ALABAMA!!

[Wisher1000]

Okay, if you use the guidelines that are generally accepted, and used 6 feet of one end for inside area and 14 feet for outside area, you could have up to 14 birds in that structure with just a tad to spare. If (and that's a big if, you'll see!) you stick to only 4 - 6 hens, then you will be in great shape.

Remember to use 2x4 welded wire, also called dog wire, or stronger. You can use chicken wire inside to partition one section from another, but it is too weak to keep dogs or coons out. I would suggest 1/2 inch hardware cloth around the bottom to keep chicks in and hungry coon paws out. Don't forget to add a skirt of wire to the bottom and secure it well to the coop. I buried mine a little but some people just lay it on top of the ground. This keeps preds from digging in.

You will only need one or two nest boxes and the roosts will be easy. You are on your way to chicken keeper!

 

[Razadia]

So, my mom finally got around to telling me something that I didn't know as of my last post. Trippy Chicken (my sweet HRIR roo) passed away a while ago.

I think it may have been due to the stress my older hens were putting on him as well as not getting the diet he really needed. Mom told me that he was coming out to eat every day and that one day he didn't. I'm gonna miss him. He was so sweet and one of the few I've ever had that would let me pick him up. R.I.P Trippy.



Not really something I wanted to find out today. It's my birthday and it was going pretty great till I found this out. I can't wait to get home next month so I don't have to worry about loosing another one and not being able to keep it from happening.

 

[Tomtommom]

Not very hard at all. We set up the incubator for two or three days to get the temp right. We placed our eggs on Saturday so our granddaughter could be there when they hatched. We turned them three times a day until day 19. We had to add water about every third day. I candled the eggs on day 8 and day 14, and removed four eggs that were not developing. The other five eggs hatched over a 12 hour period yesterday and the entire family enjoyed the experience.

That sounds really doable! I already told hubby I'm gonna want one for Christmas (thinking ahead here! Honestly, he still owes me for past Christmas, because I can never decide what I want)

We are a year in this state and LOVING it!
Anyone in or near Montevallo, that could offer advice? I would love to annoy you with question

I'm in Montevallo and so is tbmorgan, we also have some folks towards Jemison, Calera and Helena.... it's a chicken happy little county

Build for heat, rather than cold. It's easy to throw a tarp over a coop to keep cold out, much harder to cool 'em off.

Build for Alabama predators, depending how far out of town you are. I get the occasional hawk, because we're smack dab in town. Others get coyotes, possums, racoons etc.

And like Wisher said, build big.

Oh, and our town does NOT have an ordinance stating that you cannot have roosters, HOWEVER, we do have a noise ordinance. Noise is such a subjective thing... I had the code enforcer called on me when we had a rooster, even though there are tons of dogs that are much louder.

If you're a bit further out of town, your neighbors may not mind. I had 9 girls when the code enforcer came by and he said that was just fine, coop was clean and everything was ok. He just told me not to get too many birds and don't try and run a farm from my backyard or something

Almost all my neighbors love my chickens and are not bothered by them at all. The smell is really not bad, but the flies do get kind of rough when it gets hot... just the nature of animal keeping.

 

[ihavechickens2]

We are a year in this state and LOVING it!
Anyone in or near Montevallo, that could offer advice? I would love to annoy you with question

im in Jemison

 

[groleau6]

Oh, and our town does NOT have an ordinance stating that you cannot have roosters, HOWEVER, we do have a noise ordinance. Noise is such a subjective thing...

I am right past the University, right where the city meets county. The neighbors can get pretty rowdy sometimes and I haven't had an issue, and I doubt they will have an issue with my future pets. I don't want a rooster any time soon. I just want some nice family friendly ladies that will make me breakfast. lol
I may be bending your ear for advice from time to time.

 

[groleau6]

ihavechickens2,
I see you have silkies. I want some eventually. Do they need anything special since they have the longer feathers? I am curious about the breed in general. Do you ever sell?

 

[Orps]

So, my mom finally got around to telling me something that I didn't know as of my last post. Trippy Chicken (my sweet HRIR roo) passed away a while ago.

I think it may have been due to the stress my older hens were putting on him as well as not getting the diet he really needed. Mom told me that he was coming out to eat every day and that one day he didn't. I'm gonna miss him. He was so sweet and one of the few I've ever had that would let me pick him up. R.I.P Trippy.

.

Not really something I wanted to find out today. It's my birthday and it was going pretty great till I found this out. I can't wait to get home next month so I don't have to worry about loosing another one and not being able to keep it from happening.

Happy Birthday.
Sorry about Tippy it is always hard to lose one.
Hope you come home soon.

 

[bamadude]

Brahma babies

 

[DeannaA]

Oh yes, we are already collecting more eggs.LOL

Newspaper is slick for chick legs. Their legs can slip and get dilocated or they can get splay leg. Paper towels give them something to grip.

 

[ihavechickens2]

ihavechickens2,
I see you have silkies. I want some eventually. Do they need anything special since they have the longer feathers? I am curious about the breed in general. Do you ever sell?

they don't need anything special but sometimes you have to trim the feathers around their eyes so they can see. and yes I sell chicks In the spring.