Colorado

[wsmith]

So this morning I foudn out that I have been the victim of a conspiracy......

I get to the hospital room, and Beth hands me her phone. I look at it and there is a text conversation between her and our 23 year old son... It went something like this...

Son: Mom, I lied to Dad...

Beth: What? What did you lie about

Son: I told him the turkey was gone and i didn't know anything...

Beth: What happened?

son: The dogs were in the baclk yard, and the female turkey flew over the fence, and before it even landed they were at it and killed it.. It was gross...

Beth: Did you clean it up?

Son, Ya, I cleaned up all the mess and put it in the garbage.

Beth: Why did you not tell your Dad?

Son: He was already so stressed out about you being in the hospital and all that, and I didn't want him to deal with more.

Beth: Why are you telling me now?

Son: Because with the neighbor dogs harassing the other neighbor's goats, I didn't want him to think the neighbor's dogs killed the turkey...

Nice kid.

 

[pichuris]

So this morning I foudn out that I have been the victim of a conspiracy......

I get to the hospital room, and Beth hands me her phone. I look at it and there is a text conversation between her and our 23 year old son... It went something like this...

Son: Mom, I lied to Dad...

Beth: What? What did you lie about

Son: I told him the turkey was gone and i didn't know anything...

Beth: What happened?

son: The dogs were in the baclk yard, and the female turkey flew over the fence, and before it even landed they were at it and killed it.. It was gross...

Beth: Did you clean it up?

Son, Ya, I cleaned up all the mess and put it in the garbage.

Beth: Why did you not tell your Dad?

Son: He was already so stressed out about you being in the hospital and all that, and I didn't want him to deal with more.

Beth: Why are you telling me now?

Son: Because with the neighbor dogs harassing the other neighbor's goats, I didn't want him to think the neighbor's dogs killed the turkey...

Nice kid.

Bless his heart.

 

[Pozees]

So this morning I foudn out that I have been the victim of a conspiracy......

I get to the hospital room, and Beth hands me her phone. I look at it and there is a text conversation between her and our 23 year old son... It went something like this...

Son: Mom, I lied to Dad...

Beth: What? What did you lie about

Son: I told him the turkey was gone and i didn't know anything...

Beth: What happened?

son: The dogs were in the baclk yard, and the female turkey flew over the fence, and before it even landed they were at it and killed it.. It was gross...

Beth: Did you clean it up?

Son, Ya, I cleaned up all the mess and put it in the garbage.

Beth: Why did you not tell your Dad?

Son: He was already so stressed out about you being in the hospital and all that, and I didn't want him to deal with more.

Beth: Why are you telling me now?

Son: Because with the neighbor dogs harassing the other neighbor's goats, I didn't want him to think the neighbor's dogs killed the turkey...

Nice kid.

Awww! What a sweet kid, and a sweet story! <sniff> You and Beth must be very proud of him. Nice job, Mom and Dad.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Kid's are so fun...Good that he was thinking and looking out for you. Very heart warming.

 

[wsmith]

Yah.

So now I am faced with a decision...What to do with the Jake. I could keep him, but he's not really a pet. I now have no Jenny to breed him to. I could butcher him for Thanksgiving, and I am sure he would be delicious. I could sell him, or I could find someone with a female Narragansett to breed him to. Decision, decisions.....

 

[FlaRocky]

You and Beth have raised one (hell of a) fine son. Wish more people had the same ethics. Proud of you all...

Wish I wasn't clear arcoss the country. I would find and bring you a pair of hens. I have 5 bronze turkeys. Two toms and 3 hens, 1 Tom named Thanksgiving and the other one DH calls Lucky Boy for the 3/1 girls. Hope you can find some.

Maye

Ride the Glide......Got Gait....I Do.....

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Yah.

So now I am faced with a decision...What to do with the Jake. I could keep him, but he's not really a pet. I now have no Jenny to breed him to. I could butcher him for Thanksgiving, and I am sure he would be delicious. I could sell him, or I could find someone with a female Narragansett to breed him to. Decision, decisions.....

If he's a friendly bird then keep him and raise a few hens to brred him to next spring...2nd year Toms breed better and are more productive anyways.

If he's a terd-ball...then it sounds like home grown Turkey for Thanks-Giving.

 

[Pozees]

Finally got all my test results from the State of CO, all negative

Now all I have to do is mail my $12.00 check, and I am officially NPIP certified. All over the accompanying paperwork is the reminder that in order to maintain this status, I may only add to my flock from other NPIP certified flocks. I don't have any immediate plans to add new chickens, but it is something I can use to dissuade myself from picking up a deal here and there, which DH will undoubtedly appreciate Funny though, the last few nights he's come out and "walked the chickens" with me - I've only started this week letting the two older girls out of the enclosure for a couple of hours in the evening, and I stay with them due to my fear of losing one to a hawk, eagle, falcon, or owl, coyote, fox, etc. - last night he said, "I can hardly wait to tell the guys at work that I spent time walking chickens, of all things!"

The last week or so I've been mulling two things chicken-related, and if anyone cares to discuss I'd enjoy some brainstorming.

1 - I am one of those crazy people who think I can contribute to preserving rare breeds. I did some research on those most threatened breeds of chicken, and am becoming more and more interested in the Russian Orloff. I wondered whether anyone had ever had any, or has any, and can report back on how true the descriptions are of a docile breed which is good at foraging and enjoys the company of people.

2 - having just finished reading "City Chicks" by Patricia Foreman, I am interested in learning more about the potential of operations she described in two different locations that used chickens and food and yard waste to run composting operations on a pretty large scale - large enough that they were ultimately shut down by local officials under pressure from traditional waste disposal companies as their volume decreased by a pretty substantial amount - in the neighborhood of 25%. I think startup cost would be pretty high, but love the idea and wonder what the major risks (aside from financial) would be. Things like, how do I control for material that isn't safe for chickens immediately pops into my head.

I think it's possible to start on a very small scale, assess the value and profitability in my area, and make a determination about whether it can sustain itself and grow. Starting small might make it unattractive to the very customers needed to sustain and grow such an enterprise, but intuitively seems a more manageable risk. A larger percentage of the public is inclined to reduce landfilled waste as environmental awareness grows, and many companies are seeking ways to have bragging rights for "going green."

1 is more of a hobby idea with a purpose, 2 is something I might want to research in terms of a possible home business, as we have 42 acres and currently no near neighbors to risk offending. I am not fully persuaded that I'm entrepreneurial enough to do it, but right now I'm at least intrigued by all the possibilities of tangential benefits - improving native soil, producing eggs that might be sold or donated to homeless shelters and soup kitchens, educating the public on the many benefits of chicken ownership, beneficial reuse of food and yard waste, end-product compost improved by chicken manure, and of course an excuse to have a lot more chickens!

I know I may be the only one interested in either topic, and that's okay, just thought I'd float the ideas in case anyone was interested in discussing.

I know I'm old when this is what I'm thinking about on a Friday night.

 

[wsmith]

Finally got all my test results from the State of CO, all negative

Now all I have to do is mail my $12.00 check, and I am officially NPIP certified. All over the accompanying paperwork is the reminder that in order to maintain this status, I may only add to my flock from other NPIP certified flocks. I don't have any immediate plans to add new chickens, but it is something I can use to dissuade myself from picking up a deal here and there, which DH will undoubtedly appreciate Funny though, the last few nights he's come out and "walked the chickens" with me - I've only started this week letting the two older girls out of the enclosure for a couple of hours in the evening, and I stay with them due to my fear of losing one to a hawk, eagle, falcon, or owl, coyote, fox, etc. - last night he said, "I can hardly wait to tell the guys at work that I spent time walking chickens, of all things!"

The last week or so I've been mulling two things chicken-related, and if anyone cares to discuss I'd enjoy some brainstorming.

1 - I am one of those crazy people who think I can contribute to preserving rare breeds. I did some research on those most threatened breeds of chicken, and am becoming more and more interested in the Russian Orloff. I wondered whether anyone had ever had any, or has any, and can report back on how true the descriptions are of a docile breed which is good at foraging and enjoys the company of people.

2 - having just finished reading "City Chicks" by Patricia Foreman, I am interested in learning more about the potential of operations she described in two different locations that used chickens and food and yard waste to run composting operations on a pretty large scale - large enough that they were ultimately shut down by local officials under pressure from traditional waste disposal companies as their volume decreased by a pretty substantial amount - in the neighborhood of 25%. I think startup cost would be pretty high, but love the idea and wonder what the major risks (aside from financial) would be. Things like, how do I control for material that isn't safe for chickens immediately pops into my head.

I think it's possible to start on a very small scale, assess the value and profitability in my area, and make a determination about whether it can sustain itself and grow. Starting small might make it unattractive to the very customers needed to sustain and grow such an enterprise, but intuitively seems a more manageable risk. A larger percentage of the public is inclined to reduce landfilled waste as environmental awareness grows, and many companies are seeking ways to have bragging rights for "going green."

1 is more of a hobby idea with a purpose, 2 is something I might want to research in terms of a possible home business, as we have 42 acres and currently no near neighbors to risk offending. I am not fully persuaded that I'm entrepreneurial enough to do it, but right now I'm at least intrigued by all the possibilities of tangential benefits - improving native soil, producing eggs that might be sold or donated to homeless shelters and soup kitchens, educating the public on the many benefits of chicken ownership, beneficial reuse of food and yard waste, end-product compost improved by chicken manure, and of course an excuse to have a lot more chickens!

I know I may be the only one interested in either topic, and that's okay, just thought I'd float the ideas in case anyone was interested in discussing.

I know I'm old when this is what I'm thinking about on a Friday night.

Congrats on NPIP! AS soon as we process the extra cockerels we will do it as well. How many chickens do you have? Is $12 a set fee, or is it dependent on the number of birds tested? And, how long did the process take, from contacting them to getting results?

 

[wsmith]

We are also a "hobby with a purpose"

I have put together some info for people for when we actually get all certified and producung chicks.
Here it is:

Who are we?
Owned and operated by Wendell and Beth Smith, Windy Ridge Dominiques is a small farm dedicated to the preservation of the American Dominique large fowl chicken. We typically only keep about 20 hens and a few roosters over the winter. Currently, we are one of two Dominique breeders and producers that we know of in Colorado and the only place (that we know of) where you can buy Dominique eggs in Southern Colorado. We also have two Norwegian Elkhounds. Our small farm is located west of interstate 25, close to Ft Carson’s east fence at about 5600 feet.


Our Chickens:
The American Dominique, sometimes called “Dominiques” or a “Dominicker”, dates from at least the early 1700’s in New England. They developed from the many different chickens brought to the new world. They were a favorite of the early settlers and pioneers due to their ability to forage and lay eggs nearly year round. These chickens were either single or rose combed (rose being most common), with “cuckoo” patterned dark grey and light grey barring. That means that the bars on the feathers don’t line up, giving a “cuckoo” or zigzag pattern. They were raised on family farms to provide meat, eggs, and feathers for pillows and quilts. The Dominique is a medium sized chicken that lays brown eggs. They are very hardy and excel at foraging. As other breeds were developed primarily for egg or meat production, the Dominique was almost lost. The American Dominique is slowly regaining popularity again in the United States. We also maintain a few hens of other breeds that lay blue and green eggs.


Our Operation:
We raise our chickens for the same products as did our early American ancestors: for the eggs, the meat and for the feathers. Our chickens are raised in an environment where they have a hen house and a large fenced area outside to scratch, dust bath, hunt for bugs, eat grass and weeds, and do all the other things chickens love to do. They do not live in cages. During breeding time, the breeding groups are housed in large pens until the selective breeding period is complete. At that time they go back with the other chickens. They always have access to as much food and water as they want, for as long as they want. Because we are in an area with many predators, such as coyotes, fox, owls and hawks, they are protected by fencing both around their very large run area. Besides the large hen house, they have nearly 4000 square feet on which to roam. We take good care of our chickens, by feeding them wholesome food, providing them comfortable housing, by protecting them from predators, by giving the flock regular health inspections and treating them for illness as needed. Besides commercial feeds, our chickens eat locally raised grains, and locally produced chicken feed, as it is available. They also eat bugs, grasses, weeds, etc. They love to eat vegetable scraps! We are NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan) certified, and licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as egg producers. We practice bio-security to prevent diseases from spreading to our flock.


Our Products:
We sell eggs from our home. We also occasionally sell live chickens for pets, egg production or meat. We do not sell processed chicken. We can help you process your own by appointment. We also sell hatching eggs and will sometimes consign eggs for hatching to local schools or other organizations. On consigned hatching eggs, we may get some of the chicks back when the school is finished with the hatching project. We do not ship day old chicks; however we occasionally sell chicks at our home for pick-up.


Farm visits
Give us a call or write us an email to arrange for a Windy Ridge Dominiques tour.