INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Mother2Hens]

Hi everyone,
I have been reading for a while not through the whole thread I must admit.
We ordered our chickens from Cackle hatchery and they are now 9mths old. We have 5 light brahmas mine and 5 speckled Sussex which belong to hubby one of the Sussex is a cockerel "Bruce" Anyone ever seen this cross because Bruce loves him some big fluffly butts.
We are thinking (well me) to add some geese this year, would love some goats to help with honeysuckle and brush control lol but might push hubby over the top.
All this talk of chicks make me wants to buy some would love some dark brahmas and buff and cochins

and now I understand chicken math. Maybe if I get an incubator

Abby

Welcome to our Indiana Thread! @abbyf It sounds like you have a Flock of Fun!
For more info on our great thread, please click here: Indiana BYC'ers Members, Events, & Links
It's also been nice to hear from some of our members who've been hibernating!

Hatchery Reviews ~ Thank you for sharing your experiences with various hatcheries!
I am compiling everyone's comments (leaving out your names). I hope to add the info to our Indiana BYCers info (the link above) that is currently being updated.

If anyone who has ordered chicks before would like to comment on good or bad hatchery experiences, it would be helpful for any of us thinking about ordering. Although people can have opposite experiences dealing with the same business, background information can be beneficial. As I said before, my intention is not to bash businesses, but share experiences to help make informed decisions.
Originally Posted by charleschicken
the new coup door is a "pullet shut" with photo sensor and solar panel I am very excited that I no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn to let out the chickens.
Love that name "pullet shut"! My morning door opener is named DH. lololol

Your photos of your coop are impressive—This perch formation looks like you could assemble a Chicken Choir!




@Hholly OOOh You're so lucky to have all of those precious fluffs!
@slutter Your hen and puppy playmates are adorable!

@jchny2000 Thinking of you!

Life is such a roller coaster.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I too am making plans for more enclosed coops/runs. I have had my chickens for 5-6 years now and have lost more in the last 6 months to predators than I did in the first 5 years of having them. I unfortunately have an explination for the problems here. I had to put my old girl (Maggie, almost 15 yr old chocolate lab) down last June. Since then my predator problems have gone through the roof. She wasn't a guard dog but her presence near the birds kept predators away. I doubt she would have even attacked a predator but luckily I didnt need her to because they stayed away. Since she's been gone I lost birds to both coons and possums. I even lost some birds to a hawk this fall, which had never happened to me before.

So, im working on finishing a couple enclosed smaller tractors for rotating around the yard right now, they will double as breeding pens to separate some breeds. Im also working on trying to enclose or cover my main layer flock's run, as well as enlarging it some. Hope to get some work done this weekend with the slightly warmer temps

I as so sad for Maggie's loss, thats hard to bear. I have had 2 dogs that touched my heart, so much and makes me not add any others.
The presence of a dog certainly makes a difference with predators!

It is true I am still alive!!
How has everyone been. Already have a couple (9) chicks in the brooder. If anyone is looking for scovys let me know I'm getting over run by them lol. I have a few that I would like to get rid of perhaps trade for some young layer pullets. Other than that been the same around here. Am changing things up with the goats. Starting with a fresh heard in a few months. Hope all is well with everyone!

So happy to see you post!

Morning all, been a while.

I was downsized the week before Christmas, so i'm on the job hunt at the moment. Fun times let me tell you.

Since I've last posted I've integrated two barred rocks into the flock. They are laying well and get along famously with my leghorn. The ancona on the other hand stalked the rocks and tore one of them up around the comb enough to draw blood. She was eliminated with extreme prejudice. Since her removal, the three are doing well. Currently working on limp on the leghorn, laceration on top of the foot between the middle and right toe of her left foot. Got it cleaned and gauzed last night, and already seeing improvement with her bearing weight on it this morning when I let them out.

Spring chicks ship from Murray McMurray on March 2nd. Splitting an order with a neighbor, adding a couple each of cuckoo marans, delawares, Sussex, new hampshires, and australorps.

Brooder box is framed, not much left to do for that, and new coop construction will start when the weather breaks, February looks to be a monster, but the brooder box I have is quite sizable and should last me awhile.

Also, the puppy hardly is at this point. He's running up on 25 pounds at 14 weeks. He's going to be a monster.

Its been happening so much lately DIL text me tonight saying she was laid off too.
Sounds like an exciting order!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I am trying to still be here but frankly am wupped.Nite everyone.

 

[kittydoc]

In Indiana he lives on the other side of my country block. (about a mile away as the crow flies) Why?

You mentioned they breed Speckled Sussex, right? I'm interested, though only in pullets. Most of us aren't good enough to sex chicks early on. I'll probably wind up buying from Ideal, but just thought you might want to pass my info on to them to see if they're interested, or if they sell hatching eggs for SS. I'm near NW Indianapolis.

 

[Too Fast]

@ellymayRans ~ That huge project sounds like a lot to take on, but we all know you are quite capable! I remember @Too Fast saying that the only way to protect your flock from predators is to build a Ft. Knox for them. That's true because our chickens are worth their weight in gold!

Industrious Indiana Thread Members: Quite a few of our members have shared plans for new secure pens, runs, or coops! Or houses (@racinchickins )

Originally Posted by@wheezy50 ~ I too am making plans for more enclosed coops/runs. I have had my chickens for 5-6 years now and have lost more in the last 6 months to predators than I did in the first 5 years of having them. I unfortunately have an explination for the problems here. I had to put my old girl (Maggie, almost 15 yr old chocolate lab) down last June. Since then my predator problems have gone through the roof. She wasn't a guard dog but her presence near the birds kept predators away. I doubt she would have even attacked a predator but luckily I didnt need her to because they stayed away. Since she's been gone I lost birds to both coons and possums. I even lost some birds to a hawk this fall, which had never happened to me before.

Sad to hear about your Maggie doggie, but her story is a good one to share for those who may be thinking about getting a guard dog.
Btw, a side note about my "used car lot style" of metallic pennant flags to scare hawks that I mentioned to @pipdzipdnreadytogo
I ordered these online in order to scare hawks since the metallic silver flags reflect sunlight and flap in the wind. Since they're attached to a long string, I can change the placement of where I want to hang them in the fenced-in part of the backyard. It dawned on me that I haven't seen any opossums or raccoons in that area since I started hanging up flags. I'm thinking that the random sounds that the flags make have spooked other predators besides hawks. After I first put them up and was outside at night, I heard noises that I thought might be animals creeping around. Then I realized that the sounds were coming from the flags rustling in the breeze. When the temps have been so cold, the flags have been even noisier. At night, the flags reflect the evening porch lights, which may further spook predators (and my neighbors!)



Originally Posted by funnyfarm mom

Happier news- we have baby bunnies! I havent disturbed the nest enough to take pictures or even get a count. Just noticed this morning mommy had pulled fur over the top of the nest so i stuck a finger in there and sure enough, there was a warm wriggly body smile.png. She usually has between 6 & 9 kits at a time. I love Spring!
@funnyfarmmom All baby animals are endearing, but I personally think that baby bunnies are the sweetest!

Lol those pennant flags are scaring things away because at night they all think it's a UFO that landed in your yard, so they don't dare come around.

And it's easier to build a Ft. Knox when your enclosure only had to protect a small backyard flock of up to 12 chickens. We currently have 9, and got 4 eggs yesterday! Yay, 2 from our 5 new girls, and 2 from the 4 old girls.

 

[Faraday40]

My ideal roosters have finally grown up & I need some advice.
As I mentioned before, I have 2 of Cogburn's sons. Both have always been together, sleep together, eat together, guard together, etc. for 9.5 months. Today came their 1st fight. The 2nd roo decided to spar with his brother. They had their heads down & hackles flared. I scooped up both & walked around for a bit with a roo under each arm. Shortly after putting them back down they went at it again. This time, they managed to scrape each other's wattles, so I sprayed some Vetericyn & applied corn starch. At the moment, one is locked inside the run & the other is outside in the grass. Is this challenging something I should allow? Do they need to settle it on their own? I'm nervous b/c they're both bloody. We have 15 hens, and I let them free range. What's strange is that they waited until I let them out before #2 challenged the #1. Did I make it worse by stopping them?
Are there things to do to distract them from fighting? If they do need to work out the pecking order on their own, what are the signs that it will never work? (Before a dead or very injured roo of course.)
If we simply get rid of roo#2 to stop the fighting, will one roo be able to cover 15 hens? Also will roo #1 stay people friendly?
Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[Faraday40]

Update:
After being separated for about an hour, both roos looked fine. I let #2 out & all seemed OK. I spent some time out there & threw down some scratch. I noticed roo#1 would walk up to roo#2 & kind of use his body to block roo#2 from eating. (About 4-5 times) Each time roo#2 moved away & ate a few feet over. I guess roo#1 won. Then a hawk alert was sounded & both immediately stood guard. I don't believe their sparring is over, but it was nice to see they could get along without tearing each other apart. I still have all the same ?s. I plan to be spending a lot of time outside with them today. Thankfully, the weather is awesome.

 

[CharlemagneRoost]

Happy Saturday, everyone ... how about this weather?!

I have a barred Ohiki chick around a month old that I would like to rehome as a pet. I call him Gonzo and he has a lot of personality!

Because I already have three barred Ohiki roosters, I don't need to keep him - plus, his legs are a bit long for the breed standards. But he would make someone n excellent pet - and he will be beautiful! The barred Ohiki get the bar gene from the fly tie fowl. Gonzo will develop long hackles, saddles, and a long tail.

He has a long neck that he likes to use for photo bomb purposes.

If anyone is interested in him, please send me a PM.

 

[CharlemagneRoost]

Here is a more recent photo of Gonzo:

 

[CharlemagneRoost]

Postscript: Ohiki are a rare bantam breed from Japan. There are less than 1500 of them in the US.