Colorado

[coop410silkies]

I understand where pets are concerned, honest, I do... I spent almost a grand to purchase my Golden Retriever... Spent about 1/2 that to buy my Toli/Pyr cross (and twice that if you include the trip to go get him and return). They will each be with me (God willing) for the better part of 12-15 years. Can I justify spending as much or more to have vet service done to them if something happens to them? Of course I can! Each were rather large investments. But could I/would I justify spending 50 times the purchase price (or more) if something happened to them? I'm sorry, I just can't... livestock or pet makes no difference really... it's just too much.

I'm sure this is gonna raise even more hackles, but it's like folks who have terminal cancer that spend tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands of dollars to live another month... I mean, if you're wealthy and have nothing better to do with your money, more power to you... But how about donating those funds to help save a saveable life? A child who needs an operable surgery? a person who could potentially live another 20, 30 even 50 years? I mean, if it were me, I KNOW I'm going to die... It's just a matter of when. Is that one more month (spent mostly in pain or drugged up so I don't even know what's going on around me to avoid that pain) really worth wiping out what could be passed on to my kids and their kids? Make me comfortable and let me go.

It's not just a touchy subject regarding pets, now is it? I'll leave the subject here... Not really what the thread or forum is for after all. Anyone have some pretty pictures to share? Weather sure is getting nice. Think I'll roll the Harley out for a spin tomorrow.

No, it's not just a "touchy subject," but it's certainly worth thinking about. One of the things I like about this thread is that we can talk about almost anything if we approach the subject in a positive way. You raise good questions, and thinking about them is not such a bad thing, even if I get a little squirmy. Say Hi to Harley for me. I am going to share a pretty picture - of Moses, my latest heartthrob.

 

[coop410silkies]

Lol! We'll see how long I avoid trying to hatch babies Speckled Sussex were one breed I was interested in but ran out of room for this go around, maybe in the future! Here's the silly rooster with his harem:

Lol! We'll see how long I avoid trying to hatch babies Speckled Sussex were one breed I was interested in but ran out of room for this go around, maybe in the future! Here's the silly rooster with his harem:

Yep, definitely a cockerel. Hope he turns out nice. I am working on techniques for teaching my Roos some manners and am having so much success I have turned into a "make my day" rooster keeper.

Nice pic.

 

[Robilyn81]

So far he's very personable! Also first to eat all the treats for himself, I guess it takes a bit for the chivalry to kick in? Lol

 

[Mtn Margie]

So far he's very personable! Also first to eat all the treats for himself, I guess it takes a bit for the chivalry to kick in? Lol

Hi and Welcome!
No new lambs yet. Waiting, waiting, waiting........

 

[coop410silkies]

Hi and Welcome! 
No new lambs yet.  Waiting, waiting, waiting........     

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[madileana]

Good morning fellow chicken lovers. I thought I would give you a bandit update.

This is her eating with our baby flock. They still sleep in the garage and I wake them up with the sun. They usually follow me like little duckies to the chicken run, but my 16 month old spilled a bunch of food on the ground. As you can see she is healthy and happy. She really didn't want to be isolated from her sisters, so put them together. Given their breeds, they all have sweet temperaments and don't pick on eachother. No like my big girls. Also, I would have taken one of my big girls to the vet and spent $1200 if I needed to because they made it to adulthood, braved the winter and have given me many, many eggs. With the chicks, although I love them, I do know that their lives are very delicate and I just couldn't justify the money on a chick. No one has to agree with me, but I did what I thought was right. He life meant enough to me that I spent about $100 in medical and surgical supplies. I gave her a chance instead of culling her and I took pain management measures. I actually used the anesthetic on my middle toe to test it out before giving it to our chick. Should something happen to our flock that we can not treat at home, we would do vet care or euthanize. I also have the money to spend on the vet, but I disagree with the idea if you can spend money on an outrageous vet bill, you shouldn't have animals. I do however respect other people's opinions that counter mine. Thank you for all your support for bandit.

 

[coop410silkies]

So far he's very personable! Also first to eat all the treats for himself, I guess it takes a bit for the chivalry to kick in? Lol

My first oops rooster was a RIR whom I called Queen Bee. "She" ate first and the most and was not friendly, and i didn't figure out his gender until one of my friends pointed it out to me. He's going on 4 y.o.now, and he is still a perfect gentleman - to both me and his girls. My second oops rooster was an SS Roo, and while he was the most charming, extroverted and personable chick ever to hatch, he - and his sons - became the batterers from Hades, then Pho. Nowadays I am extremely leary of charming, friendly boy chicks, hoping more for the benignly indifferent type. Many of my Roos, however, are drawn to and seem fond of people, especially if they don't have hens of their own, and the cocks that have flocks are very decent to their hens and good protectors. I am keeping my fingers crossed for your boy.

 

[COChix]

Hello fellow Coloradoans! Sorry to hear the sad news madileana but happy to see she has a chance at recovery!

Just wanted to say hi as I just got started with my own mountain state chickens. They are fun! Actually I am located up in prairie no-wheres-ville North of Fort Collins but the view of the mountains is very nice

I have 7 chickies of a variety of laid-back, cold hardy egg layers: 2 Australorps, 2 EEs,1 Welsummer, 1 GL Wyandotte, and 1 Buff Orp. These are my first chickens and they are a blast! About 4-7 weeks old.

Pretty sure one Australorp is a rooster which I didn't plan to get, but no one out here for him to bother but me and the dog, so I think I will try keeping him around.

Welcome to the Colorado thread and family. Cute chicks you got and funny how that roo is front and center already.

My husband was a vet tech while he was going to law school. So, we talked it over and gathered some materials and removed the wing ourselves.

Removed wing
And what you DO want to see. Recovery!!!

Amazing story and good for you and your hubby to take this on, not sure I could have done the surgery. Hope she has a speedy recovery, do you plan on keeping her with the younger members of your flock now?

See everyone has different ways of dealing with their beasts and a good part of this is based on emotion "their are enough ways in this world for everyone to have one of their very own" So don't listen to those people who "shame you" your just fine like you are, and becoming what you will be.  

Tru dat!

Yep, definitely a cockerel. Hope he turns out nice. I am working on techniques for teaching my Roos some manners and am having so much success I have turned into a "make my day" rooster keeper.

Nice pic.

Wanna come give some lessons to our BO roo? He has gotten rather aggressive now and you definitely have to watch him when you are around him. Rocco attacked me the other day when I was filling up the feeder. Good thing I had pants on, picked him up after that and carried him around and took him out of the chicken area. Let our pack of 3 dogs smell his butt and let him see them face to face. When I went to set him down he acted a fool, so I did it all over again. I have begun carrying a pitchfork or a piece of wood with me for deflection. I have a picture of my leg where he got me with his beak.

Hi and Welcome! 
No new lambs yet.  Waiting, waiting, waiting........     

Can't wait for the pictures!

So I broke down the brooder set up in the coop and the babies have been sleeping in the same areas where their pad was, on the floor of the coop huddled together. Interestingly, the white one often gets up on the stump that I feed ferment on and is the first to eat. The adults have seemed to not care and allow this. Although the other two seem to get chased around more often at meals. The white one is definitely fearless and is bigger now. Will have to get some updated photos today.

 

[COChix]

Ok I guess I had a couple pictures of the babies from a few days ago...

 

[maggiemo]

madileana Wow, wow, wow. What a story. Keep us posted.

Cochicx/Trish....Allyour chicks look like pullets to me! Haha! Cathy is right, they change daily! Can't wait to see what you end up with, they are all beautiful!.
I have another week to go with my broody sitting on the eggs from Cathy, I think a week. I can never remember if day one is the day you put them under the broody or the day after. I gave her eggs April 29th, late in the day so I think I will start to listen for chipping next Friday. I haven't candled or anything. I am just leaving the broody to it on her own.

Happy Friday everyone. How is everyone's gardens growing? I have my tomatoes and peppers and most everything else out in the garden.