INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ellymayRans]

What is everyone's thoughts about purchasing a used incubator (Brinsea eco 20)?  I'm wondering about issues like disinfection (possibly bringing disease back to my place) etc.

I bought used from a fellow BYCer and just soaked it in the tub with scaulding hot water and bleach for an hour or so. The great thing about it is the entire base is hard plastic and has no electronics so it's harmless to soak! The rest I took apart and wiped down with Clorox wipes. Best thing I could think to do. The woman I bought it from said she only used it 2ce.

It does have the auto turner but not the humidity pump. It has two trenches for water. I've found it to be great. Really. Very easy, water or no water (forgot) and chicks hatched dry even. I know nothing about the Incuview sorry.

 

[Crafty chick]

Went out to check for eggs when we got home... Susie our old bantam black cochin laid! She must have been about 2 years old when I got her, and I've had her for about 3 years. I thought she was done laying, and was going to keep her as a pet. She's the cutest hobbling around with her fluffiness. As soon as my chick's are a little bigger I'll introduce them, so they don't bully her. The big hens make her sleep on the end of the roost and leave her behind while they forage. She can be seen running as fast as she can behind them in the leaves. I just love her. She's one I'll be upset if anything happens to. That's why I need to get my chicken tractor built. Hoping for warmer weather soon!!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

PHEW! Past few days have been tiring! Lots of homework to finish before spring break. I'm off now, though! YAY!! AND Margie's eggs are within a week of hatching!! Somebody needs to stop me from checking on her every 3 seconds!!

Anyway, lots of catching up to do! I was behind by 12 pages or so!

I am taking another hard look at more downsizing. I may be selling my remaining turkeys, some of the chicken breeds I keep. From what Dads Dr discussed today, he will not be driving much longer. Thats going to change things even more here. Will asses what I have and post more info this weekend.

So sorry for everything going on over there. I hope your parents can start feeling better!

@jchny2000
 Nope, barred chocolate roo over chocolate hens just gives you unsexable chicks (by color).  50% single barred if that's what your roo is, and 50% solid chocolate, for both sexes.

You CAN, however, take some of those chocolate cuckoo female offspring and cross them with a solid chocolate male to get all chocolate sexlinks--resulting females will be solid chocolate and resulting males will be single-factor (or dark) cuckoo chocolate.

[COLOR=8B4513]Two years ago, one of my favorite chickens, my Jersey Giant, had ovarian cancer and I had her put to sleep. She had become less active, started waddling, and laid some scrambled looking eggs— she always had egg laying issues. I remember recently discussing it with[/COLOR] @pipdzipdnreadytogo  [COLOR=8B4513]who had a hen with similar symptoms—maybe she can share her experience.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]I just noticed this interesting article from[/COLOR] @kittydoc [COLOR=8B4513]'s veterinary school:[/COLOR] Flaxseed-fed chickens shed light on ovarian cancer | [COLOR=8B4513]Preview: [/COLOR][COLOR=818181]"Chickens fed a diet of flaxseed for a year experienced a decreased severity of ovarian cancer and higher survival rates. The finding is important because the chicken is the only animal where ovarian cancer develops on the ovary surface, as it does in humans. Flaxseed, the richest plant source of alpha-linolenic acid, has also been shown to inhibit the formation of colon, breast, skin, and lung tumors."[/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=8B4513]I just found my post about my infamous Flock Leader, Nene:[/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]Very sad day here! Our first ever chicken, Nene, had to be put to sleep at the veterinarian’s. She was diagnosed as having congestive heart failure. Signs weren’t obvious until two days ago when I observed Nene waddling, and that evening she wasn’t able to jump up to her high perch. Nene was eating/drinking, but was breathing heavily. We had noticed that her comb had gone limp and was becoming purplish at the ends (lack of oxygen). I felt her abdomen area, which was bulging, so I assumed she had ovarian cancer tumors like my Black Jersey Giant had last winter.[/COLOR]
[rule][COLOR=8B4513]I'm afraid that my precious Bantam Chocolate English Orp, Bonbon (my avatar) has been having similar symptoms for several weeks. She is slower than usual, but not waddling. She slightly rocks back and forth on the perch at night. Bonbon became stressed when I gave her the wormer the other day and was panting and her comb/waddles turned purplish. However, she has been the same—hasn't worsened, and she still eats, drinks, flies up to her perch, and participates in flock activities.[/COLOR]

Yes, that was because of sassy Miss Marama having a lump in her side. After she jumped into the dog yard, I kept thinking about that and how it may have been a kindness in a way. I have no idea what that lump was in her side, but at least she didn't end up succumbing to that, which likely would have resulted in some time of discomfort for her before I caught on... :/

I'm afraid I'm dealing with it again now, though. My red sexlink, Skua, has been acting off and waddling a bit. This is why I won't get any more hatchery sexlinks, too much risk of issues related to their high productivity. This will be the 7th or 8th red sexlink I've had to come down with an egg laying issue. Most of them have been internal laying, though, so ovarian cancer in chickens is kind of new to me. Skua doesn't have the distended abdomen of an internal layer, which is why I'm thinking cancer. I'll have to check her out and see if I feel anything in her like what Marama had.

I did look at flaxseed when I found that lump in Marama's side. I didn't get the chance to try it out, though, because life got busy. May have to look into that now that I'm on break and have some time to think!

Your coop will be too small, you won't have enough birds, and you still need more ventilation. lol

This is entirely too true, even for me at close to 11 years into chickening.

Here's a good ventilation article that explains their needs quite well: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

Calls are just bantam ducks; they're adorable-ness incarnate. 

You can say that again!

I won't bother showing my "icky poop pics" today, but Cuddles seems to be improving a tiny bit.  Her poops are sometimes solid, she's eating a little-  only treats she really likes.  (bread & mealworms)  She pecked at tuna & yogurt.  Still very odd because this girl is usually a bottomless pit. She's not at death's door yet.

Hope she can pull out of it! It sounds like you're making some progress at least.

I loved the pictures of her, by the way. Made me think of my goofy Frou-Frou and her antics when she was inside about a year ago for a neck wound. I sure miss that bird...

 

[Mishlerfarm24]

...

PHEW! Past few days have been tiring! Lots of homework to finish before spring break. I'm off now, though! YAY!! AND Margie's eggs are within a week of hatching!! Somebody needs to stop me from checking on her every 3 seconds!!

Anyway, lots of catching up to do! I was behind by 12 pages or so!


I feel ya on the tiredness! Been busting my butt studying for midterms, and getting papers done! THankfully my last class was Tuesday so I been on my spring break for 2 days now. Not much of a spring break when I have to work but at least I get a break from school! What are you studying for? And where you going to school at!?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Chick Update

Not that I know anything, as these are my first chicks, but they seem to be doing really well. Temp must be right as they aren't trying to get away from the lamps and they aren't huddled. Just mill around all over. Eating and drinking like swine, everyone's behinds are staying clean, not peeping to excess.

Seems to be going textbook.

Now if the snow would go away I could get my coop built. Picking up materials Monday. Have some big ideas...we'll see if they come together...

And a thank you to everyone on the thread. You've all been very helpful during this process!!

You have obviously done your homework, and your babies are thriving. WTG! Glad to help any way I can! 4 years ago when I found BYC I was really struggling to get info. This is an awesome group of caring folks.

Have the shed kit and paint for a minibarn/humongocoop. Working on getting a fence for it. If any of you have advice on that, I'm down for it. We were wanting to get some 10x6 fence panels at RK, but have no way to transport them to our house and shipping is prohibitive. Were hoping for something we could move when the time came (or in the event that we needed to bring a truck into the backyard). Costs at this point are running pretty high.

MW tom-ling attacked the lame rooster, so I brought the little roo back inside. He's shrunk even in the past couple days, so I'm not sure what's going on. Bathed him and am going to stick him back on lots of b-vitamins again. Have to figure a way to water him without him being able to spill it all over his enclosure though. Blargh. His legs seem to have even less mobility-- it's like the knees are stuck in an uncomfortably forward position. He's lost a lot of flexibility in pretty much every way--his head is forced further down, his knees are further up, and his hocks and feet are kind of curled under him. He can still kind of move every part, but his range of motion has been drastically limited.

Also, if anyone has any tips about pheasant and quail enclosures, we're starting to embark on those. Hoping to keep them together if possible.

For fencing in, Chicken wire is the cheapest. Where you are at, its probably ok. 150 feet, 4 ft tall is $62 at menards. I have several rolls of it, and use chainlink fencing. cover it with chicken wire. We have night predators so its a better choice for us. DH gets 4ft chain link at auctions for practically nothing. We plan a larger enclosure for my peas, 8x8x16. Already have all the materials and hope to finish this weekend.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
I admire everyone thats going to school and continuing education. WTG guys!

 

[Dish chickens]

I'm having problems as well. It's very slow and it goes back to the top of the page I'm on

I think it is the advertising taking to long to load, I can go to other websites and not have any problems.
I can read a post, try to scroll down and it wont move and if I keep trying it pops up asking to recover web page. Just irritating

guess I need to be more patient.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: So frustrating! I have had to delete my browser and reinstall it to get an updated version. I normally use FireFox. Once I get windows updated and firefox the rest of it seems to work ok.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Anyone thats recently joined our thread, WELCOME!

Here's a little info about us.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

And our members page with some awesome links:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/indiana-bycers-members-events-links