INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Mother2Hens]

Yes, so many times over - the spring arrival of kids, lambs and calves always leaves me feeling just a little nostalgic for times when we had our own to look forward each year - but then I remember all the work that came with them during the rest of the year when there wasn't the reward of the sweet babies bouncing around and realize maybe life without breeding stock isn't all that bad.

I always thought that baby animals were born in springtime (at least that's what my Little Golden Books told me as a child. lol). It's fun to see all of the chicks and baby animals pics posted, but after getting four chicks last February, I decided that spring temps are much easier for raising chicks. Mine were in a bedroom for way too long.

With their walnut combs I've never had issues with their heads getting a bit wet. Now if it's soaking wet go snatch her up towel dry and I wouldn't hesitate running a blow dryer on her til she's mostly dry. I've found short spells in the house to tend to such things hasn't had any negative results.

@leslea My response is a little late, but I have the same thoughts as @ellymayRans I would run in and use a blow dryer and run her back out.

So DH got our taxes done and I've been green lighted to spend some on an automatic door for the coop

only because it benefits him. Anyway what do you all have? What do you like/ not like? I had thought about building one at one point I just don't have the time or energy to do it right now

BTW I haven't seen Hoosiercheetah recently.

That's funny because when you mentioned building one, I thought of @hoosiercheetah !

Surprise! I have a beardless silkie. That wasn't supposed to happen! Ohh gotta love genetics. These were shipped eggs.So its not from my birds. lol

She/he also has no eyes. lol At least yours has a crest! Did you order eggs so that you'd have new blood for your breeding program? How many Silkies do you have now? I love your group photos of a million Silkies on the sofa. haha

 

[Mother2Hens]

This was a really long day today! I had a flat tire, hours just getting one on the wheel at the tire shop

DH was over an hour a way, luckily my nephew had not left for work yet. Then, trying to get my 81 year old dad to STAY IN THE CAR and not get out in the single digit cold!

Elderly are a huge risk at these temps. I finally told him FIRMLY and not very nice, you will have a heart attack standing out here, I do not want you to spend another summer in the hospital! or worse! He got back in the car

My poor mom was so distraught I had to just get them home on the awful and pretty scary doughnut spare, and then take the tire and wheel to the shop. Dad had extra tires and of course wanted to use them. So now, the car is home, tire is mounted and I still have to take the car back and get Dads special tires rotated, added, mounted, balanced whatever so he feels we saved money.
Thanking the Lord my Dad is still with us, and we can bicker about money and household things like we used to

I am having losses with this cold, and some ill birds I have taken in the unheated porch and breezeway. Its all roosters, they are not faring well with the continued negative temps. Hope this cold snap lets up soon.

@jchny2000 Oh my gosh, what a terrible day to get a flat tire, much less have elderly parents with you.

I've wondered (since I've been away from the thread) how your parents are doing. I thought we were going to get by with a mild winter down here in the South! Until two weeks ago, we hadn't even had a half inch of snow total. However, we've been going through snow and minus degree temps the same as everyone else. This evening we had loud freezing rain, then snow, then more ice. I put tarps down around the coops before it all started, so hopefully I can just pull them up in the morning-- unless they're frozen within a thick sheet of ice!

I am so sorry for you and your birds having to deal with effects of this ridiculous weather. In just one week, it will be March!!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Oh my... Dad had me so upset because he was intent on fixing it. These temps are dangerous for elderly or ill folks. I felt so bad being rude to him. After all its my Dad but oh my. I told him after he finally got in the car he has a strong healthy grandson to fix this. Let him feel proud he has helped you! That seemed to make it ok for him.
This has really been a hard winter on my older birds. I keep going out checking on them, and any sign of a problem they get taken to the porch. -9 for 2 days is just crazy, worried about my scovies. Most of them are roosted in the trees at night so I guess they are ok.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

goodnite all falling asleep

 

[ellymayRans]

So I have been going through my seeds. This is going to be my first year purposely starting tomatoes by seed, peppers, broccoli ..etc.

I bought a seed heat mat..and my bubble was busted when I broke out the calendar! It's (spring) so far away!!!

 

[ellymayRans]

Oh my... Dad had me so upset because he was intent on fixing it. These temps are dangerous for elderly or ill folks. I felt so bad being rude to him. After all its my Dad but oh my. I told him after he finally got in the car he has a strong healthy grandson to fix this. Let him feel proud he has helped you! That seemed to make it ok for him.
This has really been a hard winter on my older birds. I keep going out checking on them, and any sign of a problem they get taken to the porch. -9 for 2 days is just crazy, worried about my scovies. Most of them are roosted in the trees at night so I guess they are ok.

Sounds like you handled that situation very well!

I've let all the Peas into the garage, Mr P won't sleep in the coop but they will all come running when I open the garage door. They love roosting on the garage door tracks!? Lol. Silly birds.

Same one girl that lost a few toenails last winter is suffering frostbite again on those same toes. She's just a little EgyptFay hen. She must have circulation issues. I had a RIR hen with a swollen eye, when I grabbed her she had a external wound and after looking her over it has internal bleeding. I wiped it down with a warm washcloth and a few antibacterial eye drops, sent her right back out and noticed today swelling is gone but her entire inside of her eye is black. I don't see any defining parts, not a white,pupil or iris.. She is reacting as if she is blind in that eye. This was all over a course of 3 days. So strange but it was obviously injured in some way.

 

[leslea]

I always thought that baby animals were born in springtime (at least that's what my Little Golden Books told me as a child. lol). It's fun to see all of the chicks and baby animals pics posted, but after getting four chicks last February, I decided that spring temps are much easier for raising chicks. Mine were in a bedroom for way too long.
@leslea My response is a little late, but I have the same thoughts as @ellymayRans I would run in and use a blow dryer and run her back out.
That's funny because when you mentioned building one, I thought of @hoosiercheetah !

*shakes fist at Little Golden Books* They duped me just the same way.

Hair dryer on low setting, pretty quick does the trick. I trimmed my crested birds because I wanted them to see, and worried about this type of problem.

My girls have faces. They aren't fluffy around their eyes like the photos I always see of Silkies online. I guess this is the cost of them being able to see, then, right?

My silkies are always doing something like that and have never had any adverse effects. I had two boys that would run around in the rain until they were soaked and I would have to dry them. If I didn't cage them, they were right back out in the rain even though they had a nice big insulated dog house.

Normally I wouldn't worry a bit, but when it's -5 out there they can get frostbite so fast.

Everyone, thanks for the advice. I'm afraid I waited too long to blow dry her. I did think about it, I just wasn't sure if I should bring her in to do that. I guess next time I will know better...and I will try and make sure there is no waterfall in subzero temps for her to drink from.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer. I hope you are staying warm. I have been sick for a week and now watching it sleet on us is just aggravating...

It was fun in Snowvember when we had that one snow day. Here are the kids in my driveway in Nov:


Now it's just cold and old, old, old. Bring on Spring!

 

[raisinemright]

Are you seriously still looking for chicks? LOL Glad the babies are doing good. We want to come see them sometime.

Yeah a few, want some more Marans!!

 

[ChickCrazed]

Spent some time watching the horses playing in the snow. It didn't warm my toes or fingers, but did warm my heart a bit! And then I went in and talked to the chickens a bit. Mr. Heiser has some minor frostbite after the last two days. These are my Bielefelders. There are also some EE and Isbar hens in that pen (since I can easily tell their green and blue eggs apart).

Poor man



My pretty ladies!!!!

 

[browncow15]

[COLOR=8B4513]I always thought that baby animals were born in springtime (at least that's what my Little Golden Books told me as a child. lol). It's fun to see all of the chicks and baby animals pics posted, but after getting four chicks last February, I decided that spring temps are much easier for raising chicks. Mine were in a bedroom for way too long. [/COLOR]
@leslea
  [COLOR=8B4513]My response is a little late, but I have the same thoughts as[/COLOR] @ellymayRans
 [COLOR=8B4513]I would run in and use a blow dryer and run her back out.[/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=8B4513]That's funny because when you mentioned building one, I thought of[/COLOR] @hoosiercheetah
 [COLOR=8B4513]![/COLOR] 
[rule]

Lol I thought that too until I went to school and learned that beef producers around here breed to calve in JANUARY! (Eyeballs pop out face)

That was the reason I thought of Hoosiercheetah too. I had talked to him the last time I was thinking about an automatic door!

So I have been going through my seeds. This is going to be my first year purposely starting tomatoes by seed, peppers, broccoli ..etc.

I bought a seed heat mat..and my bubble was busted when I broke out the calendar! It's (spring) so far away!!!

I've been looking at my seeds too! I think I'm going to try winter sowing my tomatoes so I can get started on them soon!