Colorado

[annav410]

Hi Y'all, Just wanted to check in from Littleton. Just found this thread and I'm looking forward to keeping up to date on the BYC news in CO. Thanks!!

Welcome! From one newbie to another!

 

[wsmith]

I don't know where Murdochs buys but I know the Big R near me buys from Pritchett. And I know several other feed stores in Southern Colorado buys from them also. I would ask what hatchery they use. And you're right, it's terrible odds. I had a friend that went back and complained about getting a roo when she paid for pullets. They told her its always a gamble.

Big R buys mostly from Privett out of New Mexico.

Sexing is difficult unless the chicks are sex linked. There are even folks who specialize in sexing chicks. They are usually sexed by checking the vent and pelvic space. They get pretty good at it. Sex linked chicks can be done at 100% accuracy if they know what to look for. Most sex linked chicks are cross breeds for easy sexing, so that they can send the pullets to egg farms and hobby chicken folks. But there are naturally sex linked breeds out there, like American Dominiques. We can tell male from female as soon as their down is dried. Dominique females have darker beaks and legs than the males, and the head spot on the females is more defined and smaller. Using all three indicators you can tell immediately. As they grow of course it becomes easier with most breeds.

welcome to all the new folks to the Colorado Thread!

 

[Mtn Margie]

Tonight I collected eggs and got the weirdest egg I have ever seen - it was a very small bantam sized brown egg from a LF layer. I accused Bob of trying to mess with me LOL. I will take pics and show you when I have time Friday (hopefully). Ridiculously busy week. Work is busy and home is busy - but home is busy with chicks and eggs, and I am loving it Sadly it means I have not had time to call Mr. Urch about our order yet, hoping tomorrow or Friday. I have been getting home from work well after 5 and thrashing on chores a couple of hours, then trying to read email and this thread and hit the pillows in enough time to get up the next day and start all over again I do NOT hate my life, I actually rather like it.

AKA Fart egg. My girls have laid one with a tiny yolk and one with all white in the past.

 

[wsmith]

Yesterday we got brooding house #5 ready for the turkey poults......... Feed is in there, waterer full and ready. Heat lamp tested and ready. O2 bottle out there with it's own regulator and hose ready so Beth can go out and watch them......

Where are our turkeys!!!???!!!???

LOL

 

[wsmith]

So on the way home from work yesterday I stopped at Lowes for my bi-weekly purchases...They know me by name now. That scares me...

Anyway, I go over to the area where the bird seed is (my kids asked me once is we plant bird seed will birds grow...) and what do I find? Dried mealworms! Yup. Bought two 1/2 lb buckets and took them home.

My chickens went nuts. It was hilarious. We even had a couple that were jumping up and trying to take them out of our hands at about 3 ft.

 

[kmatt87]

I'm going to get my chicks into the coop with the big girls this weekend. I'm not too worried about the 9 wk olds...they could have been out a few weeks ago. My 4 wk old marans are still one the small side, especially one. She is no bigger then a wk and a half old chick! She's feathering fine, eating and drinking fine....but will she be able to get in and out of the coop ok? Lol. I'm going to put some sort of box in the coop just so she has a good hiding place in there. I'm also planning on putting a small dish of food and water underneath it for her...she's bottom of the pile with the chicks. There will be another hiding spot in the run along with a second waterer and food dish...

 

[wsmith]

Yesterday we got brooding house #5 ready for the turkey poults......... Feed is in there, waterer full and ready. Heat lamp tested and ready. O2 bottle out there with it's own regulator and hose ready so Beth can go out and watch them......

Where are our turkeys!!!???!!!???

LOL

WOO HOO!!! The order is in! The turkeys will be at my house by about 10:40am. Heather is meeting Judy at about 10:30.

 

[krcchickens]

So on the way home from work yesterday I stopped at Lowes for my bi-weekly purchases...They know me by name now. That scares me...

Anyway, I go over to the area where the bird seed is (my kids asked me once is we plant bird seed will birds grow...) and what do I find? Dried mealworms! Yup. Bought two 1/2 lb buckets and took them home.

My chickens went nuts. It was hilarious. We even had a couple that were jumping up and trying to take them out of our hands at about 3 ft.

Do you mix your own feed or buy commercial?

 

[wsmith]

Do you mix your own feed or buy commercial?

Yes.....

I like to feed them commercial 18% all flock type feed, but I usually mix my own scratch, which they like better than the commercial feed. Wheat and oats mostly, with a little cracked corn in.

Lots of folks here like fermented feed of one sort or another as well. I will probably be doing some forage stuff as well in the future when things calm down a bit...

 

[wsmith]

ChickenFest 2013 is just over a month away!

Who's planning on being there?