Colorado

[COChix]

I used to buy food from a kid in Littleton. It was whole organic grains from Kansas. I think he charged .46/lb. You had to bring your own containers too. Sounds similar. I stopped buying it because my chickens wasted a ton of it. They would go through and pick out what they liked and threw the rest around. This was before I started fermenting. Now I do whole grains and fermenting , and now they seem to not waste it. 

. Yea, I want to move to buying and fermenting my own whole grains, but this feed sounded about as good as I have seen. Has kelp in it and Lactos in it. Ours definitely prefer the fermented feed, I put out some dry this am as I forgot to add more to my fermenting bucket, they thumbed their noses at it at first, but just checked the pan and they have eaten most of it.

 

[COChix]

Cochix- I need 50 lbs tomorrow (after tomorrow I will have hungry chickens!), but 200 lbs is what, like $100? Breaks down to roughly $25 for 50#? That's better pricing than I can get at earthdog on kalamath tomorrow they have their last chicken swap of the season.

umm it would be $130 for the 200 that breaks down to $32.50 for 50lbs, unless my math is wrong. Lol

 

[Double Kindness]

Still the organic soy & corn free layer feed is 37 dollars for 40 lbs at earthdog

 

[Percheron chick]

,53/# would be $106/200# or $26.50/50#.

I agree that 2 of the SLW in the background of the group look roosih.

 

[trsturself]

Can't wait to hear how the meat birds did Margie.


It feels like fall is here. I am canning tomatoes and tomato sauce today.

I did a batch of tomato sauce today too. Wish it was my tomatoes I was canning but not so lucky this year. Luckily our local fruit stand guy gave me a great deal on some flawed tomatoes and peaches today.

Broody and molting? Blah.
I haven't tried just leaving them to see if they break themselves. I guess I could try that.

She was back in there this afternoon when I let them out to free range but I threw her out and she went out to free range with everyone. She really likes it when there's eggs in there, so I have to be on top of taking them out often. I don't want to bother putting her in a cage so we'll see how long it takes her to break this time.

 

[LizzK]

I'm just starting on raising chickens. I got 3 chicks on June 30th. They were so cute and they are still fun at 3 months. I just finished the coop a few weeks ago. That took at lot longer than I planned and cost a lot more than I planned. I wanted it to be portable so when we move we could sell it or take it with us, but there's no way that coop is ever getting out of our back yard. I realize now that I put too many windows in it. I'd read how important ventilation is for chickens, but I didn't take into account how nicely it cools off at night here in Colorado. Tonight, they're all huddled together.

I want to ask what are the best options to deal with a rooster in Fort Collins. When we began to suspect he was a rooster, we weren't going to name him or get too attached. But that hasn't worked too well. I posted on Craigslist and am going to put a note up on a bulletin board at Ranchway Feeds where I got him.

It would be great if he went to a good home. And I suppose it would be okay, but sad, if someone humanely killed him and ate him. But for sure I don't want him used for fighting or fed alive to a snake or other predator.

Any ideas on how to deal with this?

 

[Double Kindness]

LizzK- congratulations on chickens and BYC!

What kind of chickens do you have? There's a vet near ft collins that does a decrowing surgery that I got my semi-quieted rooster Lenny from. She's here on byc under the name dretd. That might be an option. Or a no crow collar or 2" wide x 6" long velcro band and fashion yourself a no crow collar, or caponize him (castrate the roo) which will make him not crow and act more hen like, or sell him to someone who will end it's life humanely and eat him... I know they all sound horrific, but if you're attached to him, and want to keep him.. there are ways.

 

[maggiemo]

Welcome LizzK
In addition to the suggestions DK gives I wonder if you asked at Ranchway Feed if they have a rooster guarantee? I know Northern Colorado Feed Supply has a guarantee if they sell you a rooster on accident, they take it back (except bantams, which is why I know about this).
Just a thought.

 

[COChix]

I'm just starting on raising chickens.  I got 3 chicks on June 30th. They were so cute and they are still fun at 3 months. I just finished the coop a few weeks ago.  That took at lot longer than I planned and cost a lot more than I planned.  I wanted it to be portable so when we move we could sell it or take it with us, but there's no way that coop is ever getting out of our back yard....Any ideas on how to deal with this?

welcome to the Colorado board, can't help ya with the rooster thing as we just culled and processed two of ours, that were suppose to be hens. Sounds like DK got all the options covered and Maggie with the suggestion to check where you got him from.

 

[Euarto Gullible]

I'm just starting on raising chickens. I got 3 chicks on June 30th. They were so cute and they are still fun at 3 months. I just finished the coop a few weeks ago. That took at lot longer than I planned and cost a lot more than I planned. I wanted it to be portable so when we move we could sell it or take it with us, but there's no way that coop is ever getting out of our back yard. I realize now that I put too many windows in it. I'd read how important ventilation is for chickens, but I didn't take into account how nicely it cools off at night here in Colorado. Tonight, they're all huddled together.

I want to ask what are the best options to deal with a rooster in Fort Collins. When we began to suspect he was a rooster, we weren't going to name him or get too attached. But that hasn't worked too well. I posted on Craigslist and am going to put a note up on a bulletin board at Ranchway Feeds where I got him.

It would be great if he went to a good home. And I suppose it would be okay, but sad, if someone humanely killed him and ate him. But for sure I don't want him used for fighting or fed alive to a snake or other predator.

Any ideas on how to deal with this?

The vast majority of people who want roosters want them for eating. You actually want to beware of rehoming them for pets to people who have never kept chickens. (You'd be surprised who responds to ads for a free rooster-many flaky people who want the bird on impulse because it's something free) I've had a lot of people who don't have any other chickens want to take a solitary rooster. Chickens are not solitary creatures, and IMO being humanely butchered is a better fate than living in a backyard alone for the rest of your life. Something else to consider when rehoming a rooster is that everybody else is also rehoming roosters. There are only a limited number of people looking for roosters to keep over their flocks or as pets. Your rooster is from hatchery stock, which means it is not a good representation of the breed so its value for breeding is substandard. That would leave personality and behavior alone. Is he nice? Can you pick him up easily? Has he never shown any aggression toward people? You can sell that. Is he extremely flighty? Is he terrified of people? You can sell that to people who have predator problems and free range their birds and want a rooster that spooks easily and will escape predators. If he is aggressive in any way, or if he a nocturnal crower, you should not rehome him. There are way too many nice roosters out with better genes and better personalities who end up on a plate because somebody else with an aggressive hatchery rooster tried harder to rehome theirs.