Colorado

[trsturself]

I'll be placing an order with Strombergs for this spring if you want to tag on to my order I'd be happy to do that (they have a 5 chick min per breed), or if you want any of the following I'll have extras for sale. The below breeds are $6/ea.
I'm for sure ordering:
GLW
BLP
Spitzhauben (they are currently out of season but I hope to order them)
dark brahma
D'Anver
Easter Eggers

I'm still shopping around. I'll post up when I have an order ready to place.

I'll also be placing a meat bird order with Welp if anyone wants to go in on that.

I think I'll place both to arrive in late Mar or early April.

 

[Debbie82]

I'll be placing an order with Strombergs for this spring if you want to tag on to my order I'd be happy to do that (they have a 5 chick min per breed), or if you want any of the following I'll have extras for sale. The below breeds are $6/ea.
I'm for sure ordering:
GLW
BLP
Spitzhauben (they are currently out of season but I hope to order them)
dark brahma
D'Anver
Easter Eggers

I'll also be placing a meat bird order with Welp if anyone wants to go in on that.

I think I'll place both to arrive in late Mar or early April.

I'm down with tagging along if you can order Spitzhauben. I like the odd ball breeds and those are very pretty.

 

[trsturself]

I'm down with tagging along if you can order Spitzhauben. I like the odd ball breeds and those are very pretty.

Spitzhauben and/or brabanter is definitely on my list. A couple hatcheries haven't opened up spring ordering yet so this will have to wait awhile.

 

[ryan820]

Hey guys--

geez...ran in to a serious issue tonight. Momma hen Seaweed has turned into a lousy mom. She ignored her peeps most of the day and thankfully it was warm. The peeps laid in the sun and doze most of the day it seems. Anyway, i found Salt stuck between two layers of wire and she had been there a while-- sun was going down and she was looking bad. She had some blood on her wing from what I now believe to be a superficial wound.

So, Momma Seaweed has lost her peep rights. I have taken the peeps and put them back into the coop and behind a layer of wire mesh where they are separated physically but not by sight or sound from the rest of the flock. They have plenty of food and water, clean bedding and a heat source, which is all momma was to them anyway. Very disappointed in that chicken right now!

The peep has perked back up and is scratching and feeding now-- so that was a close call, I'd say. Not sure how this'll work now but for tonight at least, they are safe, fed, watered and warm.

 

[COChix]

When you put them side by side with their heads up, you can clearly see the difference.  As far as mice, they are attracted to the chicken feeder.  All you can eat buffet 24/7.  Some chickens will kill and eat them but mine just stare at the floor while the mice run around.  Even my guineas are useless with mice.  If my cat goes up to the barn where the coop is the guineas promptly chase her back to the house.  I've resorted to poison. Not the ideal solution but I can't stand to see 5 mice in the feeder every time I go in the coop.  I'll put it inside a cage that the chickens can't get into right over the mouse holes.  Once I see they've eaten what I put out, I'll remove the cage.  I probably have to do it every 3-4 months.  Right now mice are at their worst because they have moved inside to get out of the cold.  Try suspending the feeder if you have that style.  That would limit the mice to what's on the ground.

Funny, some of our flock are big mousers, they love catching and eating them. The breeds that are our best mousers are as follows.

1. Barred Rocks & Delawares - they tied for #1 they are some fierce mousers and battle each other over getting to a mouse first
2. Welsummer

Last places
EE, BO, RIR, Dark Cornish

The EE are the funniest to watch as they peck and toss the mouse in terror and then go back to it and to do it again but they never eat it. Usually one of the opportunist BR or Delaware will come along and steal it and run away with it. The roosters our BO's will help peck the mice but never seen them eating the mice. The RIR and Dark Cornish seem to not be interested in the mouse hunting.

 

[trsturself]

Sorry, shouldn't have posted before I was certain. After a few hours of research, it looks like it I will place my order with Cackle.
I plan to order the following as soon as their spring ordering is opened. Each chick (except for brahmas) will be $6 if picked up within the first week. Prices will go up each week after that.

Buff Laced Polish (S/R)
Gold Laced Wyandotte
German Spitzhauben (S/R)
Easter Eggers
Dark Brahma ($10/ea)

Belgian D'Anver (S/R)
Bantam cochin (S/R)
Porcelain D'Uccle (S/R)

and a rainbow assortment of pullets (can include leghorns and rare breeds)

Please let me know soon if you would like any of these so I can make sure I order enough. Or if there is a certain breed you really want, I can add it to my order. They do have a 5 chick minimum though.

 

[COChix]

Sorry, shouldn't have posted before I was certain. After a few hours of research, it looks like it I will place my order with Cackle.
I plan to order the following as soon as their spring ordering is opened. Each chick (except for brahmas) will be $6 if picked up within the first week. Prices will go up each week after that. 

Buff Laced Polish (S/R)
Gold Laced Wyandotte 
German Spitzhauben (S/R)
Easter Eggers
Dark Brahma ($10/ea)

Belgian D'Anver (S/R)
Bantam cochin (S/R)
Porcelain D'Uccle (S/R)

and a rainbow assortment of pullets (can include leghorns and rare breeds)

Please let me know soon if you would like any of these so I can make sure I order enough. Or if there is a certain breed you really want, I can add it to my order. They do have a 5 chick minimum though. 

How many are planning to add to your own flock, what types of things are you going for in your flock? Are they for breeding, etc. Just curious, a lot of pretty breeds.

I have a sudden urge to say I want to get a bunch of chicks in the spring, but have to keep reminding myself we will be hatching our mixed breed chicks in the spring. Hoping for a couple of OE out of the mix, besides that it will be interesting to go through the whole incubating, hatching and brooding phases with new peeps and to see what develops. Also will be picking up some fertile BCM eggs to hatch with ours, from a neighbor up the street. Gonna be along winter to fight the urge to pick out chicks from hatcheries or from our fellow BYC members.

Also I spoke with a lady from Elizabeth, Co and is on five acres, she might be interested in starting her own flock, could I give her your contact info? Just shoot me a PM and we can go from there. I thought of you as soon as she said she was in Elizabeth and was looking to get into chickens......weird I was away from the weekend and still ended up sitting next to someone I didn't know who had the chicken itch, small world. Lots of chicken folks out there or those that want too....good to see the movement of people wanting to become more involved in knowing their food source on a personal level.

 

[trsturself]

How many are planning to add to your own flock, what types of things are you going for in your flock? Are they for breeding, etc. Just curious, a lot of pretty breeds.

I have a sudden urge to say I want to get a bunch of chicks in the spring, but have to keep reminding myself we will be hatching our mixed breed chicks in the spring. Hoping for a couple of OE out of the mix, besides that it will be interesting to go through the whole incubating, hatching and brooding phases with new peeps and to see what develops. Also will be picking up some fertile BCM eggs to hatch with ours, from a neighbor up the street. Gonna be along winter to fight the urge to pick out chicks from hatcheries or from our fellow BYC members.

Also I spoke with a lady from Elizabeth, Co and is on five acres, she might be interested in starting her own flock, could I give her your contact info? Just shoot me a PM and we can go from there. I thought of you as soon as she said she was in Elizabeth and was looking to get into chickens......weird I was away from the weekend and still ended up sitting next to someone I didn't know who had the chicken itch, small world. Lots of chicken folks out there or those that want too....good to see the movement of people wanting to become more involved in knowing their food source on a personal level.

We plan to add around 10. We pick our breeds mostly for appearances. We like a mixed flock and varied egg basket. I have a few breeding pairs but mostly just for aesthetics.

I forgot to mention in my other post we'll also hatch chicks and/or have hatching eggs. We plan to have: CCL, OE, BCM x (we have a mixed roo that looks mostly blue CM, but his tail is too high for show, we'll put him over our black CM hen), frizzles, and bantam silkie EE.

Yes, please give her my info. I would be more than happy to help her get started. She can reach me at [email protected].

 

[maggiemo]

I see lots of silkie crosses on here. What is the attraction to the silkie cross? Do you get a little bird?
I have 3 d'uccle bantams and I love them. They do go broody often, but they are pretty easy to break. I would like some EE bantams this year. Does anyone have those? Are the silkie EE you have small and lay blue/green eggs?

 

[uzisuzuki]

Sorry, shouldn't have posted before I was certain. After a few hours of research, it looks like it I will place my order with Cackle.
I plan to order the following as soon as their spring ordering is opened. Each chick (except for brahmas) will be $6 if picked up within the first week. Prices will go up each week after that.

Buff Laced Polish (S/R)
Gold Laced Wyandotte
German Spitzhauben (S/R)
Easter Eggers
Dark Brahma ($10/ea)

Belgian D'Anver (S/R)
Bantam cochin (S/R)
Porcelain D'Uccle (S/R)

and a rainbow assortment of pullets (can include leghorns and rare breeds)

Please let me know soon if you would like any of these so I can make sure I order enough. Or if there is a certain breed you really want, I can add it to my order. They do have a 5 chick minimum though.

Oh, man! Those German Spitzhauben & Belgian D'Anver look amazing! I would totally jump in on ordering one of each if I didn't think the 8 chicks I'm getting in May would be pushing my luck right now. Dang!

For the person asking about moving livestock across state lines: if you really want to keep them, just contact the Dept of Ag here or in the state you're moving to. I used to work for Ag, so I know there are laws and that they are different in every state, but you should be able to get straight answers by asking them directly (or trying to look it up on their website). If that seems like more work than you're willing to put into your flock, then selling sounds like a better option and provides money to put toward your move!

I have been enjoying this unusually nice December weather as it gives me more time to get used to my first-time flock! Unfortunately, my little terrier mix, Arya Stark, finally decided that the chickens were super interesting to her in the past two weeks. She took advantage of my disability and rushed me to get into the pen the other week. Luckily, she was overwhelmed by the size of the chickens and maybe the flurry of sound and feathers, so she didn't end up injuring any of them before I was able to get a hold of her and toss her out of the pen. However, this has put my little rooster into a hyper vigilant protection mode and he's started attacking me when I go in there in the mornings. Thank goodness for BYC and all the helpful info I read up on roosters behaving this way when I first found him so I was prepared with a counter Alpha attack, as it were. It is kinda hard for me to take him too seriously with his fits because of his size, but I'm also just really proud he decided to be the rooster finally and protect the hens. If the dogs are outside, he rounds the hens up in a hiding spot and makes sure he's in between them, the fence and the dogs until the dogs leave. I was worried he wouldn't try protecting them because of the stuff I've read about Sebrights. I feel like a proud mom. They grow up so fast.

Even better news is that my physical therapy started last week and I may be able to start on the bigger coop construction sooner than I thought! I've never been so happy to be so sore in my entire life.