INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[hanakimi]

General question: How many of you have sand floors for your coops, and how deep and what kind of sand is needed (I know there have been discussions about sand type in the past, and I could indeed search and find it, but I might as well ask again!)?

What do you use as a pooper scooper?

I'm not sure it would work with our setup. The coop is rectangular and right now dirt plus straw plus chicken poop (we do a big dig-out once a year to get as much old junk out as possible). The henhouse is inside the coop, but elevated about 3 feet off the floor of the coop, and it has a wood floor with straw right now.

Those of you who use sand, is that all you use? No straw? Because I know if I left straw in the henhouse, it will wind up all over the place. Most will stay in the henhouse, but some will make its way to the floor of the coop. Since both are straw, it does not matter now.

I would really like to make poop removal easier than it is now. The only darned good thing about freezing cold weather is the poop doesn't smell and is easier to remove (as long as you have a hoe or sharp implement to hack it off where it has stuck to something else).

Our birds poop a lot more in the henhouse in the winter--maybe it's because they are in there longer instead of outside in the chickenyard, since of course we all know chickens despise snow. They actually poop more in the henhouse than on the coop floor, which is 3 times larger in area. You'd think they could do me a favor and at least spread it around.

I'm just wondering if we could make sand work on the floor of the coop (probably yes) and maybe in the henhouse, too? Do you "sand people" put it in the henhouse as well? No straw anywhere?

Sorry to sound stupid. I've just never seen one in person, and it's not within my veterinary medicine knowledge base. I just want to know as much as possible, since it will be a pain to have the sand hauled back there (plus the primary expense of putting it in the first time). I'm sure it has to be partially replenished periodically. But I wonder whether it's worth it, both from a cost and ease of use perspective. We have about 35 birds right now in three enclosures, each with an elevated henhouse inside the coops.

THANK YOU ALL in advance for trying to educate me on the pluses and minuses of sand bedding vs. straw.

i don't know about sand but i do know i do not use straw as when it breaks down it harbors bacteria that can give humans farmers lung and as much as i love my hens i want to eliminate the risk to my health.
here's wikis description of it. Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula is a species of bacteria.[1] It is a Gram-positive rod. It was formerly known as Micropolyspora faeni.
Inhalation of the bacteria can cause the disease farmer's lung, a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Handling hay bales increases exposure to the bacteria and increases the risk of developing the disease

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, sorry for the really bad picture quality, I only had my cell phone on me at the time, but this made me laugh. My Silkie, Marge, has been broody for about a week now and I kept having to pull her off the nest every night. Well, tonight she wasn't on the nest like I expected. It took me a few minutes to find her...

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Pretty excited to be putting in another order with Paul smith. March 16th, just in time for spring break!

 

[pginsber]

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!

Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[bradselig]

I just couldn't pass on this pair. Once weather warms up enough to ship, I should have them!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I LOVE Bakers Creek!!!! OH my they have so many heirloom choices! They are by far my fav to order seed!
Cornish cross ... CX are very easy and good yield if you put them in a tractor or free range. I have my LilX hen thats 3 in July. One of my best layers, no kidding. Bottom line is what they are eating, how they are raised. Seriously let them free range or at least, put them in a tractor to eat grass and bugs. The more activity they have, better life, and better food for your table too. I treat my meat chickens like a normal chicken... just be sure they get extra protein. Let them have a little life too.

i'd be interested in a few Bielefelders - maybe we could trade some hatching eggs for some Iowa Blues or Chanteclers if youd be interested in a trade

we have a friend that highly recomends the freedom rangers as a preferred choice to raising meat birds

I have not tried the red, black or other alternative broilers yet, they appear to be a sexlink bird left over from black star, golden comet etc.

When do the feed stores usually start selling chicks?

March or early April, usually but will ask my TSC friend when they are due

shes doing great check out the link to see...truly remarkable the turn around
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/946493/need-help-with-sick-chicken#post_14611381

WTG chicken Dad!!!!!

Quote: I will be doing the basic EE, BR, RIR, WL breeds in march. All are 100% free range birds, will be confined to be true to breed next month.
If you go to the farm stores, be very selective. Look for pasted butts on the chicks, and weak, listless babies. I got 4 BBB poults last season and all 4 flipped (heart attacks) so I will go back to Meyer for my "meat turkeys" this year. Some of the farm stores are not diligent to make sure the babies have plenty of water... lots of chicks dehydrate and are lost. Anderson TSC has a lady that cares I know well, but many farm stores hire seasonal people that are not educated in poultry care.
Know your store and the people selling the chicks.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

What are the per-chick prices at the feed stores, typically?

Early on. its about $3 a chick every week they discount what doesn't sell. Other species like geese and guinea are really expensive, like $7 per chick!

I'm not new to BYC, but I am new to this forum.

I want to try this again. I'm posting in this forum specifically to try to meet Central Indiana chicken folks who live relatively close to me for potential future meet-ups. I live in Zionsville, not far from Indianapolis. When I last posted in this Indiana forum, I got some odd messages from people out-of-state who were trying to tell me how to behave on the forum when all I had done was said where I live. It was a bit strange. I did receive some lovely messages greeting me and welcoming me to the forum, with some really helpful links.
I ordered my first five chicks yesterday, we are starting small as this is the first time we'll have had chickens.

I ordered:
Buckeye (Go Bucks!)
Silver Cuckoo Marans
Buff Orpington
Lavender Orpington
Barred Plymouth Rock

Hope you're all staying warm and have great success this year with your flocks!
Diana
Zionsville, IN

welcome!

Quote: I cringe when i see a discount bin!!! I can't resist

I look every time I go.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Off to bed, keep dozing off. Nite everyone

 

[hoosiercheetah]

So, I'm considering the possibility of buying chicks in more than one batch. How broad of an age spread is okay for chicks that will all be raised together?

 

[wheezy50]

So, I'm considering the possibility of buying chicks in more than one batch.  How broad of an age spread is okay for chicks that will all be raised together?

This can be tough sometimes. Older chicks, even by just a week, will be much bigger than day olds. Some breeds are worse than others about bullying and keeping the youngest from eating. I try to keep all the chicks in a brooder within a weeks age of each other. I have also setup 2 large plastic totes side by side so they both use the same heat lamp but aren't mixed together. Usually by the time they are several weeks old, maybe 3-4, I will put them all together and watch the smallest. Make sure the littlest are able to eat and drink without getting bullied. It seems to me that once they are all at least a few weeks old they can be added together with some supervision.

Back "before I knew better" I mixed some day old cornish X chicks with some 5 day old bantams. Needless to say, when they all huddled under the light for warmth several bantams got squished.

On a side note, the last few times I've had chicks to raise I've been using large cardboard moving boxes from Lowes. Its nice bc they can just be thrown out when done, and they're cheap, like $1.50ish. I have even cut a hole in the sides and put 2 next to each other to double the size.