Colorado

[ragschickens]

I've had the Welsummers for 18 weeks, they are laying yet. I have not developed an opinion of the breed as yet. Give me a year or so...

The Barred Rock is a great breed, beautiful birds and very productive producers. I would highly reccomend tge breed.

The Black Sexlinks are again very productive and I really have enjoyed my birds.

Buff Orpingtons are another breed that I would classify as a favorite of mine. Great producers with wonderful personalities.

Ohh good, one of my current pullets is a Black Sex Link (most mellow of the 3,) and I ordered a female Barred Rock, Buff Orpington,Austrolorp, White Plymouth Rock, and a Golden Buff. Hopefully they will all do well together! Maybe I'll put Welsummer's on my wish list BTW my husband thinks I've lost it!

 

[ragschickens]

As of right now I'm just excited that we eventually won't have to buy eggs at the store! Do colored eggs actually taste different, or do people prefer the way they look?

So far our main predator worries are coming from the sky. One of our chickens was we think taken by an owl. Just vanished without any feathers or scratches on the coop. The only thing we could figure was that she escaped the coop and an owl carried her away. We also have hawks, but none of them have tried to mess with the chickens yet.

We let them free range during the day, but have a covered run if we need it. I have made the run nice, but just love to watch them free range during the day. Am I asking for punishment?

Some folks get all one breed, others love a collage of color. This goes with feathering as well as eggs. Some want dark brown eggs, others white, others want blues and greens and some want the whole spectrum    Egg color will for sure determine breed choices. Most breeds will do just fine here, with certain additional steps taken depending on your location, like if you're at high altitude (cold, bears, lions, coyotes, stray dogs, etc..)  Really, it comes down to what you personally want and like. There are breed characteristics that indicate what you can expect, but just like human animals, they don't always conform to "standards".

By the way, Welcome to BYC and the Colorado thread!

 

[lomine]

@Rock Home Isle your girls are looking great. Your garden looks good too. Right now I just have tomato plants. I had lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and peppers but what the hail didn't destroy the chickens ate. Could have been the rabbits. I didn't get a barrier up in time. My bad.

@ragschickens Welcome! I picked my breeds based on egg color. I have a BLR Wyandotte, Blue Ameraucanas, and an Easter Egger. I already have white eggs from my ducks so I wanted colored chicken eggs. My girls are only 14 weeks so they aren't laying yet but I should get brown and blue eggs for sure. I don't know what my EE will lay but I'm hoping for green. Colored eggs aren't any different from white eggs. But your backyard eggs will likely be more nutritional and taste better than most store bought eggs, especially if you free range. Because your chickens will have a more varied diet and will be much happier. Plus they will be very fresh.

I have read that birds of prey are more likely to target lighter colored chickens. I guess because they are easier to spot. You can also make it harder for the predators by giving your chickens lots of low bushes and trees to hide under. I let my birds out all day too. I know there is a greater risk to them but I also know they are much, much happier. It is a risk I am willing to take.

 

[Latestarter]

Anything that you can provide for your birds to get "under" will allow them to avoid predation from above. Some cinder blocks with a "table" on top, low shrubs, really, just about anything... As long as the chickens fit to get under it, hawks and most owls will not chase them under to get to them. Of course if you have chickens who aren't "sky savvy" and don't see the hawk/owl coming, well, I'm sure they'll taste great to the hawk or owl. If the rest learn from this, then they won't become dinner. In most cases, this is where the/a rooster becomes most valuable... They tend to watch over their girls and most will take on a hawk or owl to protect them, forfeiting their own life if necessary to do so. All about giving their offspring the best chance to hatch and survive to replace them.

 

[Latestarter]

Oh, and egg color (in all but one case, which I can't remember) is "painted" on the outside of the egg by the hen just prior to laying. All (but the one) eggs are white and the color is added on. You will be able to see this when you crack open the egg. The inside of the shell will be white and the outside will be whatever color that hen does. The color on the egg has no bearing on the taste. A chicken egg is a chicken egg. The taste/quality of the egg is determined by the quality of the diet/nutrients of the hens laying them. If your hens eat well, so will you!

Mostly the desire for colored eggs is strictly visual. I mean if you have a basket of eggs sitting on the counter, do you think it would look pretty impressive if there were greens and blues along with the standard whites and browns? And of course variations in each shade to include pinks and tans and olives... I mean the color spectrum possible is quite full.

 

[ragschickens]

Thank you all for your responses! Both sides of our yard are lined with small sprucelike trees that the chickens like to hang out under. And in the back they hang out under our deck in the shade when it's hot. They run like crazy at the slightest noise (cars driving by) so their flight response seems to be good.

So excited to get eggs! If they reach maturity mid October, will I get any eggs this year or will it already be too cold?

 

[lomine]

Well, brown eggs are a brown coating over a white shell. The shade of brown is dependent on the amount of protoporphyrin. A pink egg is a very light brown egg. Blue eggs are a completely blue shell. Green eggs are a brown coating over a blue shell. The darker the coating the more olive it will be. I believe there is a breed of chicken in France that lays a purple egg. Can't remember what its called. Wouldn't that be fun!

 

[lomine]

Forgot to add, egg laying is more about the hours of sunlight and not so much the cold. My girls were a later in the season hatch too so I am also wondering if they will lay this year. I think it kind of depends on the breed and the chicken.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Ohh good, one of my current pullets is a Black Sex Link (most mellow of the 3,) and I ordered a female Barred Rock, Buff Orpington,Austrolorp, White Plymouth Rock, and a Golden Buff. Hopefully they will all do well together! Maybe I'll put Welsummer's on my wish list BTW my husband thinks I've lost it!

Going chicken nuts is easy to do...half the people on this site are chicken nuts.

I like your selection of breeds. You will be very happy with your choices, several of my favorites are on your list.

Both of my Black Sexlinks are nice birds. They are the first to greet me....errr, squak at me when I go into the backyard. You're going to enjoy the personalities.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

@Rock Home Isle
your girls are looking great. Your garden looks good too. Right now I just have tomato plants. I had lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and peppers but what the hail didn't destroy the chickens ate. Could have been the rabbits. I didn't get a barrier up in time. My bad.

My tomatoes are doing really well this, along with my tomatillos. The girls have really been eye-balling that end of the garden. I should start picking my first tomatoes in a few weeks.

We had hail to the south of us, and hail to the north....knock on wood. Last year we lost it all to a huge hail storm....

My son planted jalapeño peppers, I hope he enjoys those. I planted several varieties of bell peppers, and egg plants. I enjoy cooking Cajun dishes, and I make make a killer egg plant parmesan.

I planted some elephant garlic, just to see if it would take...awesome, it did.

This winter I'm going to start some hazel nuts, I want to plant a hedge row in tge front yard. I think a hedge row of hazel nuts would be just the thing.