Colorado

[alpinefarm]

Here's a photo of my *warm* little coop. We're still working on it, adding sheeps' wool insulation, hardware to keep the window/door propped open, etc. but you can get the idea. Very simple.

 

[mylilchix]

Quote:
I am crazy about them! I love their look, their mild manners, the fact that they like to be outside in any weather (they even walk-right-on-the-snow!) and now I love them for their beautiful, large, bulbulous December eggs...

Happy to share eggs in the spring...just let me know!

Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary! I'd love some! I'd like to get some hens that do better in winter. When we bought our house we didn't realize it was on one of the snowiest mountains in the area.

Sonja

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
I am crazy about them! I love their look, their mild manners, the fact that they like to be outside in any weather (they even walk-right-on-the-snow!) and now I love them for their beautiful, large, bulbulous December eggs...

Happy to share eggs in the spring...just let me know!

Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary! I'd love some! I'd like to get some hens that do better in winter. When we bought our house we didn't realize it was on one of the snowiest mountains in the area.

Sonja

Oh, the realtors never tell you those kind of things when you are looking at a beautiful home with a mountain view! We lived at the base of a north facing mountain for 5 years...coldest years of my life. I used to look out across the valley and see my neighbors over there enjoying the sunny days in T-shirts when the sun hadn't even hit our house yet (we only got 3 hours of sunshine in the dead of winter)...

 

[Rockpile99]

Quote:
Ugh I remember living in a house like that when we lived in Yosemite for a year. Never saw the side walk all winter. Cute coop!

Cara - that's terrible about your neighbor turning you in. I can home my grand babies if need be, and if they turn out to be roo's I'll definitely take them off your hands for you, otherwise they're yours so have fun with the little olive eggers.

Rosemary - Keep us posted on how your jarehorns do this winter, can never have too many winter layers, and chickens that aren't afraid of the snow.

After I posted about not having any eggs this winter, the younger girls in my flock, born in May, started laying a couple weeks before Thanksgiving so I was able to have non-store bought deviled eggs.

Here's the link for the show:
http://nationalwestern.com/nwss/exhibitor/livestock.php#poultry

The poultry is all the way at the bottom of that page. It is going to be the first Saturday so Jan 9th,

As for heat - I have 9 chickens in a 4x8 coop, I see them snuggle up pretty good so am not too worried about providing extra heat. I built the coop using old insulated garage door sections, worked great to keep them cool in the summer and so far is keeping the bitter cold chill out of them, it does still get cold. I was thinking about trying a variation of the passive solar pop can heater I read about on here a while ago just to see how well it works.

 

[coloradochick]

Well, Nancy, the code officer came to the door about 20 minutes ago to make sure that I'd gotten rid of all my chickens but the 2. She said it was a city worker that turned me in that had driven past the yard and had seen "my chickens playing." But Aimee from Manifested Wings came to my rescue (she's an angel) and gave all but my little silkies and the babies a great home. It was heartbreaking to see my 2 Polish girls go that I've had for almost 2 years, we called them the Bubbleheads. And the others were the Black Marans, Big Momma that Aimee gave me last year and 3 of Momma's 17 week old babies that grew up to be beauties. So she got her Marans back plus her grandbabies that should start laying in the next couple of weeks. It's the fact that we can have a horse in the backyard that baffles me. But that's Arvada for ya.

eta Karen if you need help at the show carrying or setting up or what have you, let me know. That would be alot of fun. I really shouldn't go though since I can't even think of getting another bird. Last year there were these HUGE Blue Cochins, they were amazingly pretty

 

[mylilchix]

Cara, I'm glad Aimee was able to take some of your girls. She has the most awesome chicken set up! I'm still trying to figure out how a horse is better than chickens. Don't they poop more? Arvada has some strange laws!

Sonja

 

[coloradochick]

Arvada's rediculous to say the least. Aimee told me that we needed to come out to her place and visit

But then I had to warn her that I wouldn't be coming back here

 

[Dances with Ducks]

My guess is the horse people in Arvada have a lot more money than the chicken people, thus more pull with the City. That would be true most places, but maybe in Arvada they aren't as afraid of showing their hypocrisy.

Sorry, I just feel so cynical about how these codes come into being by these control freaks!!

 

[coloradochick]

Trust me, I was born and raised here and they never fail to baffle me with the stupidity that runs rampant throughout the city and county.(Government and school system) We just have a normal backyard now, nothing that would be considered agricultural at all. We "thought" we had to find a new home for our horse when we moved here in August, I guess we should've just brought him with. Yep, after dealing with the "Code" people it makes you feel as if you need to ask permission to step out of the house. I told her this is just silly since there are several people throughout the city that have chickens and more than 2. She said well if you want to report them....I cut her off and said there's no way I'm reporting them, more power to them that can keep what they have. So she pretty much stepped off the porch and said sorry and have a good day.

 

[cockadoodle]

Hey guys, new survey from the city on allowing chickens in Denver. Please respond to it if you can. We need all the help we can get.

http://www.denvergov.org/CouncilDistrict10/Chickens/tabid/435196/Default.aspx

I'll cross post this in the how to change chicken laws thread as well.

Thanks!

Mark