INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[TeenieE]

Hello! My family and I got some sexed EE chicks last spring and one of our 4 hens turned out to be a roo! We are within Jeffersonville city limits and although we have a good relationship with our neighbors, I am afraid his crow will wear out his welcome come fall. He is stunning and i would hate to have to turn him into broth but we have been unable to find a home for him.Is there anyone on here who is looking?

 

[browncow15]

I thought I posted this, but I guess I forgot to click Submit.  Oops.

I think I've found a good cheap source for hard red wheat for sprouting.  I'm getting a free sample from my sister, and if there's a good percentage of sprouts, I'll tell everyone where they came from.

Also worth mentioning, the Urban Farmer in Westfield has a killer website, and seems to sell pretty much everything at good prices.  However, I've seen a few bad reviews on the internets of the seed he sells having low or no germination.  Does anyone here have direct experience with them?

I bought a packet of sunflower seeds this past spring from there. They came up ok until we had a really bad rain that washed a bunch of small plants away.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: The last egg did not hatch. It had started growing the black bacteria spot. And while it was not completely rotten it smelled strongly of burnt hard cook eggs. I had not candled or I would have tossed it much sooner, but I also kind of wanted to test the eggs. I had read that candling was not really needed as a clear egg or even a started then stopped egg would not explode in the first 18 days. I had not tested that in my incubator but had the egg exploded under a hen she would have cleaned up the mess. Instead the black barn cat got it. The kitten and the gray cat were too busy rolling around playing in the dirt to even care.

And in great news, the barn cats killed 2 starlings or some other wild annoying black bird last night along with at least 3 mice, meaning at least one of the cats went on a killing spree but did not touch any of the 4 chicks.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Also worth mentioning, the Urban Farmer in Westfield has a killer website, and seems to sell pretty much everything at good prices. However, I've seen a few bad reviews on the internets of the seed he sells having low or no germination. Does anyone here have direct experience with them?

Be aware that some seed is treated for various reasons.

Sometimes it's treated to avoid mold growing. Sometimes it's treated to keep it from sprouting (as in BOSS for bird feeders - people are annoyed that it sprouts if it's knocked out of the feeder so they treat it to keep it from sprouting.) Sometimes it's treated with various herbicides.


Before buying ANY seed (read grains or legumes) be sure to ask if it is treated - for anything. If they answer that they "don't know", it is very easy for them find out from their supply source. If they refuse, I would refuse to buy from that source.

If the seeds are treated you will need to think long and hard before feeding to your animals.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@SallyinIndiana

You might check out Molly's herbal wormers for goats. http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/categories/herbal-wormer

With the herbals, there is evidence that the parasites don't build up a resistance when herb sources are used.

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: Molly is Fiasco Farms. http://fiascofarm.com/goats/wormers.htm

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Be aware that some seed is treated for various reasons.

Sometimes it's treated to avoid mold growing. Sometimes it's treated to keep it from sprouting (as in BOSS for bird feeders - people are annoyed that it sprouts if it's knocked out of the feeder so they treat it to keep it from sprouting.) Sometimes it's treated with various herbicides.


Before buying ANY seed (read grains or legumes) be sure to ask if it is treated - for anything. If they answer that they "don't know", it is very easy for them find out from their supply source. If they refuse, I would refuse to buy from that source.

If the seeds are treated you will need to think long and hard before feeding to your animals.

Excellent point. I'll be sure to ask that question everywhere I go.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Be aware that some seed is treated for various reasons.

Sometimes it's treated to avoid mold growing. Sometimes it's treated to keep it from sprouting (as in BOSS for bird feeders - people are annoyed that it sprouts if it's knocked out of the feeder so they treat it to keep it from sprouting.) Sometimes it's treated with various herbicides.


Before buying ANY seed (read grains or legumes) be sure to ask if it is treated - for anything. If they answer that they "don't know", it is very easy for them find out from their supply source. If they refuse, I would refuse to buy from that source.

If the seeds are treated you will need to think long and hard before feeding to your animals.

Treated seed has to be died pink to show that it has been treated. At least this is the case with large providers of seed. Just FYI on an easy visual.

For those who don't care about eating organic, treated seed tends to have much better germination and is more resistant to certain fungi and diseases. To each his own though! We are all blessed with a choice in this fantastic country!

 

[Leahs Mom]

There are some treatments that aren't visible, however. So you can't just look at them.

Side story.. Seeds for thought....
My husband works for a "feeding charity" that accepts donations of all kinds of food items. They got in a shipment of GM soybeans and another kind of seed as well which I don't remember. Of course the seeds were treated with herbicides and the bags were all labeled as poison and hazardous to health. Had to have HAZMAT shipping papers, etc.

 

[ChickCrazed]

There are some treatments that aren't visible, however. So you can't just look at them.

Side story.. Seeds for thought....
My husband works for a "feeding charity" that accepts donations of all kinds of food items. They got in a shipment of GM soybeans and another kind of seed as well which I don't remember. Of course the seeds were treated with herbicides and the bags were all labeled as poison and hazardous to health. Had to have HAZMAT shipping papers, etc.

That is interesting, I'm sure the charity was at quite a loss as to what to do with that "gift". Technically a GMO is labeled as a biohazard until it is approved and de-regulated by the USDA and EPA. There are very strict guidelines on how it must be labeled until it has been studied for years to determine if it is safe for people and the environment. It is strange that it would be gifted to a charity, though, since companies are responsible for their products and any unintended release that occurs. By handing it over to someone who doesn't work for the company they lost control over where it goes and where it would be released. That could mean billions of $ of fines for that company. All around strange.