INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

Hello All! I am pretty new to keeping chickens. I have a mixed flock of colorful layers. Still looking for a few more Pullets... But then again don't we all have a "wish list" lol! I have 2 EE, 3 Buff Brahma, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Buff Rock, 3 Marans (black, blue, splash) 5 Ameraucanas (blue, black, white) and 2 Swedish Flower hens. Would like to add a Welsummer, a fancy color Orphington , and something that lays a white egg
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Quote: Candle the eggs before you toss, seriously! Scovies are a 5 week hatch, so I assume they hold fertility longer as well. Chocolates may appear black as they start to feather also. Next year at molt they can change again! Its interesting to watch the colors every season.
Huey as a young duck, bottom right. She was just a few months old about 3 years ago now!
Donald top right.. Teaser, can anyone guess the drake in the picture?

Huey a few days ago




Donald a few days ago:



I bought some "French Marans" eggs from craigslist when we quickly needed fertile eggs for our DD's experiment. One hatched out BLUE!!! The others were black with feathered shanks like in the EllymayRans photo. The blue one, though, has a little more feathering - Hobbit-like feet. The outer toes have thick feather quills, so I also thought it looked like an extra toe until I examined it closely. Now they just look like it's wearing dust mops for feet. Most of the eggs looked very dark, but some were lighter. I never really asked about the quality b/c we only needed eggs, but I'm pretty sure they should have feathered legs. The only thing that threw me was the blue one. I thought all marans were "black copper marans."

BTW- This is the blue one. I'm pretty sure it's a male, so he'll be donated soon. If anyone thinks it's a female, please let me know before we give away our favorite chick.



Here's Blue a few weeks ago





Here's its brother to compare: "Mr Obvious"
I have a couple blue coppers growing up now. Mine are about the same blue tint.

About a week ago I thought I saw some fertile eggs from one of my hens. Yesterday I swear I saw another fertile egg from a different hen. Today it was confirmed. I caught my dominant cockerel attempting to mount a hen. She was patiently waiting for him to balance himself. Quite a funny sight & a rather desperate hen! The boy is only 3.5 months old, but I must give him an A for effort. (Kittydoc - This is Cogburn's offspring!)

We were laughing b/c I kept finding him inside the coop - often inside a nest box. I told my DH that he was trying to learn how to lay an egg. Now I know why he was "hanging out" in there. LOL

Awesome!
our chickies had a little visitor this eve . . . . .
I love watching squirrels and rabbits interacting with the birds. They don't really mind each other a bit.

Well, we are butchering our first bird. The whole reason I got Cornish crosses was so that we could have some practice for when we had to butcher a turkey, but that wasn't God's plan on this one. Our poor jake suffered a leg injury which has been compounded by straining himself too quickly and finally by horrible swelling. We have tried everything else we could think of to help him, but he was passing out in his water dish and aspirating it, his appetite has suffered due to pain and trouble breathing, and we just couldn't bear to have him in so much pain indefinitely. Initially, the plan was that I could help set up, and my husband would 'do the deed', but he wound up needing me to hold our jake's head down so he could get a cleaner shot. And I bawled like a baby. We've both invested so much in this bird, trying to get him back on his feet, giving him treats and pets, keeping him cool and supplied with aspirin, wiping his bottom.

His hens are going crazy. They bombarded my house and refused to leave while we were gearing up for the deed. Walked out the front door and around the house, ate some ornamental strawberries and ransacked some cherry tomato plants, still refused to go back to our backyard, so I had to pick them and take them (oo, how Vermithrax HATES being picked up, too). They seemed really worried, like they were looking for him. We had him in the garage.

I really ought to be hungry, but I just can't work up an appetite.
I am sorry you went through it.. Seriously I would consider a heritage breed, its a lot less heartache and a long lifespan.
 
Hello All! I am pretty new to keeping chickens. I have a mixed flock of colorful layers. Still looking for a few more Pullets... But then again don't we all have a "wish list" lol! I have 2 EE, 3 Buff Brahma, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Buff Rock, 3 Marans (black, blue, splash) 5 Ameraucanas (blue, black, white) and 2 Swedish Flower hens. Would like to add a Welsummer, a fancy color Orphington , and something that lays a white egg
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welcome-byc.gif
WELCOME! To BYC and our thread!
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@Faraday40 how old are the maran chicks? I had a hen with a really large comb and waddles.
It's 5 wks old. The comb & waddles are about the same size as the definite male. The color is pink (less red, than Mr Obvious) If they're anything like sexing Orpingtons, then it's a male..
 
Not up-to-date on reading so someone may have posted this article already. So forgive if this is reruns.
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Check out this article on Mareks vaccines and AI vaccines. I am a person that doesn't vaccinate. But it is frustrating to know that people think they're doing something good that has likely caused issues way beyond what they may have taken the time to consider.


http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous/


A couple of quotes:

, is also leaky. Vaccines for HPV and whooping cough can leak too; however it is unknown if this scenario creates more dangerous viruses for each of these diseases.




Personally, I don't believe that there are "perfect vaccines" (as opposed to "leaky vaccines") as the article states.
 
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