Colorado

[Percheron chick]

I need my head examined. Picked up 30 pullets yesterday to grow out and sell. Only problem is all my grow out pens are being used for something else. Any $$ I make will make will barely pay for some new pens. I don't understand why I'm broke... They are not breeds I wanted to add this year either.
I am up to 6 layers. Finally have eggs to sell.
One of my dogs cornered the mangiest coyote in the breezeway of the barn. Chickens are kept in one stall but hadn't let them out yet thankgoodness. No fear of me or really the dog. See it a few times a week. Need to dispatch it.

 

[PirateGirl]

I need my head examined. Picked up 30 pullets yesterday to grow out and sell. Only problem is all my grow out pens are being used for something else. Any $$ I make will make will barely pay for some new pens. I don't understand why I'm broke... They are not breeds I wanted to add this year either.
I am up to 6 layers. Finally have eggs to sell.
One of my dogs cornered the mangiest coyote in the breezeway of the barn. Chickens are kept in one stall but hadn't let them out yet thankgoodness. No fear of me or really the dog. See it a few times a week. Need to dispatch it.

Some coyotes get like that, no fear. It's not good. Once when I was camping with another adult human, 3 large dogs, and a campfire, we had one we couldn't get to leave. There was another one that lived in town one summer that attacked a dog, would be seen in the street, and "treed" someone's cat up an electric pole. They are dangerous when they become fearless. Good luck.

 

[uzisuzuki]

Good thing I just got my retirement refunded - my dude here is gonna need his own house by spring!

 

[Mtn Margie]

He sure is a beautiful bird!

 

[PirateGirl]

View attachment 1250302 Good thing I just got my retirement refunded - my dude here is gonna need his own house by spring!

These are birds I know nothing about (other than that a friend had some on their farm when we were kids and they would screech when we pulled in the driveway!)... How wide is his tail when it's open? How long is his tail when it's closed? I imagine he demands a bit of space.

 

[uzisuzuki]

He sure is a beautiful bird!

He’s definitely got more impressive since the day he showed up. I guess I’m doing okay with him!

These are birds I know nothing about (other than that a friend had some on their farm when we were kids and they would screech when we pulled in the driveway!)... How wide is his tail when it's open? How long is his tail when it's closed? I imagine he demands a bit of space.

I’m gonna be one of those people for a minute: the eye feathers aren’t his tail. I didn’t know this until he adopted me. The actual tail is maybe 2ft long? His train (the eye feathers) are over 5ft in length & pretty close to the same in width when spread out like this. From what I understand, the spread will get bigger each year. I’m not sure when/if they’ll reach their peak. As soon as breeding season is over, he’ll drop them all & start regrowing them in the fall.

 

[lomine]

He’s definitely got more impressive since the day he showed up. I guess I’m doing okay with him!
I’m gonna be one of those people for a minute: the eye feathers aren’t his tail. I didn’t know this until he adopted me. The actual tail is maybe 2ft long? His train (the eye feathers) are over 5ft in length & pretty close to the same in width when spread out like this. From what I understand, the spread will get bigger each year. I’m not sure when/if they’ll reach their peak. As soon as breeding season is over, he’ll drop them all & start regrowing them in the fall.

So which part is the tail? Do you have a picture of him without his train?

Do you do anything with the eye feathers, like crafts?

 

[uzisuzuki]

So which part is the tail? Do you have a picture of him without his train?

Do you do anything with the eye feathers, like crafts?

Okay, so, the horizontal part is his body & wings. The floofy section is basically his butt & then the feathers that go straight up from there are his tail. He pretty much looks like Mim when he doesn’t have his train feathers.

When he first showed up, he was a yearling and hadn’t grown out his train feathers yet. For most of 2016 he didn’t have too many and the ones he had were maybe half the length he had last year and this year. Last year was the first year he really grew them out. I suspect it was because the peahens finally were old enough to participate in breeding season.

I haven’t done anything with his first round of eye feathers except keep them in a dragon vase I made last summer. I will probably start selling them for other people to use this year. There’s a lot of them!

 

[Serenityintheverse]

Fellow Coloradans,
From SOCO south of Pueblo CO. getting my first chickens in June. I'm very excited and look forward to all things chickens and any advice from the locals. Still workin on our existing coop that came with our property. Newb at the whole homesteading thing....but each day is a new adventure.
Blessings and light to all
Serenity

 

[lomine]

Welcome to the Colorado thread @Serenityintheverse