INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I'm so proud of him. I'm happy he turned into such a nice boy for you. Never tell a silkie roo he is small or weak. They are the most tenacious birds I have ever had.

I'm so proud of him, too. He really has won everyone over in the house. He's just so funny sometimes, but he really tries his best to be the big, manly-man protector. And he's definitely tenacious! He keeps dancing for the girls and getting rejected, but he never gives it up. He better get the girls' attention soon--I want babies from him and the girls this spring!!

YES!!! I saw this and wash rushing on here to post it! So now, they are going to depopulate because we are in the same county? They were another commercial farm, but this is just a little overboard IMHO.

WAY overboard, if you ask me. Makes me really feel sick to my stomach. How can they get away with this stuff?

Hows everyone holding out in the cold? My turkeys seem totally unaffected. Guineas hate it but are still being active. My chickens are all hiding! ducks and geese are all huddled together keeping warm.

My girls didn't come out of the coop much yesterday, but they're otherwise totally fine. I only closed one of the five windows in their coop because snow was blowing into it, and I haven't seen any indication of frostbite or anyone getting too cold, including the tiny Sebrights and my Silkies. Margie was even dustbathing yesterday! The only thing that surprised me was their water. I can't find my outlet splitter for the coop, so I had to choose between the baby monitor and their heated bucket, and decided with the hawk lurking around that the monitor was more important. I went out to break the ice once yesterday around noon, and they still had a small opening about 1-2 inches in diameter that they were drinking from by sunset. I guess they're providing their own heat. My li'l duckies don't seem to like this weather, though. They keep going out into their yard and walking a foot or two, then plopping down to cover their feet. They're mad at me right now because they haven't had swimming water for a few days. Poor darlings. And my Guineas are the same, hating the cold but still keeping active. I think they're liking the bigger coop to stay in in this weather, although I still see fresh Guinea prints outside in the snow when I go to close the coop at night.

Feels pretty cold in there to me! (Not much different than the outside temp. I think some of them would rather die than roost next to some of the others...like a bunch of Jr. High students.

Haha, love it! My girls are the same way, but I always group them up on cold nights like the past couple. They don't even really stick together during the day, except for the ones that are buddies anyway. I think 'jr. high students' is the perfect descriptor. Bunch'a cliquey hens!

 

[Mother2Hens]

@kittydoc It's great to see your post! My Orps (past and present) have sometimes roosted and sometimes preferred to sit. My crazy bantam Cochin, Screech, has been sitting on top of a nesting box to be closer to a heat lamp since her head is baldish. I cut out some silver reflective material from an auto sun reflector and put it on top of the nesting box. Then I added some pine shavings to tone down the silver. The first night, she was suspicious and scooted over to the edge, but since then, she's realized that it helps retain her heat. What she really needs is a little wooly hat! Or she needs to be less assertive so the others don't give her head warning pecks.
@daskhan Congrats on the birth your new human baby! Best wishes to you and your wife.
Originally Posted by flyladyrocks

UGH! Did you guys see this??? Below from: http://in.gov/boah/2390.htm

**This negative flock is depopulated because of its proximity to infected turkeys.

WHAT??? 156,000 chickens killed b/c they were close to one of the positive Turkey farms?? Oh that makes me so sad and sick. I was going to comment on some posts and now I can't even do it. I actually feel sick to my stomach from this. Can I tell you how much I hate the word "Depopulation"?

@amwchickin how are you and your flock?
--------------------

@flyladyrocks ~ I couldn't believe that terrible decision, either. And I've been worried about @amwchickin and her flock! I would be hiding my flock in a closet, but I remember amwchickin saying that her family knew the turkey farm owner, so I'm sure they know she has chickens.
This article in today's paper confirms the method in which many of us have been speculating...

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

So as if the hawk hasn't been enough stress, our neighbors have a visitor over or something who keeps letting their young Beagle run loose across the road to our property. My mom and brother have warned them several times to keep it off our property and it doesn't change. It's getting really frustrating to have to consider whether the Beagle will be back when I have to get my hens set up for the day, on top of watching out for the hawk. Why do people get these dogs anyway?! Editing to add, not that there's anything wrong with Beagles, I mean why do they get dogs if they're just going to let them run loose and not pay attention to them?!





Also, here is Elda begrudgingly tolerating Crash yesterday. I really think Elly is a little bit afraid of the little ducky. Crash just wanders around test-nibbling everything, not even paying attention to what Elly's up to.

And Crash, because she's adorable.

"Are you taking pictures of me?! CHEESE!"

 

[farmguy2007]

Welcome!

Just a word of advice. It looks as though the layout there is very open skies...i would recommend putting up several hide outs. As simple as some scattered pieces of plywood made into a triangle so they can slip under in the event an ariel predator. Mine tend to stay near the tree line & brush but have lost plenty to hawks.

Congrats on your new flock! !

thanks for advice,ive had chickens for years!when i said "new" flock i just meant our newest one!! There is a very thick woods just south of the pic(against my back in pic) which is why we put the coop there its open there and close to house! We can watch sky and the birds from our kitchen which can be very fun especially in morning,thank you though for your concern! We too have lost birds to unsecure coops which is why i built the one in pic recently still not quite done but ya'll can get the point,kinda a work in progress! FG07

 

[ChickCrazed]

So as if the hawk hasn't been enough stress, our neighbors have a visitor over or something who keeps letting their young Beagle run loose across the road to our property.

My mom and brother have warned them several times to keep it off our property and it doesn't change. It's getting really frustrating to have to consider whether the Beagle will be back when I have to get my hens set up for the day, on top of watching out for the hawk.

Why do people get these dogs anyway?!





Also, here is Elda begrudgingly tolerating Crash yesterday. I really think Elly is a little bit afraid of the little ducky.

Crash just wanders around test-nibbling everything, not even paying attention to what Elly's up to.




And Crash, because she's adorable.



"Are you taking pictures of me?! CHEESE!"

Do you plan to move Crashie outside when the weather is nicer? Or is she officially an inside duckie? I think I would be calling animal control on the Beagle and making them pay a fee to get it back. Several warnings is enough in my book! You are lucky it hasn't gotten a bird!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Do you plan to move Crashie outside when the weather is nicer?  Or is she officially an inside duckie?  I think I would be calling animal control on the Beagle and making them pay a fee to get it back.  Several warnings is enough in my book!  You are lucky it hasn't gotten a bird!

Well, the plan has been to move her outside, but I think she thinks she's a person and doesn't want to be outside without her 'flock', so it's been difficult to convince her to stay outside alone while I'm busy with other things. I'm hoping she'll attach herself to Elly, or maybe the chicks later in the spring, and be willing to go outside with them. She really is too noisy to be an indoor ducky (they call them Call Ducks for a reason!), and with classes and such I can't always let her swim every day, so I think she'd be happier outside in the end.


I think the only reason it hasn't gotten a bird yet is because it seems to get distracted by the large population of rabbits whenever it does come over. I hope that keeps up... Mom has been talking about setting up the live trap for it, so that's probably what we'll end up doing. :/

 

[Mother2Hens]

Welcome @farmguy2007 !

Just a word of advice. It looks as though the layout there is very open skies...i would recommend putting up several hide outs. As simple as some scattered pieces of plywood made into a triangle so they can slip under in the event an ariel predator. Mine tend to stay near the tree line & brush but have lost plenty to hawks.

Congrats on your new flock! !

@ellymayRans ~ Good observation about chickens needing places they can dart into to avoid predators! You posted a creative example of using plywood as a refuge.

@farmguy2007 ~ Welcome to our great Indiana Thread!
Shrubs, bushes, ornamental grasses, and even large groups of daylillies can provide cover, but of course they can't be planted this time of year. In the spring, you may want to look into fast growing (but non-evasive) shrubbery. To add to ellymayRans's suggestion, you could use lawn chairs, tables, wheelbarrows, etc. If aesthetics are an issue, items can be moved when not needed. I have some inexpensive T-posts and chicken wire that are easily moved around to make fencing in various areas or configurations during daytime freeranging. Bird netting can be added across the top. (Chicken wire isn't suitable for protecting a coop against predators, though—I'm not sure if you are new to chickens or not).

@ellymayRans ~ So sorry to hear about you dealing with being sick on top of everything else you do! Being sick definitely affects outlook on life—especially in the dreary wintertime. Sounds like your Silkie chicks are perfect chicken therapy!

 

[amwchickin]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE'S CONCERN ABOUT THE DUBOIS COUNTY AI ISSUE!

I would have been on sooner, but between work, family, and sitting on my hands waiting for the phone to ring with the results of the AI testing, it's been a little crazy. And not having WIFI doesn't make things any easier either. I hate posting from my phone.

So here's my update: Sunday the state vets came by and swabbed 10 birds. Thankfully, they all had decided to go ahead and roost for the evening (at 4:30, please spring, hurry...) so I didn't have any trouble getting 10 different birds for them. The vet and his assistant were there in the full suit PPE equipment, so that was good that they were serious about taking the precautions. They told me I would hear back by TODAY. In the meantime, I have heard that even chickens are being put down now - whether that is commercial flocks or the 27 backyard flocks in the buffer zone. Hearing that they are culling chickens and not knowing where and why (because they are close to the turkeys...without confirmation of being infected....WHY!!) is very frustrating.

It is very hard being at work right now. I am waiting for a phone call, thinking that when I get home from work today, there will be a team of people waiting and ready to cull my flock. Right now it's around 18 birds. Some of them were expensive for a single girl trying to have a hobby. None of that matters to this disease or the people working against it.

So, other than that, I am getting the same news from BOAH as everyone else sees. I've been checking my local news sights about every hour or so.

On another note...

The silkies I ordered and put in the incubator around Christmas have arrived! After several days of having humidity issues, things got under control and I watched them grow, praying I would at least get a couple to hatch.

This weekend, my DF and DB came over to put some roofing on my coop and one chick had come out, one was halfway out and the rest had pipped. The room I have them in has no over head light, but has light switches that are connected to the outlets - weirdest set-up ever. As we are leaving the room because who doesn't want to see new life coming into this world?! my dad hits the switch. It didn't register with my at that moment, but I go check on things an hour or so later and everything is cold! I'm freaking out and discovered that the switch turned everything off!

I quickly got things going again and check the chicks in various stages of hatching. The chick that was out was still breathing, so I grabbed it and held it in front of a heater and after about a half hour, it was moving pretty good. The one that was half way out didn't make it. That left 4 eggs. 3 came out no problem and the last one got about 3/4 out. It had some of the yolk and stuff still hanging out and I tried my best over a day and a half to keep it going, but it didn't make it. Out of 7 eggs shipped to me, I got 4 chicks!!! They are the cutest!


Just in case my outside flock is infected, I am being extra careful in making sure I sanitize my hands, etc. before going into my brooder room.

Again, thanks for everyone's concern and well wishes. This has definitely been an eye opening experience!

 

[flyladyrocks]

@Mother2HensSigh. Sadly just as I thought and feared. The fact that the cold is slowing things makes me shudder to think those poor birds suffering is probably being prolonged. Insert lots of sad faces here (can't find them on my phone!) [rule][COLOR=8B4513]This article in today's paper confirms the method in which many of us have been speculating...[/COLOR] [/quote]

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I've been very sick lately and not been online for what seems like forever! Finally forced myself out of pjs and bed today to get out of the house and back to normal! So sad to hear of everyone's losses.

Ive had a few more myself. I had a turkey hen kill 2 juvies and have 1 grown roo all tore up. Caused him to end up with both feet/legs frozen solid. I had to put him down. So sad. 2 more female ducks disappear! 1 remains with the 2 drakes. Ive tried getting them to the garage with no luck. Being very sick and very cold didn't help. Things have just been a mess around here really! I have just wanted to curl up and cry ... but no time for that.

These constant extreme temps are just too much! Worst winter ever with the flock.

On a good note, the awesome brooder my DH got me for xmas is just that, awesome! ! The chicks i placed in there 12/28 i swear have quadrupled in size! They are sooo quiet it's crazy. Happy beautiful silkie chicks. Ive heard 1 crow already which is crazy to me. Ive never had a silkie crow so young! Now if i just knew which one it was! Haha! I got a few out tonight to look them over and out of the 6 i am pretty sure 2 are males. Of course only time will tell. I will likely post some pics of them tomorrow.

I hope everyone stays warm and healthy! !

So sorry to hear about the losses. Hope you feel better soon.

I'm so sorry for everyone's losses. I have been really lucky so far this winter, but I stopped free ranging when my Bielie girl got killed by the mystery predator. They have been safe in their run for a few months. All my girls are doing well. I have been going in on these super cold nights to make sure no one is roosting alone and moving them near buddies. No frost bite and I am even getting a couple of eggs a day out of my girls (I only have five mature hens, the rest are pullets who did not make it into lay before winter struck). If anyone in the Indy area is desperate for some eggs I could spare some! My biggest issue is that my auto pop doors keep icing shut! Oh well, some winter woes are to be expected.

I am counting down the days to warmer weather!

Glad to hear the eggs are still coming. We gain almost 2 minutes of daylight a day! I am so ready for spring also.

Wanted to first say hope everyone and there flocks where ok in yesterday's big dip in temps! Our new flock did great,which came from Hholly! Wanted to thank you again it was so kind of you to do that! We have been only getting one egg a day but I think everyone is still getting comfortable! Today they enjoyed there first forage outside! Rooster did great,he was watching his ladies and keeping them in line!

What a good boy!