INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

@Indyshent hows hatching going? Thought about your progress when I was peering into the incubator today.

 

[Hholly]

Soooo teeny tiny!! They are just so easy to keep. My mom loves the little eggs too, super healthy for her to eat. I will only hatch about 60 out at a time and let them mature before adding more. Its easy to get overloaded on them lol.

Wow! Sixty at a time??? I can't imagine. Lol. Sounds intense. Do you eat the quail too?

 

[Indyshent]

First hatch 2016 has begun!!!

So far have 3 tiny little quail out, buzzing around the hatching tray like bumblebees

Pictures very soon!

I have at least five chicks out of the shell and more than twice that trying to hatch out, pipping away in the 'bator. One's likely a Sumatra or Australorp mix. Not sure on the comb for that one yet, but it has the pretty Sumatra head... and feathered legs, so who knows. Might be a Brahma over Australorp or a Sumatra over Brahma (leaning on the Sumatra mix right now because it has such a dainty head). Three so far are certified Cochin-mixes (probably full Cochins because they all have straight combs so far). The Wellie has likely hatched out a Wellie-Brahma mix or two, but she nips and gets all huffy puffy when I sneak around her butt, so I haven't looked under her as yet. An SLW mix is also hatching right now, and looks like it has some yellow in it... so probably a boy, which means his daddy is likely the BLRW (if it turns red, it'll be a girl, provided the mix is right). Of course, all of that's bunk if the bitty falls out with feathered legs (Wun Wun has red shoulders, even though he's silver laced).

If the three little office pets start laying, I'll try to set my own quail eggs and just hope they're fertile.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@racinchickins

I LOVE the woods style houses. Got the book a couple years ago and if I ever build, that's likely the style except larger than Jack's.


I have my birds in the pole barn but I don't let them have the run of the barn. I got a bunch of kennel panels from Craigslist and made them an indoor pen for winter last year so they'd have more winter indoor room. (I ended up leaving them there all last season. I think I'll use the chicken shed for meaties this spring if I leave these kiddos in the barn.)



We set the kennel pen by the slider, then I can open back the gate and hook it to the slider. I also put in plastic netting hanging in the slider to keep hawks and other birds from flying in.

This is 12x16 and has panels on the top too.




Gate on this side to enter and one on the far side for them to go out.





Built a 6 ft. roosting area - hopefully keeps a little heat in over their heads. 2 parallel roosts.









To the left of the roost area is another 6x6 area that I can close off... for brooding or for unruly roos in the winter to give the girls a break or for a place to divide off a mean bird if needed.





Gate to outside hooked onto the slider when open. Keeps them from getting into the rest of the barn.



From outside looking in.


You can see the plastic netting that keeps out hawks and birds here.



Netting attached so that it is not permanent if I want to change things or quit using this set-up altogether.







I usually hook a bungie across from side to side in the middle of it in case the wind gets blowing too hard...keeps it in place.





A couple inside photos of happy winter birds

 

[Leahs Mom]

I got 2..... 2!!!!!! SFH eggs today after not seeing any since October.

 

[kittydoc]

First, HPAI news. It will suck if any of us have to be depopulated in more ways than one. They are going to a flat rate payment system to "streamline" the process, which screws anyone who has any fancy fowl.

Here's the article:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised its highly pathogenic avian influenza response. As part of the plan, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will now use a flat reimbursement rate for all depopulation and virus elimination activities. Iowa Poultry Association Executive Director Randy Olson says he’s pleased APHIS is moving ahead with these changes.
He says the biggest changes USDA is making include the flat rate payment and the streamlining of their bird flu response.
Olson says there are a variety of depopulation methods that producers can use and ventilation shutdown has been proven effective. He says despite some activist concerns, it’s a humane method that quickly depopulates the flock and protect any remaining healthy birds from contracting the flu.
Under the APHIS response revision, turkeys will be reimbursed at a rate of $3.55 per bird, layers at $6.45 per bird and broilers at $1.15 per bird.
- See more at: http://wnax.com/news/180081-usda-revises-bird-flu-response/#sthash.Sm476PzI.dpuf

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Secondly, we got 19 eggs today! Almost all or perhaps all of the pullets are laying, and my mature hens are starting to lay again, too. I need to start checking for fertility and do trims on all the breeders.

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I have a 6 year old Australorp hen with a crop impaction of massive proportion. It's down to 1/3-1/4 of its original size, but this old gal has practically no breast muscle mass. I thought she was dead when I found her. Her crop was so heavy she couldn't stand up or even sit up. I can tell she ate a lot of straw for absolutely no reason--our birds never, ever run out of food. I've been oiling her for and massaging her crop for several days. I'm going to give it a little longer. And then, of course, I have no idea if she even lays. Our Australorps have been our very best layers for that flock, and we are going to cull most of the old girls later when weather permits, and restock with chicks.

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Do any of you have Speckled Sussex in your flock? I want to get a second breed for our replacements, and prefer not to get a sex-link or hybrid. I'd just rather have a traditional breed. I've read good things about SS but don't know how valid that info is.

All done!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Thats why I keep them. They are less than 5 minutes to process, I just did 18 birds 2 days ago. DH fried up the breasts and I sauteed the legs in hot wing sauce.
Excess eggs I hard boil or cook for my parents. They are a daily layer (some 2x a day) And 2 eggs equal 1 chicken egg, depending on breeders background. Eggs are flat awesome!

Quote: After 2 weeks the quail likely won't be fertile eggs. I figure the length of hatch time against egg fertility and its been pretty spot on. For example my first year I had pekin, my drake was taken by a fox. Eggs take 28 days to hatch for pekin, I had 28 hatch and the rest were duds from the duck. Seen the same for chicken, guinea and other breeds I keep.
If you loose your male its time to be diligent and set eggs.Usually within 3 weeks the hens are infertile.

I got 2..... 2!!!!!! SFH eggs today after not seeing any since October.

Awesome news!

First, HPAI news. It will suck if any of us have to be depopulated in more ways than one. They are going to a flat rate payment system to "streamline" the process, which screws anyone who has any fancy fowl.

Here's the article:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised its highly pathogenic avian influenza response. As part of the plan, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will now use a flat reimbursement rate for all depopulation and virus elimination activities. Iowa Poultry Association Executive Director Randy Olson says he’s pleased APHIS is moving ahead with these changes.
He says the biggest changes USDA is making include the flat rate payment and the streamlining of their bird flu response.
Olson says there are a variety of depopulation methods that producers can use and ventilation shutdown has been proven effective. He says despite some activist concerns, it’s a humane method that quickly depopulates the flock and protect any remaining healthy birds from contracting the flu.
Under the APHIS response revision, turkeys will be reimbursed at a rate of $3.55 per bird, layers at $6.45 per bird and broilers at $1.15 per bird.
- See more at: http://wnax.com/news/180081-usda-revises-bird-flu-response/#sthash.Sm476PzI.dpuf

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secondly, we got 19 eggs today! Almost all or perhaps all of the pullets are laying, and my mature hens are starting to lay again, too. I need to start checking for fertility and do trims on all the breeders.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a 6 year old Australorp hen with a crop impaction of massive proportion. It's down to 1/3-1/4 of its original size, but this old gal has practically no breast muscle mass. I thought she was dead when I found her. Her crop was so heavy she couldn't stand up or even sit up. I can tell she ate a lot of straw for absolutely no reason--our birds never, ever run out of food. I've been oiling her for and massaging her crop for several days. I'm going to give it a little longer. And then, of course, I have no idea if she even lays. Our Australorps have been our very best layers for that flock, and we are going to cull most of the old girls later when weather permits, and restock with chicks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do any of you have Speckled Sussex in your flock? I want to get a second breed for our replacements, and prefer not to get a sex-link or hybrid. I'd just rather have a traditional breed. I've read good things about SS but don't know how valid that info is.

All done!

Lot to take in, wow. Not surprised at the least, but amazed they are even compensating for the birds at all.
I haven't had SS yet but have seen folks that keep them. Very docile attractive birds. Roosters are calm.
Awesome egg count!

 

[Mother2Hens]

I've decided on my summer building project for this year......Get the birds out of the barn! I can't keep anything else in the barn when they are in there. They soil everything, and if it is remotely possible to eat it, it gets torn apart. I tried tarps over some equipment, and they've absolutely shredded them. and then pooped all over what's underneath (and laid eggs under there too....) Also, since it is an old barn, the walls are not air tight and I get some cold breezes no matter what I try. Frostbite has been a problem and the cold this winter has reminded me that I need something that will work in our winters and our summers.

Then I found this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/445004/woods-style-house-in-the-winter

I got the book that is referred to in thread and am starting my planning! It won't be cheap, but I'll get my barn back! I can keep the barn coops for breeding and hospital pens.

racin ~ I didn't know what that type of coop...er um… house that is called, but I've seen a similar one at a nearby garden center. I've always thought that it looked cool. I presume that they have the chicken house on a trailer to move it around. That's the largest chicken tractor I've seen! The garden center is part of the family's property and chickens free range in a section. I've posted pics of their peacocks before. They roam around everywhere and sample the plants for sale!




@Old Salt 1945 ~ A blast from the past! You've been missed by many who've asked about you.
@Leahs Mom ~ You have such a nice daycare (and night) center. I think you've thought of everything! I may have told you before that we started out with parallel perches because I had read about perching hierarchy issues. However, since chickens are malcontents, they decided that the front perch was exclusively for the cool girls. Months later, they coveted the one in back.

And congrats on your SFH!

 

[chick rookie]

@racinchickins

I LOVE the woods style houses. Got the book a couple years ago and if I ever build, that's likely the style except larger than Jack's.


I have my birds in the pole barn but I don't let them have the run of the barn. I got a bunch of kennel panels from Craigslist and made them an indoor pen for winter last year so they'd have more winter indoor room. (I ended up leaving them there all last season. I think I'll use the chicken shed for meaties this spring if I leave these kiddos in the barn.)



We set the kennel pen by the slider, then I can open back the gate and hook it to the slider. I also put in plastic netting hanging in the slider to keep hawks and other birds from flying in.

This is 12x16 and has panels on the top too.




Gate on this side to enter and one on the far side for them to go out.





Built a 6 ft. roosting area - hopefully keeps a little heat in over their heads. 2 parallel roosts.









To the left of the roost area is another 6x6 area that I can close off... for brooding or for unruly roos in the winter to give the girls a break or for a place to divide off a mean bird if needed.





Gate to outside hooked onto the slider when open. Keeps them from getting into the rest of the barn.



From outside looking in.


You can see the plastic netting that keeps out hawks and birds here.



Netting attached so that it is not permanent if I want to change things or quit using this set-up altogether.







I usually hook a bungie across from side to side in the middle of it in case the wind gets blowing too hard...keeps it in place.





A couple inside photos of happy winter birds

Thats a great setup, wish I had a pole barn to do that with, but will keep it in mind if I ever do get one. You have some very lucky girls

racin ~ I didn't know what that type of coop...er um… house that is called, but I've seen a similar one at a nearby garden center. I've always thought that it looked cool. I presume that they have the chicken house on a trailer to move it around. That's the largest chicken tractor I've seen! The garden center is part of the family's property and chickens free range in a section. I've posted pics of their peacocks before. They roam around everywhere and sample the plants for sale!




@Old Salt 1945 ~ A blast from the past! You've been missed by many who've asked about you.
@Leahs Mom ~ You have such a nice daycare (and night) center. I think you've thought of everything! I may have told you before that we started out with parallel perches because I had read about perching hierarchy issues. However, since chickens are malcontents, they decided that the front perch was exclusively for the cool girls. Months later, they coveted the one in back.

And congrats on your SFH!

Awesome pic's I love the white... so cool.

 

[chick rookie]

Got a question for everyone .... got a friend well someone I know anyway, that asked me how to get " goat pee smell " out of carpet? I guess she didn't get the memo about not letting your goat live in the house unless poddy broke.... yuk!!! Anyway she has tried shampooing with all kinds of pet oder remover stuff, mean green and mean green orange... and vinegar o and baking soda. I said maybe she just needed to rip up the carpet and start over. Anyone have any ideals???