INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pfewless]

I am not sure but I think you want The Araucana breed. I think they lay true blue eggs. I think I read that somewhere.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Well it stayed 45 degrees in the barn all night! No frozen water yay!. We will see how long that lasts this week though.

I think it's cold enough that it's slowing down my feed fermentation.

How are the new silkies doing?

 

[ChickCrazed]

Hi, I have been haunting craigslist looking for hens that lay blue eggs with no luck. The few ads I have found have been sold by the time I inquire, or they are all "americaunas" that lay bluish green eggs. I've also tried Hoosier Topics. Then I got to thinking that maybe someone from Indiana on BYC might be able to point me where else to look. I don't have 20 posts yet, so I can't use the Buy Sell Trade area.

I have heard there is an auction every Thursday up in Strawtown, but I can't imagine there would be special or hard to find chickens there.

I kind of hesitate to put my own "chickens wanted" ad up on CL. Those tend to draw out the scammers, but I guess it might come to that if I don't have any luck through just searching.

So, am I putting this question in the right place? Is there a better area of BYC where I should have put it?

Thanks for any advice.

Most of the blue egg layers that you will find are Easter Eggers falsly called "Americauna". My Easter Eggers all lay blue eggs so I wouldn't rule those out if all you want is blue eggs. If you require pure breeds you are probably going to be looking for Crested Cream Legbars or true Ameraucana as they are the most popular. Both are probably going to be next to impossible to find as grown hens since they are rare and breeders will not be parting with many breeding age adults. You might be able to find someone downsizing their flock. I would be leary of going to a swap or auction since it is a really easy way to bring a nasty disease home, but it is a possibility and people do it. Chicks would be the easiest to find but it is a bad time of year to be doing them.

 

[racinchickins]

My husband and I have been talking about raising a couple of turkeys for the freezer next year. If we want the best tasting turkeys is there a certain variety we should look to buy as chicks?

As Jchny2000 noted before. Bourbon Red and Mini White were noted for their taste in one particular taste test. But I believe any heritage breed raised on good food and hopefully access to pasture and insects will be levels of magnitude better than what you get at the store. I have been raising turkeys now for two years, and get rave reviews from people who have bought for Thanksgiving. But be aware - it will be the most expensive turkey you have ever eaten. Besides the cost of the Poult ($10-15), they eat about 100lbs of food to get up to table weight. Then you have to deal with processing. If you are okay with that, you will LOVE turkeys. Lots of personality, and very curious. Also, several BYCers on here (myself included) will have poults for sale in the spring of many different varieties.

Hi, I have been haunting craigslist looking for hens that lay blue eggs with no luck. The few ads I have found have been sold by the time I inquire, or they are all "americaunas" that lay bluish green eggs. I've also tried Hoosier Topics. Then I got to thinking that maybe someone from Indiana on BYC might be able to point me where else to look. I don't have 20 posts yet, so I can't use the Buy Sell Trade area.

I have heard there is an auction every Thursday up in Strawtown, but I can't imagine there would be special or hard to find chickens there.

I kind of hesitate to put my own "chickens wanted" ad up on CL. Those tend to draw out the scammers, but I guess it might come to that if I don't have any luck through just searching.

So, am I putting this question in the right place? Is there a better area of BYC where I should have put it?

Thanks for any advice.

Blue eggs are tough. Most of what you will find is blue/green. Especially most birds labeled Americaunas or Easter Eggers. Also blue is a tough color as it seems to change depending on what light it in. I know from experience that getting a true color photograph of a blue egg can be a nightmare. Several people here, including myself, raise Cream Legbars, and the eggs tend to be on blue side with some occasional bluish green. I just sold my last two available hens for the year, but I am betting if you look in the spring, you will find them for sale everywhere. They also have the advantage of autosexing - which means you know at hatch if you have a boy or girl. This is also a tough time of year to be looking for good birds.

 

[Faraday40]

That was me on the australorps. My hens were from Mt Healthy hatchery in Ohio., and they boasted how they were high egg production birds. Mine act more like a heritage line, and spent most of the summer brooding air. I have had 3 roos from different sources and all 3 have been human aggressive. I hope I haven't steered you away from them, another line may be better than what I have. I posted the info because I wanted to share my experience as far as the issues with them, and my disappointment too. They are very cold hardy and good dual purpose as far as the roosters being large. The roos are very good to the hens, and very protective. I just expected better production of eggs, they honestly are no better than my orps, rir or rocks. Another hatchery or private breeders lines may be better.
Easter eggers, you don't know. It depends on what mix was used to make the bird! EEs are truly a mutt, so its difficult to guess at temperament. My honest opinion on a general dual purpose, easy to raise and keep breed are Plymouth Rocks, RIR, and Orpingtons. All 3 do very well here, friendly roos, forage and free range well, and can handle winter. The Australorp breed is the Australian version of the orpington ( Austral - orp).

I found the comments about the Australorps surprising, too. On paper they sound like my perfect breed. (plus I like the way black feathers have that metallic shine.) I had one. Her named was changed to "Poopie Poo" b/c anytime we held her, she pooped right on our laps. (All the other chickens have never done that. They jump down first.) The kids find it fun to label each egg with the hen's name. Bad thing about the name - No one wanted to eat a Poopie Poo egg. Abbreviation "PP" didn't even help!

She made beautiful med brown speckled eggs - daily. However, she never liked to be held & had a very independent streak. (Wouldn't go into the coop when told or come when called.) If I had to leave the house, I'd get all hens inside the coop in under 2 min - except her! I always had to chase her and literally pick her up to put her inside. She would eat from our hands & was never mean or aggressive - just not a favorite. We ended up selling her b/c why keep a pet that we don't love & enjoy. The new owner just wanted eggs, so win/win. We made room in the coop to add some new chickens that we do love & enjoy. I may try an Australorp again. I figured Poopie Poo was likely an exception.

I got Poopie Poo as a day old chick from someone off Craigslist, so perhaps her parents were from hatchery stock. At the time I wanted to have a Black Australorp & saw a cheap easy way to get one. Most of my chickens were hatched from eggs that were purchased from breeders. I completely agree about getting quality birds.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

So there I was, hosting this party. And the house was full of people, the stereo's playing, and the lights were down, and everyone was talking in little pockets of conversation, and generally having a good time. And I wanted to change up the mood so I go back by the stereo and start looking for my Dire Straights albums, but I can't find them. And I go through all of my records two or three times, and while I'm doing this, the party's winding down and my friends are going home. One of them, Alice, tries to get me to just put on anything and come back to hang out, but I'm a little obsessed with finding this lost record. After a while longer, I finally give up and put on Night at the Opera. So then I go back through the house to try to find Alice, but she's not around. I ask everyone who's left, but no one knows where she went. I know she wouldn't leave, so I keep looking, and I think that shes worse than that stupid record I couldn't' find. So eventually I wander out back, and there she is, sitting on the ground, looking down at her hands and slowly shaking her head. "Too late," she says softly to herself, too late, too late.." and she's repeating it into her hands and then I realize that she's sinking into the ground. I try to reach out to her, to pull her up, but I can't because she's actually melting into the earth. But I'm not shocked, I'm just standing there watching her become one with the dirt, and thinking "Well, there goes Alice."

Then I woke up.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I didn't care for the personality of my only BA either. And I hatched 2 of her offspring mixed with a SFH roo. They both seem to have gotten the personality of their mother and I haven't liked either one of them.

Oh...anyone interested in a year-old BA/SFH mix girl that, so far has layed well?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Hi, I have been haunting craigslist looking for hens that lay blue eggs with no luck. The few ads I have found have been sold by the time I inquire, or they are all "americaunas" that lay bluish green eggs. I've also tried Hoosier Topics. Then I got to thinking that maybe someone from Indiana on BYC might be able to point me where else to look. I don't have 20 posts yet, so I can't use the Buy Sell Trade area.

I have heard there is an auction every Thursday up in Strawtown, but I can't imagine there would be special or hard to find chickens there.

I kind of hesitate to put my own "chickens wanted" ad up on CL. Those tend to draw out the scammers, but I guess it might come to that if I don't have any luck through just searching.

So, am I putting this question in the right place? Is there a better area of BYC where I should have put it?

Thanks for any advice.

I'll have chicks come spring, along with several other members on here. If you are wanting adult birds right now, you might be able to get a few easter eggers from a hatchery but watch out for shipping.

It really is not the best time of the year for hatching, but you might be able to get a few CCL eggs from different people to hatch yourself. I'd offer to hatch you some but I'm only getting about 5-8 eggs a week from my CCL. Given a week to collect eggs and 21 more days to set them, it would be mid December before any chicks hatched and no promises of any females.

 

[Finnie]

Quote: Thank you. I may end up waiting until spring then. I think you must be the person I wrote to in Mooresville. I am the one who didn't have her chicken coop ready yet. (Diana)

 

[Finnie]

Quote:

It really is not the best time of the year for hatching, but you might be able to get a few CCL eggs from different people to hatch yourself. I'd offer to hatch you some but I'm only getting about 5-8 eggs a week from my CCL. Given a week to collect eggs and 21 more days to set them, it would be mid December before any chicks hatched and no promises of any females.

That's OK. I appreciate the willingness to help. I couldn't do eggs or chicks anyway, even in the spring. due to my extremely limited space. That's why I have to wait to find older birds that are known to be hens



So, for people who want rare breeds, do they almost always have to order eggs or chicks from far away and raise them themselves, and then try to sell off the extras? That seems like quite a gamble, and you would need space for them until they sold, if you could even sell them. I would like an Appenzeller Spitzhauben someday, but I don't see any way of getting just one. Being new to chickens, I am discovering all sorts of breeds for my wish list, but apparently only the common ones are easy to find.