INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[hoosiercheetah]

I swear I saw Rural King here in Martinsville sign up already for their chicks but can't remember if it was Jan or Feb. I know I thought it was early!

That's my favorite RK! If they're putting chicks out that early, I might have to pick some up. We'll have to see how the weather does though - I have to brood chicks in the garage, and it's not heated, so I think I need it to be at least above freezing.

Of course, here in Indiana, there's no garauntee that it will stay above freezing, except maybe in July and August.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm selling 3 heritage RIR hens. 2 hatched July 2014 and 1 hatched January 2014. The January hatched is in molt and looks lighter in color because of her molt.

 

[wheezy50]

When do the feed stores usually start selling chicks?

Martinsville Rural King has a sign out already, I think it was Jan 28th that they are expecting chicks in. Or somewhere a day or two around that time.

I have purchased quite a few from different feed stores over the last few years. I would try and know what your looking for before you show up, the employees are always helpful, but probably don't know as much as you and I about chickens, it's not normally their "specialty"

They typically have bins labeled pullets and straight run. The pullets i've bought have been about 90% overall hens, so they do get misidentified sometimes, but i doubt it is any more than with hatcheries. The straight run chicks, in my experience, have been slightly more roos than 50/50. Maybe the hatcheries get rid of excess roos this way, I don't know. So if the breed you want is straight run you might want to buy a few extra in case there is extra roos.

They typically cost $2-4 each, normally a minimum of 6. RK seems to me to have more pullet selection, TSC normally had more straight run choices.

I've never had any chicks from RK that were in any way sickly, and only once did i have a few die from TSC. Which they promtly replaced for me with reciept.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Martinsville Rural King has a sign out already, I think it was Jan 28th that they are expecting chicks in. Or somewhere a day or two around that time.

I have purchased quite a few from different feed stores over the last few years. I would try and know what your looking for before you show up, the employees are always helpful, but probably don't know as much as you and I about chickens, it's not normally their "specialty"

They typically have bins labeled pullets and straight run. The pullets i've bought have been about 90% overall hens, so they do get misidentified sometimes, but i doubt it is any more than with hatcheries. The straight run chicks, in my experience, have been slightly more roos than 50/50. Maybe the hatcheries get rid of excess roos this way, I don't know. So if the breed you want is straight run you might want to buy a few extra in case there is extra roos.

They typically cost $2-4 each, normally a minimum of 6. RK seems to me to have more pullet selection, TSC normally had more straight run choices.

I've never had any chicks from RK that were in any way sickly, and only once did i have a few die from TSC. Which they promtly replaced for me with reciept.

Thanks for the insight! It's exciting that they're already getting them in.

 

[kittydoc]

@Faraday40 My lav roos are in the same boat with those giant combs. In my experience, the black tips of combs generally pinch then fall off, leaving a shorter but still pointy comb. If it's just whitish or gray, it MAY heal back to normal once it warms back up and stays that way.

One of my hens nearly died last winter when everybody else kicked our of the henhouse during the arctic blast, and I found her just about dead. She lived in the garage for two months, and she had a fairly large gray area that I was certain was going to die and fall off. I resisted interfering with it, and it eventually went entirely back to normal.

My motto: Leave frostbite alone. Try to prevent it, but it's darned near impossible to do so when we get these really super cold spells into single digits and below.

I knew those beautiful combs on the Lav Orps would be troublesome come winter, and they have been. My Jubilee roos, though older, have much lower combs, and NO frostbite whatsoever even though their housing setup (including heat) is identical.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

@racinchickins Ideal posted that they have wellsummers for sale.

 

[lilmizscareall]

Flock For Sale

So, I'm back, but not for long. Only a couple people know my life situation... I'm going to do a quick fill in so that maybe you can better understand why I'm selling my flock.

My husband left me back in July. It's been really difficult for me. A 9 year relationship, 5 years of marriage. I have been battling depression and an ungodly amount of emotional distress. I spent almost no time with my flock this last summer, my yard and home is a wreck and I have to start myself back up again. Here I've found myself this winter, going out everyday, multiple times a day to tend to the birds, but I can't do it anymore. I can afford to buy another $25 bag of feed, or the time I spend with them. They are not going to be the only thing I have to cut back on. There's a lot more...
I've made a good run at this life, but the truth is that I am floundering big time. I can't stay in my house. I can't afford it, I won't ever be able to and I need to prepare for that. With that said, I can not afford to give my birds away.

I have 6 hens, 5 under 10 months, 1 silkie about a year and a half old.

4 Silkies(1 Roo, must go with one hen)
1 Silver Laced Wyandotte
1 Easter Egger
1 Silver laced Sebright
1 Old English game bantam Roo.
Reasonable offers accepted.
2 egg quality Cayuga Ducks.
$60 for the pair of females. Pretty quiet, anti social, but friendly.

1 unfinished, but useable coop.
$500 OBO, You must move.

Take it all for $500 The OEGB is such a sweetheart. He not the best Roo, but quiet.


Forgive the Chicken Selfies!

 

[minmin1258]

In December when the temps were mild, I had a drinker like this outside in the grass & my heated bucket with horz. nipples inside the run. The wattles could have happened because of the outdoor drinker. He had whitish comb tips before the bitter cold. I used Vaseline as a preventative, but only on the coldest nights. It allows all kinds of dirt to stick, so some of the black (closer to the head) may be dirt. However, the tips must be frostbite.

My coop is not heated but insulated. My garage is detached, so I'm not sure that would be much warmer - especially w/o the hens to keep him warm. The coop is more dusty than wet. Sand floor with the poop sifted out each morning. I have the food & water in the run. Because the runs are covered & wrapped, my chickens only sleep & lay eggs in the coop. During the days with -25'F wind chills, they were out in the run constantly making their complaining noises. They could have stayed in the coop but chose not to. Here's the interior of the coop before the sand was added. We closed the back window during the winter, but the 2 side windows are open. To block wind, the left window is near the garage and the right is facing the run. The side of the run facing the coop is open. The other 3 sides have storm windows made from plastic sheeting. Normally, the left coop window is always open (left pic above). Last year I closed some of it up by making a vent (right pic above), but everything I read said to increase ventilation. This year, the window is open. The only night I put the vent up was when strong winds were blowing snow & a dusting got into the coop.

Beautiful coop !!! SPOILED CHICKENS!

 

[wheezy50]

My CCL roo has also suffered some frost bite on his comb and wattles. I'm not surprised, they are both very large and floppy. Most of the tips of his comb are grayish and/or white. We'll see if they end up falling off. I made a few modifications to the pen he's in to try and help with the draft. All my hens seem to be good, haven't seen any frostbite on them.

 

[minmin1258]

I've caught the Spring Bug as well. I'm putting the finishing touches on my coop blueprints and am going to figure out what I want to put in my small garden plot my dad might give me. Hope to have some Grape and Cherry tomatoes and Bell peppers and a bunch of other good things.

I've been asked to take a few of my chickens to a friend's preschool/daycare. I've never done a show and tell sort of thing before however, I am excited to be able to. I just want to see what you seasoned chicken herders have to say? I'm currently trying to make a few chicken diapers for the young rooster and hen I plan to take. I don't want them pooping on the little kids.

Does anyone have any tips or dotted lines I should follow? Most all my birds are friendly though sometimes they get a bit flighty they don't peck hard or attack; I am going to have diapers on them and well, I can't think of anything I might need to know other than these precautions.

If you allow them to "pet" (or touch in any way) take a bottle of hand sanitizer with you. You should have them use it before AND after they touch. Taking birds into the classroom you are opening your flock up to any number of viruses and germs. Be sure whichever birds you take you put into quarantine when you return. I know this sounds extreme but you need to protect your babies and the children.