INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Would like a second opinion. Is this egg fertile or not? The egg spot's not solid, bright white like most infertile eggs, but I can't see a clear ring either.

Think its fertile.

Idk how to start a new post and not just reply but... We got our first egg! We have RIR and a RIR/White Rock

Congrats!!!! Yummy eggs for breakfast.

Just cleaned out our layers coop in the barn!! This was a much needed chore to be done!! But it now looks good and the chickens should be happy happy happy, at least for a little while. Still need two more coops done!

Ugh, hear that.

Hi everyone. I haven't been on in I don't know how long. Well I am moving out of state and have found homes for almost all my chickens. BUT.. I have some Millie Roos that need good homes, 2 little ones and 5 adults. Please email me if interested. Need to be gone soon or I'll have to give them to a neighbor who will keep them in cages and just take them to nasty swap meets!! Cute little guys. And they are free!! Willing to meet if not to far!

sorry to hear about the move. Best wishes to you.

My informative post of the month.

With spring coming, I think many of us will be considering expanding our coops and a few of our newer members might be still planning their first coop.
I'm going to highly recommend the coop made from a shed. Sheds pop up on craigslist often, sometimes for free if someone will just move them.

The moving is the hard part for the average person. Myself I found a used shed and a shed mover. It worked out great. The shed mover has a post on CL.
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grq/4922953609.html

He is great, he will even track down the size of a shed you want if possible. He also sells economy new sheds, but a used shed works wonders for a chicken coop.

Steps for converting a shed in the simplest way.
1. either add a door for the chickens or allow them to use the human door.
2. Add a couple of roosting bars. This is rather easy as they do not have to be perfectly straight (level is good though) and many sheds are framed in a way that it is so easy to screw down a 2x4 onto the existing framing
3. Put in a nesting box or two. For simple starters this can be a bucket or a milk crate.

A shed can also be converted into a fancy chicken house complete with sections. For a good example here, I recommend looking at @Leahs Mom 's coop pictures. For a good example of breeding pens inside of a shed, this gingerbread coop is a nice setup. Lots of dividing going on in the run area to keep the breeds pure. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pepparkakor-h-nshus-gingerbread-henhouse

Excellent post. I only have 1 true "coop" the rest are all sheds. totally easiest to make work as you need. Highly recommend no floor as you can use a deep littler substrate.

 

[barb s]

This is totally un-chicken related. But I wanted to post a couple pictures of the newest member of our inside zoo.





The momma gave birth to 3 kittens outside our back door sometime this morning, but this is the only one that we could save. The other 2 were already gone by the time we found them. These pictures were taken about 9 this morning. I think that I am going to name it Spunky, cuz it sure has a lot of spunk

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Really long day today. Mom spent all day at the ER in Anderson. Had severe pain in her abdomen, rushed her to the ER. Got her home around 9 tonight, has an infection going and possibly diverticulitis. We see her Dr tomorrow to find out more.
Still wondering if its not time to rethink things, against my family's wishes.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

This is totally un-chicken related. But I wanted to post a couple pictures of the newest member of our inside zoo.





The momma gave birth to 3 kittens outside our back door sometime this morning, but this is the only one that we could save. The other 2 were already gone by the time we found them. These pictures were taken about 9 this morning. I think that I am going to name it Spunky, cuz it sure has a lot of spunk

Precious lil life and so tiny! Good luck.

 

[Mother2Hens]

With various forms of avian influenza getting closer to us all the time (Minnesota now), here's a good article written specifically with backyard flock owners in mind. http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2015/03/pet_talk_protect_your_backyard.html

It's always helpful to spread the word (not germs-lol) about biosecurity! Good article.

Side note: I'm trying to get terra cotta pots painted for moms and grandmas for Mother's Day well in advance so I can get bulbs and seeds to sprout and be purdy in time. Mother-in-law loves roosters, so I decided to paint a Phoenix for her. The black stuff in front of him are his tail feathers which have trailed all along the bottom of the pot.


And after coloring...



@Indyshent Nice artwork! Handmade gifts are the best.

@bradselig Whew! Glad to hear your partridge Cochins arrived safely! I assume it was the snowstorm that delayed the package.

Idk how to start a new post and not just reply but... We got our first egg! We have RIR and a RIR/White Rock
@3arrowfarm Congrats on your first egg! That's such a thrilling event.
You posted correctly just by using Reply. We have one long multi-subject, multi-member discussion thread! It's good for the brain (and lots of fun) to keep track of conversations, members, and photos.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who chimed in to answer my "chicks from different places" question. I appreciate the input. I just had a friend whose hubby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Devastating, shocking, and I just have not been able to find the time to respond.

@flyladyrocks I'm really sorry to hear about your friend whose DH was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer!

Coincidentally, I am designing a logo, brochure, and copywriting, etc. for a new pancreatic cancer foundation. The founder has had pancreatic cancer for 13 years, which is practically unheard of. He had the same type that Steve Jobs had-- a more rare type with neuroendocrine tumors. The purpose of the foundation is to be a health advocate and empower people and their families by teaching them how to advocate. Health advocates help people navigate the healthcare system, programs, and resources. It also helps families with basic needs and travel expenses. I'm sure your friends are in shock, but if they are interested at any time to talk to an experienced person who is living and helping people with pancreatic cancer, just PM me.

Really long day today. Mom spent all day at the ER in Anderson. Had severe pain in her abdomen, rushed her to the ER. Got her home around 9 tonight, has an infection going and possibly diverticulitis. We see her Dr tomorrow to find out more.
Still wondering if its not time to rethink things, against my family's wishes.

Janet

"IMO" Just take one step at a time and try not to feel like you have to make a bunch of decisions. Concentrate on your mom and see what her doc says. Please let us know how it goes.

 

[Acornewell]

Anyone interested in seed or cuttings swapping?

 

[ChickCrazed]

Thanks flyladyrocks! My coop is a shed setup very similar to @Leahs Mom (who has a very nice coop!). But it is divided into three large breeding pens. One is 4X10 and the other two are 6x6.

Exterior shot of the coop (white) and front two runs. This is also the designated chicken yard.

Back run


Layout

Inside




I haven't taken any pics since I put windows in each of the back two pens and added lights. I like the setup well. This year I will be adding two broody/hospital areas to the last unused section of the shed. I am thinking they will be 3x8, around 3 feet tall and one stacked on top of the other. That is really the last thing I am missing. I didn't have a good place for my broody to hatch and I want to provide a more permanent hospital area (that could be used to house extra roos/breeding trios for controlled breeding or as grow out pens as well).

I'd still love to have you up to see the place but I would recommend waiting until it dries out! I had to jet ski over to the barn last night!

 

[danand]

Thanks, Jchny. We are moving to Savannah Ga.....where it's warm!!! I am taking 4 Miliies girls and 2 silkie girls!!

 

[pginsber]

Anyone interested in seed or cuttings swapping?

Sure! I have lots of seeds from this year I could share. We have a small-ish garden, and always purchase more seeds than we can use. For example, we like three varieties of eggplant, but we only grow 2 plants of each variety...so we end up with 75+ seeds when we only need 6. The same holds true for tomatoes, squash, cabbage, etc. Here are some heirloom seeds I'd be willing to share.
Seeds:
Greyhound Cabbage
Telegraph improved cucumber
Fengyuan Purple Eggplant
Ping Tung Eggplant
Hansel (Hybrid) Eggplant
Machiaw (Hybrid) Eggplant
Obus/Kroumir Melon
Minnesota Midget
Zucchini Golden Squash
Zucchini Fordhook Squash
Butternut-Waltham Squash
Miyashige Daikon Radish
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon
Anna Russian Tomato
Aunt Ginny's Purple Tomato
Black Cherry Tomato
Jersey Devil Tomato
Cherokee Purple Tomato
Red Rose Tomato
Broad Ripple Yellow Currant Tomato
Gold Medal Tomato
Heidi Tomato
Mortgage lifter, Radiator Charlie Tomato
Omar Lebanese Tomato
Eva Purple Ball Tomato

What types of cuttings are you talking about?