INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[minmin1258]

I'm beginning to think this winter is not going t be good! I hate being a "Negative Nancy" but I need some help. Because I have been trying to deal with Chickee I haven't spent time with my girls outside. Today I went out to feed n water and decided to let them out to run around for the day. Weeeell... Earl chased Pickles into the duck pond, I got her out and brought her in to dry her off and and calm her down. I don't honk she's going back into her pen with Philo n Dilly. I neglected my babies so much I didn't know poor Pickles has an infected eye and she's whistling when she breathes. This is a sinus infection right?
I bathed her in nice warm water and cleaned up her eye, trimmed the long feathers away from it and rubbed Vet RX on her beak and around her head to relieve the congestion. Is there anything else I can do for her? Can you put Vet RX around her eye? Will it help?

 

[leslea]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo
Good points all. Thanks for the response even if your brain was tired!

@jchny2000
I'm looking forward to the breed discussion. One thing I'd ask folks is to define WHY they like a particular breed since different folks are looking for different things. So it may be helpful to answer in terms of some specifics of why each person likes particular breeds. Such as:


What's your main purpose/focus for keeping chickens?
-Pets?
-Production of eggs or meat?
-Business endeavor...raising chickens/hatching eggs/meat to sell?
-A mix of all of the above?


How is the egg production?
How is the personality? What about your experience w/the roosters?
In general, what do you like or dislike about the breeds you've raised?

We got ours for eggs, but also for pets. If we'd been more serious about eggs we prob wouldn't have gotten silkies or any bantams, but we are so glad we did because we love those birds.

In total, we ordered 2 silkies, 2 BR, and 2 EE. We lost a BR chick and rehomed an EE cockerel that was supposed to be a pullet. That leaves us with 4 bantam pullets and a M/F pair of guineas.

One of the silkies and the BR started laying on the same day when they were under 5 mo old. The EE took a few more weeks. We're still waiting on the other silkie. They will be 6 mo old Nov 3.

We did enjoy the rooster until he got aggressive with our daughter. We don't miss him, but if he'd been a diff breed we'd have kept him. His cockadoodle doo was charming in the mornings.

Our EE hen is the most stand-offish. Our BR is adorably inquisitive. She is the first to come running when we offer treats. The silkies are super sweet. The guineas are guineas.

I have a family of six and will def. add some LF in the spring. I need more eggs! ETA: We were getting an egg a day from each hen, down to 1 or 2 eggs a day since the weather started getting colder.

 

[leslea]

Yes, I am behind once again! I wish my life would settle down.

In my chicken world, I'm still morning the loss of Nene because it's just not the same without her crazy personality.

Last week, I had to make a quick trip to Indy. My last voice treatment didn't work, so they fit me in their schedule with only 24 hours notice. The treatment worked better this time, but my reason for even bringing this up is that while I was away, two of Bonbon's Black Bantam Cochin chicks disappeared (eggs from @ellymayRans ). It rained off and on all day last Wednesday--the day I left. That night, my DH locked the bantam cage where Bonbon and her chicks stay. He didn't count them because it was raining, and he assumed he'd hear chicks crying or Bonbon clucking if there was something wrong. He said that the next morning when he opened their coop, there were only three chicks. He looked everywhere around our property, but didn't even find any signs of them. The missing ones were the youngest two, and they often lagged behind. All five of her chicks were born on different days, so they've been different sizes. We can only assume it was a hawk since we've seen one around regularly for the past month. It's strange to have two missing, though, unless it swooped in twice. We've been lucky not to have lost any chickens from predators-- before this. It's just strange and so sad.

Poor babies. Of course, my DH was horrified that it happened on his watch, but I told him that I know from reading this thread that all kinds of things happen. Sometimes I've had difficulty counting the chicks since they're black, Bonbon is brown, it's dark, and they're underneath her.

Here are the remaining three chicks. They are 6 weeks old, but several days apart-- can anyone figure out what sex each one is? Besides this crummy photo, I have a crummy video, which may help: My Movie

I'm so sorry you lost two. They look so sweet. They also look like females to my amateur's eye. They have the right posture and attitudes.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm beginning to think this winter is not going t be good! I hate being a "Negative Nancy" but I need some help. Because I have been trying to deal with Chickee I haven't spent time with my girls outside. Today I went out to feed n water and decided to let them out to run around for the day. Weeeell... Earl chased Pickles into the duck pond, I got her out and brought her in to dry her off and and calm her down. I don't honk she's going back into her pen with Philo n Dilly. I neglected my babies so much I didn't know poor Pickles has an infected eye and she's whistling when she breathes. This is a sinus infection right?
I bathed her in nice warm water and cleaned up her eye, trimmed the long feathers away from it and rubbed Vet RX on her beak and around her head to relieve the congestion. Is there anything else I can do for her? Can you put Vet RX around her eye? Will it help?

I have heard good things about tylan. Amazon sells it but the amount is a lot more than a small flock needs.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I'm beginning to think this winter is not going t be good! I hate being a "Negative Nancy" but I need some help. Because I have been trying to deal with Chickee I haven't spent time with my girls outside. Today I went out to feed n water and decided to let them out to run around for the day. Weeeell... Earl chased Pickles into the duck pond, I got her out and brought her in to dry her off and and calm her down. I don't honk she's going back into her pen with Philo n Dilly. I neglected my babies so much I didn't know poor Pickles has an infected eye and she's whistling when she breathes. This is a sinus infection right?
I bathed her in nice warm water and cleaned up her eye, trimmed the long feathers away from it and rubbed Vet RX on her beak and around her head to relieve the congestion. Is there anything else I can do for her? Can you put Vet RX around her eye? Will it help?

I am not saying this is what needs to be done, as I don't really know what she needs, but vet rx can be put in the eye

 

[kabhyper1]

I am not saying this is what needs to be done, as I don't really know what she needs, but vet rx can be put in the eye

It can be, but be careful It will burn. I work with essential oils and I can tell you I would never put vet rx in my eye. Its natural, but it has oils in it that wouldn't feel good on the eyeball lol. Maybe just on the comb. Its close enough but not directly in.

 

[kabhyper1]

I'm beginning to think this winter is not going t be good! I hate being a "Negative Nancy" but I need some help. Because I have been trying to deal with Chickee I haven't spent time with my girls outside. Today I went out to feed n water and decided to let them out to run around for the day. Weeeell... Earl chased Pickles into the duck pond, I got her out and brought her in to dry her off and and calm her down. I don't honk she's going back into her pen with Philo n Dilly. I neglected my babies so much I didn't know poor Pickles has an infected eye and she's whistling when she breathes. This is a sinus infection right?
I bathed her in nice warm water and cleaned up her eye, trimmed the long feathers away from it and rubbed Vet RX on her beak and around her head to relieve the congestion. Is there anything else I can do for her? Can you put Vet RX around her eye? Will it help?

Use tylan50 at 1/4 cc/ml orally for 5 days. She could have a sensitivity to dust which is best case scenario, or it could be MG, which is not good. The Tylan should help. I use it on my girl that has a deformed sinus and gets bacterial infections in it. The easiest way to administer the tylan orally is to wrap the bird in a towel. Lay her on her back on your lap. Open her beak with one hand where you can see down her throat. Put the syringe ( a 1ml/cc small syringe works best) in her mouth bypassing her trachea hole on the back of her tongue into the back of her throat so you know you don't aspirate her, and push the plunger. It seems harder the way I have described it that it actually is. It all takes about 15 seconds. This is what the mouth looks like on the inside for reference. Just dont get liquid down that hole on the tongue! AS far as her eye goes, a warm cloth is soothing. Vetrycin eye wash for poultry is at TSC I keep it on hand for emergencies. The vet rx goes on the comb, wattles, and under each wing after you have given the tylan. Make sure you buy Tylan 50. Its at TSC by the goat and cattle meds. Hope she pulls through. Good luck with her.

 

[dogwoodlaine]

The babies are in the coop. There's 19 of them crammed into that corner...lol. The accoustics must be better in there because there were several of the roo babies crowing after the move. My poor back porch (where they were brooding) looked like a bag of flour exploded with all the feather dust.

 

[Indiana feather]

The babies are in the coop. There's 19 of them crammed into that corner...lol. The accoustics must be better in there because there were several of the roo babies crowing after the move. My poor back porch (where they were brooding) looked like a bag of flour exploded with all the feather dust.

Cool! how old are they? they look so cute all huddled together

. what breed?

 

[Indiana feather]

So guys... whats your feelings? What breeds of chicken have been the best in your opinion, the worst? I am trying several heritage, some new breeds. There are so many new and interesting breeds out there, I am very curious to hear opinions. If you had to choose a single breed to fit your needs, what is it, and why?
I have had the best overall production, and luck with wyandottes, roosters can be aggressive. Personality, my orps are people friendly, some roos are not good to their hens. Leghorn, fantastic egg production, personality is flighty and not social to people. EEs are all over the board, but are truly just a mix/mutt bird. RIR have been good roosters, good layers. same for barred plymouth rocks. BRs are probably my favorite! I have a mature Swedish flower hen rooster I am very impressed with so far. Good rooster, friendly to people. Young adult I am working with arecrested cream legbars, so far I like them very much.
What would you choose, and why? lets help folks new to chicken keeping decide what breeds to look at first.

I remember back to the flock my grandmother had Leghorns and RIR's mostly with a few barred Rocks. I Got 3 RIR (production) because that was what was available.. I kinda wish I had a speckled Sussex or two.. in time perhaps.. I worry that the three i got as chicks may not accept a single newbie but It may be okay if the SS was a full grown bird..Any thoughts about that.. I can really only have about four or 5 tops with the space I got.