INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Fanny is mooing so I am still up. Trying to comfort her, lots of changes for her today. Daisy the donkey is also feeling confused I think breying a lot. Took another bale of hay out to be sure they aren't hungry. Fanny I think just wants loved on, lol.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Happy Belated Birthday to @chick rookie !

Sounds like you've raised a great daughter! Happy looking trick-or-treaters! I'm glad you had a special birthday/Halloween rolled into one.


Yes, I thought that the frizzles belonged to you, so I looked it up and found that they belonged to @chickiebaby1 (Lots of chick-names)

@Faraday40 Cute photo!

Today, I about had a stroke! Around 2:00pm I went out to our fenced-in backyard and didn't see my whole flock anywhere! I had last seen them two hours earlier. My DH came out and helped call for them and look. We ran around everywhere and looked everywhere outside of the fenced area. Then I went back in the fenced area and dug through a thick section of three ornamental grasses and found the flock — safe and sound, but they had obviously been very spooked by something (guessing a hawk) because they were very well hidden and they did not make a peep. That was so eerie because normally when I call them, they call back to me. I started doing some leaf raking next to them, so eventually they came out. I'm still jittery after Ditzy's murder likely by a raccoon. We've had extremely tame opossums visiting at night, and tonight there were three young (probably siblings) raccoons on our deck outside. All of these visitors come when flood lights are on and sometimes when we're outside talking. I just yell at them and run them off.

Originally Posted by Hholly
Yes, the coop partition can be seen on page 4430, post 44294. I made one last year and used it to prevent my EE from bothering the Orps. My EE understood the concept of a partition. The recent one I made is to prevent the Orps, particularly gigantic Eliza from bothering my tiny bantam Cochin, Screech. However, Screech doesn't read rule books, and she ended up springing over the top of the partition and bothering the Orps! Tonight, it was Eliza's turn to reach over the partition and peck Screech away and off of the perch. So, Screech used her feathery feet to stomp out of the coop and march over to her old bantam coop! I intervened and when it had gotten a little darker outside, I put her back on the perch. Next, I'll have to put razor wire over the partition!
@jchny2000 Congrats on your COW and your plans for a Great Pyrenees. My BIL in Bloomington recently adopted one from a friend who was moving. It's a beautiful, sweet dog!
I'm tired ~ weekend guests and lots of trick-or-treaters ~ Fun, but I'm going to hit the hay earlier tonight.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@Mother2Hens its been an adventure. A good one though, and I am so happy to add these lovely animals. Fanny has just made my dad so happy that aside everything else is a wow. He grew up with Jersey, my gramma always kept them. He needed that. Dads hugging her and its making me so glad she is here. Thats why I do this. My parents deserve that lil bit of happiness.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Good morning everyone! I had a busy week last week. My dogs tested positive for Giardia (probably brought in with one of my last three foster dogs) and battling that (with five of them!!!) has been a nightmare!!!! I also had an appointment scheduled to get a bunch of chickens processed, and that was super bad timing with the whole Giardia thing. I got through it! It was the first time I have had any processed and I felt super sad and guilty about it....but also relieved. Since I am not planning to hatch next year I shouldn't have to do this for a while!!!!

I started getting pens rearranged. I put the Bielie pullet and the two Bielie/Isbar pullets in with the Bielies and it was the easiest transition ever. I went out the next morning and they were all out with the rest of the flock and two of them were casually swinging on the swing. LOL. What good girls. They are also a really beautiful and HUGE mix. I am surprised since the Isbars are such runts......but they got their size from the Bielies for sure. I will try to get some pictures at some point.

Winter prep is underway at the farm. I still have some trees to prune and gardens to cut back. I have been trying to get someone to haul in aglime for my horse paddock, and can't find anyone who wants to take my money!!!! It is mind boggling!!!!

 

[Indyshent]

Picture time (it's belated by a few months now):


Lavender drake has been dubbed "Goose" by my daughter (I think because he's gray, but it might just be to be humorously confusing to people). He's getting along really well with others now

. The dark drake is Groucho, but as both of the brothers we butchered had missing or lacking testes, he might also have some major reproductive concerns. Only time will tell, but we really like him and really, really don't want to eat him.



Duck, duck, Goose! Farthest left is Hattie, then Giddy and Goose. Giddy's the only bird left of the ones we had last year. She's kinda bossy with the younger birds (it's a seniority thing

). Hattie, Groucho, Reaper, and Chaplin are all from the same clutch.

Farthest back is Reaper (my daughter named her after a dragon in a Facebook game because she has a white face and black "coat"). Middle girl is Chaplin (she's got a 'stache!) and closest is Groucho.



These CX girls are Priscilla (the bigger one) and Penelope. Priscilla's going to @chickrookie whenever we can get her there! Poor little Penelope seems like she might finally be gaining some weight (she was maybe a quarter of the size of the CX roos we processed with @jchny2000 and @LonelyPageTurne this weekend.

And this is Wun Wun! He's still the tallest boy I've ever seen, though @kittydoc 's English Orps have him beat for fluffiness.





This is my daughter Fierra and our main man Mag the Mighty. He's shorter and fluffier than Wun Wun (and a lot noisier!), but he was a faster growing and a little easier to socialize (Wun Wun didn't take much effort either, but because Mag grew faster, we put more early emphasis on training him). As you can see, he's a super sweet fluffy buddy--let's anybody pick him up and man-handle him--and a darn handsome fellow (if I don't say so myself

)





Here's the older of the new boys; he's a birchen Sumatra. Once picked up, he's actually a real sweetheart and cuddles up nicely (he just doesn't want to get picked up--hasn't been well socialized yet). By way of @jchny2000 , this guy should be from @SallyinIndiana , along with the other new kid. So far, he's gotten along well with everyone and is really quiet (but we'll see how that changes as he figures things out here).


This is the new kid (and Goose!). He's deceptively gorgeous and will no doubt grow into a fine young man-mutt. We think he's a Sumatra/RIR mix (has a single comb, unlike all the other breeds @SallyinIndiana keeps). Single combs being recessive though, only time might tell what he actually is (unless she knows!). Once picked up, he cuddles very nicely, but he's a bit shy (especially since some of the girls here pick on him to show him who's boss. That'll settle down quick, knowing these girls). Looks to be in the middle of a growth spurt because every time I see him, he looks a little bigger

While the whole crew was going to be processed, I just couldn't bear the thought of all those beautiful sweeties getting butchered. I'm certainly aware of the necessity (nobody can handle a hundred or so roosters running loose on their property, after all) but it just felt like a waste (and too much effort for such tiny boys). I may take in in blue and black Sumatra (and maybe a splash-laced Wyandotte...) just to see who works out (and who gets eaten or rehomed). Birchen and gold birchen being really rare colors (for Sumatra at least) too, I just wanted to see what they'd grow up like



The blue/gold EE is Rainy (the second biggest hen I have, too!). I couldn't get a good picture of her "sister" Misty because sh'ed hopped into a neighbor yard (

), but Misty's half the weight of Rainy and has super light blue markings on her backside and hackles. Cinderella is the beardless gold EE, and Little Wellie is in the top middle (she's also going to @chickrookie ).


This teddy bear is Brienne of Tarth, and she's the biggest hen I've ever met. She's relatively heavy under all that fluff, too (but she's SUPER FLUFFY). She's found a magic portal into our house and sometimes sneaks in to lay eggs or see what food the kids might have dropped on the floor. Absolutely no complaints from me about Dark Brahmas for looks or personality; they're such beautiful, sweet natured, friendly birds that I'll likely buy all the ones I find at RK this spring. I'm sure her laying will pick up as she matures, but in the mean time, she's the best pet chicken ever, in my humble opinion

The pink hat is me throwing cherry tomatoes over the fence. I believe Big Wellie might be in the right photo. the BO with no back feathers is Donah (named and claimed by my youngest); she's have a bad molt right now, but is still one of the sweetest animals on two legs. My Wyandottes are sassy, but I haven't had the problems many others have had with them being mean. Miss Sassypants, the smaller and slightly older SLW hen pictured is actually the true alpha of the flock. Cleopatra Schwartz is the black hen (mommy Australorp Black Betty is in a big tote in my room while she carries for her bitties until I can get something better for her); she's absolutely hilarious (and SASSY!) and plays tag with our kitten in the backyard

.

This is Misty's butt as shot through the fence

This is Little Wellie again. I couldn't find Big Wellie (she hides in the garage to lay eggs).

 

[tmarsh83]

Currently dealing with a bit of scare at our place as well. I mentioned last week that our outside cat was hit on the roadside. He thought himself a golden retriever and lived with our dog outside (slept together, ate together, played together, it was the darndest thing I ever saw). Our Golden is 10, so once her outside companion left us the LW decided she was going to live the rest of her days out as an inside dog. She's trained well, so that's not a problem, but after a little more than a week inside we noticed some blood in her urine that she was bring back in with her hind end hair. So we had a vet appointment this morning. I of course, being the pessimist, just assume that our 10 year old golden is riddled with cancer and the end is nigh. Initially it doesn't look that way, vet suspects a UTI and is treating as such at this point. If it doesn't improve by the weekend we need to start looking at other things. I've buried one pet this month, don't care to bury another so soon.

I've gone mad scientist again this morning before work and am curious to see how this works. I shared my nesting box turned feeder, I've been trying to think of a way to do the same with a waterer at least for the winter. What I've settled on is a square, gallon, ice cream tub with a low-pressure chicken watering cup installed in the side. A couple rubber washer on either side and it doesn't seem to want to leak. I currently have it sitting on a block poking through the 2x4 wire on the fence run to get them using it and to make sure that it doesn't leak in the short term. May end up not using it if I don't heat the coop and just go the dog dish method in the run, but I like options.

 

[Indyshent]

A friend had a major life event, and had to rehome her animals. I have literally bought the farm, as far as the animals, the equipment. She knows I will do all I can to ensure every one of them will either stay or find forever homes. The livestock, they will stay period. I am sorting through the birds, but want to be sure they also have forever home too. FYI there are swedish flower hens. I had already thought of you....

ERMAGERSH!! Swedish Flower hens are so pretty (but mostly, I'm just really happy you and your dad love Fanny!)

I hadn't known you were getting all of the birds, too. You'll be overrun!

 

[Mother2Hens]

@Mother2Hens its been an adventure. A good one though, and I am so happy to add these lovely animals. Fanny has just made my dad so happy that aside everything else is a wow. He grew up with Jersey, my gramma always kept them. He needed that. Dads hugging her and its making me so glad she is here. Thats why I do this. My parents deserve that lil bit of happiness.

I'd like to hug Jersey, too! She looks so soft.
Animals are the best medicine!
@tmarsh83 There's something about having chickens that brings out the mad scientist in most of us. My creations tend to be more Rube Goldberg-inspired!
So sorry to hear about your kitty~ somehow I missed that post.
I went to Target yesterday because I had previously seen Halloween owls that looked just like those owls for scaring hawks away. I thought I could score some half priced ones, but I was too late. However, I just had to buy this adorable peacock Halloween costume for half price—even though I don't have a medium sized dog!

 

[daskhan]

A friend had a major life event, and had to rehome her animals. I have literally bought the farm, as far as the animals, the equipment. She knows I will do all I can to ensure every one of them will either stay or find forever homes. The livestock, they will stay period. I am sorting through the birds, but want to be sure they also have forever home too. FYI there are swedish flower hens. I had already thought of you....

Just an FYI for you and everyone else I'm an absolute animal love to the degree I'd possibly put them before a lot of humans if any animal is in need and I can care for them I'll take them in I hope to soon found a number of sanctuaries on top of my other projects I also hope to one day be able to devote my entire life to the care and defence of animals. So if anyone has need to rehome their animals I'll surely help and if I can't in the case of the cow(for now) I can help find farmers I'm surrounded by them FYI I've inspired my niece to become a vet

 

[tmarsh83]

Swedish Flower isn't one I'd seen much about, those are pretty birds. I'm a sucker for that speckling.

Something about the eyes of a Jersey...just give me all your hay...you know you want to...