INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kittydoc]

Here's a question for those of you who take credit cards for payment.  I remember a while back Brad & several others talked about it, but I don't have hours available to search for that conversation!  I'm not very familiar at all with what's out there, etc.  I've heard of the Square thing.  Wondered if anyone has actually used it or something else, how it works, do you like using it, etc.  I don't need it for my chicken stuff, but I'd be interested in having some way for customers to pay during craft bazaar season.  I had a number of people ask me if I took credit cards last year and lost some sales because they didn't have enough cash!

Square works well. Just upcharge by 2% or whatever the current fee is to cover what it costs. Or have them use Paypal but tell them to use the "friends" setting and a bank account so you are not charged their even higher fee.

 

[kittydoc]

What age do cockerels fight each other? The 3 males I hatched on April 12th (now 5 mo) are still together with all the hens. I have not noticed fighting or aggression (toward people or each other). My biggest deciding factor on which to keep will be temperament. Are there warning signs I can look for? Now that they are all crowing & mating the hens, will they start to fight each other? (Hatched together, so they already have a peck order.) Our last Orp roo was raised w/o competition. We got rid of him at 11 mo b/c I didn't trust him around the kids. In order to have some selection, we kept 3. Trying to decide which roo (or roos) to keep. Specifically between the 2 orps. Bielefelder will stay unless he gives us a reason to go. Anyone with orps, please let me know what you think. (Camera was on diff setting, so colors are a little off.) Roo#1 Faster to mature (crowed & mated early) Nice round body & xtra shiny tail (I think he's more attractive) Takes treats from our hands & offers treats to the hens (the other roos just gobble the treats) Can pick up easily / never squirms My daughter's fav Crows more frequently - especially when we're outside with food. Has a slight limp (not sure what he did), so I'm nervous that it might be a future problem as he gets bigger. Roo #2 Nicer low-pitched crow Very shiny feathers. Long neck & not filled out. More skittish / avoids people. Squirms when we 1st pick him up. Roo #3 Just started crowing, but infrequent. Not good at mating hens / awkward & pulls feathers Not as friendly as roo 1, but not as skittish as roo 2 Have heard good things about this breed Worried comb will get frostbite easy - long thin tips

1 is the better Orp cockerel, but check his feet and legs including underside of feet...though I'm sure you have. If you can, crate him in an open front crate or carrier so he can rest for a few days, and perhaps give some baby aspirin according to a reliable website. I'm out of town or I'd look it up for you. My Biele cockerel doesn't crow, but he has plenty of competition. He is also not breeding yet, so your boy is acting more mature while the same age and similar appearance.

 

[ChickCrazed]

So, not to distract from your frustration, but how is your Hedemora's temperament other than her broodiness? I've admired them for a long time, and I can deal with broodiness, I just can't stand flightiness and hand-shyness, personally...

Also, hugs about your decision with your horse.

That's a tough decision to make after that much time.

I'm glad I can let you know you can safely cross one breed off your list! The Hedemora hen is pretty evil, she is super stand-offish and unfriendly with me and nasty to the other chickens, so her perpetual broodiness is one in a long list of reasons she will be "leaving" soon lol. Her "brother" was the rooster that pecked my poor Isbar rooster's eyes out..... my disclaimer is that the Hedemora are a landrace breed, so I'm sure there is a lot of variability in personality like there is in appearance.

 

[Faraday40]

Another Cuddles Update:
So far tried Corid
Then wormed for 5 days with Safeguard.(fenbendazole) - I know she had some worms, so I just finished worming the flock.

Cuddles is acting better & more talkative. No longer doing the open mouth yawn. Her eyes are bright, comb's always been red, & her walk has picked up in pace. (Doesn't run, though.)

She's improved, but not better. She will eat bread & mealworms. I've seen her drink & eat grass & bugs outside. Won't touch her crumbles - dry or wet. Doesn't want to eat any kind of wet food like oatmeal & yogurt. Her crop can fill & flatten. This morning it feels flat, soft, & squishy. It has never been rock hard, but rather fills & flattens a little.

She doesn't seem to have an appetite & when with the flock, doesn't run or fight for food. That's the most noticeable symptom. Any ideas or things to look for at this point?

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

Is this normal I'm rescuing him tomorrow and know he will be here either way but I was resently told silkies shouldn't have wattles or comb... So is he mixed?

He is a non bearded silkie roo. Yes, the ha e combs and waddles. If they have the full beard, you can't see as much of the waddles. He doesn't look like a mix to me, just non bearded.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

My little White Holland turkey hen is already squatting! She drops to the ground as soon as I come anywhere near her. Not a good thing, my MW tom is already strutting for her, forget it buddy! I know one Holland is a tom for sure, he is trying to gobble and the neck is super long, nice dewlap developing.. #3 has me on the fence, she is big as the tom but acts hen, has the mohawk stripe down the back of the neck... not sure yet.
Have yet another MW hen trying to build a nest in my old coop. I am swapping duck eggs with what she lays, lol. We can always hatch more ducks and they are hardier than poults outdoors. Setting about a dozen more turkey eggs tonight in the bator, Bourbon and Midgets. Leaving plenty of space for my JMF quail eggs next week

Sorry to hear about your Orpington. That is puzzling. :/ It's always disturbing when they go mysteriously...

Sounds like you're going to be buried in babies before long! I'm more than a little jealous. Baby duckies are about the cutest things on two legs!

Silkies can be tricky.  Two or three years ago I showed a "pullet" all spring--had a lovely vaulted skull and a lower profile; during the summer, "she" started crowing and developed the rooster comb.  None of the judges caught that she was a he, and I had also conferred with a top silkie breeder, who thought pullet as well.   

Yeah, tricky is for sure! I remember thinking my Margaret was a boy, and a few people agreed with me, but she's all girl now. Just finished with her 27428874th time brooding, as a matter of fact. I'd be neck deep in birds if I let her raise chicks every time she wanted to!

I'm glad I can let you know you can safely cross one breed off your list!  The Hedemora hen is pretty evil, she is super stand-offish and unfriendly with me and nasty to the other chickens, so her perpetual broodiness is one in a long list of reasons she will be "leaving" soon lol.  Her "brother" was the rooster that pecked my poor Isbar rooster's eyes out..... my disclaimer is that the Hedemora are a landrace breed, so I'm sure there is a lot of variability in personality like there is in appearance. 

Aw, really? I really like the looks of them, and I'm very interested in landraces, but I don't want to deal with unpleasant birds, even if it isn't all of them... :/ She sounds a lot like a mixed breed hen I had, though, and I'm not afraid to say I despised that hen... Only hen I ever disliked so much. She was evil, flighty, always pushing around the other hens, and the last straw for her was when she tried repeatedly to kill my little Sebright bantams. So I understand being through with her!

 

[Candy442]

Another Cuddles Update:
So far tried Corid
Then wormed for 5 days with Safeguard.(fenbendazole) - I know she had some worms, so I just finished worming the flock.

Cuddles is acting better & more talkative. No longer doing the open mouth yawn. Her eyes are bright, comb's always been red, & her walk has picked up in pace. (Doesn't run, though.)

She's improved, but not better. She will eat bread & mealworms. I've seen her drink & eat grass & bugs outside. Won't touch her crumbles - dry or wet. Doesn't want to eat any kind of wet food like oatmeal & yogurt. Her crop can fill & flatten. This morning it feels flat, soft, & squishy. It has never been rock hard, but rather fills & flattens a little.

She doesn't seem to have an appetite & when with the flock, doesn't run or fight for food. That's the most noticeable symptom. Any ideas or things to look for at this point?

How is the swollen abdomen symptom? Has it gone down?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
yes, the fees will add up quick for lots of small purchases. I think it is 30 cents plus 3% for paypal. The legally correct way to cover the cost of the fees is to set a price that assumes everyone will pay using the most expensive fee method out there. Then offer a discount for paying in cash.
Currently I accept cash only for my chickens except in a few transactions between people on here. Cash is nice because it is not as easily traced.

 

[Indyshent]

So I was really pleased looking over my newly molted LO adult hen, and my Black orp fella from @kittydoc thats maturing so nicely! Have been integrating him with my LO cockerels and he has become the alpha cockerel in the group. My adult hen and any pullets he is around adore him.
Had a very upsetting loss today, saw turkey vultures aka buzzards circling overhead.. so I started looking around. They know and seem to smell if something has died. Its really creepy when they come, they will circle, and will all but land even if you are standing outside. Ugliest birds you will ever see, just huge. Since we process on a fairly regular basis here I am used to seeing them. Finally found my LO pullet that had broken her neck under a tree by the parking area of our driveway. Not sure if she was perching and fell, made a bad jump.. no idea. So we have one mature hen left, plenty of roos however. DD is bringing any pullets she has back to me and they are getting locked up again. Appears they just do not do well free ranging. I may not keep the breed next year unless a coop is built specifically for them. I am using a different LO rooster this year since my big fellas eyes are so wrinkled and "squinty" looking, trying to improve the eyes in my line.

My little White Holland turkey hen is already squatting! She drops to the ground as soon as I come anywhere near her. Not a good thing, my MW tom is already strutting for her, forget it buddy! I know one Holland is a tom for sure, he is trying to gobble and the neck is super long, nice dewlap developing.. #3 has me on the fence, she is big as the tom but acts hen, has the mohawk stripe down the back of the neck... not sure yet.
Have yet another MW hen trying to build a nest in my old coop. I am swapping duck eggs with what she lays, lol. We can always hatch more ducks and they are hardier than poults outdoors. Setting about a dozen more turkey eggs tonight in the bator, Bourbon and Midgets. Leaving plenty of space for my JMF quail eggs next week

Oo, lots of great news here, but I'm sorry for your loss

Trust the mohawk more than the size. They trade places pretty rapidly in size rankings, especially for the first few months it seems. There have been times some of the hens were bigger than our BB jake. Our dominant hen, Falkor, we thought was a jake for awhile because she would strut and haul off on the jake when he tangled with the girls. Nope, Falkor's definitely a hen. She's squatting and probably laying already. I wasn't expecting eggs until November; these girls are super early bloomers. Eggs are pretty small as yet, but I have faith the girls will be dropping omelets pretty soon. Of the three, Vermi's the only one not squatting every time an adult goes outside.

BTW, in anyone's experience here, will the girls calm down (and quiet down) if I get them a man? Or will adding one make the yard even louder?

 

[daskhan]

Girls will become quiter but man will be louder so it's a trade off multiple loud mouths or one loud mouth slightly Louder lol