Colorado

[wsmith]

I noticed the lay rate here shot up the last week or so of March too. Except yesterday, pretty sure it's because I cleaned about 2/3 of the deep litter out of the coop and replaced it with a smaller amount of clean shavings to re-start deep litter for the spring. They hate change LOL.

LOL. Creatures of habit. I have one of the EEs who has decided to be afraid of everything and everyone. Runs away under the little coop in pen 4 everytime we go in. Weird. didn't do that last week.......

This past week was a banner week for laying. Now if this batch can get some development in the incubator I will be satisfied.

 

[Cellarrat1]

There is a poultry swap meet at Sweeney's feed in Pueblo West. I believe the 3rd Sat of each month. Call them to make sure of date and time. Also the tack store, Re Ride, in Penrose has a poultry swap meet Sat at noon. I'm not sure which Saturdays so you could give them a call as well.
Cheers

Thanks for that link. Wish they had something like that down here.

 

[P-Funk]

Just checking in, kiddos. All 7 babies are bouncing off the walls and mommy showed them the food and water. Complete cuteness overload. What's bothering me here is the chicken math. Out of the original 11 eggs there are 7 chicks and 3 unhatched. 7 + 3 = 10. Where did the other egg go?

 

[FrogEggs]

Anyone in Colorado have Black Copper Marans? We are building our coop right now, and getting an order of chicks soon, and I would really like to include BCM in my flock....

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Anyone in Colorado have Black Copper Marans? We are building our coop right now, and getting an order of chicks soon, and I would really like to include BCM in my flock....

They are hard to find, no doubt. I found someone on here who was hatching a few but I don't remember the details. Otherwise there was someone on CL selling s/r chicks for $18. The hatcheries are basically sold out for the year or expensive as heck. Hope someone else has a line on some for you.

 

[suncatcher]

Posting here first, if no takers will post to Craigslist:

Free to good home - Black Tailed Buff Japanese (bantam) cockerel.

I didn't know he was a he until I combined him with the 5 Catdance Silkies, THREE of which are cockerels (do I have luck or what? LOL - at least two are pullets; one is the one that has a slightly crossed beak and I doubt she can be used for breeding, but she can be a beautiful broody) and this little bantam immediately confirmed which of the Silkies were male and who was top male by ruffing up and chest bumping and when they started to circle I took the Japanese cockerel out of the pen and put him by himself. Now he is lonely and I feel bad for him but I can't have him squaring off with the most expensive birds I have.

I will try to take a picture of him later, he is a pretty little thing.

I bet he is a cutie! I would take him, but will have my own little roosters to find homes for, looks like I have at least seven Cochin Bantam roosters, will be keeping at least two or three, but the rest will have to find homes.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

I bet he is a cutie! I would take him, but will have my own little roosters to find homes for, looks like I have at least seven Cochin Bantam roosters, will be keeping at least two or three, but the rest will have to find homes.

He is adorable! I saw him at the swap meets.

If I had more space and didn't have anti-rooster laws to contend with...

 

[suncatcher]

Well, with 12 Dominique hens that are laying, during the past 6 months we have gotten a total of 1091 eggs. (That isn't counting the EE eggs) March alone we got 250 eggs, for a March lay factor of .67. For just last week of March the lay factor went up to .73. (If every hen laid one egg per day, that would be a lay factor of 1.00)
Not too bad. That means that IF each dozen was valued at $3.00, and we were to have sold all of these eggs, the total $ value would have been $272.75.
LOL, of course we gave away a bunch, sent several dozen hatching egg duds to different people, and a couple of failed batches in the incubator........

Nothing like counting chickens or eggs before they are hatched.......

Nice. And if everyone of those eggs became a chicken you make a tidy little profit!!!

 

[coloradogal]

They are hard to find, no doubt. I found someone on here who was hatching a few but I don't remember the details. Otherwise there was someone on CL selling s/r chicks for $18. The hatcheries are basically sold out for the year or expensive as heck. Hope someone else has a line on some for you.

It the woman selling them on CL is from Black Forrest/Monument area, that's who we got ours from. They were nice eggs (dark) but my rooster isn't even close to standard. They are all doing great though. I, for the life of me, can't remember her name nor can I find her email. I bought hatching eggs so never did see the chicks but I paid a hefty sum for the eggs. But, the hatch rate was high (something like 8 or 9 out of 12). That might be an option is to ask for hatching eggs. If you do that, then you have some idea of the color the eggs will be and the type the mother is.

Wendy just hatched some but they won't be ready for a while.

 

[coloradogal]

Laying Hens: going out of business in Beulah. http://cosprings.craigslist.org/grd/3712743157.html