INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Not to break up the conversation... But my little Crashie Duck is 2 weeks old today! I think he's finally the size of a normal duckling now.

"Hey, I wasn't ready yet!"

He was lounging in my hand. Seriously, how cute can one little critter be?!

 

[Bawk]

 

It was a person posting in a facebook post, so no actual link to an article.  SandHill is in IA, right?  Are there any other hatcheries there?  I wonder who it is and when it will hit the news.

Just wanted to share that someone posted that the originating "hatchery" had more than 2,000 Peafowl, exotic pheasants, Endangered goose species, swans destroyed.  It does not sound like a typical hatchery, but what a freaking shame! 

How terrible!

 

[amwchickin]

Caught up with over 800 posts!! Chickens and Work and Pregnant Dogs keep you busy!!

Broody season has hit my girls! I have my Buff Orp that hatched out two mix and then adopted 6 Marans. My Mille Fleur decided she wants to sit on eggs. (All of them) Now I have one of my BLRW that is driving me crazy!! She is determined to sit, but keeps hopping nests. I have tried to move her into the garage and she went bizerk and broke eggs. Sitting in the hen house again on another set. I tried to break her and she did fine for all of 3 hours. Her behavior is causing the others to be really inconsistent in laying. I'm going to have to do something or I will either lose her or not get enough eggs that are usable. It's amazing how just one day makes an egg start developing that much.

So out of my year olds, I am getting 3-4 out of 9.

This year's spring group of 12 are getting red combs and getting a little less chirpy and more clucky. I got my first Leghorns eggs this week. Although they are small, my dad is excited to have his own white eggs...so maybe I can convince him to stop eating store bought...it's impossible to change his ways...

The temps have already been in the high 80's to low 90's. I've been putting out extra water in various places for the birds who haven't figured out the creek. The adults will go hang out down in the creek and stand around, sit on the cooler, shaded ground, and get better tasting bugs and crawfish! IT"S GOING TO BE A LONG SUMMER!!

I got my T-12 results back this week, all negative!! I am really hoping something breaks with the AI problem. I was planning on picking up a couple chicks from someone in Arkansas in August. I am making a trip out to Colorado, then the Grand Canyon and back home.

I also really want @SallyinIndiana 's legbars and @bradselig is killing me with all that he is selling!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

@chickcrazed oh I really hope it wasn't Sand Hill. They are trying so hard to preserve threatened breeds. (FYI I was researching Bredas a few weeks ago. So excited for you) There are other hatcheries in IA. McMurray is but they'd have way more in their incubator. On the AI map it has a place near Spencer,IA from the beginning of June.

@SallyinIndiana that is a great goat video. We watched it when you posted it before. Editing cause I accidentilly hit submit. So easy to do on my phone. I know there is so much to consider before Addi g goats. There are a couple if those little books I read this Spring which us why I saidit would be best to wait til next year. Looks like we have to push up our plans but that us doable. I think we need Nigerian Dwarf or Mini Nu Ian's. But then you torture me with selling your Oberhasli doe and @jchny2000 with her Dowling!

before picking a breed for dairy here are some thoughts to consider:
1 how much milk do you want
2 how much fat in the milk do you want
3 how do you plan to get that milk out ~ consider a sanitation set up so that the udders and teats are clean. I have settled in with an iodine spray and washrag for cleaning udders and a machine for pumping. Little goats are hard to hand milk due to everything being smaller on them. but you might still have to hand milk the last bit out depending on which pump you get.
4 how do you plan to strain and store the milk. I have an official milk strainer and milk filters from an amish supply store. Before that I use a tea strainer that was washable. I store the milk in glass jars in the fridge, a plastic milk jug is too hard to get fully clean imo.


I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just wanting to keep you informed.

And I'm rethinking selling my doe. She is starting to be very nice to me all of a sudden as if she knows she was for sale. I'm trying to trade with Jchny2000 to get one of her doelings just so mine won't be all alone with my very calm nubians. My oberhasli is so playful I think she gets bored around the nubians. for know she is with the kid goats and she is so much happier. The kids are playful for now.

 

[chickiebaby1]

Made a devastating discovery this morning as I was checking pens and letting a few out in their run for the day. Apparently a racoon decided to pay us a visit last night. It took my last LF cochin hen, a silkie and 2 of my little cochin chicks. They were all in separate pens, but they had decided to start sleeping up against the chicken wire on the front part instead of on the roosts in the back part of the pen

. We were actually going to fix it this weekend when I realized they were sleeping like that, but just hadn't had time yet, because of work and school. I feel like such a bad chicken owner because I didn't protect my babies!!!

But I'll tell you what, hubby is fixing those pens as soon as he gets home tonight and I am also going to be moving some of the younger birds to the big barn coop, I feel they will be better protected there.
I also found that one of my older silkies was walking around funny this afternoon so I brought her in and looked her over, she wasn't involved in the attack, but she was walking with her wings spread out. Never seen her do that before. When I picked her up she was just fluff and bones. I hadn't realized how skinny she was because of all her silkie feathers. So right now she is sitting in my kitchen eating a bowl of yogurt and chick starter and she acts like she hasn't ate in days. I don't understand this either because she has food in her run at all times. Do you think the other 2 were just not letting her eat or is there something else going on.
I just don't know if I can handle losing another one. This guys are my pets more than anything and I really do get attached to most of them. I'm just praying Anna gets feeling better soon.

RIP Sarabi

 

[ChickCrazed]

Made a devastating discovery this morning as I was checking pens and letting a few out in their run for the day. Apparently a racoon decided to pay us a visit last night. It took my last LF cochin hen, a silkie and 2 of my little cochin chicks. They were all in separate pens, but they had decided to start sleeping up against the chicken wire on the front part instead of on the roosts in the back part of the pen

. We were actually going to fix it this weekend when I realized they were sleeping like that, but just hadn't had time yet, because of work and school. I feel like such a bad chicken owner because I didn't protect my babies!!!

But I'll tell you what, hubby is fixing those pens as soon as he gets home tonight and I am also going to be moving some of the younger birds to the big barn coop, I feel they will be better protected there.
I also found that one of my older silkies was walking around funny this afternoon so I brought her in and looked her over, she wasn't involved in the attack, but she was walking with her wings spread out. Never seen her do that before. When I picked her up she was just fluff and bones. I hadn't realized how skinny she was because of all her silkie feathers. So right now she is sitting in my kitchen eating a bowl of yogurt and chick starter and she acts like she hasn't ate in days. I don't understand this either because she has food in her run at all times. Do you think the other 2 were just not letting her eat or is there something else going on.
I just don't know if I can handle losing another one. This guys are my pets more than anything and I really do get attached to most of them. I'm just praying Anna gets feeling better soon.

RIP Sarabi

I'm sorry

I would definitely try to get them all behind something more substantial than chicken wire, I've heard pretty much any predator can tear through that pretty easily, which is a shame because it is so nice and cheap! Now that the coon has visited and been successful I bet it will be back.

 

[goodb]

make BBQ chicken out of him. Day 1 process, Days 1-4 rest in a fridge or cooler with ice, Day 5 slow cook, pull apart, and add your favorite sauce.

That's just cruel. If someone wants him, I'd like him to go to a good home, first choice.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
Oh I won't take him, I meant for you to do it. As for cruel, its not cruel if done properly. And its is what someone has to do for all of the people that eat chickens or any animal really. At least he would have had a good life while growing up compared to the chicken farms that raise meat birds. Those birds don't have a good life imo.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

That's just cruel. If someone wants him, I'd like him to go to a good home, first choice.

A quick, clean death is in no way cruel.

 

[pbirdhaven]

So, hey, the real reason I dropped by this morning is y'all are my fave chicken experts, and I have a question. Turns out one of the marans MPC sent me was a roo. Do you have experience with Golden Cuckoo Marans roosters? Are they NICE? I dread having to deal with another holy terror like the EE roo I had last year was. If he's okay around my kid, of course I will keep him, but if he's mean he has to leave.

Hatchery chicks are always questionable; sometimes there has been so much inbreeding, etc. that they have uncharacteristic traits for that breed. I have had several Marans cocks and none has been other than friendly and gentle. Most of them have had to leave because I keep only breeding and show stock, but none even remotely aggressive.