INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

No problem.

Btw from what I can see they all look like pullets!

 

[ellymayRans]

No problem.

I sure can see that beautiful blue Marans girl. I also see a boy but I have to admit I can't see the others. How many did you end up with? Individual pics would be best. Snatch them up one by one and take a pic of them sitting still. Maybe take each one of them and sit them on a towel. Solid colored back drop of sorts.

 

[browncow15]

I sure can see that beautiful blue Marans girl. I also see a boy but I have to admit I can't see the others. How many did you end up with? Individual pics would be best. Snatch them up one by one and take a pic of them sitting still. Maybe take each one of them and sit them on a towel. Solid colored back drop of sorts.

8 of the 12 hatched, momma squished 2. Of the 2 that just didn't hatch 1 was a dud and the other had a fully developed chick so I dunno what happened there. I had 2 blue chicks but something got the other one. The blue that's left is defiantly my favorite Anyway, I'll try to get out to the coop to get individual pics after the kids go to bed and DH can sit with the baby. Pulling them off the roost is probably the only way to get ahold of them anyway

 

[ellymayRans]

8 of the 12 hatched, momma squished 2. Of the 2 that just didn't hatch 1 was a dud and the other had a fully developed chick so I dunno what happened there. I had 2 blue chicks but something got the other one. The blue that's left is defiantly my favorite Anyway, I'll try to get out to the coop to get individual pics after the kids go to bed and DH can sit with the baby. Pulling them off the roost is probably the only way to get ahold of them anyway

I will say if you see any copper on them other than the neck then it's a boy. The Blues their copper seems to show much later if at all. ..so comb is the best way to tell there. If you can post clean pics of their faces and backside I should be able to tell. I Love the blues!

 

[Linemanlett]

100 w incukit, hygrometer, and automatic egg turner has shipped today. I will be constructing my bator this weekend. We are new to birds and are gonna hatch!! We are gonna raise layers and meat birds. Any recommendations on breeds? We live in northern Indiana. I want to hatch and sustain my layers and meat birds!! Any advice would be awesome. Our 6 and 4 yr old boys are excited!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Well three of my Ameraucana pullets act like one of tier feet hurt. It's not frostbite, splinter, cut, etc, but definitely physical. Which ever got the limp on I reddish pink. But I can squeeze and poke their foot and it doesn't hurt them. I think their feet are just cold. They have a thin layer f sawdust down. But they always eat the sawdust and everything. Looks like I might have to get some straw. I absolutely hate using straw

. I might just make little walls with straw and use sawdust an corncob to fill the rest. Their bedding is about to get as expensive as there feed.

Tree trimmers will bring you a load of bedding for free or a load of aged bedding (more like mulch) for much cheaper than the feed store bedding packages.
@Leahs Mom has used tree trimmings in her run and likes them.

100 w incukit, hygrometer, and automatic egg turner has shipped today. I will be constructing my bator this weekend. We are new to birds and are gonna hatch!! We are gonna raise layers and meat birds. Any recommendations on breeds? We live in northern Indiana. I want to hatch and sustain my layers and meat birds!! Any advice would be awesome. Our 6 and 4 yr old boys are excited!!

http://www.sandgpoultry.com/ has some good options for heritage dual purpose birds. I had been looking at their birds before finding a RIR breeder to sell me some chicks.

Things to look for since you want sustainable meat and eggs:
Roosters that are not attack roosters. Not all roosters are mean but a rooster will be needed for future hatching. And mean roosters can get mean before processing day.
Rose comb to get cold hardy birds.
Heritage lines for the breed you choose are more likely to match the standards and produce the meat you want.
Lastly since you want these chickens to be sustainable, make sure you like the looks of them. Naked necks are good for meat but take some getting used to. If you choose a breed with blue in the feathers, the chickens will have variety in how they look as blue does not breed true. White chickens might have a harder time camouflaging when a hawk is around. Crested chickens tend to have a harder time seeing.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Tree trimmers will bring you a load of bedding for free or a load of aged bedding (more like mulch) for much cheaper than the feed store bedding packages.
@Leahs Mom
has used tree trimmings in her run and likes them.

 


http://www.sandgpoultry.com/ has some good options for heritage dual purpose birds. I had been looking at their birds before finding a RIR breeder to sell me some chicks.


Things to look for since you want sustainable meat and eggs:
Roosters that are not attack roosters.  Not all roosters are mean but a rooster will be needed for future hatching.  And mean roosters can get mean before processing day.

Rose comb to get cold hardy birds.
Heritage lines for the breed you choose are more likely to match the standards and produce the meat you want. 

Lastly since you want these chickens to be sustainable, make sure you like the looks of them.  Naked necks are good for meat but take some getting used to.  If you choose a breed with blue in the feathers, the chickens will have variety in how they look as blue does not breed true.  White chickens might have a harder time camouflaging when a hawk is around.  Crested chickens tend to have a harder time seeing. 

Thanks but no one around her really does that. Everyone charges for everything. Plus I am not sure I want mulch. It would be ok for a run but this will be there inside bedding

 

[YayPoultry]

100 w incukit, hygrometer, and automatic egg turner has shipped today. I will be constructing my bator this weekend. We are new to birds and are gonna hatch!! We are gonna raise layers and meat birds. Any recommendations on breeds? We live in northern Indiana. I want to hatch and sustain my layers and meat birds!! Any advice would be awesome. Our 6 and 4 yr old boys are excited!!

We are in central Indiana and our favorites are our Buckeyes. They are dual purpose, fairly smart, and our roosters are friendly and watch after the girls well. Our hens all got broody in the spring and were not aggressive or crabby with us. They were also good moms. They have a smaller comb and darker feathers, but also appeared to deal with heat quite well. Hope this helps.

Here is one of our Buckeyes

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

100 w incukit, hygrometer, and automatic egg turner has shipped today. I will be constructing my bator this weekend. We are new to birds and are gonna hatch!! We are gonna raise layers and meat birds. Any recommendations on breeds? We live in northern Indiana. I want to hatch and sustain my layers and meat birds!! Any advice would be awesome. Our 6 and 4 yr old boys are excited!!

Plymouth rocks are great dual purpose birds, I love mine! It I important to get from a breeder though. The hatchery ones I have had are aggressive and just don't have the sheer size breeders ones do. They are eaters though. I you got them you could get Cornish and make your own meat chickens! I also love ameraucanas but they probably would not be good for what you are wanting

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Thank you all for the well wishes on poor Harris. What a terrible way to go! Someone has very kindly offered to "take care" of the mean rooster. It will be a huge relief to see him go. The whole thing has made me worry for Heiser since I have a young dark cornish/CCL rooster that has grown up in the mixed flock under Heiser (I combined the two flocks for winter when the young boy was super young). I worry he might decide to challenge Heiser and I can't stand the thought of something like this happening to my gorgeous sweet Bielie boy! Should I be concerned or was this a fluke? Has anyone had anything like this happen before between roosters? Is this sort of extreme violence normal?

I have had worse from hens than roosters fighting. Honestly, even with the "aggressive breeds" I keep, and add so many new birds periodically. Roosters do not usually get that aggressive to each other. I have a large mixed egg flock with a lot of roosters. I have had 1 hen peck another's eye out fighting, thats about the worst of it. Something is up with that individual bird, definitely needs to be in the pot and away from your flock.

Just a quick question for those of you that process. When is a good time to process a rooster? What age?

Less than 6 months or they get tough. If its an adult bird, pressure cooking or slow cooking/crock pot is the way to go.

Quote: It becomes part of the responsibility of the owner, sadly to make the choices. Its the ugly part of keeping chickens, or any animal for that matter. Love them enough to know when to let them go. Be responsible enough that its humane departure and quick. After being in Animal control for 5 years, I have seen too much to allow anyone else to take the life of my critters. DH or I will do the deed.. And yes, I cry for them. Its not a good day, and my hogs upset me very much. But I love my family more.
The aggressive animals still upset me too. But I look at my flock overall, and want to protect and improve the birds I raise. I have seen some aggressive birds that left pretty quick (turkey BB hens) last year. I remove any that are flock aggressive, immediately. All my birds have to comingle.

Quote: Don't keep any that are a problem. Post them to rehome, last result sell them. I will not keep any mean or aggressive birds. Last result is to give the bird away to be processed. So many folks will take a silkie rooster, they are tiny and easier on a small flock of hens. I sell a lot of adult flocks with a silkie rooster if they are in a small neighborhood.