Colorado

[Wifezilla]

People PLAN these things?!?!? You mean not everyone gets the birds on an impulse and then builds around them with whatever you can find laying around the yard?!??!

 

[wsmith]

 

[thechickenchick]

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[wsmith]

That's one reason we are going about this the way we are. We didn't want to be playing catch-up and end up loosing chickens to coyotes, or constantly trying to repair stuff that was put together in a hurry. This way we have lots of time to do it right.

And now my daughters tell me they want pigs too..........

 

[HogbackMtnChickns]

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I am directly south of the Depo. In fact, I work at the Depo.
And we plan on getting a mix to start. Top of the list: Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Marans, Andalusians and some Welsummers if I can locate em'. LOL

Welcome to BYC, Joe! I am impressed by you and WSmith. I planned for my chicks, but didn't BUILD for my chicks before they came. I was desperate to get them out of the house by the time my coop was up and running! They are living the good life now though at 9 weeks.

I have Welsummers, and I love them. I bought chicks from Whitmore Farm in Pennsylvania with two other BYC folks this spring. I am a total newbie - my first summer with chickens. I had a good experience with Whitmore Farm. Perhaps some of the gals who split that order with me will have some chicks to offer locally next spring.

Good luck!

 

[wsmith]

Thanks!

We hope to have chickens to offer for sale in late 2012 and possible chicks and/or hatching eggs for schools in 2013. Eggs for sale are also in our plan.

But the BIGGEST reason for us getting chickens, and in turn all this planning, was so my wife can have a good reason to get out of the house and be involved. She has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and has been fighting it for over 8 years now. She needs to have things to look forward to and interact with. I guess its sort of like therapy for her.

 

[wsmith]

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now THAT is funny......

and SOOOOO true! My wife Beth and I discussed this for a LONG time, making sure we would have the funds to do it before we started. After that, she pretty much lets me do what I want so long as she gets the chickens, and she has a bench or something so she can sit and watch them..... and as long as she doesn't have to do the dispatching of the freezer stock. She has no problem plucking and cleaning, just not the killing.

 

[coloradochick]

Nothing like waking up from a (finally) decent sleep to the blood curdling, heart stopping sound of a pack of marauding coyotes surrounding some poor thing just yards from our front door. The dogs wanted to go out and "get involved" but that was a big not happening guys. I HATE that noise they make. I just layed in bed praying they wouldn't start trying to dig into the barn, and just listening to the noises out in the darkness.

And welcome Joe!!

 

[wsmith]

We get coyotes around our house often. We haven't worried about them, but next spring will be a different story. Our dogs hate them.

on different note, I drew up this concept for a multi bird feeder. My thought is that it will be about 4 feet long. The lid will be hinged and the thing should hold more than #50 of feed. Thoughts? I have the scrap lumber already. Perhaps one in the main hen house, and another under the outside shelter. Feed on demand!

 

[coloradochick]

Build 2 more

Our 2 little piggets have discovered they LOVE Flockraiser so we need to figure out a new feeding system for the girls until the piggets go to their own pen. Would pigs and a goat do okay together?