Hi Everyone!
Checking in from Pueblo. Years and years ago when I was living at home I got started with chickens and this website helped along the way. At one point I was up to around 40 of them. Even got into rabbits, ducks, quails, and pigeons. Then I moved out and had to sell everything. It was a lot of fun. Ended up getting my own place and then eventually someone from work had a couple of pullets and a coop he wanted to get rid of so I took them. That was a few years ago. Some more, young and old, came and went and that brings us to this year. As they came and went they started deciding that the coop wasn't good enough for them and eventually all of them ended up roosting in a bush. For my birthday I received a table saw and boy has it been put to use! I wanted to build a bigger and better coop that could easily accommodate 10 chickens since I'm in city limits and that's our limit. My dad has been a big help with it and my girlfriend has helped out a bit too. Between summer activities and the heat it has been slower going than I'd like but it's coming along nicely. Once it's done it'll be 4ft x 8ft w/ a gambrel style roof and will have 3 built in nesting boxes. I can easily stand inside of it (easy cleaning) and the extra head space will leave enough room to keep straw and feed up above. I pieced together several different designs from the "coops" pages to come up with it. It'll be painted a barn red on the outside and white inside. The exciting part about having a bigger coop is I'll have room to expand.....and it didn't take long! I placed an order to split with my friend and I'll be going from my current 3 hens/pullets and 1 BCM rooster, (that I'm trying to sell) to a total of 11. I placed an order of day olds from Cackle last Sunday and they're scheduled for shipment on the 13th. Wow, that was quick! My current flock consists of 1 Buff Orpington hen, 1 Easter Egger hen, 1 Easter Egger pullet, and 1 Black Copper Marans rooster. The one's I've ordered will hopefully all be pullets and I'm adding; 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 White Leghorns, another Easter Egger, and 2 Cuckoo Marans. From my two Easter Eggers I get green eggs. I'm hoping to get a blue layer from one of the ones I've ordered. If not, I may be looking to trade out for a couple of Cream Legbars and it seems /u/Ashdoe has some so I might get in contact with him/her? I'm trying to sell my Black Copper Marans rooster but haven't had any luck. I know with hatching being more and more out of season, not many people are looking for one and I've had several offer to take him for free. Rather than cut my losses I've been contemplating butchering him but the time consuming thing that is plucking, is making me hold off. Did I mention I'm in city limits? I know how much he annoys me (and I've had roosters before) so I know how annoyed my neighbors must be. Surprisingly, no one (knock on wood) has complained over the last 10 months. I'm almost tempted to purchase (or make my own) plucker and then raise some meat birds so the purchase is justified. We'll see!