Colorado

[maggiemo]

Welcome to all the new people here

I am in Boulder County zoned 'rural estate'. That means I can have pretty much all the chickens and roosters I want, I think something like 100 per acre that you own.

So, I know I am mental for even thinking or asking this, but here it goes; does anyone have any day or two old chicks in Boulder or Denver? I have a broody bantam and I feel so sorry for her. She wants chicks so badly. She has gone broody three times since March.
I really don't need more birds, but I really want to give her some chicks, if it would work out.
Oh, I can't do eggs. I will be out of town when they would hatch and I wouldn't feel right not being here to check on things.

Thanks!
mo

 

[maggiemo]

The big reason I went with quail for meat is because there are no rules against quail roosters.

That is interesting.
Do quail roosters crow? Is that a dumb question?

 

[lomine]

That is interesting. 

Do quail roosters crow? Is that a dumb question?

They crow but it sounds very much like a wild bird. When my first batch was growing out and I separated the boys from the girls they crowed a lot and it was a bit noisy. Now that I just have two males they hardly ever crow.
I'm hoping to avoid a lot of crowing this go around by separating them earlier and housing them further apart.

 

[yawningreyhound]

Hi everyone! Thought I'd share a few photos of what I woke up to today. We have used Alaskan bear boards around the coop compound, and tarps to prevent prying eyes. Last night it didn't work.

Lost two of my four birds, one of the old but beautiful and still laying reliably "flood" wyandottes and one brand new this year big black hen who WAS pecking two other birds kind of mercilessly.

Now we're electrified. Should've just started out that way.
This panel of fencing held tho' he pulled on it. I used 2 lbs of staples in the cage area and it paid off! I think the two who lived dived out of the sleeping coop into the caged area and he couldn't get in.


this is under the storage box at the other end of the cage from the sleeping coop; he tore hardware cloth like it was cotton. This is where the two survivors must've been hiding, he just couldn't get in even tho he removed the plywood cover and the hardward cloth.

This is the sleeping coop. Jim had reinforced the opening on the left there after the bear tried to get in last year. That held. But he ripped OSB with his bare hands. Paws. First he had to get through a layer of pallet wood, then the OSB.



And here's the storage shed door where I'd 'binered the door latch. That held, but he ripped through the door:


So now the remaining chickens are in the main floor bathroom, sharing lodging with the neighbor's teensy tiny beat-up rooster I've been nursing back to health. There's 3 chickens in my house tonight. IN MY HOUSE.

Thanks! There's just no one else who understands.

Marcia in Northern Colorado between Estes and Lyons.

 

[Latestarter]

Wow, so sorry the bear chose you. They gotta eat too, but we sure wish it was something other than our animals. They are pretty powerful and electric is really about the only way to stop one that has his mind set on eating your animals. I'm kinda surprised you never heard him breaking in. Do you have a yard dog that should have warned you? Yeah... about everyone here will understand the birds in the house situation... Hope you can get the repairs done in a timely fashion so you can get them back out where they belong. Sorry you lost the two.

 

[kellywags]

http://nikcolyer.com/other-projects/bear-proof-chicken-coop/

Sounds like you need a safe room for the chickens, not sure if they make such a thing but I did see this post above! Thankful I live in Arvada where we just worry about the smaller prey (usually).

 

[Robilyn81]

@yawningreyhound Holy cow! I guess that comes with mountain life but still, yikes. Of course we sympathise with chickens in your house

 

[rf12345]

wow. that's quite a destruction. we do not have them here. feel for you

 

[Rock Home Isle]

It's amazing the strength that a bear possesses....thank you for sharing those images with us....wow.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Hi everyone! Thought I'd share a few photos of what I woke up to today. We have used Alaskan bear boards around the coop compound, and tarps to prevent prying eyes. Last night it didn't work.

Lost two of my four birds, one of the old but beautiful and still laying reliably "flood" wyandottes and one brand new this year big black hen who WAS pecking two other birds kind of mercilessly.

Now we're electrified. Should've just started out that way.
This panel of fencing held tho' he pulled on it. I used 2 lbs of staples in the cage area and it paid off! I think the two who lived dived out of the sleeping coop into the caged area and he couldn't get in.



Thanks! There's just no one else who understands.

Marcia in Northern Colorado between Estes and Lyons.

Oh Sweetie, I so understand. The bears have been quiet around here lately, but last year was Heck! We are wired too. A 3 joule system that knocks the snot out of anything that touches it. The bear we fought off last year was super aggressive. He got 9 chickens but didn't get to eat any of them and we finally managed to get him to leave. We were wired the next day too. The bears seem to be getting more predatory these days for sure.

BTW, we now have Grizzlies that are following the moose into CO. You and I are in the same general area.....