Colorado

[COChix]

Thanks COchix I might be interested in being a drop off for 1000 pounds. 

What % protein is the feed, do you know? Is there more nutritional info? I only see the ingredients on the website.
Thanks.
mo

So we will order 300# if that helps, who else is interested in joining us?

 

[COChix]

Hi all -  New to chickens and saw this Colorado thread.  I am in Leadville. Any other high altitude peeps out there?.  I am sure there is but didn't want to read the 2500 page thread. Sorry   I am wishing I had got my chickens earlier in the spring. Still waiting on eggs and winter will soon be upon us. We have 4 hens, 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes and 2 Easter Eggers hatched April 1.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Welcome to the thread, our EE began laying last fall and we had three that laid pretty regular through the winter. Depends on the bird, some people report them not liking the cold. We had 5 last year, two hated the cold and didn't lay all winter, three seemed fine. Been through Leadville many times, grew up in Aspen.

 

[suncatcher]

Welcome newbies!!!! I live near Florissant, there are a few of us mountain people on here, some are in the Lake George, Buena Vista and Divide area, some are further north.

Yep, molt is in full swing here! My yard looks like a feather pillow busted open!!! I will have to rake the yard, yet again! Night temps are really cooling off, so am betting the aspens turn early this year.

Sold the last of the EE's that I had not planned on keeping, and am down to six laying hens for winter..... I have not had less than a dozen in my laying flock in the past two years, so scary only having the six hens!! I do have my grow outs, at least some of them should be pullets, would be nice if they all were, but doesn't look like a repeat of last year where I had 11 pullets to one cockerel hatch here. Here is hoping the pullets start laying in November, and December, when the older hens slow down for winter, that was the plan.

I do have a ton of Bantam Cochins, I only count them as half a chicken! lol

I will have quite a few of them to sell/rehome in the next few months.

 

[uzisuzuki]

Welcome newbies!!!! I live near Florissant, there are a few of us mountain people on here, some are in the Lake George, Buena Vista and Divide area, some are further north.

Yep, molt is in full swing here! My yard looks like a feather pillow busted open!!! I will have to rake the yard, yet again! Night temps are really cooling off, so am betting the aspens turn early this year.

Sold the last of the EE's that I had not planned on keeping, and am down to six laying hens for winter..... I have not had less than a dozen in my laying flock in the past two years, so scary only having the six hens!! I do have my grow outs, at least some of them should be pullets, would be nice if they all were, but doesn't look like a repeat of last year where I had 11 pullets to one cockerel hatch here. Here is hoping the pullets start laying in November, and December, when the older hens slow down for winter, that was the plan.

I do have a ton of Bantam Cochins, I only count them as half a chicken! lol

I will have quite a few of them to sell/rehome in the next few months.

I'm hoping my tiny bantam pullets grow up to be at least a half a chicken - they're around a 1/3 right now!

I'm still interested in a few Cochins. I'm hoping to get the pen extension done next weekend and that should give everyone enough room to integrate a few more bantams.

 

[megshenhut]

Welcome 4mountainchicks! I'm in Buena Vista, so not far at all. Fall does seem to be approaching faster than I would like. The garden is huge and producing like crazy. I hope the cold holds off for a while. I have a few starting to molt, but so far mine are more interesting in setting than anything. I've been putting 4 hens at a time in the break up pen. I've been doing that for a month now and I still have broody hens. It is kind of crazy!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Welcome newbie!

Your chickens should start laying soon for you. Mine that hatched the last part of Feb have been laying about a month now. Yours cannot be far behind. Uzi is right about the ventilation. Just try and put it on the down wind side so wind is not whipping in the coop.


Uzi,

No molting yet here. I am hoping the dang leghorns molt before November this time. Silly chickens.
If you are adding Cochins you are probably ok with her molting. If it were larger, more aggressive breed chickens you would be adding I would wait it out. Seems like some breeds see feather changes as a chance to gain dominance in the flock.
Pepper the leghorn was the top hen until she went naked in November last year. Now it is Kanga a BA and I am glad of it. Kanga is a much nicer boss then Pepper ever was.

My little cochins are the most friendly of the flock and can be a little bossy but if they are the new kids the Polish should have her feathers back before they get to settled in.


Itty Bitty is broody AGAIN!

Hubby thinks it is funny how she comes shooting out of the coop in the morning when treats are passed out like she overslept or something. LOL run like mad grab a few morsels and get a quick drink then back to the nest she goes.
OH and grumble at everyone on her way by.

<<<<<< she makes me think of this emoticon every time she does it.

 

[intangible04]

Welcome 4mountainchicks! Ask away, we are here to help.

Quail that I would have gotten had I still been raising them,,,,,,, maybe in a year or so I will again.....
http://www.jamesmariefarms.com/

So why them? I'd imagine the meat production?

 

[COChix]

We took a drive yesterday up to Carter Lake, nice day for the cool water.

 

[Ashdoes]

Our whole group was/is molting. You can add birds just about any time, I don't think molting changes anything like that. The biggest thing to watch for is egg eating while they're molting, because they need a lot of extra protein to regrow those feathers. I give mine a couple scoops of Calf Manna with each feeding, and make sure they get BOSS every other day or so. The last two years I've also added alfalfa bales to the chickens run, along with the straw bales I get them. This gives them scratching and protein. I also worm them during molt, which we just did last night, since we aren't getting many eggs anyways. I found that I have to use the horse wormer, for tapeworms, when it's super wet out. So, I only do one dose, instead of redoing after ten days. I have decided after this last worming, to use the rooster booster brand of wormer, because there is no egg withdrawal time, and that's pretty cool.
We have an order of Salmon Faverolles coming in September, which is quite exciting. They're going to be vaccinated, and we are hoping that allows them to live past 30 weeks. All of our Swedish got sick, and I really do not want a repeat of that.

 

[COChix]

Our whole group was/is molting. You can add birds just about any time, I don't think molting changes anything like that. The biggest thing to watch for is egg eating while they're molting, because they need a lot of extra protein to regrow those feathers. I give mine a couple scoops of Calf Manna with each feeding, and make sure they get BOSS every other day or so. The last two years I've also added alfalfa bales to the chickens run, along with the straw bales I get them. This gives them scratching and protein. I also worm them during molt, which we just did last night, since we aren't getting many eggs anyways. I found that I have to use the horse wormer, for tapeworms, when it's super wet out. So, I only do one dose, instead of redoing after ten days. I have decided after this last worming, to use the rooster booster brand of wormer, because there is no egg withdrawal time, and that's pretty cool.
We have an order of Salmon Faverolles coming in September, which is quite exciting. They're going to be vaccinated, and we are hoping that allows them to live past 30 weeks. All of our Swedish got sick, and I really do not want a repeat of that.

Keeping fingers crossed for your Faverolles project