking of getting this or the paypal one. I already have a paypal accoubt and know they are safe and reliable. Their fees are comparable but you get a debit card with their reader. Im not too keen on having another card but I guess it would allow me access to the money immediatelyas well as 1% cash back on all signed purchases. If money is withdrawnm atm paypal charges $1.50.

Thoughts? Opinions? Recommendations? I honestly wouldnt use it that often but can see the benedits of having one especially if I start selling at swaps.

Its a very good thought I am really looking at it too. I hate having cash on me. PayPal is very safe and makes things right. Been on eBay for at least 11 years and have had 2 problems, both fixed and FAST. I would like to find a secure method of payment that I can receive from my phone or laptop for sales. Anything PayPal based IMO is secure, be very careful on any "new" options. Identity theft hurts. BBB is a good source to check, and consumer reports if both are still free, UGH. Attorney generals office also offers a search for consumer issues. Hope this helps!

Quote:

Thats too funny! Hope your lovely hen gets a lot of extra treats, she sure earned it!

Quote: Hartz is awful and seargents. fleas have become resistant to many of the prescription meds too.
We had to upgrade to the "plus" or II to keep our lil pug protected.
She gets hotspots and is terribly allergic to fleas and mosquito bites.

Quote:

Do tell!!!!!

 

[EurekaChic]

There are were a LOT of EEs entered as AMs. When I left I was the only one that had any pure ameraucanas there. But there were 7 EEs. I left an hour before check in ended. So there maybe a few more pure their now. Quite a few pure araucanas, which shocked me. There were a lot of empty cages, a lot of scratches. I am interested to go to tomorrow to see how many more people showed up. 

Ok, so I'm not crazy. I saw the Aracaunas, which was cool, and some Ameracaunas that looked genuine, but many really just looked like the various combos one sees in EEs. Presumably the person showing them simply tells the fair what the breed is, and nobody checks, yes? It seems a shame that there isn't some kind of 'accuracy check' in place. Although I guess that happens during judging.

We were at the poultry barn Wednesday mid-afternoon, and there were still a lot of empty cages (had to check in by Tuesday night, right?). So definitely lots of scratches. The LF judging appeared to have happened already, as there were Champion and Reserve Ch. for each category (American, Asian, Mediterranean, English, Continental, am I missing any?) all grouped together at the center of the Hall, but it looked like the bantam judging was ongoing. I found the LF champions quite impressive, although I know essentially nothing about breed standards/conformation. But they were big and pretty. The bantams were adorable, including some nice silkies (although I remain impressed by the silkies @bradselig brought to Chickenfest, especially the partridge one). There were fewer Polish entered than I thought there would be (I figured the unusual look would appeal to 4Hers). Anyway, that's the run down of the chickens from my inexpert viewpoint.

Now back to sleep... (what does it say about me that when I wake up in the middle of the night I check my threads on BYC?)

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

And my Tiny brooder chicken has hatched 4 chicks so far. Only 1 egg left. I was expecting them to be here tomorrow evening.

cant wait to hear details!

Quote: It gives me that uneasy feeling.. wait on it til I can research BBB and the AGO.

FOUND IN INDIANAPOLIS: STRAY ROOSTER

On the Northwest side of Indianapolis, this rooster just randomly showed up at my buddy's in-law's house near 62nd and Lafayette Rd.

Does anybody recognize him, or want him for any reason?

My Rebel was a gas station chicken. Poor guy.

Quote: Good points! check out where they roost and walk.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Haha you mean my roost should not be covered in razor blades and rusty screws? Totally kidding of course. I have no idea what is going on. I am having a major thistle problem in my yard. I haven't wanted to spread weed killer with the chickens over there, and thistle is absolutely tenacious and hard to kill. I've swept the area with a magnet several times to pick up dropped screws and nails. I will do it again to be sure!

ChickCrazed ~ I just happened to notice that on this link: Organic Weed Controls ~ Vinegar as an Herbicide -
under "Research Data" it mentions that it works on Thistle!

 

[pginsber]

Now back to sleep... (what does it say about me that when I wake up in the middle of the night I check my threads on BYC?)

Your post made me chuckle because I do the same thing. If I have to come downstairs in the middle of the night to let the dogs out, I spend my time waiting for them by checking the posts. I'm sure we're not the only two, too!