INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Getting a lot of Sumatra eggs, I think egg production has picked up. Also noticed Huey my favorite Muscovy peering at nest boxes!

 

[Faraday40]

Update on the mealworm farm.
Getting new pupae daily and my first newly formed beetle today!
So cool!


I had to call DH over to the screen to share your news of the 1st beetle. He just shook his head in confusion & walked away.

Yes, this exciting news is one of those things only other chicken people can understand.

 

[flyladyrocks]

A week before Christmas my bantam frizzle Cochin went broody. It was contagious. At one point 5 of the six were co-brooding air - all in one big broody pile. No roo in that group!!

So, 4 have all given up, I still have one hanging on. My naked neck mutt. I decided that since we are getting some warm weather this weekend I will stick some of the big girl's eggs under her. It seems like many people have much less luck with eggs laid in the freezing temps.
Of course, very conveniently I realized that 3 weeks from Saturday is my birthday and I can't think of a better birthday present that chicks!

Now of course she'll sit on them for a few days and give up!

I talked to a friend today who said her husband wanted me to know that "Rural King has a special, 10 chicks...." I held the phone away from my self and said "NO, I can't hear this- I don't want to know! I have roosters and will have my own chicks, NO don't tell me!!!"

So I still don't know what the special is, but if anyone is curious, Rural King has some sort of special and I WILL NOT look it up!

 

[Mother2Hens]

It's been a long, rough week since my vet told me that Screech's Purdue necropsy indicated Marek's

—although there is no definitive test for Marek's. Unfortunately, my voice has taken longer to recover following my treatment, so that has hampered communication.

However, I have emailed professionals as well as byc people who've been through the experience of having their flock diagnosed with Marek's. And I've read a million opinions and studies. Now I am leaning toward thinking that my flock does not having Marek's. At first, I felt convinced that it did, and I started attributing every little thing as a sign of Marek's—yes, I became paranoid about every little thing and was sure each time I went outside, one of my hens would be dead. I even thought my Silkie, Smalty, was about to die, so I brought her in. She perked up with I gave her some treats, started chirping, and then I realized she was broody!!

Since the outside temps were too low to easily transition her back outside, I had to keep her in for three nights until it warmed up! I had Smalty in the basement bathroom and have had @chick rookie 's Bantam Cochin, Lacy, in quarantine two floors up. I have been constantly showering, washing hair, changing clothes, getting rid of bedding and deep litter—imaging the evil Marek's virus dusting everything in sight. Constant stress. Meanwhile, my remaining five flock members are fine and have no symptoms. For the past couple of months, Bonbon has had a slight rocking motion when she's on the perch at night. It's not a Marek's symptom, but my Jersey did that when she had ovarian cancer. Anyway, knock on wood, hopefully my flock will remain healthy. I am still doing everything I can as far as biosecurity. I ordered Virkon S disinfectant and virucide, which I plan to use on the coop during this wonderful warm weather spell.

I have also been worried about contaminating @chick rookie's place where I stopped on my way home from my voice appointment in Indy. When I arrived home with Screech's new friend, that's when I found out Screech had died. Bad timing! However, I had been in Indy for two nights before stopping at chick rookies, and I had a newly cleaned dress coat on —not my chicken clothes except for a pair of boots that I had washed and used three different germ killers on before I left home. So, it's not likely, but I've been concerned.

I took this photo the other night of my remaining flock members who gathered for their nightly ritual before eating and going in the coop for the night.


Below: My new Lacy from chick rookie is hysterical! Earlier today, she was in her dust bath that I set up in a plastic lined bathtub. I kept checking on her, but she was always chirping and having a great time, so two hours later, (!) I told her it was bedtime. It reminded me of when my kids were little and loved to spend hours playing in the bathtub. Here she is sitting on the arm of my chair while I'm working. Btw, she started laying eggs! She had been laying at chick rookie's, but I knew she'd have to feel settled here before she began laying again. @ellymayRans Her eggs are light brown, so is she a Cochin mix? She looks like a Cochin, but Screech was much smaller in size and laid tiny cream colored eggs. I still had one of Screech's eggs, so here's a photo of hers on the left and Lacy's on the right.


Just curious, that's all!

 

[Hholly]

@Mother2Hens Lacy is cute. Congrats on her laying! And your flock is pretty. I hope you don't have any more problems. Hang in there.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Ahhhh 60 degrees outside! Enjoy an awesome warm weekend coming!!!

 

[tmarsh83]

Ahhhh 60 degrees outside! Enjoy an awesome warm weekend coming!!!

This wind though! Gee whiz. It's hitting 40mph up here for sure...

It was nice for the weather to break and let me take the old dog kennel apart.

 

[tmarsh83]

This wind is absurd. I just spent the last forty minutes de-tarping the run and shoring it back up. The wind had almost pulled one of the fenceposts out of the ground. I got the tarp off and the girls got hit with the full force of the wind, it pinned them against the fence for about thirty seconds as an especially brutal gust came through. Once it laid down they thought it best to retreat to the relative safety of the coop.

Gusts are hitting 50 here easy now. I'm a substantial fellow and walking into the breeze is a challenge.

 

[funnyfarmmom]

Saw this recipe and think I might try it. From: http://www.flavor574.com/Recipes/20...-to-make-your-family-smile-for-breakfast.html [COLOR=008000]Bacon & Egg Cups[/COLOR]

Ingredients:

• 5 slices bacon
• 5 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wrap a strip of bacon around the diameter of a muffin tin, laying the end of the strip at the bottom of the tin.
3. Crack an egg into the tin. Be careful to not break the yolk.
4. Season with salt and pepper and repeat the steps for as many as you want.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for a fully cooked egg.

Those are really good, Ive made them several times for my kiddos. But it does leave your muffin pan a mess. If you have a silicone pan it will make cleanup easier

 

[funnyfarmmom]

Ugh. The wind knocked a huge branch out of an ash tree into the barred rock run. Destroyed the fencing. Thats the second one this wear. Those ash trees need to go! At least all of the birds were ok and no one escaped .