Colorado

[coop410silkies]

@Iomine: what elegant-looking creatures!

 

[lomine]

@Mkp1983 I'm fairly new myself. I'm getting my first chicks in March. I've learned a lot just through research because I was specifically looking for breeds that lay colorful eggs. From what I understand, when you breed a chicken with a brown egg laying gene to a chicken with a green egg laying gene you can get an olive egger. Their eggs are a shade of olive green and can sometimes be very dark. Some of the chicks I reserved are straight run but if I get at least one hen from each type I'll eventually have dark brown eggs, light brown eggs, blue eggs, and white duck eggs. It's pretty amazing what these little birds can do when you think about it.

@coop410silkies Thank you! Do you have any pictures to share? I'm assuming by your name you have some silkies.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Uzi,
I LOVE the pics of them in the barn. Your little group is certainly photogenic. Your Peahen is looking super cool. I like that you got a shot of her flying. Mine chickens are hard to get pics of since they are always moving. That and I always seem to forget the camera when I go out. (I have a dumb phone lol no pics there)

Welcome to the additional new person Mkp1983. Super good looking rooster. He looks like he is a proud rooster now! Nice looking hens as well. I am glad for them that they have you. This is a friendly thread with lots of great people so I am sure you will enjoy the company.

We are already bracing for the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Not liking more snow but knowing we need it. *sigh*

Coop cleaning will be on Saturday this week LOL. NOT doing it in the snow that's for sure.

I cut back again on the scratch for the old ladies group since the SS are getting heavier then I would like them to be. I don't want them being loved to death. Saturday is supposed to be nice and the snow is melted off near the house so I will be tossing them in the yard while I clean. Poor gals need some exercise.
Picturing fat hens on a treadmill with tiny towels around their necks.

 

[ygritte]

Hey Coloradoans!

I'm up in Fort Collins and am starting to plan my chicks for this upcoming spring. Last year I got 5 hens (black jersey giant, buff orpington, silver laced wyandotte, welsummer, and a ameracauna) They have all done great and have helped me decide that I would like to create a self-sustaining flock.

With that said, this year I most likely will do straight run, but I still want a big mix of breeds. I'm also looking to get birds from breeders instead of hatcheries. I'm only going for a small flock... I'll probably get ten chicks with the hope of getting at least 5 hens, and then pair down the roosters to my favorite. The birds have a 14 by 11.5 coop and an acre of land to free range on.

Here's my question, I'm having a hell of a time finding breeders in my area who do anything but bantams and/or silkies. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm looking for a free-range flock that will be for eggs and meat. Plus I really like the big birds. I haven't been able to narrow down my wishlist on possible breeds I'd like to get but heres the list so far:
Javas
Brahmas
Cochins
Dorking
Australorp
Barred Rock
Rhode Island Red
Barnevelder
Faverolle
Speckled Sussex
Sulmtaler

I'm open to suggestions or just a finger in the right direction. If nothing else I'll get chicks from the same place I did last year. All my girls were super healthy, so if that's where I start...it could be much worse

Anyway!! Thank you for letting me intrude. Heres a couple pics of my girls

 

[Mkp1983]

@ ygritte Hi! Personally I love brahmas. I have a bantam brahma who had the sweetest personality! I would love to get more in the future.

 

[ygritte]

I love the look of them for sure. Have yours gone Broody at all? I'm banking on a few broody brahmas
Are they from a hatchery or breeder?

Yours are so adorable!

 

[uzisuzuki]

@lomine Thank you! I actually went to check out the hobbit hole coop & it turned out to be big enough for me to live in, so I did not buy that (I would have also needed a mortgage for it). I did pick up a simpler one that will hopefully work out for my birds after I add some extra windows for ventilation.

@21hens-incharge Thank you! I get lucky sometimes with the peas & catch a decent action shot. Those two in the barn are the only two that will hold still & pose for pictures! I cannot get anyone else to model for so far.

So, the new coop. My mom surprised me by buying it today. I had just planned on doing some recon to see what the price was of the hobbit hole & we came back with the one I thought was a good second choice. Like I said, it has no ventilation so I have to get some windows & air holes cut in before moving anyone into it. I also have to finish the second pen, but hopefully I can get that done on Saturday before the weather turns again. Getting the second flock housing set up leaves me with figuring out what I'm going to do with the peafowl next. The place I got the coop from had a peacock that was a year older than mine & I found out from them that their peacock basically sprouted his eye feathers around 2yrs old. Since my peacock is gigantic & should have been named Godzilla, I need to set him & his ladies up with their own place. I know they like the company of the chickens, but they just aren't going to fit in either coop by summer.

The housing situation is something I need to get situated before thinking about hatching more or ordering a few of my wish list breeds from the breeder I got my Phoenix eggs from last year. I really just want to surrender to chicken math & go for it since this might be my only chance to get some of those breeds, I really want to see if I can replicate Memnoch & Mercury & I just love watching all the birds wander around the yard, chasing each other & the bunnies & I want more of them. On the other hand, the peahens were too expensive for me not to make sure they're set up properly before getting preoccupied by tiny chicks. The peas are turning out to be a little bit of a challenge that I wasn't really prepared for. It gives me something to think about instead of this deep depression I'm in lately,

 

[Mkp1983]

@ygritte She is broody sometimes. I've found that my buff Orphington hens are more broody.

 

[COChix]

@lomine
The housing situation is something I need to get situated before thinking about hatching more or ordering a few of my wish list breeds from the breeder I got my Phoenix eggs from last year. I really just want to surrender to chicken math & go for it since this might be my only chance to get some of those breeds, I really want to see if I can replicate Memnoch & Mercury & I just love watching all the birds wander around the yard, chasing each other & the bunnies & I want more of them. On the other hand, the peahens were too expensive for me not to make sure they're set up properly before getting preoccupied by tiny chicks. The peas are turning out to be a little bit of a challenge that I wasn't really prepared for. It gives me something to think about instead of this deep depression I'm in lately,

Sounds like you got exactly what you needed from the universe, nothing like a couple of challenging animals to keep you grounded and present. The dog whisperer once said " you get the dog you need, to help heal." I believe that with most animals. You were given the opportunity to nurture life even during your own hard times and struggling with your body and mind. Nuture the birds and the rest will follow....that is my zen philosphosy for the day.

 

[COChix]

@ygritte Weldome to the board and family, nice mix of birds you got there. Our #1 broody is a dark Cornish. Our dark Cornish were good birds, foraged well, usually the last to come in from free range time. Others that did well free ranging were our Delawares. Anyway just my two cents.