INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

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

I'll try to get pics. Not sure on the eggs tho they've slowed way down on laying.

 

[slutter]

Chicks started hatching a day early today! Are the bcm eggs pretty dark? Ameraucana eggs pretty blue?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Chicks started hatching a day early today! Are the bcm eggs pretty dark? Ameraucana eggs pretty blue?

No eggs from them today. Yes very dark chocolate on the BCMs. The AM's are a robin egg blue. Nobody wanted to pose for the camera today I'll try again tomorrow. What few pic I got had too much sun and washed pics out.

 

[slutter]

Taking pictures of chickens is an art form haha

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

DH's & I's Christmas present this year was a good quality camera. We chose a Cannon EOS Rebel T7i, and a Rode mic. Some different lenses and other accessories. Reason #1 is our grandson! He is 2 now and growing sooo fast! We don't buy for each other really aside from small stuff, just choose an item we need or want. Cell phones do "ok" but we wanted better.
Reason #2, DH & I have been homesteading 7+ years. DH still works full time, my "full time job" is my Dad and our farm. We don't know everything and learn more every day. I share a lot on here, and with friends I've met over the years homesteading. We recently decided to start a farm page on Facebook. And a YouTube channel! Things like grinding our own feed as a small farm operation. Running electric fence and lots of other topics, and off topics too like smoking meats and making sausage. Anyone that's met us personally knows we like to help others learn too.
If you'd like to check the pages out we will begin adding a lot of content after the holidays:
Facebook
YouTube

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Totally unrelated but DH surprised me with an early Christmas gift! I've wanted a bearded dragon for probably 40 years...
He wanted to go down to Indy and we pulled in at Uncle Bill's pet shop. They had a yearling he wanted me to see. Fell in love! Pretty sure its a girl, haven't named her yet.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

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.

It does sound like she needs a break (of course your post was a while ago, so she may already have taken one?). Anyway, not sure how true it is, but I've heard that the industry forces molting by keeping the birds under constant, low lighting. Not sure if that's the sort of thing you'd want to do to one of your birds, though. Other than that, I'm not sure there's anything you can do to make her take a break before her body decides to.

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.

They're pretty birds! I'm a bit daunted by their size, though. I've only ever had bantam ducks and they're messy enough!

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

.... 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.

Love that first picture with the Leghorn! Gotta love those fluff butts, too! Beautiful birds!

Taking pictures of chickens is an art form haha

You can say that again!!

DH's & I's Christmas present this year was a good quality camera. We chose a Cannon EOS Rebel T7i, and a Rode mic. Some different lenses and other accessories. Reason #1 is our grandson! He is 2 now and growing sooo fast! We don't buy for each other really aside from small stuff, just choose an item we need or want. Cell phones do "ok" but we wanted better.
Reason #2, DH & I have been homesteading 7+ years. DH still works full time, my "full time job" is my Dad and our farm. We don't know everything and learn more every day. I share a lot on here, and with friends I've met over the years homesteading. We recently decided to start a farm page on Facebook. And a YouTube channel! Things like grinding our own feed as a small farm operation. Running electric fence and lots of other topics, and off topics too like smoking meats and making sausage. Anyone that's met us personally knows we like to help others learn too.
If you'd like to check the pages out we will begin adding a lot of content after the holidays:
Facebook
YouTube

Sounds like good reasons to upgrade! I'll give your FB page a follow next time I'm over there. (I should probably check in there anyway, I think my last post was over a year ago... )

Totally unrelated but DH surprised me with an early Christmas gift! I've wanted a bearded dragon for probably 40 years...
He wanted to go down to Indy and we pulled in at Uncle Bill's pet shop. They had a yearling he wanted me to see. Fell in love! Pretty sure its a girl, haven't named her yet.
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Haha, wow, congrats! I've never had a beardie, but everyone I know who has just loves them!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Phew, had to catch up again! Been keeping busy with the holidays coming up! Lots of baking and present wrapping and such. Today I'm planning on baking some shortbread and peanut butter chip chocolate cookies, maybe a few more if I have enough eggs. What are y'all doing for the holidays? I'm always game for new recipes, too, if anyone has any good ones!

 

[Faraday40]

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Phew, had to catch up again! Been keeping busy with the holidays coming up! Lots of baking and present wrapping and such. Today I'm planning on baking some shortbread and peanut butter chip chocolate cookies, maybe a few more if I have enough eggs. What are y'all doing for the holidays? I'm always game for new recipes, too, if anyone has any good ones!

We have our traditional dinner Sunday at my youngest DD's house, her home is huge. Turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce and the rest is pitch in from other family members. Christmas Day here at home is my DH's awesome homemade pasta sauce! Its over a gallon so we do lasagna and spaghetti. Normally called "ducksgetti" but we didn't have a good hatch of ducks this year. We have a freezer full of beef so its ok.

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Oh my the kids have grown so much! Your daughter is a beautiful young lady. And your son is so handsome! I really enjoyed the pictures. I see both have their favorite birds too!