Colorado

[Woodsmith]

Does anybody in Colorado want to buy chicks from Greenfire Farms and share in the $35 shipping charge for the chick box? 20 chicks can be shipped in each box.

 

[uzisuzuki]

So, I'm not sure if it was the nice weather or if my mom was more upset by my car accident than she let me see these past months, but this weekend she told me that if we could swing it legally that I could build a house on her and my dad's land. This would be awesome because then I wouldn't have to worry about trying to find a house with enough land for my chickens and dogs and my petsitters would be my neighbors (not that it hasn't been nice that I had family to live with after my accident). However, that means my 1 large coop plans are out the window again. LOL It's a good thing my memory is pretty much trashed now or all this flip-flopping of plans would start to wear me out!

My granny and I are planning on making separate coops for each flock out of pallets (free) and whatever else I'll need to buy in the way of hardware cloth, hinges, paint, etc. I'm making my granny help me since she's the one who found Odysseus on her front porch and "made" me take him home. I'm sure we can rope in my mom, dad and grandpa to help. The plan is to start next month after I get paid, and to make the coops and pens sturdy enough to last through the summer and possibly next winter, depending on the home build process. The 1 big coop plan probably won't be revisited until I find out if we can build and then after I build. I possibly should have gotten into a more lucrative career, considering how much things I want to do cost.

I kind of get carried away with big projects now, so it's a little disappointing to reeling it back in and start small after all my planning and designing. I just remind myself that it's the welfare of the chickens and having a secure place for any chicks that make it through the hatch to grow in that's more important than my artist's ego right now. I can let my delusions of grandeur out later on.

 

[Double Kindness]

3 raised beds have been built, 10 yards of fertilized super soil delivered and in built and sealed beds ready for planting our cold crops (in anticipation of at least a frost if not a snow) are now done as of this morning!

What i changed this hatch was i only used the janoel and put it in the Styrofoam bottom it was shipped in. I set 30 eggs, 5 were iffy on fertility. 17 have hatched. I only used the hovabator to move chicks over to dry out.

It also looks like i may have accidentally hatched pure bean line ac eggs too!! As a couple chicks are black black black saturated color wise, no white at all. But my silly phone won't upload pictures atm gah!

I have 32 eggs ready to set as soon as i clean out the incubator. Happy chicken mama dance! I might end up keeping a few of the chicks i hatched out of this batch.

Does anyone have any nice cayuga ducks? I'd love to try my hand at hatching duck eggs and cayuga are on my short list, but I only want really nice quality cayuga that lay black eggs.

 

[uzisuzuki]

3 raised beds have been built, 10 yards of fertilized super soil delivered and in built and sealed beds ready for planting our cold crops (in anticipation of at least a frost if not a snow) are now done as of this morning!

What i changed this hatch was i only used the janoel and put it in the Styrofoam bottom it was shipped in. I set 30 eggs, 5 were iffy on fertility. 17 have hatched. I only used the hovabator to move chicks over to dry out.

It also looks like i may have accidentally hatched pure bean line ac eggs too!! As a couple chicks are black black black saturated color wise, no white at all. But my silly phone won't upload pictures atm gah!

I have 32 eggs ready to set as soon as i clean out the incubator. Happy chicken mama dance! I might end up keeping a few of the chicks i hatched out of this batch.

Does anyone have any nice cayuga ducks? I'd love to try my hand at hatching duck eggs and cayuga are on my short list, but I only want really nice quality cayuga that lay black eggs.

Oh my goodness, I can't wait to see the Bean Line AC chicks! I'm officially as obsessed with the all black chickens as I am with the tiny bantams.

 

[Mtn Margie]

I had to take a break from the 58 degree heat, planting salad, radishes, turnips and heritage Italian wheat in a raised bed. I will put the plastic back on after this incoming moisture leaves us.
Those are some cute chicks! My broody is sitting tight so hopefully, within a month, I get to see some fluffies.

 

[21hens-incharge]

21hens...
How are your polish growing? As you know I only got two, first she picked out a medium and small one but I had her put the small one back and grab one of the bigger ones. The big one is growing like a weed, and is TWICE the size of the small one! It's bothering me because now the small one is literally 1/4 the size of the big chicks and they really push her around. The big one is just fine. Little one is super spunky, but I wish she would grow. I don't think she's grown at all since I got her! Look at her tiny little legs!


Also, how is your little grandma EE chick turning out? Mine had a color burst the last 2 weeks!

Crazy how different she looks already!

My little bitty polish are both about the size of your smaller one. Has me worried that they may never grow. They are getting wing feathers and the starts of the feathers at the shoulder but not anything in size really. They eat and run around all spunky but are still ... well... more like bantam size than full size. I am still battling pasty butt on poor little Jennifer. Just cannot seem to get her to stay cleared up.
Is that red EE the same one that was white? OH MY what a change. Mine is still mostly white and the wing feathers coming in nicely are mostly white with just a tinge of very light buff at the shoulder and the tail has a touch of very light blue. In the next to the last pic you have there the EE has a ton more coloring than mine.
The Brahma are coming along nicely .... but.... the buff Brahma also seems very small next to the others. I am hoping she is just a bit younger.

DH is calling the polish Hawk Bait. NOT FUNNY.

I went ahead and put the bigger chicks in the larger brooder since they do tend to mow the little polish down.

I need to try and get them to hold still and take some newer pics.

 

[Rochelesmit]

It's nuts! I keep saying... She HAS to start growing sometime.... Right? It's just crazy the size difference between the two! Well I'm glad to know it's not just her though, I was starting to get worried!
Yeah that EE is the same one that looked the same as yours! I can't believe how much she's changed! It will be interesting how she feathers out, looks like she'll be red, white and blue. Guess I'll have to name her something patriotic... Maybe Liberty? Lol.
My one Iowa blue was much smaller than the rest, but has had a growth spurt this week... I'm starting to think she may be a he.... :/

 

[chixinrox]

Yay to all the Coloradans raising chickens! I'm in Roxborough and just finished our first year. We have 6 hens and we love them too! 2 Buff Orpington, 1Rhode island white, silver and a gold laced wyandtte, blue copper Maran! Anyone who thinks loving chickens is crazy have never experienced it. Not in a good way, I suppose. They are funny...Sweet...feed us..the dogs and themselves! What's not to love about that! Peace fellow peep keepers and enjoy this amazing colorado sunshine!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Rochelesmit,

My little Iowa's are very small still. Even smaller than the polish. One of mine has huge wing feathers. Like seriously huge. I sure hope both of mine are girls. Not as freaked out by my opening the brooder as some of the others though.
I am wondering if perhaps the polish that are still so small were from pullet eggs. Poor dears.
I am thinking these little polish may put me off of owning any in the future.
One of my Dark Brahma has massive feathers on her legs and some yellow in the face. I read that may mean she is a he. Bummer since that is the friendly one.

Chixinrox,

I totally agree, what's not to love about them. I like getting to turn the garden with quiet companions helping me out. Much more relaxing than the noisy tiller. My adult hens also like helping me turn all the mulch in my flowerbeds. (usually right onto the grass

) I do notice that since I have them for company in the gardening I spend a lot more time out there doing that. Last year I turned the entire veggie garden by shovel twice while just hanging with my gals. If they make me work and I enjoy it then it has got to be good for them and ME.

 

[Rochelesmit]

I really wonder if it has to do with nearly dying during shipping....
The funniest thing is that she seems to be best friends with the EE, who was so mean to her in the beginning. She rarely leaves her side. You can see how small she is in comparison to the other chicks!