Mildly Cranky
In the Brooder
Hello everyone. I've been looking here for information over the last few years as I decided to add chickens to my place. I took a couple of years to ponder and plan, and of course there are still little issues. I think I got things pretty squared away.
I live in the mostly southern part of Colorado where cattle ranching and farming coexist. This is a very dry, windy, hot place. Pros and cons of living here, like anywhere.
I bought 10 pullets in early May from someone kind of local. They were 12-week-old Cornish Rock crosses (I don't do baby animals anymore). They suited me because they're white and don't have huge combs, and with over 25 100-degree summer days, that mattered. I like them because they look like negative images of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. They started laying 2-3 weeks ago and I'm getting about 6 eggs a day, although yesterday apparently all 10 laid. I got 10 because I assumed something bad would happen to some, but they're thriving and I'm researching egg recipes.
Other than the chickens, I have a couple of dogs. Because I live on a lot of acreage in the middle of nowhere, I depend on them to use their big mouths to tell me when something is going on, and they are brilliant at that job. Other than that, they are freeloaders.
I have been self-employed in the special education world for awhile but toying with retiring. I also am caregiver for my adult child who has a disability. That's a pretty major part of my day. I have two adjacent parcels and she lives in her home a stone's throw from me so I can be there in a few seconds if needed.
So far, chickening is ok except for the heat. And the butt-pecking. One of these birds has a bald butt and is receiving too much attention from everyone else so I may need to separate her for a bit. I can't do anything about the heat, though. A well-ventilated coop, a solar shade, and spraying down the sand are keeping it manageable.
I live in the mostly southern part of Colorado where cattle ranching and farming coexist. This is a very dry, windy, hot place. Pros and cons of living here, like anywhere.
I bought 10 pullets in early May from someone kind of local. They were 12-week-old Cornish Rock crosses (I don't do baby animals anymore). They suited me because they're white and don't have huge combs, and with over 25 100-degree summer days, that mattered. I like them because they look like negative images of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. They started laying 2-3 weeks ago and I'm getting about 6 eggs a day, although yesterday apparently all 10 laid. I got 10 because I assumed something bad would happen to some, but they're thriving and I'm researching egg recipes.
Other than the chickens, I have a couple of dogs. Because I live on a lot of acreage in the middle of nowhere, I depend on them to use their big mouths to tell me when something is going on, and they are brilliant at that job. Other than that, they are freeloaders.
I have been self-employed in the special education world for awhile but toying with retiring. I also am caregiver for my adult child who has a disability. That's a pretty major part of my day. I have two adjacent parcels and she lives in her home a stone's throw from me so I can be there in a few seconds if needed.
So far, chickening is ok except for the heat. And the butt-pecking. One of these birds has a bald butt and is receiving too much attention from everyone else so I may need to separate her for a bit. I can't do anything about the heat, though. A well-ventilated coop, a solar shade, and spraying down the sand are keeping it manageable.
You can find your state/country thread 
