Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

Thanks! Just sucks as I have been working my butt of for a year for all of this stuff and now the unknown of what I might be capable of down the road, it is like starting over dealing with a disability. Just frustrating and causes me anxiety. I just keep telling myself that if I do it right, the recovery side, like I did after neck surgery my prognosis should be good. We will see what the other surgeons say, suppose to go to Frisch to meet with a hand specialist that has done work on the Broncos and US Ski Team.....

I can kind of understand that. The recovery on my ankles has kinda not going so well right now & the cold weather/snow is wrecking havoc on my mobility. I have twisted my really bad ankle about 5 times today & my just bad ankle about 3. I can't even verbally express how frustrated & anxiety filled the brain trauma makes me. My brain just goes right into Toddler Rage Mode & it's not pretty.

Recovery & disabilities are wrought with bad days & frustration it seems, but you know you can make it through. You got this.

 

[Latestarter]

Hey so would all of you guys consider doing a meet and greet somewhere? Might be fun to meet for a luncheon or just a cup of tea and coffee somewhere. Not necessarily today!

I'd be up for that, but since I'm back to work on Monday

It would have to be on a weekend. Have met @maggiemo and actually purchased my Delaware 3-some from her. Anyone have the time to be the organizer?

 

[COChix]

I'd be up for that, but since I'm back to work on Monday   It would have to be on a weekend. Have met @maggiemo
and actually purchased my Delaware 3-some from her. Anyone have the time to be the organizer?

I would offer but given what I have going on right now, I can't committ. Sorry, but would be willing to help someone else. Of course we probably will never get everyone together all at the same time, we should find a central spot and pick a date and leave it at that, whoever can show up is more than welcome. Maybe we could do on a regular basis.....like monthly or something. I need people to talk chicken too!

Also been reading about open air poultry houses in cold weather due to dealing with frost bite and such, just curious about those things. Anyway came across this and thought I would share,I would love to have a coop like those shown, there are an we people on BYC that have their coops modeled after these old coops.

https://archive.org/details/openairpoultryho00wood

 

[uzisuzuki]

I would offer but given what I have going on right now, I can't committ. Sorry, but would be willing to help someone else. Of course we probably will never get everyone together all at the same time, we should find a central spot and pick a date and leave it at that, whoever can show up is more than welcome. Maybe we could do on a regular basis.....like monthly or something. I need people to talk chicken too!

Also been reading about open air poultry houses in cold weather due to dealing with frost bite and such, just curious about those things. Anyway came across this and thought I would share,I would love to have a coop like those shown, there are an we people on BYC that have their coops modeled after these old coops.

https://archive.org/details/openairpoultryho00wood

A meet up would be awesome - especially for those of us interested in doing the heritage/rare breeding "program" (for lack of a better term - brain's having a hard time finding words). But, like you @COChix, I'm probably not going to be able to attend any time soon. I've still not been given the all clear to drive yet. But in the future when the weather is nicer, it would be nice to meet up!

@Latestarter I had some questions on your coop/run design: do you keep more than 1 rooster in each section of the coop/pen & is the divide between the sections just fencing/wire so that each sections inhabitants can see each other? After seeing your coop page, it gave me the idea to expand the width on my coop plan in order to have a separate side for the chick integration & breeding if I get that far along. I'm just curious how well your roosters do in your set up to get an idea of what to expect when/if I get another rooster. Since mine is a tiny bantam, I'm concerned about him being in a flock with potentially bigger roosters & if keeping them separated this way will help alleviate any tension that might arise.

 

[laceykins]

Murdochs in Longmont usually orders from mcmurray hatchery and does have a great selection.   The trick I think is to go in February to the store and get their list of what they have ordered and what days they have chicks coming in.  People usually snatch up all the chicks in a hurry and I have found it is best to plan ahead and be there the day they come in.


Hope that helps lacykins

It does, thanks! I decided to email Murdock's and ask the. About breeds. I guess they will post the lists on heir Facebook pages and probably websites at the end of the week. I'm closest to the Littleton store, but will look at the Longmont store too now. Thanks!

 

[Latestarter]

@Latestarter I had some questions on your coop/run design: do you keep more than 1 rooster in each section of the coop/pen & is the divide between the sections just fencing/wire so that each sections inhabitants can see each other? After seeing your coop page, it gave me the idea to expand the width on my coop plan in order to have a separate side for the chick integration & breeding if I get that far along. I'm just curious how well your roosters do in your set up to get an idea of what to expect when/if I get another rooster. Since mine is a tiny bantam, I'm concerned about him being in a flock with potentially bigger roosters & if keeping them separated this way will help alleviate any tension that might arise.

Mornin' Uzi;

Yes, all but one of my sections has more than one rooster. One actually has 3 (2 black australorps and a barred rock). the Buff Orps have 2, and the Delaware/White Wyandottes have one of each. The divide between the sections is 4' tall plastic/nylon chicken wire with 1/2 inch square openings stapled from the floor to ceiling. I use the same stuff to separate the runs, but used hardware cloth under the coops for longevity... It would be a real ***** to try to get under there to replace it every 3-5 years.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_157767-1311...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

I haven't had any issues with any birds trying to get through it and they can obviously see/hear/smell each other in their respective coops. I don't plan on breeding chicks during cold weather. The runs for each section are 22' long by 11' wide (242 feet square) plus an additional 6' x 10' area underneath the coop for a total of 282 square feet for a maximum of 10 birds per section. The sections inside are 6' x 6' so each bird has minimum of 3.6 inside and 28.2 outside. When I start breeding, I'll place small "residences" inside the runs for the chicks/broody birds and section off small areas for their runs inside the larger runs. That way all the birds will get to see each other and get to know each other. Then as the chicks get older, they should be able to be integrated into the larger flock slowly with little to no major issues.

I don't own bantams (and have no plans to at this time), but from what I've read, a pecking order will get established and though normally one would expect the larger birds to be dominant, I have heard of flocks where a bantam was in charge... sometimes a hen vice a roo... I guess it's all in flock dynamics... wait and see kinda thing. I think it will also be determined by who you are integrating in... if the bantam is the established flock leader and you're bringing in new birds, he may stay in his position... If trying to bring the bantam in, it would be a challenge for it to take over top bird spot amongst LFs IMHO.

 

[suncatcher]

I think a monthy coffee meet would be a great idea, and maybe the meet places can move along the front range, that way some of us further south can meet too!!

I have two Bantam boys in with my big girls and rooster, they stay out of his way, but think they are bigger than they really are, as they try to breed the big girls that are further down he pecking order, the ones at the top, chase them off if they even try!

Those open air coops actually work very well. My rooster pen is in with our goats, and it is all open on the front, no frozen combs or wattles since they moved in there.

 

[uzisuzuki]

Thanks so much for the rooster/coop info! It's extremely helpful info that will help me make my descision on if I want to breed heritage/rare breeds or not. Lots to mull over (especially the part about how much money I'll need to put into that endeavor & how that will push off improving my art career another year).

I was totally not impressed with the weather today! It never got above 12 degrees out here! Unfortunately, we discovered someone had dumped a dog in our area overnight & the poor thing was freezing to death! I finally got her loaded up with the help of a nice man who stopped to help & I got her to an Adams County shelter (since Weld County Animal Control is about as useful as boobs on a board). Even worse than the idea that she was out there overnight in -15 degree weather was the fact that she felt like she might be in the early stages of a pregnancy. I can't understand people sometimes, even though this is a thing that happens (ie dogs being dumped out here) on a regular basis.

I hope they find a home for her (I wish I could have kept her). She was very sweet but extremely scared. Every time the car stopped, she freaked out like we were going to toss her out the door.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Uzi - glad you got the dog to a safe place so she at least has a chance.

It is a bit on the breezy side out there today, cough, cough. Plus to it, is that it is 30 degrees out there as well.... ahhh physics Oh oh better send this as the power just flickered..... hasta!

 

[COChix]

I think a monthy coffee meet would be a great idea, and maybe the meet places can move along the front range, that way some of us further south can meet too!!

I have two Bantam boys in with my big girls and rooster, they stay out of his way, but think they are bigger than they really are, as they try to breed the big girls that are further down he pecking order, the ones at the top, chase them off if they even try!

Those open air coops actually work very well.  My rooster pen is in with our goats, and it is all open on the front, no frozen combs or wattles since they moved in there.

A monthly meet and greet where we move the location monthly is a great idea!