Colorado

[maggiemo]

Hey Mo, there's some first cutting alfalfa on boulder CL for $3.50/bale. Won't be great but oh what fun!!!

Thanks! I'll go have a look!

 

[alebuela]

Thanks! I'll go have a look!

Do you have to worry about pesticides with first-cutting alfalfa? A friend of mine who is an agronomist says it's better to wait for later cuttings, but I don't know if everyone uses pesticides.

 

[Percheron chick]

We typically do not have problems with beetles so most of our hay is not sprayed for bugs. Alfalfa is also hard to spray for weeds so that's only done very early in the season (April ish). I'm more worried about all the rain and it not being put up right or getting rained on in the field.

 

[lindzkg]

This is probably a dumb question, so sorry in advance haha but it is alright to let the chickens out to play in the rain right? Their coop is open as well as their covered run if they don't want to get wet anymore. I guess I'm worried they won't know when to go in if they get too cold or wet.

 

[ftpagain]

Mine hide in or under the coop as soon as it starts raining

 

[21hens-incharge]

Uzi,
I have hens that will stand in the rain looking like they are drowned but eventually when they have had enough they head in to dry off and warm up.
In the really bad hail we had I was worried the noise of it on the metal roof would drive them out of the coop but it did not. They all were in the house and dry when I went to check on them right after it had stopped.
I think they know when to go in in general.

 

[Latestarter]

IMHO, chickens are like people... they all have their own likes/dislikes. Some love to be out in the rain (more bugs/worms to eat), others, not so much, but I think in most cases, they all have enough sense to get in (or) out of the weather when it could be seriously bad for their health. They can actually be pretty darned smart... for chickens

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chicken swap is tomorrow.
I am bringing all I can tote lol.
I made transport crates that are 2x4 so 8 square foot and have a large and medium carrier I will bring the little gals in.
Hope everyone that can attend does.

It is in Brighton at the TSC from 7 am to noon. They changed the time according to the Craigslist ad. They updated the ad 2 days ago.
(just in case ya'll did not know)

 

[alebuela]

Mine hide in or under the coop as soon as it starts raining

x2

 

[Ashdoes]

So, I've been crazy busy the last week or so...we're trying to integrate the babies, slowly with the older girls. They're 13 wks, 10wks and 7 weeks, 16 total I think. They've been going a little stir crazy, only having the one stall, and a small outside area. While I've been doing that, we also started building our deck on Wednesday...

So here's the "fun" part about the deck. We called the building department about a month and a half ago, because someone in my neighborhood had said that a deck just 6" off the ground didn't need a permit. Well, the woman we spoke with said we did need one, and so we started the possibly month long process of getting permitted. While trying to find out exactly how to put in the footings, to code, 6" off the ground, I called one of the actual inspectors and he says, of course you don't need a permit, your deck is basically on the ground! So, after two weeks of work, drawing our land and everything to scale and a deck plan, we basically got to throw it all out and just start the **** deck. With the help of my father in law, everything in that pic was finished in two days...during rain and hail and one possible tornado that thankfully failed after what looked like three attempts to funnel.
I've had two days of rest, and we'll be starting again tomorrow. I'm pretty excited, it'll be mostly finished after this next week, although my decking material has to be ordered. We are picking the shade structure tomorrow, thinking some kind of pergola with shade curtains, because our backyard faces directly west and is direct sun most of the day. During all this the older hens are playing hopscotch on the joists...like a super fun game on a playground. My father in law gets a real kick outta watching them.