Colorado

[rf12345]

i introduced my rooster to that net folk use to catch escapees that rounded him up, so i caught the bugger when he charged me and successfully moved him with his flock to another side of the property to summer/meat birds location , cleaning permanent coop and run in prep for new flock, nice dirty job. full rotation this year for me.if anyone is up for well fed soup hens ping me

 

[Latestarter]

Guess I wasn't the only one cleaning coops yesterday. I shoveled about 60-70 +/- cubic feet of packed deep litter out the trap doors into the runs, then spread it around out there. That was two enclosures in one coop. It's been building in the coop since May 2014. At almost 2 feet deep, it was up to the perch bar to the nest boxes. Was time to move it. Today, I plan to do the other 2 enclosures in the other coop. I was a little stiff by the time I got done, and the sinuses were giving me issues due to the dust.

Smells much better in there now with fresh pine chips. Didn't smell "bad" in there before, but very dusty and stale. The chickens were traumatized by the whole evolution... Screaming and crying and piling up in whatever corner was furthest from me and the shovel... I might hook up the hose tomorrow and spray all the dust down in there. The deep litter was so dry and dusty, it can def use a little moisture added back into it also.

I'm getting tired of pulling empty shells out of the nest boxes as well, so either later today or tomorrow I'll start making roll away inserts for them so the eggs will roll out of their reach. My Buff Orps have started picking up steam laying and are giving me 2-3 a day. I'd be getting one or two a day from the New Hampshires, but they eat them before I can get to them. They were my best layers up till molt and winter weather/darkness. I get one every other day or so from the BAs. The white wyandottes have never been stellar layers and still aren't. I am anxious to get back to having 15+ eggs a day. Maybe some of my customers will still be around when the time comes.

Since I got no sleep last night, hopefully the work today will wear me out so I can sleep tonight. Hope y'all have a great day!

 

[coop410silkies]

@uzi: what a cute bunnie! Nice photo of it. They make me happy, too. I have so many cottontails here, I think I will never go hungry in an apocalypse. I think they are attracted to the chicken feed. I am so sorry your neighbors let their dogs run, that's not right. Up until she had a change of heart, Abbie was my greatest predator, and I can appreciate the threat dogs pose to your animals.

Those little cocks can be fast! I have two Silkie roos that HATE my renter friend (I think she teased them) and come running from afar to attack her whenever they see her. Their spurs are BIG. My friend always squeals and runs and carries on, so they keep right on doing it. I have maybe 6 or 7 Silkie roos (they are hard to find homes for), and I have yet to witness ANY of my LF cocks pursuing an argument with any of them.

I remember taking antihistamines to relieve my sinus congestion, and it was one of those rare occasions when fixing the symptom seemed to cure the disease. Just a thought. So it's being nice outside and I'm wishing you are well enough to enjoy it.

@rf1234: When it comes to roosters, I'm starting to realize something in their temperament that I never fully appreciated before: they have a kamikaze side, and some of them definitely would rather fight to the death than be the #2 rooster. A FlockMistress/Master would naturally be the one he'd have to get rid of. Kamikazes are definitely hard to deal with if you want to keep them alive. My first thought when these two Roos attacked me was that I was going to have to kill them right then and there in order to avoid a trip to the horsepistol. Killing something in anger is repulsive to me, so I am quite thankful that the big Light Sussex intervened.

I have thought about the net idea, and I think it's a good one. Those Apes used a big one to catch those humans and Charles, didn't they, and it seemed terribly effective. I am going through the same process as you, it seems, relocating my troublesome roosters to a pen of their own, far away from my egg layers. It seems a mistake to let them form marauding pairs or trios, so we won't be doing THAT again. I am thinking of how my dog managed them. She rousted my chickens daily, chased them whenever she got a chance and was a holy terror - she even hurt a couple. Today, though, she seems almost oblivious to them and they to her; they nevertheless less move out of her way when she approaches, and they hop when she says hop. When I feed my flocks, she feeds first, even though she hates chicken pellets, and the chickens wait patiently until she finishes showing them who is boss. She eats just a bit, and it's never because she is hungry. Brutal as it is, there maybe something to be said for doggie wisdom. It's appalling for me to admit it, but my flock seems to have far more respect for my dog than for me.

@LS: wow, that is a LOT of litter to shovel. My hat is definitely off to you, but I'm hoping you are getting some rest and catching up on sleep today. All my birds are out happily scratching scratching scratching in the stiff breeze. Maybe they will scratch up some of the feed they spilled all over yesterday. You are sooo unlucky with your egg eater. Hope you get it fixed soon and will post pics.

None of my hens ever laid as many eggs as they did their first year, although some came close. If I were raising eating eggs to sell. I would put my RIR or one of the SS Roos over my BR or Light Sussex hens and try for sex links. One of the organic farms near here uses BSLs as their major egg producers. (I THINK), and even THEY insist upon a 2 - 3 month hiatus in egg sales during the winter.
Your eggs are for hatching, though, aren't they? Ouch. I just remembered, makes a difference. Must take a bit of planning and work to keep the breeds separate. Sounds a bold adventure.

I taught my attack roosters another lesson today. I have yet to even touch one, but they run when they see me coming now. 4-6 months of this? I really do worry that they will sneak up behind me if I don't have my switch. If I have to catch them with a net to subdue them, they will end up in the soup of the incorrigibles.

Best of luck.

 

[Latestarter]

Way too windy out there today to stir up all that chicken dander/poop dust. I'd probably end up collapsing a lung. I did catch a few hour nap earlier, but am still tired. Not feeling stiff or sore though which is good. Man that wind is ROCKIN'! So I'll hit the other 2 enclosures in the other coop maybe tomorrow. Supposed to be mid 60s the next couple of days. I did re-open all the windows and lower floor vent hatches. I doubt we're through with winter just yet, but with this weather, I figure it'll be good air circulation for them. For about a 3-4 month period last year I was selling 100 eggs a week for hatching to one person. I stopped doing that and then garnered a group of folks who were buying for eating. Obviously the profit from eating sales was nowhere near what it was for hatching. I have hatchery stock, nothing special, so was only charging .50/egg for hatching. He had one of his kids call me a month or so ago to ask me if I had any eggs for sale "just for eating, not hatching" Ya... right... I didn't but wouldn't have sold them to him anyway. Long story.

For eating I was charging $3/12, $4/18 $7/30. I had to increase to $4/12 and $8/30 & will be increasing to $6/18. I really only have one regular customer that buys 18 and he's right next door, so will probably only do $5/18 for him. All these months of feeding with no $$ is the pits. Most of my sales were by the flat. I have 4 enclosures and 5 breeds. The BAs, Buff Orps and New Hampshires are all segregated. The 4th has a large group of White Wyandottes and one Deleware roo and hen (left from a trio a bought) in with them. I'll almost assuredly be selling all these birds later this spring/early summer in any case to prepare for my move. I'll start over wherever I end up, hopefully with better, higher quality stock.Then I think I'll plan on hatching out at least "replacements" for the birds I have every spring, so they'll start laying right before winter when the previous years birds are molting and shutting down. Then I can sell the older birds (2 year olds) the following spring when the new hatchlings are approaching hen status. A side benefit will be the ability to improve breeding stock over time while doing this. I really think I'll down size on breed numbers as well.

Glad those attack roos are learning who's boss! You GO girl! You know they can sense your trepidation/fear/worry/concern right? Generally after I "punish" mine, and it's definitely "hands on", they need no more reinforcement for 4-6 months. I haven't taken it to the level of a baseball bat or anything... Once the lesson has been administered, you shouldn't need to carry a switch and they should give you a wide berth at all times. It's if/when they stop giving you that wide berth that the lesson must be repeated. So maybe once every 4+/- months or so. But then maybe the soup pot is better for them anyway

 

[coop410silkies]

@LS: Yes, a bit too breezy to get much done. I've had to just sit back and watch and groan. I've sold eggs for more than the very reasonable prices you've charged. Some people complain, but hey, if they want cheap, they can go to Safeway. I don't meet feed costs as it is. I've been perusing the Permies web site, and chickens are a popular topic there. Foraging chickens and feed crops for them are trending threads, and one thing I discovered is that alfalfa is a great perennial for chickens. A majority of the posters complain that they can't grow it, though, because of their acidic soils, which is not the case in Colorado; alfalfa grows like a weed here. Mulberries are also a good crop to grow for chickens; the trees I started a couple of years ago were plenty hardy, but my two sheep tore through the cages and ate them down to stubs. Chickens finished them off. Am about ready to try some more. My birds are fond of the wild morning glory that grows rampant here. And the grasses, of course. Just thinking of how to cut down on feed costs, which have been a lot this winter.

You had quite a little business going for awhile; it's no wonder the lack of eggs is such a disappointment. I suspect there is a great recommendation from each and every experienced subscriber to this thread, and you yourself are well informed. If you are serious about improving a breed, I don't see how you can do it without growing out at least a couple of generations. It is something to think about. In my very limited experience, my heritage birds of a breed surpassed my hatchery birds of the breed, especially in production (but not necessarily in vigor). I would start with heritage pullets: they'll breed truer and you will save time by not having to grow out and separate the cockerels - and by getting an earlier start on your breed's first generation. I set my hens back with their sires and the cockerels back with their dams. 'Twas a plan best laid of mice and men, most noble in conception. I have had the best luck with eggs when I set things up the way you are planning. Early spring hatched pullets were laying by fall, and did continue into winter while their sires and dams molted and stopped laying. That's a good working strategy in my experience.. well, you've got a lot of fun things to think about.

I know roosters can sense any fear or trepidation I may have about them. Not a whole lot I can do about it besides having a plan and being prepared. The couple here before me left me with what they believed was an attack-rooster. The man was an experienced farmhand, and he paid little attention to his roo - up until the day it sent him to the hospital. This couple left a small shovel for me and showed me how to open the coop door without getting hurt - and how to shovel up and fling away the rooster when he attacked me. It worked, the rooster was terrified of the shovel. He lived up to his reputation, though, and stalked me endlessly, looking for an opportunity to strike. I carried the shovel everywhere, and he never gave up. The roosters that went after me two days ago were tolerant, I thought, but, with hindsight, I can see they were never actually respectful. As they started free ranging and hanging out about the hen coop, they grew bolder. Treats no longer interested them and they were not so easily brushed off. I can see the signs now. And I can definitely see the benefits of a baseball bat. Would like to try an umbrella for a surprise. What I'd really like to do is band them with tiny e-collars and deliver a "stimulation" every time they even looked at me.. What I HAVE done is order a big chicken catching net, and I can hardly wait to use it. Until then we'll see how the switch goes. The two brutes are separated now, and neither one will come near me. My plan is to weigh them and see if they're worth keeping. Too bad I take things so personally. Blessings

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry about your mulberry trees... Yeah, sheep and goats can do some serious damage to young (and even older) trees. I have a pretty dense "field" patch of alfalfa out in my front swale. I'm supposed to keep in mowed (city rules), but I left it this past summer to grow and flower. It was mostly for my bees, who were all over it, but the bunnies and birds appreciated it as well. There's also a high tension pwr line ROW down the road a bit and that's also essentially a HUGE hay/alfalfa field. Only issue there is of course I can't take my chickens down there or live stock, and the city always mows it down just about the time it's really starting to flower. I've thought about contacting the city and asking if they can't leave at least 1/2 of it as a "green space" and just let it do what nature has it do. All the wild animals would appreciate it I'm sure.

I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing with the chickens going forward. I don't have any idea yet exactly where I'll be or what market for eggs/birds will even exist wherever I end up. I have to figure all that out first. I mean, I will absolutely get some chickens for personal use; meat & eggs, but the quantity and breed is up in the air. I'm about 100% sure it will be LF of some heritage breed that is dual purpose and large+ brown eggs. I have NO intention of getting all "high and mighty" and doing shows and all that stuff. I don't have the patience for that. But I DO want higher quality birds with decent conformation and great vigor/production. I'll make it a point to only breed the best forward. The rest will be just for eggs and meat rather than as breeders. But you're right, it will be a minimum 5-10 year evolution of breeding and record keeping toward improvement. My breeding stock will most likely consist of those 2-3 year old birds that have proven themselves over that long a period of time. I'll be retarded... ummm retired... so I should have the time to put toward it, and it's not like breeding chickens is really a lot of work... right?

Right now at last tally, I have about 30 birds, maybe 25-26 hens. It costs me right about $100/month, maybe a bit more since I switched back to dry feed vice FF for the winter. If I can sell ~ 3-4 flats a week, I'm just about break even. Not getting paid for my labor, and definitely not going to get rich, but it's acceptable for the enjoyment of fresh eggs and chicken TV. They really aren't a "lot" of work... feed them every morning, re-fill their water once a week, collect eggs off and on all day... Oh, and every 2 years or so, "muck" out the coops

Now that I have basically eggs any time i want them, I find that don't eat them near as often as I used to. I did fry up 3 with some bacon and toast this morning. Since I didn't sleep last night, I figured a good hearty protein rich breakfast would help. Gotta say, they definitely taste better than store bought, and I know where they came from and what food went in to making them, which is really nice

 

[rf12345]

coop410silkies,
mine are afraid of gray wheelbarrow . go figure, just found out, and, ok... i know what i bring if something
and the catching net.
for egg layers i got me so far red sexlink aka production red and Delaware, thanks to someone mentioning D's and store having them...
'
MG/MS wise it turns out these is no single NPIP in CO that was successful, there are couple of closed commercial hatcheries that are, do nor sell to public so and only to egg/meat industry.
Quite interesting.

I think I'll get me russians as detectors of the trouble in flock even if laying wise they are good in spring and other times lay 1 every other day

I want layers with bit more color, for black australorp... brown egg... the theory is mix color flock is better to deal with hawks...
how are easter eggers in terms of egg production? they are not so good for me...

my black sexlink did egg a day, surprisingly maran mutt too...
I was hearing that welsumer is not so bad, maran is not a good layer.
I want leghorns in mix with Americana to up the egg production. does anyone have those?
I did hear austrolorp+legorn mix is a good layer too. did anyone try?

 

[rf12345]

mine had a bad night... their covered run/coop on the side, but surprisingly rooster kept them together. i'll be cleaning some freaked out chicken diarrhea from coop/run side. and getting some ground anchors... it is quite heavy for wind to lift it, I'd say close to 300-400+ pounds or more structure... it is heavy. now i wonder what landed on my property last night...

 

[COChix]

mine had a bad night... their covered run/coop on the side, but surprisingly rooster kept them together. i'll be cleaning some freaked out chicken diarrhea from coop/run side. and getting some ground anchors... it is quite heavy for wind to lift it, I'd say close to 300-400+ pounds or more structure... it is heavy. now i wonder what landed on my property last night...

Wow how weird and scary, hope everyone is ok...

@Latestarter I eat eggs everyday, can't seem to get past farm fresh eggs and some dank bacon from whole foods for breakfast.yummmm

 

[coop410silkies]

@rf12345: oh, I am sorry about your coop. My yards were hit hard by the wind - again. They look cleaner and a bit rearranged. I have major fence repairs to do. The only reason some of my smaller hoop coops are still standing is because I haven't re-tarped them yet. What do you like about your Delawares? I think you have some good ideas about your crosses, but personally have no experience with any of them. I have ONE black sex-link, eventually would like to have a flock of them for egg production. I am speculating about this, as I really haven't kept track of how productive my single BSL is, but I think they are a good bet. They don't breed true, but with a proper pairing of cock and hen, one could add to and refresh his flock annually. Might be able to do it with eggers, even, with the right colored genes. Hope you get answers from experienced people here. Yeah, I think my birds don't like my grey wheelbarrow, either. They are also afraid of large flappy things, like feed bags and cardboard and such.

@LS: oh yeah, chickens are almost no work at all

. It's a shame about the alfalfa. Too bad the city cannot just knock it down. I think cities have to do more regulation than I can tolerate, so I live in an ag zone. My renters - they pay only for utilities - are complaining about the crowing; there was a lot of it last night, maybe because of the wind? I dont blame my renters, but the chickens were here before they moved in, and they said they were OK with them.

i planted my mulberry trees out of pure inspiration, and it was a disappointment when the sheep destroyed them. They were the former owner's pets, were hand fed and don't believe in foraging or grazing. They are addicted to chicken feed and will knock me - and everything else - over to get to it.

Now that I have eggs coming out my ears, I don't eat near so many, either. Neither does Abbie. I need some buyers.

I share your goals for a good heritage breed. At first I wanted SHOW QUALITY birds, and that's not really so bad to start with for size and conformation. Actually though, to go for the blue ribbon instead of utility has become a mistake in my book. I am probably on the wrong track with my SS; the hens are good layers, but the cockerels don't get to size early on and are slow to mature. The LS cockerels are gluttonous and much quicker to bulk up; I can easily see how they were bred as table birds for England's finest. The hens ARE good layers, but like the SS, are inconsistent. Lots of stuff to work with here. Need to keep propagating only the best. I know it's early to be thinking about it, but when trying to select your Heritage breed, it will probably pay off to get a line that has been around for a long while and breeds true and consistently. Fewer surprises, less waste, and a straighter path to your goal. IMHO

Retardation is not half bad, I should know.

I cannot bear to think of the financial logistics governing my great chicken raising adventure; there are few things less enjoyable to think about. Crowing roosters?

Gotta go do damage control.