INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[cganote]

Welcome back! I'm not sure I'll ever stay caught up =)

 

[cganote]

These are the stories I need!!! It helps me maneuver my brain. I did read in a hatchery catalog that they are very docile! Glad to see you experience the same. How big do they get inch wise? I know the expected weights but being new I can't translate that into size! Do you have pictures? Is a 13x10 inch door going to be sufficient? It sounds like they run with your chickens?

I'd say in general my turkeys and chickens get along. The exceptions to the rule are the roosters and the toms - they will bloody each other out of pure stubbornness during the breeding season.

As far as breeds go, I can't complement the royal palms enough for temperament. My old tom is such a good buddy, loves people, loves to show off, and is a great dad. I've seen toms sit on poults to keep them warm. My hen who is half-bronze, half palm is also a character - always getting into trouble, but then coming back to you to groom burrs off your clothes or stick her face in your tools while you're trying to work. My Narragansett hen is fairly friendly to me, but almost killed a duck that was in her pen for the night. I had a Narry tom kill my Mille Fleur D'uccle cockerel as well. I think I need to get some of @CochinCuddlr's friendly birds!

The royal palm is not a great meat bird, in my opinion. Crossed with Narry or Gray makes a very formidable thanksgiving dinner, though, especially toms!

Another note - obligatory NPIP plug here - mixing turkeys and chickens in a flock is NOT recommended by the Indiana board of animal health. Chickens can harbor blackhead disease which doesn't do much to them but will kill turkeys. Personally, I don't follow this rule very close; I don't get new chickens very often and it's really convenient for me to keep the hens with the turkeys and give them relief from the roosters every now and then. But just be aware of the risk =)

 

[racinchickins]

BYC SITE UPDATE

Just an fyi for everyone on the thread. You may or may not have noticed that BYC is going to update their software platform for hosting the site. It looks like it will end up being a good deal for everyone. There will be more functionality and stability. However during the change, you will be unable to post on here.

It starts tomorrow (Tuesday 8 May) and could last for a couple of days. If you are behind on posts, you should be able to still read what has been posted, just no comments or new posts until the change is over. The links to access the site won't change, so other than the short period where it is read-only, the change will be mostly transparent to all the users. None of us needs to do anything to prepare for the change.

go here for the official update on what is going on:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1172392/bycs-software-conversion-discussion-information

 

[JanetMarie]

Here are some of the chicks that hatched over the weekend. Most of them hatched Sunday. They are Ameraucana, Ameraucana X Leghorn, Ameraucana X Marans, Buff Orpington X Dominique, and Mixed Rooster X Dominique. There are 17 total.

 

[JanetMarie]

Two of the chicks are with the Cotton Patch gosling until the two sibling gosling eggs hatch.

 

[EmilyOfIndiana]

I don't normally get angry with animals. That's not my style. I get angry with people who don't take care of their animals and choose to dump them in my little corner of indiana.

Which leads me to my story. So I had 5 week old chicks, fully feathered or close to it. I decided to let them out in the rabbit hutch this afternoon so I could clean their brooder. Nothing strange or out of the norm. Now, before I continue, recently some stupid person thought it would be a good idea to abandon some cats near my house. And I've been watching this one cat every day as he walked back and forth along my chicken run where my big birds live. Usually one of my roosters meets it on the other end and it leaves. Well today, of course I was working in the house and chose to leave them outside for a half hour. It was nice today...

Worst decision ever.

So I finally decide to bring them in before it rains and see this freaking cat sitting by the hutch all happy and content. Stupid freaking furball was munching on the top half of one of my rir pullets. I am so mad right now I can't see straight and it got the back end of one of my barred rocks so I am having to play nurse now.

This means war, cat.

 

[ellymayRans]

I don't normally get angry with animals. That's not my style. I get angry with people who don't take care of their animals and choose to dump them in my little corner of indiana.

Which leads me to my story. So I had 5 week old chicks, fully feathered or close to it. I decided to let them out in the rabbit hutch this afternoon so I could clean their brooder. Nothing strange or out of the norm. Now, before I continue, recently some stupid person thought it would be a good idea to abandon some cats near my house. And I've been watching this one cat every day as he walked back and forth along my chicken run where my big birds live. Usually one of my roosters meets it on the other end and it leaves. Well today, of course I was working in the house and chose to leave them outside for a half hour. It was nice today...

Worst decision ever.

So I finally decide to bring them in before it rains and see this freaking cat sitting by the hutch all happy and content. Stupid freaking furball was munching on the top half of one of my rir pullets. I am so mad right now I can't see straight and it got the back end of one of my barred rocks so I am having to play nurse now.

This means war, cat.

I'm so sorry to hear that! I've had my own cats decide on a whim to take one of my peachicks one year! It was the first hatch and I put it in a brooder while the other was fluffing up still. Had to raise a single pea and he was too spoiled!

As far as nursing it I wish you luck. Kittydoc can probably explain better or back me on this that cats saliva is full of bacteria and what I've read is if not given antibiotics within 24 hrs it kills the prey, in this case your poor pullet.

 

[Mother2Hens]

And here are some red frizzled bantam cochins with them. About the same age.


It looks to me like the calico turned out 4 cockerels and 3 pullets. Right now all 5 of the frizzled red look like pullets to me. I'd be shocked if I'm right but we'll see.

I've actually had veey good luck with pullets this year! First for me, I'm normally loaded with roos. Out of 10 polish i have growing out i can only pick out one roo right now. Fingers crossed I am right in my assessments.

@wheezy50 ~ Those adorable Cochins from @ellymayRans look like so much fun! Glad to hear you got some Cuckoo Orps from @kittydoc !
@Leahs Mom ~ Thank you SO much for all of the info and photos you posted about your coops, temporary housing, integrating flocks, etc. I am going to make a note of page 5174!

Hi guys!

Had some free time tonight and wanted to say hello. Been a rough couple months with my parents health.
Both seem to be improving now. I am about 600 posts behind, don't know if I can read them all but am going to try!

@jchny2000 ~ Our Flock Leader! I mean our Thread Leader! Glad to hear from you!
@hbrown322 ~ Did your missing hen show up?
@jonesfamily6 ~ Re separate coops... My Bantam Cochins free ranged with the other hens for several months, but I housed them in the basement. They would always go to the basement door in the evening when the others went to the coop. On the first few nights that I transitioned them to the coop (in a partitioned area), they wanted back in their basement suite! They were used to the good life inside.

Btw, chickens are much smarter than most people think. I have read a lot about their intelligence because it's pretty fascinating.
@EmilyOfIndiana ~ Don't be mad at the abandoned hungry cat — be mad at the irresponsible people who dumped a bunch of cats on your property. I'm sure it was horrifying to find your little BR baby attacked. I sympathize with you about wanting to protect your flock. Hopefully animal control will pick up the cats before they start breeding. It's so disgusting that people dump animals!
@racinchickins ~ Thanks for the reminder about this site getting an overhaul — long overdue, but excited that they're improving the website experience for everyone.
I took a few photos of some of my flock members minus my Silkie (still broody) and The Cochin Frizzles (they run up to my phone and get in my face when I'm trying to take photos! lol)

Three Orps from @kittydoc along with 5 year olds SLW and EE


Chocolate English Orp, Zipporah, loves to have her photo taken.


EE "Roadrunner"

 

[hbrown322]

@Mother2Hens

Yes!! After searching my neighborhood for over an hour I went to give the remaining hen some meal worms, and tell her I wouldn't let her be alone for long, and the missing hen came running out of the hen house!! My jaw dropped, I couldn't believe it. She had gone in there to lay an egg! Rookie mistake by not checking it in the first place, but when I let the hens out to free range they don't go back to the run/hen house without meal worms involved! So I never thought to check it. I promised my boyfriend that the next time I have him go stomping through the woods to search for a missing chicken that I would check the hen house first.

 

[Indyshent]

Wanted to let everyone know that our neighborhood has seen way too much drama lately, and that our family will likely be moving anywhere else. If you're inclined, please be praying for our family and a neighbor's. A neighbor and friend of ours who is eight months pregnant was stabbed in two separate events in one day, framed by drug dealers who live next door, her dogs and cars impounded, her husband deported due to false witnesses (addicts and dealers again), her house repeatedly broken into and all of her family's belongings stolen--all in the last week. She was stabbed in the face and back and is still recovering but out of the hospital now and having to stay with a brother. Her daughters weren't harmed in the attacks. She thinks they targeted her because of her outspoken opposition to their dealing/using next door.

While searching for my missing golden pheasant, I saw several used needles in a yard behind my house. Did find the body of our missing cat, however. Predators have claimed the pheasant eggs but the hen is safe. We're in such a hurry to get out now that we won't be able to take our birds with us and whatever home we move into won't be zoned for over the limit of chickens, multiple roosters or pheasants. Hoping for somewhere in the sticks but will settle for anything else