Colorado

[KLBCOS]

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Found this book in my grandsons collection and thought of you...

 

[KLBCOS]

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Here's the gist of the story....

 

[Double Kindness]

Argh. Code enforcement came by yesterday and gave me a summons. Of course my bf left the gap in the fence unblocked when he had been working on his car the night before and I didn't check to make sure it was still up; and one of my frizzle tolbunt polish chickens was in the alleyway and ran back into my yard when she drove through the alley.

At least we already have a lawyer and a closer neighbor that rents from the same landlord on our side. Plus that neighbor used to be a friend of ours & takes his car to my bf's shop to get fixed/maintained. Guess whose Mercedes Bens are not going to be at the shop anymore due to the shop being too busy? & who is going to get calls every weekabout the dead tree over our garage and a lawsuit for spraying chemicals that killed both my beehives this year?!

I'm pretty hopping mad.

Anyways, freezer camp is this weekend. 2 turkeys, 4 roosters, 8 rabbits and at least 3 ducks.

 

[suncatcher]

Nice eggs, very pretty colors, so jealous!!!

I am also wondering why I am feeding hens here, with not a single egg in three days!!! I hear them doing the egg song, but no eggs when I check?????? So either laying them where I can't find them or eating them! I may add some dogfood once a day, they are on layer now, not sure what else to feed.

Yep, the roll away nest boxes are a great way to keep them from even getting close to their eggs....

Glad your older hen is doing ok.

Nice on all the tomatoes!!!

 

[Latestarter]

Just finished completely cleaning, condensing, re-filling and re-establishing 5 - 41 qt containers of mealworms down to 3 containers. I have a 4th container full of the frass (and babies/eggs that went through the straining process). I put some carrots in with them as well so they can hatch/grow and I can sift them out into the other colonies. Then all that frass is going to join the deep litter in the gardens next spring! Should have some awesome plants next year.

Took them 18 months to go through #50 of wheat bran and 4-5 cartons of oatmeal mixed in. They are now in pure wheat bran. Took probably 12 trips to the coops with bowls full of dead beetles and varying aged worms mixed in. Right now I have 4 enclosures full of happy, stuffed chickens! I'm tired! It took almost 4 hours to sift everything out!

Maybe they'll break down and give ME a few eggs tomorrow. We'll see. Only found 3 eggs today, one was cracked, and the other 2 were hollow

I took the hen that I believe is responsible in one enclosure and removed her. She'll is tote hell for the next few days till I determine if she is in fact the bad girl If she is, decisions will have to be made.

 

[21hens-incharge]

LS,

How old are your hens again? I forget if they are from this year or last. If they are over a year they may be getting ready to molt if they have not done so already.
Mine that are molting are certainly not laying. I am back down to one egg a day from the entire group of old ladies. I know who is laying that one and she molted very early starting back in August.

Just a possible reason for the no egg thing.

 

[Latestarter]

LS,
How old are your hens again? I forget if they are from this year or last. If they are over a year they may be getting ready to molt if they have not done so already.
Mine that are molting are certainly not laying. I am back down to one egg a day from the entire group of old ladies. I know who is laying that one and she molted very early starting back in August. Just a possible reason for the no egg thing.

They are16 months. Hatched end of may 2014. They never molted last year so this is their first molt. Hard to tell they're molting as most of them are bare back from the roosters. I have a lot of folks who want my eggs. I don't mind them taking some down time, but it really bugs me when they eat the few they do lay.

 

[TDog77]

Hello All again. We are in the process of switching our chickens over tow a whole grain fermented diet and right now getting prices and locations for said grains. We live in Eastern CO and all of the sources around me only carry non organic. Depending on final prices we may incorporate some non organic but we will have to see. Azure has s drop ship point in Brush that we can order from but I would love to find something out East here or even along the Front range as we visit at least twice a month. Golden Organics is the only option I have found that carries a good assortment in Wheat Ridge. Sooooo

Where are some options for me to call and try of find our grains?

We are going to be out butchering all day and I will check back in this afternoon and hopefully some of you can provide a little insight for a Colorado Crew. Thanks, Travis

 

[21hens-incharge]

LS

It would be the time for their first molt. Some of mine molt almost all the feathers at once others you can hardly tell are molting. The ones that go naked fast are the first ones back to laying the others take longer.

I understand the frustration with low production AND egg eaters in the mix. If you have one or two that break the egg open the others will surely join in on the eating of the eggs. It can be like a shark feeding frenzy.
I wish I had some good cures for it but I do not.

 

[Ashdoes]

Just finished completely cleaning, condensing, re-filling and re-establishing 5 - 41 qt containers of mealworms down to 3 containers. I have a 4th container full of the frass (and babies/eggs that went through the straining process). I put some carrots in with them as well so they can hatch/grow and I can sift them out into the other colonies. Then all that frass is going to join the deep litter in the gardens next spring! Should have some awesome plants next year.

Took them 18 months to go through #50 of wheat bran and 4-5 cartons of oatmeal mixed in. They are now in pure wheat bran.  Took probably 12 trips to the coops with bowls full of dead beetles and varying aged worms mixed in. Right now I have 4 enclosures full of happy, stuffed chickens! I'm tired! It took almost 4 hours to sift everything out!

Maybe they'll break down and give ME a few eggs tomorrow. We'll see. Only found 3 eggs today, one was cracked, and the other 2 were hollow I took the hen that I believe is responsible in one enclosure and removed her. She'll is tote hell for the next few days till I determine if she is in fact the bad girl If she is, decisions will have to be made.

When I go through one of my giant red worm totes, it takes about four hours to remove all the worms from the casings. Messy, back aching work...but I still thinks it's pretty fun. The great thing is all I feed them is shredded junk mail and bills.
I've been thinking about doing some mealworms, just haven't got the time right now.