INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[abbyf]

Well Woop wooop the phone just rang off to pick up some peeping babies

 

[Greenthumb83]

I keep a Hampshire Boar and Sow, and have 2 Berkshire sows, one Spot sow.  Overall profitable, yes and no.. I sell out fast, but maintaining through the winter is costly also. We pretty much break even right now, and still put a few in our own freezer a year. I do not use a butcher, its all done here as a family group task. I want to know every part of their life is humane, right up to the end. Happy, healthy hogs are petted, talked to and treated well, given treats and shown love. Its also fed my family well the last 4 years, and I know exactly what went into raising those pigs.

I bet that is some great meat. Those are on our list of possibilities. We are still learning and figuring out what breed would work best for us. I'm interested in Mulefoot also. That's awesome your pigs never leave the farm. DH would like to do that with ours once we feel confident to butcher. There would no shortage of kindness for the pigs here. We all love animals. Even the older kids are beginning to understand giving an animal a happy life before it is eaten. They saw an episode of SpongeBob yesterday, where the crabby patties were changed to processed. My oldest made me come watch and made a huge deal about not wanting meat that comes out of a machine. So nice to know that what we are trying to teach is sticking. <3

 

[ellymayRans]

Well that was fast! I have a lavender hatched!! Now a second egg with external pip!

The AM eggs were shipped eggs, all having not good air cells, mostly saddled but others detached. Out of the 14 ish (?)eggs there are 12 in lockdown. Because of the air cells I'm not confident that many will hatch but they are lavender and cuckoo colors.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Another reason NOT to use straw in your gardens or chicken pens:

http://thegrownetwork.com/hidden-dangers-straw-bale-gardening/

 

[ellymayRans]

So more duckling pics! These babes are growing up so fast. I thought the one was black barred but it looks chocolate barred. ?? Took this morning.

Definitely a chocolate drake. So that has ny 5 at 2 drakes and 3 ducks.

Then my rescue drake. I caught him mating the black pied duck! So potential blue ducklings in my future? ?

Got a better pic of my black pied girl too.

Another baby pic..Im trying a heat mat for seeds. Moved her to a bigger box after this pic.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Anyone in need of a rooster???

I can provide him a home for the summer but when the cold weather comes I'll make stew or pot pie.

 

[Indyshent]

@lp0311 So what else can you tell us about your boy? Where'd you get him? How old is he? How's he treat his girls? Any hint of aggression? Give us a sales pitch. Are you okay with him being processed, or do you think he'll be a great pet, flock guardian, therapy animal, whatever, and you simply can't stand the idea of of him on a platter with some mashed potatoes?

I'll be honest: I don't think anyone here needs a gold laced Wyandotte cockerel. I know few people who breed them, and none of them need boys that I know of (they already have show-quality guys in droves). Most people are overrun with boys at this time of year (and if not, they'll likely be overrun by autumn).

Wyandotte roosters unfortunately have a reputation for aggression (usually by their second birthday). They're lovely boys when well bred, but a number of members here have pretty much sworn them off and won't keep them come h-e-double-hockey-sticks or high water. I recently rehomed my blue laced red boy (not due to aggression) and have no plans to breed more Wyandottes, so I don't need another boy. The Wyandotte roo I did have was substantially harder to break of nipping people than any other boy I've owned, and this seems to be the norm for the breed. Even Wyandotte mixes are more aggressive than most boys (had a bunch of them hatch out this spring). I've yet to meet a rooster I couldn't train the aggression out of, but I'm probably lucky.

I have four roosters now already, so I need another one like I need a kick to a sensitive area. Of my four roosters, one has a new home lined up, one is perpetually ill, one is lame, and one is a fiery little young buck with a big chunk of promise. I have a handful of chicks-cum-likely-cockerels too. I could take your boy in and see how he does, but if he's a jerk, he'll most likely be eaten by somebody eventually.

 

[iamfivewire]

the "clowns" are 9&10 days old - almost as big as the chickens that hatched Easter weekend.
cute, entertaining, & messy none the less:

 

[iamfivewire]

also this today:

 

[amwchickin]

Just checking in...all my babies of various ages are doing great. They are starting to figure out how to roost instead of sleeping in a huge pile of feathers and fluff on the coop floor! I have been making improvements to my run for safety, and also hoping to make it bigger in the next few weeks as the littles continue to grow. I counted yesterday. Not a good idea! 61 birds. This is probably the only thing that I think, "Good thing I don't have a husband to answer to!"

I just can't wait until they are all outside. I have feed in three different places and birds everywhere!!!