Colorado

[Samantha W]

We only got about 4 inches in Denver, wet heavy snow though.....poor trees were drooping . But now it is sunny and warming up!! Everything has pretty much melted! Gotta love Colorado!!!

 

[trsturself]

When I do my figures, I start at 10 average sized bales a month per horse and go up or down from there.  In the winter, they will be eating more and the wind and mud and in the summer they eat less and it is pretty easy.  So for planning, 10 bales a month per horse, average horse,1000-1100lbs, average keeper, light riding.  If you will be storing it outside, then you have the weathering issues depending on tarps, etc.  There are lots of variables for sure and I like to keep extra on hand. 
This translates into about 20 lbs of hay a day.  If you are keeping 3 horses, they are going to eat a bale a day in general.  Double what you had down.  Real easy keepers can get by on 10 lbs a day but then you might have other issues.  In horses, hay is not just a food; they are mentally and physiologically designed to eat throughout the day/night and cover some distance to do it.  They are browsers, like deer.  So tossing one tiny little flake in the am and pm can set them up for lots of health and behavior issues.  It really depends on the horse and what you are feeding and how often they get out to go do stuff.   
It is something that you will get a feel for when you get them and see what their individual needs are.  You might be able to feed big bales free choice in a feeder or you may have to set up feeding pens.  Just be flexible.  IMHO

We have around six inches of snow here (I think), wind blew hard so can't really tell, ended up with two foot drifts in some areas.

We feed our horses twice a day, and 20 to 25 pounds of hay a day is what works for us.  I think #30 would be to much, as we have mostly Arabians, they are very easy keepers, since they were bred to live in the desert.

Sorry about your chicks/pullets, it is harder as they get older and you become more attached to them.  Congrats on selling your house!  Perfect time of year for a move, you can still put in a garden at the new place, and you have all summer for any projects there!

Hope the sun makes it out today to start melting the snow!!  I don't dare plant anything above ground until at least June!

I'm planning for 30# a day per house, not for all three. I like to estimate at the high end so I have enough $ and hay. I won't necessarily feed that much if they don't need it. We have a large hay storage building so it won't be in the weather.

Thanks everyone for your experiences. I love hearing what works locally.

Our buyer backed out. :-( we have 6 showings today though. We're going to redo the bathroom floors tonight to make them look more updated. Hope the showings continue (even though it's annoying to be out of the house for 6-7 hours). And I hope we get another offer soon.

We got about 10" of snow overnight. There was nothing on our deck last night and this morning it was covered.

 

[katie5668]

May 12,2014...snow ..lotta snow...early AM spruce bent beneath snow.

Anyone ever see a "weeping pine"? really snow weight!

storm on horizon..huge bush bowing to the snow!

weather did not seem to effect the lil flock

They were just checking the snow out..

my covered strawbales...

tomatoes in strawbale, under the covers snug & cozy!

 

[Mtn Margie]

Those geese are loving it! We officially got 22.2 inches of heavy wet snow..

 

[maggiemo]

Holy wet spring Margie. I don't even know what else to say....sorry?

 

[Chick N Mama]

Good Sunshine Morning to my chicken friends in Colorado! All of our snow is melted already, now if the mud dries out I ( and the girls) will be happy. With this sunrise came a teenage-boy-voice-cracking-crow confirmation that my Blue Red Laced Wyandotte pullet is actually a Rooster. He is proud but the other pullets are mocking him, I just know it. We are a "Girls Only" Club and so off he needs to go to rule a roost somewhere. I am asking for the $5 I paid for him as I want to replace him with a hen. Thought I would post it here first instead of Craig's List. I live in the Ft Collins / Loveland Area. Please private message me for a phone number today as I don't want to be awakened 5 AM tomorrow in the same manner. Thanks!

 

[Aacre]

That is a lot of snow! Yikes!! The western slope didn't get it bad at all. At least in the valley.
My husband reported that a young cockrel was mounting a pullet... The pullet is only 11 weeks old.. I've heard that once a pullet allows a male to mount her, that she'll soon be laying eggs. Yay or nay? She's young still so I'm leery about it...

 

[dirkfour4]

The passing of a chick/hen, no one seems to know what to do with them
Personally, if it is a chick still small, I'd dig a deep hole in the back yard and 'plant' it there.....
Big Chicken? might have to have it cremated. If you are out of town, you could bury and cover with lime.
Just my thoughts and I have no experience.
Regards
Doug

 

[trsturself]

How would you guys organize this coop? (besides removing the netting under the roosts)
There is a window above the green nest boxes.

 

[Pozees]

Aacre - an 11 week old pullet is probably not "letting" a cockerel mount her, she is probably being dragged down by the feathers on the back of her neck. Cockerels are like teenage boys, and once they start doing that it's best to separate them if you can until the pullets are mature and start laying. A pullet that squats for the male, or for the person taking care of her, is almost ready to lay. If an 11 week old pullet is actually squatting, you have one precocious little girl there!