INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[browncow15]

A belated Happy 4th of July. I hope everyone got to see some good fireworks last night. We found a surprise in the incubator yesterday morning. It hatched from the Dominque eggs that were scrambled by the PO. I'm very surprised one hatched. I expected nothing. Now the hard part. It's supposed to be sexable at hatch. I see a round head spot (female), but maybe a little irreg as well. I see dark legs (female), but the toes are not. Am I the only one that can hatch sexable birds & still not be able to sex them?

After looking up pics my totally non expert opinion is female. From what I saw there were females with a bit of yellow on their legs but no males with the black. If that makes sense.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Great meeting up with @chickrookie and @Indyshent today! Sophie's lil girl left with chickrookie and Sophie now hates me lol

Ah well, she had stopped nursing her so it was time. Off to bed, have a busy day tomorrow.

 

[chick rookie]

Great meeting up with @chickrookie and @Indyshent today! Sophie's lil girl left with chickrookie and Sophie now hates me lol

Ah well, she had stopped nursing her so it was time. Off to bed, have a busy day tomorrow.

It was great to finally meet you. I love being able to put a face with a name. loved your critters. We think when we get our new place ( when ever that may be ) we would like some Scovey's they were really cool. I loved the LO's and as soon as you get some eggs let me know maybe I can con you into shipping them to us.

We have officially named Sophie's little one, Roadie. she actually liked the ride home once the first wave of "hey where's my mom shock " wore off. She was up looking around and chewing her cud and eating hay the whole way. The whole time I was trimming goat feet at DH's friends Roaie had kids pulling grass and weeds for her and she ate it all happily. Told DH I wanted my own jail. That was a good Ideal, got a couple that need to be in jail a few days... lol
Rodie has picked our LaMancha bottle billy as her bud ( the one that made us late ) and our LGD Bear as her protector any time she got scared last night when we got home. this morning when I went out to check on them at 3 am her and the LaMancha were fast asleep in his dog house which I uess is now their dog house.

I agree with the Cochin given those heavily feathered thighs and shanks but without a better close up of the others comb, body and shanks I'm not sure.

DH is happier with Cochin, seeing that he has wanted one for 2 years now... lol

Mine are from Meyer Hatchery. I keep my birds solely as pets, so I'm not sure I can sell them as egg-and-meat birds. But, I will give you my honest experience with their production.

They lay fairly often, at least 4-5 times a week. They aren't super heavy producers and their eggs aren't the biggest, but they do produce large eggs according to my egg scale. They have both taken one or two short breaks to try brooding, but they have been the easiest birds to break in my flock and quit brooding within a few days of being kept off the nest. My girls are not as heavy as the breeder birds, that I'm relatively sure of. They at least don't look as heavy. They are, however, very meaty gals and heavy in comparison to many of my other birds. They are about 14 months old, so my experience is in the pullet stage (well, and 2 months of 'hen-ness').

What sold me on them is their personalities. They are calm and easily handled, have no problems with me working and moving around them. So calm, in fact, that I can pick them both up at once (as in, smush them together and lift) and carry them around if I need to, one under each arm. They are personable and sweet, sometimes just standing at my feet and looking up at me for attention. They would lounge in my lap for hours if I let them, just soaking in all the love they can take. I could go on and on...

Anyway, that's probably the best I can do for selling them, short of posting more pictures.

It's true what the first person says, they are really on shaky ground as a breed here in the U.S. There just isn't that much interest in them.

According to the Livestock Conservancy website, there are fewer than 1000 breeding Dorkings in the entire country, as well as an estimated global population of less than 5000. Another reason why I'd like to get into breeding them in the future--to preserve a breed that is close to my heart. If you couldn't tell, I'm passionate about these birds.

But I don't expect everyone to love them as much as I do.

Yes I do, SAVE THE DORKINGS!! I kid, I kid. But seriously--

They are very pretty birds, I might try them at our new place, just don't have the space here.

My quoter just don't like you!!! Every time I try and quote u it comes out BLANK!! I still have my fingers crossed for you and others in Indy as well. I hope things calm down for you soon, just remember you have to take care of you in order to take care of others. Get some rest!!



I will post pic's of all my newbies latter today. Again, thank you @jchny2000 and @Indyshent for meeting with me and all my newbies.

 

[Proverb31mama]

Does anyone in the Fort Wayne area do chicken processing? Or rent out equipment? Or be willing to offer lessons? Or let us come watch/help? We are hoping to get some meat birds but I want to have a plan for the processing before we do. I don't want to get to the end and not know what to do .

 

[Leahs Mom]

Does anyone in the Fort Wayne area do chicken processing? Or rent out equipment? Or be willing to offer lessons? Or let us come watch/help? We are hoping to get some meat birds but I want to have a plan for the processing before we do. I don't want to get to the end and not know what to do

.

How far would you want to go to a processor? Or, were you really wanting to learn how to do it yourself? (There is a processor in the New Paris/Goshen area for a reasonable price....I understand that folks go there from as far away as FW.)




On processing, this is my favorite video that may be helpful. We got to get a "lesson" like you are hoping for with some folks we knew here locally but we've only done it that one time. But this video was extremely helpful. I think we could have done it after having read some resources and watching this, but it was nice to have the guidance of someone that had done it to ask questions as we went.

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: We didn't have the plucker. Just did the "wipe" off on the feathers.

 

[prairiegirl]

How far would you want to go to a processor? Or, were you really wanting to learn how to do it yourself? (There is a processor in the New Paris/Goshen area for a reasonable price....I understand that folks go there from as far away as FW.)

We use a place in the Goshen area. It is most likely the same one Leahs Mom mentioned above. It's very clean and we were pleased with the butchering. We have not used it since it has changed hands. It was recently taken over by a nearby family that has butchered our cows, pigs and lambs. I have the phone number and some details if anyone is interested. I just spoke with them this morning.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Probably the same place I'm talking about.... Martins?

 

[prairiegirl]

Probably the same place I'm talking about.... Martins?

Yes, that's the place.
Have you been there recently?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I wish there was somewhere close to Indy or Columbus, Indiana that processed the chickens. We can do it and have done it but time is a big factor. Equipment is another. I don't have a pluckeror a great way to keep the water the right temperature so we tend to skin the birds but that is a bit tedious too. It all boils down to time for me and I'd trade a few dollars for someone else to process our roosters. But I won't pay $8+ a rooster like the traveling processor on FB is asking.