Colorado

[NurseChicky]

Thanks for all the info! If I did anything right so far, it's making my coop 3 times the size of what I think I'll need. It sounds like you have a great group of girls. I just hope time flies and my girls will laying before I know it.

 

[samsr]

The home made cabinet incubator is almost done. It is up and running with everything in it. Now I just have to dial it in for a good hatch. I will post up some pics and parts list tomorrow. Right now it is running between 99.5 and 100.4. Closer to 100.4. I may need to get a Fahrenheit controller instead of the celcious onw as the temp swing is a little great when the heating coil fires up. I did have to put a baffle in just below the fan so the heat from the coil would not get blown on the eggs as it is hotter than incubation temp. It needed indirect heat not direct heat. I will get it dialed in and then set a few eggs and see if it is any good. Things are looking good at the moment though.

 

[Pozees]

The home made cabinet incubator is almost done. It is up and running with everything in it. Now I just have to dial it in for a good hatch. I will post up some pics and parts list tomorrow. Right now it is running between 99.5 and 100.4. Closer to 100.4. I may need to get a Fahrenheit controller instead of the celcious onw as the temp swing is a little great when the heating coil fires up. I did have to put a baffle in just below the fan so the heat from the coil would not get blown on the eggs as it is hotter than incubation temp. It needed indirect heat not direct heat. I will get it dialed in and then set a few eggs and see if it is any good. Things are looking good at the moment though.

This is so cool, I can't wait to hear how it does!

 

[Pozees]

Thanks for all the info! If I did anything right so far, it's making my coop 3 times the size of what I think I'll need. It sounds like you have a great group of girls. I just hope time flies and my girls will laying before I know it.

They will. I have RIR who just started laying in the last few weeks from last June's hatch ... thought they would never start!

 

[trsturself]

You need to post pics of your incubator!
I'll be in UT this week for work and found someone with bantam olive eggers with eggs available. I'm so excited! I hope I can work it out to pick them up while I'm there. I think I'll turn on the incubator before I leave just in case.

Pozees and suncatcher are either of you off I70? If so, maybe I could stop by and pick up some eggs on my way back. So much for my trial hatch.

 

[gardendufus]

For those of you already experiencing the first flush of chick fever.....this is always fun to look at. From an email I received today.

Reserve your 2014 Spring Poultry Now!

Chicks will start arriving February 7th see schedule below.

http://www.elizabethcountrycorner.com//index.cfm?Page=docs/Chicks and More!

 

[Pozees]

You need to post pics of your incubator!
I'll be in UT this week for work and found someone with bantam olive eggers with eggs available. I'm so excited! I hope I can work it out to pick them up while I'm there. I think I'll turn on the incubator before I leave just in case.

Pozees and suncatcher are either of you off I70? If so, maybe I could stop by and pick up some eggs on my way back. So much for my trial hatch.

I'm off I-25 south of Pueblo, sorry Most of my Silkies are on eggs now anyway, 3 in one pen and 2 in the other, due to start hatching tomorrow and I know one hatched yesterday, although I haven't seen it yet, the shell was pushed out of the nest. They'll be back to laying soon though.

 

[saellis]

For those of you already experiencing the first flush of chick fever.....this is always fun to look at. From an email I received today.

Reserve your 2014 Spring Poultry Now!

Chicks will start arriving February 7th see schedule below.

http://www.elizabethcountrycorner.com//index.cfm?Page=docs/Chicks and More!

Can't wait. I want to add some PBRs to my flock of 6 Black Australorps.

 

[suncatcher]

Yep, I got the same email, have been camped out on their chicks page for two days! lol They have added some really nice birds this year, lots to pick from!

I know someone was looking for Bourbon (sp) Red Turkey poults, they have them, along with White Midgets, first time I have seen these breeds at a feed store.

 

[WendyGeisler]

Welcome, Reinette! Your coop selection depends on so many things. Some want one they can walk into without bending over, so a shed is in order, others want one of the newer styles like the Egglu I think it's called? You might want a tractor style so you can move the chickens around the yard every day or two. Do you live in a neighborhood where there is an HOA? If so that will likely influence your choice.

I have three different coops right now and am wanting to put up another full size plus something for growing out males away from the other birds - hey, a girl can dream! Anyway, my first coop in this iteration of chicken keeping is about 3'x4', the bottom is 3' off the ground, it has an attached run, it's handmade (not by me, I bought it from someone who had decided they didn't want chickens anymore) and because it is up high it's easier to access the interior to check on birds, add bedding, etc. The problem is it's up high and the wind can get under it and tip it over, which it did twice last year, luckily it had no birds inside at the time. Now I have it set up immediately to the west of my second coop which has (knock wood) so far kept it from tipping, since the wind here almost always comes from the west. That coop with young pullets included cost me $400. I overpaid. A lot.

I bought a coop from a gal who makes them from wooden shipping crates, and when it arrived I loved its rustic appearance (still do) but Bob the practical one said, "You can't put chickens in there! It is one big draft!" He was right, there was daylight all over the place between boards. We spent the next 2 or 3 weeks insulating and then covering the insulation with 1/4" plywood, then painting it. Then we also added vents at the top. The original $340 I paid for it quickly grew to more like $600. It is a nice coop now, lots of room (almost 4' wide by 8' long and 3' high, up on 2' legs). It is surrounded by a chain link run including a cover of chain link. It took a lot of work to get it set up the way we wanted it, and just last month we realized in a couple more years we are going to have to figure out how to move it, as there are a couple of young trees that will grow into the chain link.

This past January I ordered the Shed Kit From H*** - paid $2000 for a 12 x 16 kit and spent at least that much again making it right after I had incorrect materials delivered twice and not enough roofing material to actually cover the roof. It was a nightmare - this kit that was advertised as taking a weekend for two people to complete, took almost 3 months. We are fairly happy with it, but when we put up the next one we'll change the layout a bit. It's okay though, I can walk into it, and we ran electric to it so I can brood chicks out there.

Everyone here has their own arrangement, and everyone has tweaked things a bit to get it more to their liking - someone got the coop Big R sells, which is a bit pricey but really nice, I've looked at it (read, lusted for it) many times, and they look well built and attractive. I say "the coop" but they actually sell several, many of which are not so well built. Most of the kits that say they are made of "sturdy fir" are anything but sturdy, they fly around in a good windstorm and just don't have enough room for large fowl.

Wendy can fill you in on an annual tour of coops she participates in, maybe that's a good way to get a better idea of what you want.

Feel free to ask questions and share your experiences - as a group we are all at various stages of keeping, but between us we've seen lots of what can happen when you have chickens.

HI Pozees- I am playing catch up with 60 posts too read.
Yes, the Colorado Springs Take A Peak Chicken Coop tour is a great way to see lots of coops in a weekend. This spring the tour is May 17 and 18, 2014. This will be the 5th year it has run. Last year there were 35 homes on the tour, throughout all parts of town. My coop was in the NW side of town and I had about 50 people come see mine. Others who were downtown had over 100 visitors a day. The tour gives color pictures and descriptions, maps, and contacts. For down town there was even a bike route, to see all of the ones that were close together. Going on the tour 4 years ago really helped my husband and I decide to go forward with raising chickens.
www.takeapeakcooptour.com
www.facebook/TakeAPEakCoopTour