INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo
That's an awful thing to find.

Maybe it can give you some consolation that she didn't have a long illness with suffering.

A couple years ago I had a hatchery BR die like that but she was outside. I examined her all over and no sign of attack, just her laying there. It was one of those very hot days and I came to the conclusion that the roo was probably chasing her around in the heat and it was just too much on her. Being a BR she was a relatively heavy bodied girl.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wanted to post one more time that I have a SFH pair, blue based, available. I will be processing the cockerel if there is no interest.

 

[Indyshent]

I'm so stunned right now, y'all. When I went out to close the coops for the night, I found my last Marans hen, Georgette, lying on her back under the nest boxes, dead. No sign of a struggle, no injuries, nothing to indicate that anything was wrong. It's like she just rolled over there and died. I'm just shocked. I don't even know what to think. One of my Speckled Sussex has been ill as of late, so I've been hyper-vigilant with my girls, but there's just absolutely nothing that was outwardly wrong with Georgie. I just don't even know.

My poor Georgie.

I'm so sorry, pipd. I have to agree with the heart attack and heat on this one. Heat (and black feathers, no less) can be a terrible thing for fluffy ladies.

I'm amazed my bigger Brahma girls haven't dropped with this heat and humidity. Some of them look to be a bit older and out of shape, and every time I go out, I'm expecting to find one like this.

Fanny went to her new home tonight. Honestly, I think they will keep her! We brought home 5 little Jersey bulls. My cow neighbor went up with us, and his son so I could be sure its a good trade. Will be banding and dehorning pretty quick, they have buds already! Pictures asap. Moose was so excited to have new playmates! If anyone is looking for a bottle calf, he has 2 jerseys left. Both are bull calves. PM me if so and will forward his number.

Back to hatching chickens, another neighbor wants BYM (barn yard mix) And some EEs. Have 2 other EE orders pending also. Will be reserving eggs for another member first, and then back to hatching them also.

I'm likely to be overrun with BYM/EE chicks soon. Have one Wellie, one BO, two splash EE (Marans/Am mixes, if I understand correctly) broody on what has to be more than forty eggs. Seriously, each of them has managed to squirrel away anything from ten to forty eggs apiece. I doubt many will hatch considering three are first time setters, the weather's been atrociously unpredictable with the temps, and they're all sitting on too many eggs. I have a fan on the boxes to help the girls out now.

I've been trying to cut down on normal brown layers and focus on pretty eggs, but I still have a few normal light brown layers who have put some of their chips into the broodies' piles. Most of the eggs being set are Marans, Wellie, Leghorn, mottled Breda, and a ton of EE. Other eggs are some BO, SLW, Brahmas (gold pencilled, Light) and a lemon pyle Cochin. Roosters who are likely the dads include a Sumatra/EE (he tends to mate the younger EE/OEs), and a Dark Brahma (tends to mate the older brown and blue layers but also one green layer), and the less likely dads include a mottled Breda, a lame splash Marans mix, and a black Cochin roo.

Are you absolutely sure they are roosters? Squatting is a sign of inviting breeding. If it is a rooster he is less dominant, but I don't think have never seen a roo squat. (I have kept a whole lot of roosters lol) D'uccles are tough to sex until they are adults. If in doubt, please feel free to post pictures. I have kept Fluers and other color of D'uccle, most act the same. The boys have a real Napoleon complex, lol. They think they are a LF (Large Frame) bird, and will not back down. If you are positive both are roos, then that fella is very submissive.
Also the pecking motion you are seeing is part of rooster language prior to a fight IF he isn't talking to you. There is a lot of head bobbing, eyeballing you and picking up things that are not there.. Unless he doing a fast and loud cluck cluck cluck call, saying" here I found food for you!" then he regards you as a flock mate he is feeding. Hens, if dominant will do this also with no rooster in the flock. Also communicate with chicks that way too.

@jchny2000

I'm not sure which one is doing it but I assume it's the one on the ground. The bigger one, the one on the fence, was flaring his neck feathers out as I was trying to get a picture. That didn't make me feel too comfortable! The one on the ground was actually eating as I took the picture, no clucking. But usually when he is near me, he's pecking at nothing at all. They are most often perched on top of the fence and have been recently sitting above the gate I go thru to work with my hens, leaving me to walk under them. I have been quite uncomfortable with this all week and now more so after seeing him flare out his feathers. I have a total of 3 of the d'uccles, one of which is a female and none of them want anything to do with us. I now have 2 of them eating from my hand the female and smaller boy (the one that runs to me but then acts as tho he's pecking the ground and has squatted if I walk toward him after he does this. But i think they just want the snacks not my attention. Although, the smaller one comes to perch on my back deck and crows at my door every day. When I go talk to him he either pecks at the perch he is on or the ground and then walks away if I try to walk toward him.I have never had to discipline them. Other than netting them every night, I feel they have no reason to be afraid of me and this behavior has been going on since they were babies in the brooder box. I handled them all the time but once their pin feathers started to come in the acted like they didn't want touched so, I didnt. I assumed the pin feathers hurt.
I'm sorry for such long post, I like these little guys but they sure are a headache more than not. And I cannot tolerate one trying to get at me. I always have a very small critter on my shoulder and if he jumps on my back or head he will indeed hurt her. So I suppose I need to be watching to see if he is just testing me or turning into a butt.

those are both boys, and the breed is known to be full of Napoleons. Try separating your squatting fellow and see if he perks up and gets manlier. However, I've never heard of a squatting roo, which is why I said "Caitlin". Your boy's a little... gay. I've seen a lot of really submissive roosters, but I've never seen one squat (that's how horny ladies say, "Do me now!")

Budding feathers do hurt and bleed easily. Most chicks go through the teenage phase of being independent and not wanting to be held or touched.

Birds don't have to be given a reason to be afraid of you. Some just are. I've yet to have a D'Uccle roo that wanted to be handled; they're fiercely independent and take everything as a slight against their Man Cards.

If a boy charges you or pecks you, then feel free to discipline. If he puffs up and looks disgusted that you invaded his personal bubble, go ahead and discipline him. Otherwise, I tend to leave them alone.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh no, pipd I am terribly sorry. The heat and humidity lately has been rough on the birds, almost sounds like she had a heart attack.

[COLOR=8B4513]Just saw this before logging off— It's so unnerving to find one of your babies like that! I am so sorry! [/COLOR]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo

That's an awful thing to find.    

Maybe it can give you some consolation that she didn't have a long illness with suffering.

A couple years ago I had a hatchery BR die like that but she was outside.  I examined her all over and no sign of attack, just her laying there.  It was one of those very hot days and I came to the conclusion that the roo was probably chasing her around in the heat and it was just too much on her.  Being a BR she was a relatively heavy bodied girl.

I'm so sorry, pipd. I have to agree with the heart attack and heat on this one. Heat (and black feathers, no less) can be a terrible thing for fluffy ladies. 

I'm amazed my bigger Brahma girls haven't dropped with this heat and humidity. Some of them look to be a bit older and out of shape, and every time I go out, I'm expecting to find one like this. 

Thanks for the kind words, y'all. I was still just shocked when I posted that. I couldn't even cry about it until much later last night, I just was so blindsided. The more I think about it, the more I do think it must have been the heat and her heart. Isn't there a condition with larger meat birds called 'flip', where they die under similar conditions? Georgie was not a small hen by any stretch, so it does make some sense.

I sat in the chicken yard with my 'therapist', Elly, after that all went down last night and just went over it in my head, what could have caused this? Then I told Elly that if she ever did something like that, I'd never forgive her. She just looked at me with her semi-squinty-eyed sweetie face and cluck-clucked as if to say, "I love you, too." And that, in a nutshell, is why no matter how devastated I am with each loss, I could never give up my pet chickens.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@jchny2000

I'm not sure which one is doing it but I assume it's the one on the ground. The bigger one, the one on the fence, was flaring his neck feathers out as I was trying to get a picture. That didn't make me feel too comfortable! The one on the ground was actually eating as I took the picture, no clucking. But usually when he is near me, he's pecking at nothing at all. They are most often perched on top of the fence and have been recently sitting above the gate I go thru to work with my hens, leaving me to walk under them. I have been quite uncomfortable with this all week and now more so after seeing him flare out his feathers. I have a total of 3 of the d'uccles, one of which is a female and none of them want anything to do with us. I now have 2 of them eating from my hand the female and smaller boy (the one that runs to me but then acts as tho he's pecking the ground and has squatted if I walk toward him after he does this. But i think they just want the snacks not my attention. Although, the smaller one comes to perch on my back deck and crows at my door every day. When I go talk to him he either pecks at the perch he is on or the ground and then walks away if I try to walk toward him.I have never had to discipline them. Other than netting them every night, I feel they have no reason to be afraid of me and this behavior has been going on since they were babies in the brooder box. I handled them all the time but once their pin feathers started to come in the acted like they didn't want touched so, I didnt. I assumed the pin feathers hurt.
I'm sorry for such long post, I like these little guys but they sure are a headache more than not. And I cannot tolerate one trying to get at me. I always have a very small critter on my shoulder and if he jumps on my back or head he will indeed hurt her. So I suppose I need to be watching to see if he is just testing me or turning into a butt.

They are both roos, I think too. Time will tell, but my feeling is the dominant fella is "testing". @ellymayRans has kept them, maybe she can advise more on the personality quirks.

Quote: Yes, its flip. Not as common in heritage breeds but I had a Australorp hen do it. She was a very dominant girl, and quite a flock leader. I know how you feel, I get so upset, overwhelmed over a loss. Then I remember the good things, talk it out with all you wonderful folks, hug my favorites and just keep going!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Tried to upload some pictures but of course its not working, internet is just too slow. Will try again tomorrow. Buckeyes are really getting big & 2 definite roosters! I am really pleased with how they are turning out. I am expecting Physco, our muscovy hen to hatch ducklings by morning. I candled her eggs yesterday, and one is internally pipped, YAY!

Had fun wrangling 6 bull calves with one bottle today, nearly 3 hours to get everyone fed this morning. We bought more bottles, lots of milk replacer and stocked up on regular (just in case) meds and everything we need for dehorning. Calling my vet tomorrow to get more info regarding vaccination schedules on calves. Hoping to also wrangle all my neighbors grandsons down for a cookout later sunday, and then a mass dehorning lol. Bulls horns are just too dangerous to risk, especially around other livestock and people! We are lead training and learning NOT to butt people. Moose was already dehorned fortunately or it would have been a problem! They need to be done as soon as the buds can be felt on the head.
My goat kids are terrorizing the calves lol. They are sprinting around them, under them and jumping off everything like grasshoppers

! Moose loves to play with them, but the new calves are very timid yet. Next pasture is underway next week.. Need to have all these little boys separated from the goats and Daisy very soon. Goats will pasture it first to remove weeds, then the cows rotate over for the grasses and other good plants. This pasture will include the pond, so its going to make it much safer for the geese and ducks also. Bocephus our goat buck will not tolerate predators, he will be living with the steers and bull.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Re Leahs Mom's pics below— I love their expressive feet!

Originally Posted by Leahs Mom
EXPRESSIVE FEET!!!! Never really noticed before but that's a wonderful term!

@Leahs Mom ~ My eyes were drawn immediately to their feet! I saw their feet as children's book illustrations—their feet play a big part in expressing their personalities. I found a few illustrations online to explain what I mean...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Fun drawings @Mother2Hens

Those chick photos of mine really do have that kind of "look" to them. They should be models for children's book illustrators!

 

[Mother2Hens]

@racinchickins and anyone else who has PVC feeders and waters with nipples or cups —

As usual, when it comes to chickens, there is SO much conflicting information online. I'd like to know what our members' experiences and preferences are.
If possible, please post photos of where you place them—inside or outside of your coop. How do you make it removable? What height is the pipe of your feeder?
Are nipples better than water cups? If my older chickens have never used them, would they use them? Thank you for your input!

 

[daskhan]

Hello every sorry it's been so long so we decided to finally move we are leaving in about a week I have about 7 chickens left of anyone is interested please let me know most chicken stuffs went to Dan Anderson though so not much left there