Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

I'm waiting for a friend to show up at my place while I scare/run off squirrels all dang day. My bf said he'd set the traps, which are covered in snow btw and not set.

The squirrels are very fat eating all the non gmo organic feed from my flocks. Vexing!

I have 2 extra ayam cemani roos, 1 has only 3 clear toenails but hasn't had the crow reduction surgery. I have 2 ayam cemani roos with the crow reduction surgery I can't have 7 roos in 1 area (plus 3 white bresse roos).

I have 6 eggs in my new incubator from my chickens. Fingers crossed, as I haven't hatched before.

What kind of temperament do the ACs have? Figured I maybe should find that out if I want to get a couple for my flock after I get my coop built.

I hope you have a good hatch! As a first timer getting ready to try it (my incubator should be here next Thursday!), I'm very interested to see how yours goes.

 

[laceykins]

I'm planning on getting a few silky chicks this spring, and know that they are really hard to sex until they are a bit older. I really want to have a plan in place before I get them for what I'm gonna do with ones that turn out to be roosters...otherwise I'll worry myself sick. I'd appreciate some advice or suggestions from you backyard chicken veterans on how you rehomed your roos, how long it took, etc. Basically, I am just looking for reassurance that if I get some unavoidable Roos in my bunch, that I will be able to find them a safe, good home without too much drama....?
Thanks in advance! It's been on my mind since I decided on the breed!

 

[Ashdoes]

I'm planning on getting a few silky chicks this spring, and know that they are really hard to sex until they are a bit older. I really want to have a plan in place before I get them for what I'm gonna do with ones that turn out to be roosters...otherwise I'll worry myself sick. I'd appreciate some advice or suggestions from you backyard chicken veterans on how you rehomed your roos, how long it took, etc. Basically, I am just looking for reassurance that if I get some unavoidable Roos in my bunch, that I will be able to find them a safe, good home without too much drama....?
Thanks in advance! It's been on my mind since I decided on the breed!

We got six Silkie chicks last year, and five were males. just really bad luck. Sadly they all had minor to severe cross beak, and we had to cull them. When I had a beautiful blue, I tried for three weeks to find him a home, and ended up having to cull him as well. Sometimes no one wants the boys, that's the issue you really have to plan for. They don't have much meat, so people won't even try to lie to buy them from you if they want to eat them.

 

[COChix]

I too am looking at having rare breeds and Heritage, real Heritage breeds in my flock, and hopefully making them available to chicken keepers here in Colorado.

Same here! If I don't fail miserably with what I have so far, that is, might be nice to utilize the space I have to try and get a few breeds that other people here in CO might be interested in.

I am hoping to do the same down the road, getting some Heritage Breeding pairs. What if we all got different breeding pairs (assuming we all don't want the same breed) then we could offer chicks and eggs for hatching to each other. Would be a good way for all of those involved to build their flocks, plus brining back some of those watched breeds.

Oh we are only keeping about 6 out of the 20 we have now. DH has his favorites and that is ok by me and the bantam cochins stay so they can help raise the new layers.
I am not feeling bad about it at all so no worries. My avatar is DH's most favorite hen. She is 4 years old now and never layed much but DH likes her and that he helped heal her up when we got her. She was about a month younger than the Rhode Island Reds she was in with and had been beat up badly.
The other one we are keeping is Twinkie the BO she is Itty Bitties bestest friend ever lol. She actually protects the tiny cochin from the big meanies.
I need to find a butcher in the Loveland/ Fort Collins area that will process chickens though since DH wont let me do it here.

Oh ok good. So I think we all have favorites, there are a couple I have nursed and they will live out their lives to old age with us, probably regardless of production. .

I hope you have a good hatch! As a first timer getting ready to try it (my incubator should be here next Thursday!), I'm very interested to see how yours goes.

Ditto

I'm planning on getting a few silky chicks this spring, and know that they are really hard to sex until they are a bit older. I really want to have a plan in place before I get them for what I'm gonna do with ones that turn out to be roosters...otherwise I'll worry myself sick. I'd appreciate some advice or suggestions from you backyard chicken veterans on how you rehomed your roos, how long it took, etc. Basically, I am just looking for reassurance that if I get some unavoidable Roos in my bunch, that I will be able to find them a safe, good home without too much drama....?
Thanks in advance! It's been on my mind since I decided on the breed!

There is a place in Fort Collins called, Where the Sidewalk Ends Farm, that advertises they will take unwanted chickens and ducks as they are building their flocks. Don't know anything about them so do your homework, but might be a possibility.

Had first consult with hand specialist and it looks like I will be facing wrist surgery in the near future. Unsure what that means for me in the future as far as how much I can physically do. Looking to streamline a few things for the chickens to help reduce the amount of hours I put in feeding and watering them. The recovery time is 4-8 weeks, with beginning to use the wrist again after a week, but with a two pound weight restriction. Have more consults in the next two weeks and then I will make my decisions. My body has definitely taken a beating from my childhood, I was a competitive gymnast and am paying dearly now for the wear and tear on the body, no Bueno!

 

[suncatcher]

Great idea on each of us adding different Heritage/Rare breeds, or adding another line of the same breed, and trading either eggs, or chicks at a later time!!! I think at one time someone on here was going to do a list of chicken breeders here in Colorado, can't recall if that ever happened or not????

Yikes, doesn;t sound like a fun surgery, not that any surgery is fun!! Is it a weakness in the bones? Or?

Forecast is for more snow, yep, just what we need! Have about five inches on the ground, and then the drifts of eight inches.....

Seems the Silkies selling is hit or miss, either everyone is looking or no one is looking!

 

[Percheron chick]

Anyone on the south side need a coop. I like the size and price. Just need pictures.

http://pueblo.craigslist.org/grd/4814023934.html

 

[21hens-incharge]

Anyone on the south side need a coop. I like the size and price. Just need pictures.

http://pueblo.craigslist.org/grd/4814023934.html

Holy Cow. I built my 8x14 and knowing what that cost I would have made the drive with a rented flatbed to have one for that price.

Had first consult with hand specialist and it looks like I will be facing wrist surgery in the near future. Unsure what that means for me in the future as far as how much I can physically do. Looking to streamline a few things for the chickens to help reduce the amount of hours I put in feeding and watering them. The recovery time is 4-8 weeks, with beginning to use the wrist again after a week, but with a two pound weight restriction. Have more consults in the next two weeks and then I will make my decisions. My body has definitely taken a beating from my childhood, I was a competitive gymnast and am paying dearly now for the wear and tear on the body, no Bueno!

I sure hope the surgery turns out well. When they put you on a restriction like that it is really limiting what you can do. I know you will be tempted to do more than you should out of just needing to get things done. Please take it easy so as to not make the healing take longer.

 

[COChix]

Great idea on each of us adding different Heritage/Rare breeds, or adding another line of the same breed,  and trading either eggs, or chicks at a later time!!!  I think at one time someone on here was going to do a list of chicken breeders here in Colorado, can't recall if that ever happened or not????

Yikes, doesn;t sound like a fun surgery, not that any surgery is fun!!  Is it a weakness in the bones?  Or?

Forecast is for more snow, yep, just what we need!  Have about five inches on the ground, and then the drifts of eight inches.....

Seems the Silkies selling is hit or miss, either everyone is looking or no one is looking!

I would like to add some breeding pairs but won't be able to for awhile given my arm and such, too much to do!

My arm is a hot mess, here are the traumas I have had to it which is now causing issues. Growth plate fracture of wrist as a teen, green stick fracture to the forearm and a skiers thumb injury as child. The bottom line is this, my ulna bone (the one on the outside of the forearm) has grown longer than the distal bone (bone on the inside of the forearm) and that is now causing bone on bone against bones in my hand/wrist, and I have edema in my forearm, bone bruise, due to blunt trauma of bone one bone. The bones in the arm can grow unevenly due to a congenital issues or trauma, such as a growth plate fracture as a child. I also have a hole in my cartilage that stabilizes the outside of the wrist and arthritis of the base of thumb.

Surgery is minimally invasive from what I have read, and what this first surgeons told me. Sounds painful as they shave/grind the longer bone down to the right length, clean up the cartilage and repair the tear. It is all outpatient and takes about 1 1/2 hours, less nerve racking than my two neck fusions. But still it is surgery and have to have down time and recovery, which doesn't work so well in a homesteading situation.

 

[suncatcher]

That is a lot of injury to one bone or bones in the same hand/arm!!! Sounds like surgery is a must, glad you can have out patient and be done with it in a few hours!!! Also, the earlier this winter you have it, the more healed you will be for spring chickens!!! Agree, have everything ready and set up so whoever will be helping with chores the first week will have an easy time, and so will you once you are healing. We all think we are invincible, and do way to much when we should rest, been there, done that! Self care is very important!!!

 

[Latestarter]

Winter weather advisory... Snowing pretty good out there and blowing as well. Advisory ends at 9pm so don't expect much, but already about an inch on the ground. Coops are all closed up to keep this wind and blowing snow out. Just checked on them and they are all fluffed up and happy. Didn't let the weather stop me from grilling up some brats for lunch... YUM! Just finishing my dessert as I type here... spice cake w/cream cheese frosting... double yum

Everyone getting ramped up for Wild Card weekend? I have the NFL network on in the background

My team (NOT the ponies) is on the couch this weekend. Waiting to see who they'll be playing up in New England next weekend

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The weather hasn't stopped my silly girls from trying to create egg-sicles... Found one frozen 1st thing this morning and have already collected over a dozen more. Looks like my White Wyandottes and Delawares have finally come back off strike. Any of you folks out there whose girls have taken a break, if you need eggs, I have like 6 doz on the counter right now after selling a flat yesterday. I need to find more clients who need eggs! Once all these girls are producing, I'll be swimming in eggs in a week's time!

@COChix , sorry about your arm and wrist. I hope everything goes well and you're able to get if fixed "good as new" so you can move fwd with all you're doing. I'm sure you'll be happy to have it behind you.