Colorado

[coloradogal]

I've read about it but never tried any. I just updated the cooking thread too - homemade pasta!

Sweet! What kind?

My next foray into anything pasta-ish is couscous. I have the durum wheat to grind...just have to find the time to experiment with it. I have visions of spinach and carrot and beet couscous....

 

[Pozees]

Sweet! What kind?

My next foray into anything pasta-ish is couscous. I have the durum wheat to grind...just have to find the time to experiment with it. I have visions of spinach and carrot and beet couscous....

Mmmmmm .... bet your flock will love any leftovers LOL

 

[Pozees]

If anyone would like to come over tomorrow and can or do stuff, I have nothing going on yet. Usually the best time for me is early afternoon. I can show everyone my new kombucha scoby... the kefir ones aren't that exciting to look at but the kombucha mother is pretty darn alien looking.

If this hatch goes like all the other ones...the majority of the hatches will occur closer to the end of the 21st day and into the 22nd and that isn't until tonight. Then they get to hang out in there for another 18 hours. Poor guys. The one that just hatched so far has silvery fur. I am assuming that it is the cuckoo marans and not the black marans dad.

I wish. Determined to get this coop done so I can move the girls. Once it's lined it can be moved up to the chain link panel and I can cut the hole for access, but then ... there is covering the run.

Talked to a guy at Taylor Fence today about a lid for my run - it is 10 x 10, currently using only a shade cloth, which will not last the winter by itself, already lost a grommet to the wind. Ideally I want a chain link lid so if a hawk thinks it might have chicken dinner it will find it can't get into the run. Taylor Fence will make me two 5 x 10 panels which, with hardware to connect to one another and the run will be ... $250. <gulp> Considering my options. Lowe's has a cover made specifically for a 10 x 10 chain link dog run with a metal frame but nothing covering the gable ends; looked at corrugated panels but by the time I buy everything needed I'm looking at ~$175 and a lot more labor. Might watch for the next week or two for some used panels that are the right size I guess. When I add the cost of the materials to make the panels and attach them, the $250 is really not inflated (using retail pricing of course), it's just more than I really had in mind - like that's unusual ...

So ... silvery fur sounds mighty unusual for a chicken ...

Speaking of which, I was at McMurray's site yesterday just browsing and saw Silver Leghorns? New one to me - anyone ever seen any?

 

[coloradogal]

I wish. Determined to get this coop done so I can move the girls. Once it's lined it can be moved up to the chain link panel and I can cut the hole for access, but then ... there is covering the run.

Talked to a guy at Taylor Fence today about a lid for my run - it is 10 x 10, currently using only a shade cloth, which will not last the winter by itself, already lost a grommet to the wind. Ideally I want a chain link lid so if a hawk thinks it might have chicken dinner it will find it can't get into the run. Taylor Fence will make me two 5 x 10 panels which, with hardware to connect to one another and the run will be ... $250. <gulp> Considering my options. Lowe's has a cover made specifically for a 10 x 10 chain link dog run with a metal frame but nothing covering the gable ends; looked at corrugated panels but by the time I buy everything needed I'm looking at ~$175 and a lot more labor. Might watch for the next week or two for some used panels that are the right size I guess. When I add the cost of the materials to make the panels and attach them, the $250 is really not inflated (using retail pricing of course), it's just more than I really had in mind - like that's unusual ...

So ... silvery fur sounds mighty unusual for a chicken ...

Speaking of which, I was at McMurray's site yesterday just browsing and saw Silver Leghorns? New one to me - anyone ever seen any?

Are hawks a considerable problem there?

 

[Ashdoes]

Yes! Hawks are a problem here. You really have to plan accordingly. My run is completely covered, but my little chickies still flinch and duck when they hear the hawks calling to each other.


These photos are the very back corner of our property. They show up either early morning, or around 5pm.

 

[coloradogal]

Yes! Hawks are a problem here. You really have to plan accordingly. My run is completely covered, but my little chickies still flinch and duck when they hear the hawks calling to each other.
These photos are the very back corner of our property. They show up either early morning, or around 5pm.

Yes! Hawks are a problem here. You really have to plan accordingly. My run is completely covered, but my little chickies still flinch and duck when they hear the hawks calling to each other.
These photos are the very back corner of our property. They show up either early morning, or around 5pm.

Wow.

 

[Pozees]

Yes! Hawks are a problem here. You really have to plan accordingly. My run is completely covered, but my little chickies still flinch and duck when they hear the hawks calling to each other.
These photos are the very back corner of our property. They show up either early morning, or around 5pm.

Yep, although I don't commonly see them perched that close, I see hawks, eagles, and prairie falcons in the sky and often hear owls at night, and one of them, think the falcon, has been dining on the occasional barn pigeon. That is a population I don't mind seeing decrease, but honestly I doubt their numbers will ever actually go down since they almost always have at least one clutch of babies in a nest in the barn. Every year we talk about enclosing it - built as a run-in by the woman who had the property before us - and every year gets away from us before we scrounge up the money and time to do it. Maybe I should be grateful they're there to keep the birds of prey otherwise occupied. Same concept as feeding the cottontails to keep them away from my trees and garden, although this year one of them decided tomatoes are DELICIOUS. Sadly I have rolls of rabbit fence in the barn waiting for me to put posts in and hang them.

Earlier this year we rescued a prairie falcon that had gotten itself trapped between inner and outer walls of the barn. I kept thinking I heard something over there, but I would walk over and it would get very quiet. Finally I just stood on the porch and waited, and sure enough there was the noise again - sounded like something beating against the side of the barn. I walked all around the barn looking, and finally realized what had happened. Bob had to pry off three 2 x 6s to get him free. He flew away so gracefully, I could have watched him forever.

 

[gardendufus]

Too funny Ashdoes, I'm looking at your pics locating lets see 1, 2, no 3 hawks flying in the distance. Oh look, there's one on the fence. Oh my those aren't hawks flying in the distance, those are dirt specs on my screen. Your hawks are just a LOT closer than I was expecting to see them. I'd be making sure my run was covered for sure.

So I went out and sectioned off the run today. Then went in and sectioned off a portion of my coop about 2 1/2 by 3. Had an extra stacking storage bin that I just stuck on the floor, rather than hanging it from the wall like the others are. That's all the nest she's getting. Put 2 cement blocks on the floor and set a 2 X 4 up on top of them, that's her roost. I considered making her sleep on the floor, thinking if she was really miserable maybe it would have more of an affect. This was about 5pm. the GLW didn't seem to be too upset about not being in the run with the rest of the birds and didn't even go in the coop to see what was going on in there, even tho she can usually go in the people door and right out the chicken door to the portion of the run where the other chickens are. You would have thought she'd be trying to do that, but she wasn't. Spent about 2 hours walking along the fence line and checking out the rest of her run. Never once went in the coop.

Meanwhile, I couldn't be happier with what happened in the main portion of the coop. All the birds, including the EEs milling around together with very few problems. When I threw some scratch down, there was a little bit of aggression by my Wellies, but at a level that I consider acceptable. We will see where that goes tomorrow. A little history, My BA and my BRs were my first birds (BA is top hen). When they were 3 weeks old I got the Wellies and brooded them all together. All 5 of those birds get along fine. 2 Weeks later I got the GLW. She was brooded with the Wellies at night who also had playtime still with the older girls during the day. So the Wellies and the GLW have always gotten along. The GLW was a little picked on by the older girls but they got over it. When I got the Doms and EEs from Wendell, I think she was happy to have someone lower in the chain than her. Now that she is segregated, I'm not surprised that the Wellies have decided to assert themselves.

So, roost time comes, one by one the main flock starts the trek into the coop. NOW you can see the GLW trying to figure out how to get to the ramp so she can go in too. But she just can't get it figured out. You can see how frustrated she is tho, actually was very funny. Finally she goes in the coop. And realizes she can't get to her normal roost. OH MY!!!! Lotta flappin and floppin around. Luckily she doesn't have enough room (not my prob) to actually take flight and test the chicken wire divider. So I close the people door, she's shut in for the night. I'll go do a final check on them in a little while.

All's right with the world.

 

[Pozees]

Too funny Ashdoes, I'm looking at your pics locating lets see 1, 2, no 3 hawks flying in the distance. Oh look, there's one on the fence. Oh my those aren't hawks flying in the distance, those are dirt specs on my screen. Your hawks are just a LOT closer than I was expecting to see them. I'd be making sure my run was covered for sure.

So I went out and sectioned off the run today. Then went in and sectioned off a portion of my coop about 2 1/2 by 3. Had an extra stacking storage bin that I just stuck on the floor, rather than hanging it from the wall like the others are. That's all the nest she's getting. Put 2 cement blocks on the floor and set a 2 X 4 up on top of them, that's her roost. I considered making her sleep on the floor, thinking if she was really miserable maybe it would have more of an affect. This was about 5pm. the GLW didn't seem to be too upset about not being in the run with the rest of the birds and didn't even go in the coop to see what was going on in there, even tho she can usually go in the people door and right out the chicken door to the portion of the run where the other chickens are. You would have thought she'd be trying to do that, but she wasn't. Spent about 2 hours walking along the fence line and checking out the rest of her run. Never once went in the coop.

Meanwhile, I couldn't be happier with what happened in the main portion of the coop. All the birds, including the EEs milling around together with very few problems. When I threw some scratch down, there was a little bit of aggression by my Wellies, but at a level that I consider acceptable. We will see where that goes tomorrow. A little history, My BA and my BRs were my first birds (BA is top hen). When they were 3 weeks old I got the Wellies and brooded them all together. All 5 of those birds get along fine. 2 Weeks later I got the GLW. She was brooded with the Wellies at night who also had playtime still with the older girls during the day. So the Wellies and the GLW have always gotten along. The GLW was a little picked on by the older girls but they got over it. When I got the Doms and EEs from Wendell, I think she was happy to have someone lower in the chain than her. Now that she is segregated, I'm not surprised that the Wellies have decided to assert themselves.

So, roost time comes, one by one the main flock starts the trek into the coop. NOW you can see the GLW trying to figure out how to get to the ramp so she can go in too. But she just can't get it figured out. You can see how frustrated she is tho, actually was very funny. Finally she goes in the coop. And realizes she can't get to her normal roost. OH MY!!!! Lotta flappin and floppin around. Luckily she doesn't have enough room (not my prob) to actually take flight and test the chicken wire divider. So I close the people door, she's shut in for the night. I'll go do a final check on them in a little while.

All's right with the world.

Wow. You did a lot of work in one day, but for now it sure sounds as if it paid off! Should be interesting to see how the next several days turn out!

 

[Ashdoes]

Too funny Ashdoes, I'm looking at your pics locating lets see 1, 2, no 3 hawks flying in the distance.  Oh look, there's one on the fence.  Oh my those aren't hawks flying in the distance, those are dirt specs on my screen.  Your hawks are just a LOT closer than I was expecting to see them.  I'd be making sure my run was covered for sure.

I laughed so hard I scared the dog! Very funny.
The roof hadn't been part of our plan till we picked this house. Took two extra weeks to finish the roof. And of course won't be letting them free range the back yard till next spring, when they're bigger. I can't wait to see all the fluffy butts back there though.