INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pbirdhaven]

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.

When I was working with a teen parent program, I took some bantam chicks to our nursery to show the babies (only those 6 months or over). It was a lot of fun, and yes, towels were necessary.

Because we had it right there, we used soap and water rather than hand sanitizer. Not helpful hints--just saying how much it was enjoyed.

Hopefully someone will know what kind of selection is available on the west side of Indy. Up near me (carmel/westfield/zionsville) they had the white cornish, barred rocks, buff orpingtons or white leghorn (I think i remember one or both), EE and Red Star (called RIR but not actually). So really not much of a selection.

The reasons I probably wouldn't do it is that I fear they are getting them from hatcheries that are sexing and selling the females elsewhere, and the mix could easily skew more male. The $20 in shipping is worth it if you bring home 3/4 males that you pay for in the feed store.

There is also a major biosecurity risk from so many people hovering and touching them in the store and I have heard horror stories about them tending to be more sickly (they are usually not well cared for in the feed stores).

Not in Indy, but the TSC in Greensburg is a good place, maybe not so much for selection but for care of the chicks. Patti, one of the associates, is knowledgeable and has been a BYCer herself in the past. The put corral panels around the bins, so the chicks are safe from little (and big, too) hands.

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.

Lots of pros and cons. I've used sand in the outside pens but not inside. I probably would think about it on a dirt floor, but not on wood. It does eventually pack down even with regular scooping. For those of us who don't bend as easily as we once did, quarter-inch hardware cloth attached to the tines of a garden rake works well.
I prefer grass hay to straw because of the hollow stems in straw, but it does pack more quickly and so has to be watched fairly closely.
With about 75-100 birds at a time, the shavings get too expensive except in the smaller coops.

 

[kabhyper1]

Who wants a farm innovators incubator? I have one that is basically brand new. I always use broodies and have only used this to half incubate one batch of eggs that eventually went to a broody. It has a self turner and fan. I'm asking $90 plus shipping (wont be much since it is mostly styrofoam lol ) Anyway let me know. I spent 130 on it last fall.

 

[pginsber]

Hi everyone! Starting to look forward to Spring! I am going to start adding light and get the flocks divided again this week. So I could potentially start collecting Bielie eggs in a few weeks if anyone is interested. I figure we should start getting stretches of decent weather around then! PM me for pricing if you are interested. I will also have green/olive egger eggs available if anyone is interested in a colorful egg basket. They will be Isbar/Bielie mix so should be a decent size bird. Right now I am just looking at hatching eggs but I may hatch some chicks as we get closer to Spring. Information on Bielefelders. Bielefelders are a very large dual purpose bird. Roosters get up to 13 lbs and hens reach 8 lbs. They are an autosexing breed and a very good layer of jumbo brown eggs. My Bielies lay a darker brown egg with brown speckles, very similar in color to my hatchery welsummer hen. They are said to lay around 220 eggs a year and are known for being great winter layers (I've been getting about 10 eggs a week out of the two mature Bielie hens and have two pullets that should start laying any day). They are also very docile and inquisitive, known to be gentle giants. Isbar egg

I'm hoping you can help--Last year I'd been corresponding with a breeder who claims his stock is from Greenfire lines. He wanted way too much $$, then I have to add shipping on top of it. I like the Biele breed for size, laying #s, temperament and gorgeous looks. Especially here in the Midwest. My girlfriend in Michigan uses them for freezer camp because of the Roos size and ability to live together for 20+ weeks as a family unit. I just want to dabble with this rare multipurpose breed. What's your opinion on this breed for a 'beginner'? Does it require anything special?

 

[ellymayRans]

I am new to raising chickens! I have been hovering on this board since November and you all have proven so helpful! Thank-you! Right now, we are raising 3 adult egg laying chickens on half an acre in Pendleton/Anderson area. However, our house is on the market, as we are looking to move to more acreage to raise and breed chickens. I just successfully incubated and hatched eggs over Christmas - we had 10 eggs (6 Lavendar Orpington and 4 Sussex), 7 hatched. I had to aid two of the babies and only one of those should have been left to nature due to malformations. We ended up culling that little guy. One of our other successful hatches got its head stuck in between the lid and lip of the incubator and died, so we now have five beautiful chicks. I have been faithful to vaccinate against Mareks and New Castle diseases and am looking into NPIP this spring. I have 4 children that I homeschool who are getting plenty of education in this whole process, as well! We are finding this so addictive! We look forward to talking with you more in the upcoming months!

Well welcome welcome! If you've been lurking then you see how wonderful our "support group" is! Exciting to hatch your own and provide the experience to your children! Congrats! Hope to see you here more often!

Oh and pics please! We love love Pics!!

 

[ellymayRans]

Are these what you use or what not to use? I've always called them pine shavings. (Bought in a compressed brick-like bag at Farm N Fleet.) I know the cedar shavings are bad for many animals, but I thought these are OK. Can a chick eat these?

Aww they are so precious! I miss chicks! Ce on Spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ellymayRans]

He cracks me up! I think someone is comfy.

Lol! Cracking me up!

 

[kittydoc]

Depends on how many per group, breed(s) per group, etc. Breeds about the same size and temperament can be added 3 to 5 or so days apart, especially if the younger ones are a little bigger or more numerous, I would not mix bantam chicks with standard size chicks or larger English varieties, as someone else noted. Also avoid mixing timid breeds like Jersey Giants with any other breeds, even if the Jerseys are bigger and older. We mixed an Ameracauna and a Brahma with 6 younger Jubilees (a week or so younger). The Ameracauna and Brahma were terrified of the Jubilees until they figured out that the Jubilees we're more scared of them and also harmless. They had lots of room, and mostly each kept to themselves. When the Jubilees became huge, we separated them. The Brahma was and is fearless, but adored the Ameracauna, so they were inseparable as for months.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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?

It wont matter much if the type is similar. What breeds...

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Anybody heard from Mother2Hens lately? Wonder how her DH's surgery went.
How about VickiChickie, Hogster160 or Old Salt? Anybody have updates on them?

not a word.. I am really concerned and will send a message to M2H. Vicki, hogster and old salt have been away a while now with personal life events.

I need to grow back wing feathers by 4H time! Will feather fixer do it?

Add protein, give cooked egg, chick feed, anything red meat even liver is a good idea.

I am new to raising chickens! I have been hovering on this board since November and you all have proven so helpful! Thank-you! Right now, we are raising 3 adult egg laying chickens on half an acre in Pendleton/Anderson area. However, our house is on the market, as we are looking to move to more acreage to raise and breed chickens. I just successfully incubated and hatched eggs over Christmas - we had 10 eggs (6 Lavendar Orpington and 4 Sussex), 7 hatched. I had to aid two of the babies and only one of those should have been left to nature due to malformations. We ended up culling that little guy. One of our other successful hatches got its head stuck in between the lid and lip of the incubator and died, so we now have five beautiful chicks. I have been faithful to vaccinate against Mareks and New Castle diseases and am looking into NPIP this spring. I have 4 children that I homeschool who are getting plenty of education in this whole process, as well! We are finding this so addictive! We look forward to talking with you more in the upcoming months!

Awesome and welcome to BYC and our thread! Please just feel welcome and jump in!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Never use cedar. Pine is ok, aspen is much safer. I use paper towel for bedding in my brooders as long as I can, depending on the species.