INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[amwchickin]

I'm with everyone on the raccoons right now. Only coming around at night so far that I can see. Had my feed bin torn up, so I have to get a new one this weekend. Thankfully no losses with them at this point. Knock on wood!


I need to sit with the chickens and take some pics this weekend. I have some EE's that are feathering out beautifully this year! I know the RK employees get annoyed when you want to hand pick your chicks, but I have made some excellent choices with them and I can't wait to see them fully grown!

I do have one EE pullet that should start laying any time. I keep checking the nest boxes, hoping for that surprise. I'm ready for the 50+ pullets to stop being freeloaders! I think I have at least 5 roosters now, could have more show up yet... The bantam roosters crowing are so funny, especially the sebrights. So small, yet so mighty!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

 

[Indyshent]

I had terrible luck this year too. Set 20 eggs, only 10 were fertile, only two hatched and one of them failed to thrive. Ended up with one lonely poult. I usually have no problem with them, and my other eggs have hatched very well this year. Just had a 90% hatch with Bresse chicks and had a 100% hatch of cornish earlier this year. Thinking of possibly processing them all this year and starting over with new turkey stock next year. It certainly wouldn't hurt to not have to feed turkeys all winter.

Loved your signs! I don't know how many times I've heard someone pronounce/write it "Wine Dots". My husband thought that was what I was saying for ages.

Re: Turkeys--> According to an animal husbandry site I bumped into, toms over one year are rarely used for breeding due to decreased fertility as they age. Also, toms develop affinities for particular hens and therefore neglect their husbandly duties to other girls. Also, they gain weight, which is a health risk to the girls they do mate.

Sounds like you and @jchny2000 should regularly swap out your boys. Many breeders keep more than one boy of a given breed around and switch them out every two weeks or do during the breeding season. Bloomington RK had heritage poults. I've probably got a Chocolate tom, but was aiming for a Bourbon tom or two as a present for jchny2000.

For the record, I'm finally getting the hang of Porter's genetic calculator, and I love it!

One of the Spanish Blacks looks to be barred (Bb) so I may get some neat poults next spring. Provided little Hershey is really a tom, that chocolate sexlinked gene will be a lot of fun to see in action with his offspring.Good thing I'm keeping turkeys for personality and veterinary experience and not showing because I'm not likely to get anything show-able anyway.

 

[ellymayRans]

@Indyshent
one of my bourbon hens went broody, its Syd my social girl. The older hen is timid. None of my turkey eggs have been fertile so far this year. We are still at -0- hatch. The 2 holland that hatched didn't thrive. I set every egg I get.. I think my fella is getting too old.

I was shocked that all my turkey eggs were fertile but only 8 hatched and 3 died within the first week. I have 2 older and 3 younger right now. 3 MW, 1 sweetgrass and 1 blue palm. All 7 of my Peahen eggs hatched!! 1 hatched all yellow so its a black shoulder. ..just hoping for a girl...actually all girls! Haha, aren't we all!!!

Out if the 10 duck eggs that recently went into lockdown, 4 hatched, 2 wild type, 1 black barred and a light atipico, hoping its a chocolate.

I have 7 yes 7 broody chicken hens that i weeded out all but 4 eggs each so they can hatch and be happy. 1 of the hens hatched and killed it, another has hatched and it was still alive this morning with 2 eggs remaining for her.

I have 3 broody scovy, 1 chocolate and 2 black pied. Chocolate has 19, 1 pied 10 and the last pied ?? , the one with 10 i had to load up from under my neighbors deck and she did quite well with the move.

Very busy for sure! Chick frenzy here more than ever this spring! ! No predator issues even for a few roos that didnt coop up that i hoped would be gone the next morning! Lol! Go figure!

I have a truckload of chicks i want OUT this weekend!! We'll see how that goes considering tomorrow is supposed to be a wash, and of course baseball, baseball, baseball! !!!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I had terrible luck this year too. Set 20 eggs, only 10 were fertile, only two hatched and one of them failed to thrive. Ended up with one lonely poult. I usually have no problem with them, and my other eggs have hatched very well this year. Just had a 90% hatch with Bresse chicks and had a 100% hatch of cornish earlier this year. Thinking of possibly processing them all this year and starting over with new turkey stock next year. It certainly wouldn't hurt to not have to feed turkeys all winter.

On a different note ..... My hatchlings (raised by momma) attack anything I pitch into the run. The farm store chix are terrified of everything. Very cautious. Took them awhile to check out the watermelon rind, so long I didn't think they would get any. I put theirs inside with them and still they held back. The chickens outside devoured theirs and came in looking for more.

Momma teaches to forage.. incubated chicks from farm stores will have to be taught. I start mine early learning to try everything.. so they aren't afraid of meat scraps and other healthy treats.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I'm with everyone on the raccoons right now. Only coming around at night so far that I can see. Had my feed bin torn up, so I have to get a new one this weekend. Thankfully no losses with them at this point. Knock on wood!


I need to sit with the chickens and take some pics this weekend. I have some EE's that are feathering out beautifully this year! I know the RK employees get annoyed when you want to hand pick your chicks, but I have made some excellent choices with them and I can't wait to see them fully grown!

I do have one EE pullet that should start laying any time. I keep checking the nest boxes, hoping for that surprise. I'm ready for the 50+ pullets to stop being freeloaders! I think I have at least 5 roosters now, could have more show up yet... The bantam roosters crowing are so funny, especially the sebrights. So small, yet so mighty!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

I hand pick too if I buy at a farm store. Not taking home pasty sick chicks! I have not bought a single chick from a store this year!

I did buy buckeyes from a well known breeder, Bill Dyke. They are Jeff Lay line. Very pleased with them, temperament is awesome and quite healthy and robust.@Leahs Mom , my DD and I all jumped in on the order. I wanted to choose a less common breed for livestock conservancy. They just seemed to fit what I was looking for. I was especially impressed with the pea comb, and background of the dark cornish to create the breed.

Quote: Well they made a liar out of me, first bourbon hatched and its a BIG baby! I am really hoping for a tom. He is really heavy compared to what I have had in the past, seems to be a strong poult. Syd is sticking to the nest so there may be more on the way!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
My pea has another egg and is nesting.. so I am going to let her. Finally had a bourbon hatch and its a big poult! I hear ya on chicks, I have several 4 week olds thats ready to go out. Physco is finally broody and has a pile, so we will see ducklings soon. My scovys hate being penned. I feel awful, one of my hens pace like a zoo animal. I have to find a better way for them to be happy, just isn't feeling right for them.
We are still on high predator alert. I have a pair of fox. One has a ratty tail, assuming the mom. Very bold. Seeing them several times a day now. I have a few free range roos that must be too big for the fox, and my geese still do free range. Everything else stays penned up in coops now.

They hate it. Its pretty sad watching how they act. I give a lot more treats, like meal worms. Makes it hard on a bird accustomed to being free to adjust, but at least they aren't being eaten.

Ugh, baseball! Its so good for the kids to be involved. And really hard on the parents keeping up. I had 3 in at once and there was no end to the games! I did the mom part and the X did coach so it was a lot of long days. DD burned out after 3 years, the boys held out a year longer. They all still remember it, and its a great social experience for them too.

 

[Indyshent]

Well they made a liar out of me, first bourbon hatched and its a BIG baby! I am really hoping for a tom. He is really heavy compared to what I have had in the past, seems to be a strong poult. Syd is sticking to the nest so there may be more on the way!

 

[jenaman]

My app has not been working right in so long!! Glad to finally get back to see what has been going on!!

 

[jenaman]

I have 7 BCM roosters out of 10

How should I go about keeping one out of the bunch? They are all pretty fiesty. I've noticed one has a floppy comb and about 3 of the others have a shorter outside toe. (I did not hatch them, I bought them from someone one here). New to BCM but I want to keep the one with the best traits.

 

[kittydoc]

I had an explosion of chick's a couple of days ago. After two hatches with incubator issues, I finally had a strong hatch with chick's popping out like popcorn! This is great but honestly unexpected.

I have a billion lavender Orps, and smaller numbers of blacks, black/chocolate split cockerels (pets), black/lavender splits, blues, and finally chocolate/chocolate cuckoo (pet/layer only). All are vaccinated against Marek's disease, and my NPIP certification renewal is submitted.

I have a trio or quad of blue English Orps that are about 5-6 weeks old. They look very nice and if they don't sell soon, I'm gonna keep them myself!

Mandy convinced me to give hatching eggs another try. I love my silver grey Dorkings so I'm trying to hatch some more. Fingers crossed that a few make it. I had no idea ahead of time that color is autosexing, BONUS!!

I am letting a broody sit a few eggs for kicks. Started with 9, she broke 5. Maybe 4 will make it. It's her first time, and mine.

That's all my news.