INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kasey08]

I'm hoping next spring mine will be producing chicks. Check back later.

Do you know of any Big silkie breeders in South Indiana?

 

[daskhan]

Sometimes things happen even with trusted sources. Purdue and APHIS recommend 30 days. I isolate for 30 days regardless. Coccidiosis has happened twice. It was a lot easier to treat a few birds in quarantine instead of treating your whole flock. The biggest risk is respiratory diseases that can become chronic and which are incurable, then your flock is ruined if your goal is to sell or trade birds. Mycoplasma gallisepticum is one of the chronic respiratory diseases, just for example. Mite infestations in young chicks can cause fatal blood loss, and eggs may not be obvious on the day you buy them. If they are mixed with other chicks, it spreads very quickly. Just a few examples why it's better to be safe than sorry.

All very good insight I will have to take all of this into consideration... I already treat for coccidiosis at all times.. But good to know I guess it's to late with this roo he's already been in the pen for two days.. Now I don't have a lot of land so how far apart should be the pens?

 

[daskhan]

Do you know of any Big silkie breeders in South Indiana?

Do you know if you mean someone who has a lot or like silkies that are big?

 

[kabhyper1]

Do you know of any Big silkie breeders in South Indiana?

If you are referring to large fowl silkies, there are non in the US that I know of. As far as a well known or large amount of birds. Shari McCollough is in Crawfordsville. She doesn't use BYC. I am the administrator of the FB BYC page, and I believe she is a member on there. I raise breeder quality silkies, however I don't have any birds or eggs available right now. Everyone is molting and not laying. Renae Ruple in Middlebury ships eggs also but she is North. You could have her ship you some hatching eggs if you want to hatch your own. This is a bad time of year to try to buy nice quality silkies. Not too many are hatching or selling that I know of in preparation for winter, and due to molting non laying birds. You could ask Brad what he has still. I haven't talked to him in awhile to know what he still has. He is in Warren near Huntington. @bradselig

 

[daskhan]

If you are referring to large fowl silkies, there are non in the US that I know of. As far as a well known or large amount of birds. Shari McCollough is in Crawfordsville. She doesn't use BYC. I am the administrator of the FB BYC page, and I believe she is a member on there. I raise breeder quality silkies, however I don't have any birds or eggs available right now. Everyone is molting and not laying. Renae Ruple in Middlebury ships eggs also but she is North. You could have her ship you some hatching eggs if you want to hatch your own. This is a bad time of year to try to buy nice quality silkies. Not too many are hatching or selling that I know of in preparation for winter, and due to molting non laying birds. You could ask Brad what he has still. I haven't talked to him in awhile to know what he still has. He is in Warren near Huntington.  @bradselig

If that's far for you I might pick them up for a bird or two of my own

 

[chick rookie]

If the roos get along, you have just barely the 4 sq ft/bird you need. If you have your roost up higher with a second floor about half that size, you'll have 6 sq ft which would be better.

I'm surprised a plastic shed didn't cook your birds unless it's not sealed hollow stuff. Is it like fake siding? Can you post some photos? Ours are wood and we used long staples to attach foam board, covered that with Tyvek or similar house wrap, then finished it all with corrugated steel. It's holding up great. I would have insulated the inner walls, too, but it's too much hassle now.

The Roo's get along from their own pens which are next to each other, no fighting through the fences. but they have not been together. I know someone will have to be top dog this winter I will have to watch them. But if its just flat not going to work, I figured you who have more than 1 in a flock would know how to go about putting them together as safe as possible.

I don't have the shed yet, I got it off e-bay delivery wont be till next week. I found out it was plastic when I saw the same shed in Menards the other day, I contacted the seller and asked if it was the same thing, then I told him as politely as I could that he really should mention the fact that they are plastic cause they look wood in the pic's posted.

I have a theoretical question for the group. I know that all domestic dogs are a risk to poultry in theory. Do any of you have experiences with pitbull or pitbull mix dogs and chickens and our cats? Are they better, worse, or average as predators? The pet pits I saw as a vet were awesome with people, intelligent, calm, and well-behaved. Never treated a single one for fighting, not even pet dog tussling. I do know they would be killing machines if they're fighters. A classmate's brother was killed by one that broke its chain and bit through his femoral artery. He died quick.

My husband and I have been talking about getting a dog for a few months now. I think it's because we have empty nest syndrome! Anyway, the dog would mostly be indoors anyway, partly because it's a pitbull and I don't want to frighten my neighbors. But also because I want it to be supervised. I would like to acclimate it to the chickens if that's doable. Our cats will be very PO'd at us but they'll get over it. This is a young adult female that we are considering. What do the rest of you think?

Am I asking for trouble? I'd like to think the occasional presence of the dog outside and the dog leaving scent markings of all varieties might help deter other dogs as well as the coyotes we have in our area. I am not worried about the dog breaking into our coop and our birds never get out of the yard at all anymore since we put up the bird netting. We would like to get a dog at some point, and will, but most of the time when I know somebody has a dog for adoption its further away. This one is close. If we like her, I'd like to give her a trial run.

I know ACC in Indy is giving their dogs away because they have a distemper outbreak, and most are pits or pit mixes, but those are more likely not to have a good history, esp the males.

Just my 2 cents... I have always had at least 1 pit in my family, a total of 6 5 were got as pups and were raised around all my farm critters and my grandmothers chickens. now that I have my own chickens I have raised 2 pits and 1 pit mix around my birds and other critters. only 1 was already 6 mths old when we got her, and she was not allowed around them after she killed 2. Just couldn't get her broke of it, she cost my a pretty penny in vet bills when she got one of my goats down too. ( goat lived with 27 stitches in her neck ) But I just wont get a pit of any dog for that matter if it is over 4 mths. Thats just me.

Goat kid is nursing on my pit.

She loves all babies, goats horses other dogs and chicks. O and we cant forget

She would steal this baby and I would find them under the bed the baby laid up on the dog's inside back leg sound asleep.

this is my pit mix, she is still a pup so I still keep an eye on her but she is doing great.

I think all your boys should get along. You may want to reintegrate them gradually though because each has had time to get used to being top cock in his walk for a few months now. They were all best buddies here, but a lot can happen in a couple months.

For the insulation, I'd say use the foam boards and spray-in between cracks and gaps. Fiberglass seems like something other than what it is, so birds are unhappily surprised when it makes very poor nesting material. Mice and other uninvited guests also like the loose, fluffy fiberglass.

I was think of putting 1 pen at a time in the big yard.

The shed is plastic, it's not fiberglass. I was thinking about the insul-boards but am afraid the chickens will try and eat it. and I thought about covering the board with a tarp but worried about moisture build up. Cant use that spray foam around chickens, they will eat it... Mine do anyway. But thanks for the ideals.

 

[daskhan]

I also know someone near rockville who has them but probably won't be selling till spring

 

[chick rookie]

All very good insight I will have to take all of this into consideration... I already treat for coccidiosis at all times.. But good to know I guess it's to late with this roo he's already been in the pen for two days.. Now I don't have a lot of land so how far apart should be the pens?

None of my business but why do you treat for coccidiosis at all times? Your birds will become immune to the meds and if you should have an outbreak you wont be able to treat with that anymore.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: The official answer from Purdue and the Indiana BOAH is to isolate for a month ALL new birds that come to your property. But they have some other strict bio security guidelines that just don't always work for backyard chickens. Most times I tell people to do what they feel is best for them.
Here is a link to all of the bio security handouts available online at the Indiana Poultry site. One of the bio security recommendations that I'm almost sure many poultry owners ignore is the car wash one. I know that we don't wash our car every time we leave the feed stores or grain mill. Then there is the double fence around the coop, We don't really have that in place either. But if I ever get a chance to look at a commercial hatchery, I'm almost positive they would have most if not all of the biosecurity measures in place.
http://www.inpoultry.org/biosecurity.cfm

Another link for bio security info.
https://ag.purdue.edu/ansc/poultry/Pages/Pubs_Biosecurity.aspx

 

[Hholly]

also on the topic of quarantine for new birds from trusted sources... Even if they appear healthy, the stress of relocating may may them vulnerable to anything that is in the environment, where unstressed bird could fight it off with no problems.