INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

We let the youngest egg flock out to free range today, 1st time. Production BSL and a few other misc layers. Too young to lay yet but I have a BCM cockerel watching over them. They did well and cooped up at dark.

 

[Faraday40]

OK, This may sound like a very strange question, but is there any way I can encourage a hen to molt?

My faithful Tillie started laying Sept 2018 and has laid an egg daily - all but 2 days in 15 months! She looks like a big hot mess with ratty feathers. Her shells are getting thinner too. I feel that the hen just needs a good break to care for herself.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

OK, This may sound like a very strange question, but is there any way I can encourage a hen to molt?

My faithful Tillie started laying Sept 2018 and has laid an egg daily - all but 2 days in 15 months! She looks like a big hot mess with ratty feathers. Her shells are getting thinner too. I feel that the hen just needs a good break to care for herself.

That's a very good question. Maybe give her high protein snacks like mealworms, and yogurt or eggshells.. It should help her to regain condition at least. Her body may be skipping molt til spring.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Our first 4 Muscovy 7+ years ago now. We were putting down fresh mulch and they were loving it. Clockwise from the top; Spaz, Donald, Huey and Stanley. Youngest DD bought them thinking all were boys. Stanley was the only drake! I still have the original bloodline from Spaz, a black atipico and Huey, a wild type pied. I really miss Huey most, the black and white pied duck. Fantastic mother, raised one brood of 17 ducklings! And several more including a few goslings. She would fly up, circle and land on my shoulder every morning for sunflower seeds or other treats. Huey would disappear and come back with ducklings 3 times every year. The last brood I never found and she didn't come back . They are actually a cousin of the mallard derived Duck breeds and not a true duck.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Aside from @Nyla and I, anyone else keep Muscovy?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Snowing here! Anyone else? Forecast is saying 4 inches. DH just put the plow on the truck, is waiting for a call out. I bet none of the chickens aside from my Leghorns will leave the coops. Most of our birds are youngsters now and this is their first snow.

 

[slutter]

Anyone raise a dark brown breed, an auto sexing breed, or a blue egg laying breed and sell hatching eggs or day old chicks in the spring? Thanks in advance!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Anyone raise a dark brown breed, an auto sexing breed, or a blue egg laying breed and sell hatching eggs or day old chicks in the spring? Thanks in advance!

I have Black copper Maran, and EE/OE as well as a few Lavender Ameraucana. I might be hatching this spring, pm if interested.

 

[slutter]

Do you have pictures of the lavender ameraucanas, the bcm and their eggs? Thanks in advance!

 

[Faraday40]

Here's the Sept baby lav orp boy (with an adoring leghorn hen next to him)

Below is my fav lav orp.
I think she laid her 1st egg today. (She's been checking out the coop & nest boxes. Then I found an egg under her roost tonight. )

.... and just because, I have to share her enormous butt fluff.
She's so wide that she cannot walk through the chicken doors without it brushing against the sides.