INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Recent articles pertaining to avian influenza: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/16/bird-flu-to-human-transmission-a-concern-not-yet-high-risk-cdc.html Actually, this article is more about financial issues, like egg prices possibly shooting up to $6 a dozen if we have another outbreak in the fall.

Please ignore that article's outdated link to a bird vaccine against H5N2. This older article said it was only 60% effective. This article from July stated 100% efficacy in chickens (being tested in turkeys now): http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-usda-bird-flu-vaccine-chickens.html

Everything else is peaceful here for now. I lost a lavender Orp hen a few weeks ago and was so upset I couldn't even write about it. She had severe acute sour crop, and died within two hours of me finding her with it. She had been fine earlier that day. Kinda just blew me away and made me glad I kept a couple of pullet chicks so I'll still be up one pullet/hen laying in Jan/Feb. I had, of course, hoped to be up 2 lavs. Sigh.

My 3-4 month old blue English Orp cockerel is now as big as my hens. He's having quite the growth spurt. So far, he's fairly quiet, and he's been living with the blue hens for a while. I also have a baby blue boy I kept to see which I'll like better, but the difference in age is large so I probably won't decide until mid-winter.

Here are some pics from a couple of weeks ago, right after my youngest Orps (the lavs and blues) figured out how to climb the ladder up to the roost. They are now good little chickens and roost on the bar like they're supposed to, but just figuring out how to climb the ladder is always an exciting day.


Above is most of the group all scrunched together. This photo has lavs, blues, and blacks. Lavs are 50% English, rest are full English.




Three of my four lavs and one black in the back.

Sorry for the duplicate. Couldn't figure out how to delete it!




This is our darling Oly. She is half Orp and half Ameracauna. Her dad was a delicious lav Orp and her mom is a red wheaten. Her comb is so weird! It defies classification. She is a tall bird like the Orps her age, but her body type is more like the Ameracauna. DH wanted an olive egger, so here she is!

Sorry to hear about your hen.

Kittydoc-
Here's one of Cogburn's sons. He's the pretty orp & already mating with the hens. His brother doesn't have the same round, fluffy look, but we like his lower-pitched crow.



Pics were taken on a windy day.

Wow, he is a handsome fella! My lil guy from @kittydoc is a real charmer too. The longer I keep orps, the more I love the breed.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So been wondering something coop vs tote tractor I'll call it
But anyway I put my buffs in the tote tractor and left my rirs in the main coop.. About a week ago I noticed that the rir had a clutch of eggs and one would sit on it all day then I noticed the buffs weren't sleeping in the raised coop but were on the ground.. Were even laying there eggs on the ground so I added another tote to the lower portion as a temperary fix ok couple days go by every day check they seem to enjoy the new tote and are happy well I finally get time to check at night and notice only three are in the bottom one I open the top tote and there's Thelma sitting on ten eggs and I think good for her Louise is just outside the tote in the main coop sleeping guard I guess lol but today I night checked the rir who earlier in the day tried to rip my head off when I tried to pet her while she was sitting on her eggs and she was not sitting on the eggs but was purched with the rest of them so my question is either of these clutches going to hatch? The rir doesn't seem to sit on hers at night when it's the coldest so low hope there but the buff sits at night but not the day.. Tote stays kinda warm during the day so I have some hope... But any input from anyone?

If they aren't staying on the eggs day and night, they are not brooding yet, just guarding over the eggs. Do they have enough space to move about freely?

 

[daskhan]

Depends on what you mean by that. yes they can get up and leave the nest box but they are well old enough to have had a few hatches not entirely sure how hold they are but they've been laying since I bought them it's just weird I guess what should I do?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Depends on what you mean by that. yes they can get up and leave the nest box but they are well old enough to have had a few hatches not entirely sure how hold they are but they've been laying since I bought them it's just weird I guess what should I do?

A broody hen will look like a "chicken pancake", flattening herself over her eggs. she will stand if the eggs are getting too warm, however.
How long by wide is the run area of your tractor? I saw the picture, but trying to figure square foot per bird. Do all the hens get along, or is one less social than the others?

 

[daskhan]

The tractor is ruffly 8 by 4 I believe maybe 7 by 4 so plenty of room I think they all seem to get along only thing is two sleeps up too and three sleep in the bottom tote(not in picture) generally that's what they look like when they are on the eggs I would say more like a chicken hat though they are flat where the eggs are but tail up in the air and head poking over the front board

 

[pbirdhaven]

Aaargh! I posted about my free rangers that roost in my shed with my dogs to protect them. I had another (notice had) group of 10 Marans that free ranged during the day but had a pen for bedtime. This pen is further from the house and toward the front of the property. When I went down to feed this evening, there was not a single Marans to be found.

This had to be a group of predators to get all 10 at one time--probably too many for the dogs to handle. There was no sign of carnage--just a few feathers in one spot.
I also had the thought that it could have been two-legged varmints, but there is a pair of Polish penned there and they are fine. However, they are in a dog crate up by the house now until I get their pen moved closer.
Six acres and basically everybody is going to be in my back yard!

 

[daskhan]

Is it possible that after seeing one attacked the other nine high tailed it somewhere else? Like in the woods or something

 

[ChickCrazed]

So been wondering something coop vs tote tractor I'll call it
But anyway I put my buffs in the tote tractor and left my rirs in the main coop.. About a week ago I noticed that the rir had a clutch of eggs and one would sit on it all day then I noticed the buffs weren't sleeping in the raised coop but were on the ground.. Were even laying there eggs on the ground so I added another tote to the lower portion as a temperary fix ok couple days go by every day check they seem to enjoy the new tote and are happy well I finally get time to check at night and notice only three are in the bottom one I open the top tote and there's Thelma sitting on ten eggs and I think good for her Louise is just outside the tote in the main coop sleeping guard I guess lol but today I night checked the rir who earlier in the day tried to rip my head off when I tried to pet her while she was sitting on her eggs and she was not sitting on the eggs but was purched with the rest of them so my question is either of these clutches going to hatch? The rir doesn't seem to sit on hers at night when it's the coldest so low hope there but the buff sits at night but not the day.. Tote stays kinda warm during the day so I have some hope... But any input from anyone?

Tractors don't provide enough room for chickens in the winter (in my opinion). The beauty of the tractor is that you can move it around and provide them a safe way to eat bugs/grass/weeds. In the winter there isn't anything to eat and I don't think they provide enough space, which can lead to bullying and damage to each other out of boredom. In the winter a lot of chickens won't go out in the run if there is snow on the ground (mine won't, a few others have some that will), and a tote is not going to provide them enough space to spend a lot of time in. I would try to get a shed up and going by winter. You also don't worry about separating for breeding in the winter since it is too cold to gather eggs anyway (for most people the eggs freeze before you can get out there). Also ventilation will be a major issue in such a small space that is made of plastic. You will probably have MAJOR issues with frostbite. Anyway, just my opinion and experience!

Your eggs won't develop properly until your hens are sitting full time.

 

[daskhan]

Tractors don't provide enough room for chickens in the winter (in my opinion). The beauty of the tractor is that you can move it around and provide them a safe way to eat bugs/grass/weeds. In the winter there isn't anything to eat and I don't think they provide enough space, which can lead to bullying and damage to each other out of boredom. In the winter a lot of chickens won't go out in the run if there is snow on the ground (mine won't, a few others have some that will), and a tote is not going to provide them enough space to spend a lot of time in. I would try to get a shed up and going by winter. You also don't worry about separating for breeding in the winter since it is too cold to gather eggs anyway (for most people the eggs freeze before you can get out there). Also ventilation will be a major issue in such a small space that is made of plastic. You will probably have MAJOR issues with frostbite. Anyway, just my opinion and experience!

Your eggs won't develop properly until your hens are sitting full time.

can we please drop the tote tractor in the winter discussion ive already metioned multiple times that this was a warm weather breeding only thing i have two full size chicken coops one measuring 20 x10 and 5 x 8 both with sizable runs the tractor was specifically for breeding NOT FOR WINTER

 

[Hholly]

LOL, this made my day!