Colorado

[WendyGeisler]

Oh this sounds delightful!
What a wonderful time! I would love to come
and bring my family
And it would sooo much fun to meet some
other chicken lovers, since most of my
friends think I've gone off the deep end!
Wendy

 

[TracieJS]

So I talked it over with Beth, and she is game......

Mike the headless chicken day is already celebrated in Fruita, so we can't use that name....

but we can have:

Chicken Fest 2013,
sponsored by Windy Ridge Dominiques!
May 18th (tentative) at Windy Ridge Dominiques (weather permitting)

The purposes would include:

• giving people a fun introduction to chickens
• Socializing with fellow chicken owners and families
• Sharing food and chicken themed recipes
• etc.

Games and activities would include:

• Chicken feed sack races
• Dress like a chicken contest
• Chicken trivia contest
• Pin the head on the chicken game
• Chicken related side dish contest

Contest and game winners will each receive a FREE American Dominique Chick, courtesy of Windy Ridge Dominiques!

Windy Ridge Dominiques will supply either chicken or turkey hot dogs and chicken nuggets, also water and punch.

Thoughts?

Sounds like fun and I would love to meet everyone. Am pretty quiet on the forum as I have no experience to offer but I read everything you post!!! One of my EEs started laying. A beautiful light blue. I can't wait until my other 3 EEs start laying to see the colors. Once those 3 start, all 8 will be laying. So happy I started chickens this summer and that I found this group. Thank you! Tracie

 

[suncatcher]

Wendell I think your idea sounds like a lot of fun. Can't commit right this minute, not knowing what will be happening at home and at work but I certainly hope to make an appearance.

My shed kit delivery is scheduled for this Friday. Fingers crossed really tightly. Once I get a time I can plan the rest of the day including picking up Bill and hopefully stopping by Wendell's on the way home. Unless the shed delivery will be afternoon and screws up the whole day LOL. Have a conference call late morning, and I'm hoping delivery is early so once the call is done I can hit the road. Poor Bill, I warned him I had been using his room for some storage and projects - wait until he gets here and sees a bin of meal worms and an incubator LOL. I actually told him already I had the meal worms in there - his response? "Cool!"

Speaking of incubator, the one I had delivered had faulty thermometer and hygrometer, which I could live with as long as the actual temp was stable. I ran it two days and the thermometer inside said 99.5 but the one on the lid said 89 (and with no water, humidity was reading 60-80%), so I unplugged it Sunday, and Monday on the way home stopped and picked up a thermometer at Lowe's to see which one was right. Plugged it back in, and it couldn't surpass 70 degrees even after 12 hours on all three thermometers. Packed it back up and shipped it off to return it. Stopped at Big R on the way home and bought a new one, because (OMG) I ordered 18 Silkie eggs from an NPIP show breeder in WA which are due tomorrow. Can't set them the moment they arrive of course, but I do have to know I can hold temp.

I also may be able to get some RIR eggs the following week from Greathorse, if if if his hens start laying better. If so I will add to the incubator, so I would have hatches a week apart, and will hatch (move eggs day 18) in a still air with no turner to keep the turner in the first one clean.

Spent some time this afternoon on the way home making sure I was still sane. I am simultaneously elated that my shed will be here and we should be able to get it put together in time for brooding chicks, and terrified I'll do something wrong; then I say to myself, come on, you've raised plenty of chicks before, hatching them here is the logical step, and the opportunity to have really nice quality chicks to start my broody flock and to be able to share or raise some really nice quality RIRs is one I can't pass up. Within a week or two I can pick up my share of the Bantam chicks from Dennarahl. Then the day old pullets will arrive, then the Albritton Sussex and the Urch Leghorns (plus all the poults and others' Urch chicks) and I will be immersed in fluffy chicks and think I am in heaven. Yes, even having to clean every evening and ensure feeders and waterers are filled and clean. I am excited beyond definition.

Wow, will be chick city at your place. So cool!!!!!

Saw the shed advert on CL, and they look nice! What kind of bator does Big R carry? I am kinda getting egg fever myself!
Really excited you will have some quality chicks here in southern Colorado!

 

[WendyGeisler]

Tonight I got home late and 7 of my 9 girls actually went into the coop themselves!! wahoo! They tend to go to sleep on my shoes by my back door, and it was such a nice surprise that they were all on their roost (except 2). i wonder if they secretly like me picking them up and tucking them into bed each night. Small steps forward!!!

 

[Adam7]

All this 'chick fever' around here (and recently reading a thread about hatching store bought eggs) has me wanting to build my own incubator lol. Started looking through the garage for the parts. Found most of what I need.. Only question is.. Do I really want to try it. The idea of hatching a store bought egg is extremely appealing to me for some reason. Any one here ever tried it? I read through about 20 pages of the trader joes thread..

 

[Adam7]

Wow, will be chick city at your place.  So cool!!!!! 

Saw the shed advert on CL, and they look nice!  What kind of bator does Big R carry?    I am kinda getting egg fever myself! 
 Really excited you will have some quality chicks here in southern Colorado!  e

Not sure the brand but I believe it is a still air incubator with optional turner(not included). I live about 30 seconds from Big R(literally) I can check for you tomorrow if you would like.

 

[samsr]

I just found this thread and would like to say a warm hi to everyone. I am just south of Fountain, Colorado. and have 7 hens and a rooster. I can have roosters because I am in the county, thank goodness. The breeds are , 1 rescued cochin, 2 RIR, 2 BR, 1 california white (I think) and 1 buff orpington. My roostter is a white leghorn. He is huge compared to my hens. Everyone in my area has chickens, guinnies, pea fowl or something of the sort. I am pretty new to chicken raising, as I got my chickens in July. They were suposidly at 16 weeks when I got them.
In the above post someone was asking about what incubators Big R has. They have still air Hovabators. I have been looking at them and talking myself out of one almost daily. I may try and hatch some of my own eggs from the leghorn cross with my RIR. I am dying to find out what they would look like and act like.
Even with the cold weather here I have been getting 2 to 5 eggs daily from my girls. They have a nice little coop that is built on to the side of my shed. I have been supplying some additional heat in the roost area because the rooster had the tips of his comb come down with frostbite a couple of weeks ago. It was -18 that night here. The heat only comes on when it gets to 34 and below. It generally keeps the coop about 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the outside temp, so they are still climatized. Their water is kept from freezing with a car transmission pan heater, 50 watt. it works really well except when it gets colder than 10 outside. Then I just bring a large cup of water out first thing in the morning to get the water starting to thaw. Here is a picture of the coop while under construction. it really turned out nicely. This spring I will work on a larger fenced run. We have a lot of predators here where I live. Bobcats, coyotes, owels, hawks, racoons, bears, dogs, and the occasional mountain lion. I want to give them more room, but would like to keep them safe also. I am glad to see that I am not the only onethat has been bitten by the bug for chickens.

 

[suncatcher]

Not sure the brand but I believe it is a still air incubator with optional turner(not included). I live about 30 seconds from Big R(literally) I can check for you tomorrow if you would like.

Sure, let me know what make and model they carry. I too have read most of the Farmer Joe thread. Very cool!

 

[suncatcher]

I just found this thread and would like to say a warm hi to everyone. I am just south of Fountain, Colorado. and have 7 hens and a rooster. I can have roosters because I am in the county, thank goodness. The breeds are , 1 rescued cochin, 2 RIR, 2 BR, 1 california white (I think) and 1 buff orpington. My roostter is a white leghorn. He is huge compared to my hens. Everyone in my area has chickens, guinnies, pea fowl or something of the sort. I am pretty new to chicken raising, as I got my chickens in July. They were suposidly at 16 weeks when I got them.
In the above post someone was asking about what incubators Big R has. They have still air Hovabators. I have been looking at them and talking myself out of one almost daily. I may try and hatch some of my own eggs from the leghorn cross with my RIR. I am dying to find out what they would look like and act like.
Even with the cold weather here I have been getting 2 to 5 eggs daily from my girls. They have a nice little coop that is built on to the side of my shed. I have been supplying some additional heat in the roost area because the rooster had the tips of his comb come down with frostbite a couple of weeks ago. It was -18 that night here. The heat only comes on when it gets to 34 and below. It generally keeps the coop about 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the outside temp, so they are still climatized. Their water is kept from freezing with a car transmission pan heater, 50 watt. it works really well except when it gets colder than 10 outside. Then I just bring a large cup of water out first thing in the morning to get the water starting to thaw. Here is a picture of the coop while under construction. it really turned out nicely. This spring I will work on a larger fenced run. We have a lot of predators here where I live. Bobcats, coyotes, owels, hawks, racoons, bears, dogs, and the occasional mountain lion. I want to give them more room, but would like to keep them safe also. I am glad to see that I am not the only onethat has been bitten by the bug for chickens.

Hello, and welcome! Your coop and run are really nice!

 

[Adam7]

Welcome samsr! I really like your setup you have there. Well done.