Colorado

[coloradochick]

Oh trust me, if I had the room I would be in trouble. I would be loaded up with animals. They had such pretty cats. And some of the dogs they had were so sad. They would just put their heads in your palm and close their eyes as we scritched the places we could reach. But the ducks were so pretty and all they had was a little bowel of scratch and a bit of water. The workers said "and you may be able to have more ducks to because she's layed some eggs while she's been here"

 

[Rockpile99]

Hello Fellow Coloradans!

Been a bit quiet here on this thread, I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving holiday, and that you are all well.

Is anyone here planning on going to the NWSS next month? Or going to show? Do any of you show your birds?

I am thinking about it but am very nervous to do so, also the fact that it costs $27.00 for the first bird plus parking sounds like a bit much just for showing a chicken. The 10th is the deadline to register so I still have a few days to decide. I only have hatchery birds, but am thinking about getting into showing and want to try it just for the experience.


Hey Coopa, what breed are your new colombians? They're gorgeous.

 

[telepiste]

Howdy-

I'm curious what some of the front rangers out here do for heat in the coop in winter. I'm hesitant to heat, mostly out of fear of fire in the shavings, but it's starting to get cold. I've got 4 birds in a small, uninsulated but draft free, a-frame coop, and I'm tempted to add a ceramic heat emitting bulb. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[farmerlor]

Last year we hung one of those heat lamps with the red bulbs like we use in the brooder room in our chicken house. We hung it over the waterer so that the chickens couldn't come in direct contact with it, so that it was way above the shavings and so that it would keep the water from freezing. It worked out perfectly.

 

[coloradochick]

Hey guys and welcome to the new members here. We've got the red heat bulb hanging about 2 feet off the ground (they're in the garage) (I got a letter from code enforcement that I can only have 2 hens or 2 turkey hens OR a horse) So I'm looking for a horse

(that ought to get the gander up of the nosy #*+#$%@ that called on my chickens) Anyways, due to this we've got them in the garage (tyring to figure something out so I can keep more than 2) with the feed, water and heat lamp. They are thankful for the heat when it's 18 degrees out like it is today and even colder at night. I have thought about one of the ceramic heaters that fit into the light bulb socket too. Go for it and let us know how that works for heat out put.

Karen go for it!! Never know until you try

C

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
This fall my husband and I built a small, well-insulated coop with a large double-layered plexiglass window which faces south. I put my mille fleur cochin youngsters in there, so no laying is going on yet. But...I put a thermometer in which registers highest and lowest temps for the day and also one in my old coop (which is large and the window is on the *north* side) just for curiosity's sake. The new coop is registering temps 20-30 degrees higher during the day than the old one! Sunshine/passive solar principles and good insulation do make sense in the mountains!

The Norwegian Jaerhons I added this spring to my flock have begun to lay just this past week in the old/cold coop and are quite prolific right now! They were bred to be winter layers. Be interesting to see whether they keep it up in the depth of winter here at our altitude (8200'), but if they will even extend the season by a month on each end, Dec and Mar, that would impress me!

Here's the roo, Oslo:

And one of his Jaer-hens:

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
Can you post more info on the show? I will try to go to the Stockshow's chicken show, though I'm nervous to show anybody. I'd *like* to take some of my mille fleur cochin project birds, but have never shown a chicken before and worried about bugs/germ issues.

 

[mylilchix]

Quote:
This fall my husband and I built a small, well-insulated coop with a large double-layered plexiglass window which faces south. I put my mille fleur cochin youngsters in there, so no laying is going on yet. But...I put a thermometer in which registers highest and lowest temps for the day and also one in my old coop (which is large and the window is on the *north* side) just for curiosity's sake. The new coop is registering temps 20-30 degrees higher during the day than the old one! Sunshine/passive solar principles and good insulation do make sense in the mountains!

The Norwegian Jaerhons I added this spring to my flock have begun to lay just this past week in the old/cold coop and are quite prolific right now! They were bred to be winter layers. Be interesting to see whether they keep it up in the depth of winter here at our altitude (8200'), but if they will even extend the season by a month on each end, Dec and Mar, that would impress me!

Here's the roo, Oslo:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/19483_p1010002.jpg

And one of his Jaer-hens:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/19483_jhen.jpg

How do you like your Jaerhons? I've been thinking of adding them to my flock.

Sonja

 

[mylilchix]

Quote:
Cara, that stinks!! I have llama you can borrow. My neighbor did that to me (I know it's anonymous, but there's only 1 neighbor who hates my critters). He called the county on my llamas. The county guy came over and couldn't see a problem. My neighbor is just trying to be a bully. He doesn't like my llama manure, and doesn't understand that I'm using it for gardening and to grow grass in llama land. I've checked with the county, on my 4 acres I could have 16 large livestock animals and enough chickens to fill a 400 sq. ft coop! lol

Sonja

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
I am crazy about them! I love their look, their mild manners, the fact that they like to be outside in any weather (they even walk-right-on-the-snow!) and now I love them for their beautiful, large, bulbulous December eggs...

Happy to share eggs in the spring...just let me know!

Rosemary