INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Love it!! I have a birthday party for my flock every year, usually on the youngests' birthday, although I might go for my EE Cubby's birthday next year since she'll be turning 10! I see apples and raisins, what else is in your big guy's cake? Mine have been a hollowed down watermelon filled with diced tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, cucumbers, and apples, with yogurt 'frosting' and cucumber letters. This year I also made mini cakes so the lower-ranking girls could have a taste.

Some samples of my work! 2012:

2013:

And this year:

 

[SallyinIndiana]

My runt meat chicken passed away. Sad, but it is the first meat chicken I have lost

We lost a runt today as well. I saw it coming but sometimes it is hard to cull. I had the space so it was in the runt pen but it would not drink.

 

[AnnaPi]

Love it!! I have a birthday party for my flock every year, usually on the youngests' birthday, although I might go for my EE Cubby's birthday next year since she'll be turning 10! I see apples and raisins, what else is in your big guy's cake?

Mine have been a hollowed down watermelon filled with diced tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, cucumbers, and apples, with yogurt 'frosting' and cucumber letters. This year I also made mini cakes so the lower-ranking girls could have a taste.

Some samples of my work!

2012:



2013:




And this year:

Your birthday creations are truly magnificent!! Mine was a flour tortilla, apples, yogurt, raisins, and a sprinkle of birdseed. How did you cut out the letters for the "Happy Birthday" garnish?! I wish I had some meal worms for it, but I forgot to buy some. He's getting plenty of tasty bugs this time of year, though, so I doubt he missed them.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Just some careful work with a knife and some cucumber slices. It's a lot of work to put together, but so worth it when you see them dig in!

I haven't tried raisins with my girls before, although they go nuts for the wild grapes that grow all over their yard so I'm sure they'd like raisins just as well! This year's cake had bell pepper seed 'sprinkles' on it, which seemed to be a big hit! The girls are pretty picky about their peppers--absolutely won't touch them unless they are cut small enough for them to eat in one bite (or unless we don't want them to eat them, then they're a big hit). I've never tried mealworms with them, either. To be terribly honest, I'm totally disgusted by the thought of touching those things. Not a bug person. I go with the hopes as well that they get plenty of bugs on their own.

 

[Faraday40]

I must say that I'm rather impressed with that cucumber lettering.

After years of reptiles, I don't have issue with serving the chickens bugs. However, I do have a question...
Did anyone have to "teach" their chickens to eat bugs?

While working in the garden beds, I grabbed a few worms, slugs etc. I thought they'd be gobbled down in seconds, but instead, the hens just looked at them & walked away. Only one hen made an attempt but it slipped out of her beak, so she gave up. Do I have defective birds?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It seems to me like there was a time when my girls would gobble up worms like nobody's business. Then at some point within the past few years, it's like they all decided they didn't like worms anymore. It was strange. Now, even if my mom or sister brings them worms from the garden or underneath the stepping stones (because like heck am I carrying worms--again, not a bug person ), the hens may peck at them a little, but they rarely actually eat them. I don't know if our girls are defective, Faraday, or if they're just picky!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Well, I wasn't quite done. Serves me right for doing this from my phone. Here's the babies

And during all of this, we added a puppy. This is Loki

Quote:

More pix...

Black Rosie (plucked hen) Red Rosie, Crazy Bertha and Just Bertha. FIL had named the SLW Rosie and I already had a Rosie, so I decided 2 hens per name.

Loki and Stoner

Willow acting guilty about.something

Luna (a.k.a. Luna the tick)

Rex the bunny and the original flock
One more of the dogs, because I think it's cute...

Ok, now I'm done.

Adorable, thanks for sharing these pics!

Quote: Awesome, thanks for the info!

Quote: I do like them also. Fermented food really made the difference for me with them too. My first batch i did in the early 80s. Oboy, that was an eye opener! Without a lot of detail for it, Its very unpleasant if they are fed a dry ration feed, terrible odor on processing day.
Then when I got back into poultry, I did another 25. I was already fermenting and free ranging here. Big difference! One hen, LilX is still here, and is over 2 years old now. Once I have proper equipment I will be doing more on a regular basis. I am still very interested in @racinchickins bresse, and may try that route for us first. They are very impressive birds. IMO, Cornish Cross free ranged make an amazing table bird, just takes a week or 2 longer to reach weight.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Today is my rooster's first birthday! I made him a "cake". Sadly I had no meal worms, so I used all of his other favorite treats instead. It has been the best year of my life, partly because of him




And finally, a video of him sharing it with Gwyneth Poultry and her chicks, Smokey & Bandit

Love it!! I have a birthday party for my flock every year, usually on the youngests' birthday, although I might go for my EE Cubby's birthday next year since she'll be turning 10! I see apples and raisins, what else is in your big guy's cake?

Mine have been a hollowed down watermelon filled with diced tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, cucumbers, and apples, with yogurt 'frosting' and cucumber letters. This year I also made mini cakes so the lower-ranking girls could have a taste.

Some samples of my work!

2012:



2013:




And this year:

Wow you guys, these were so cool!

Quote: I think the temperature and humidity swings gets the weaker guys. It is really painful to cull, I wait until there is no doubt in my mind they aren't thriving.

I must say that I'm rather impressed with that cucumber lettering.

After years of reptiles, I don't have issue with serving the chickens bugs. However, I do have a question...
Did anyone have to "teach" their chickens to eat bugs?

While working in the garden beds, I grabbed a few worms, slugs etc. I thought they'd be gobbled down in seconds, but instead, the hens just looked at them & walked away. Only one hen made an attempt but it slipped out of her beak, so she gave up. Do I have defective birds?

It seems to me like there was a time when my girls would gobble up worms like nobody's business. Then at some point within the past few years, it's like they all decided they didn't like worms anymore. It was strange. Now, even if my mom or sister brings them worms from the garden or underneath the stepping stones (because like heck am I carrying worms--again, not a bug person

), the hens may peck at them a little, but they rarely actually eat them. I don't know if our girls are defective, Faraday, or if they're just picky!

I did reptiles, snakes so bugs are "food" and have grown used to messing with them. I just can't do the dubia roaches tho ewww!

Some just never take to worms. Most of my guys are used to them in their diet. I notice the younger birds are a lot more interested than the older ones. I have a low area of the yard grass won't grow, and have a sheet of old carpet lying over it. I turn this every day, and its a worm heaven! I turn it over right before I let my flocks out. The muscovy fly over there to beat the chickens to it LOL. I also give them a few cups of mealworms, I keep a few totes going year around. Summer its more weekly, winter its a daily thing. Anyone interested in mealies, I recommend a mask/gloves working with them. They can irritate and cause allergies to flare quickly.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I wanted to thank @Leahs Mom and @racinchickins for wonderful visits today! Its great to have more free time and see good friends too. Lots of inspiration and good conversation! Being able to talk through thoughts and future planning really helps me gain my goals for next year. I will be focusing more on heritage flock. The more I talk with other folks I have to agree, they are less an issue as far as health problems, egg binding, and the roosters becoming aggressive. My flock has a lot of hatchery birds. Especially my turkeys, I will not purchase any BB birds from the supply stores again. I did have good success with Meyer hatchery on BBW's, If the need arises again, I would do business with them. Highly recommend Porters turkeys. Beautiful social poults, my Bourbon Reds from them are just robust and friendly birds.

Dad told me this week, he wants me to have use of the pole barn now. its 63x40 and a lean to on one side. Holds 80 years of "stuff"....oh my. Lot of work ahead of me this winter. So my plans just took a big swerve in another direction

. I am looking for a good line of Brown Swiss for a young heifer. DH and I have decided to raise our own. After visiting our neighbors bull, and seeing how social and gentle he is that's what we will be raising. His bull is from a closed herd, so I need to find another source.

 

[AnnaPi]

Willow acting guilty about.something

Oh Willow ... looking guilty indeed! Great pic