Connecticut!

[beejay86]

Jen, I drive over to West Townsend, Ma to get my pullets. This season I will most likely get some Leghorns, Red Sex, Black Orps, RIR, and/ or Barred Rocks. I can grab you some and hold them if you want to drive up to get them. I am in Lanesboro, Ma, about 45 minutes north of the border. Let me know!!! -Brian.

 

[thechickenfarmer]

Thanks for the offer Brian but I think I've found some locally.

Jen

 

[greenChickens]

Thanks for the great pics of the fence. I really have to get my projects done and get out there and build the coop and run for my birds. Right now they are living in a green house (hence greenChickens)

Here is a picture of the chickens in there temporary home - and my daughter playing with them.

 

[beejay86]

Jen, no problem. Got my ladies today! Very excited. Talk soon.

 

[Firefly]

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I'm in Stonington and am just starting out with chickens. I have five chicks in the brooder at the moment, and will be moving them to the coop soon. We are converting an old tack room with a cement floor into the coop, and adding a run. My biggest concerns at the moment are

1) the new coop will not have a chicken door-- just a human sized door. Since the walls (half way up) and floor are cement, there's no way to carve out a little chicken-sized door. Other than just keeping the door open all the time, I'm open to suggestions!

2) I'm a little confused about the chicken laws here. A friend told me you need 5 acres for "farm animals", yet when I called the town hall they said I could have 2 chickens per adult in the house ??? I don't know if it's different because I phrased it as "pet chickens" vs. "farm animals"? At any rate, our neighbors who have about 12 acres have said that if anyone bugs us about the chickens, just say they belong to them. Apparently, you can have chickens on less than two acres if you are just housing them for someone else.

Like I said... confusing!!! We have a little over 2 acres, with a paddock and two barns. Seems weird that we're not allowed to keep animals!

Anyway, glad to be here and meet other CT chicken fans!

PS. Jen, I absolutely LOVE your set up! It's perfect!

Edited to add: So what's the CT consensus-- do you guys insulate your coops or not?

 

[thechickenfarmer]

Hey Jay,
I love the pic of your "greenchickens" with your daughter. There's an article in the current issue of Backyard Poultry about greenhouse chickens. I think it's a great idea, they raise crops for the chickens right on the floor. Very cool.

Hi Firefly, I saw your chicks in the other section, they're very cute! I love Stonnington, haven't been there in ages though. I have a good friend in Old Lyme, I wish it were closer.
For your chicken door problem: Can you make a small door for them within the human door? Are they going to free range or is there going to be a run? We made the chicken door in the back of the coop so that I could go in and collect eggs and clean the coop without walking through the run. Does the cement wall go up to high to build a ramp up to a door with another ramp down on the outside? Chickens are very good at ramp walking and really seem to like being up high. That way you could keep the door just for your use. The main reason I can see that it would be bad to have them use the human door is due to the bad weather in the winter. Chickens like to get out of the wind and I think having a big door open would be too drafty for them.
Chicken laws vary from town to town. If you have two acres though you should be ok to keep chickens. I'm zoned agricultural so I can keep roosters but that might not be the case your town. If you plan to have a bunch of roosters and have close neighbors that will complain then you might get a visit from animal control. I don't know why it would be ok to say the chickens belonged to your neighbors with the 12 acres but their support is good if you ever have a problem. I have a rooster right now and the only neighbors that even know I have chickens are the two with dogs that they let roam. When I complained to them they both said they had not Idea I had chickens. Which I think is funny because my rooster is not quiet. Are you planning on expanding your flock?
I didn't insulate my coop and other than a tiny bit of frost bite on my rooster they did fine. If you stick with the cold hardy breeds, which there are plenty that's the best.
Thanks for the compliment on my coop. I like it too but it's not nearly big enough! I like chickens much more than I thought I would and want lots more. My husband and I want to build a barn in the future.

Jen

 

[Firefly]

Thank you so much for your help Jen! Sorry to hear about your neighbors... we have great neighbors on one side, and sorta "so-so" neighbors on the other. They are the ones that I think might complain... though since we are not getting a rooster they might not even realize we have chickens (I'm hoping!)

Re: the door... the cement wall goes up about 3feet high. Do you think that's too high? If not, we'll have to think about making a door of some kind in the human door. It's steel though, so that could be tricky. (And to answer your question, the door will go to the run).

I am not sure about expanding the flock at this point-- I do think I'd like to add some different breeds (DH says I have Chicken Fever! LOL).

Really do love that coop of yours... it's like a little doll house! Are you going to expand it? Or just wait until you have your barn built?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[thechickenfarmer]

Hi again Firefly,
I think a door 3 feet off the ground would be ok as long as there's enough room inside for a long gradual ramp. Make sure you put plenty of rungs on the ramp spaced closely together so they don't slip and secure the ramp to the wall.

Bad neighbors are frustrating for sure. Lucky, the worst ones I have are weekenders so I don't have to put up with them everyday. They have the idea that since they bought a house in the country their dog has the right to roam!

I predict you will want different breeds of chickens. They're so much fun to watch and have around not to mention a great education for kids. I've only had chickens a year but it took about a week for the chicken fever to set it.

I don't want to expand my coop because i'd really like something much larger. The barn I'm planning would house chickens and sheep (someday I hope). My coop is right next to my garden and I could really use the storage space for garden equiptment so I'd convert that back to a shed when the barn comes.

Do you know anything about Footsteps Farm? It's a rare breed farm in Stonnington. I found it online, it looks interesting.

Enjoy the weekend, Jen

 

[Firefly]

Hmmm, talk about chicken fever-- a friend who is ordering some chicks from McMurray's has asked if I want to add a few to her order, and I think I'm going to! LOL

No, I hadn't heard anything about Footstep Farm; sounds interesting! I'll have to Google it, and maybe plan a visit. I'd love to see some of the rare breeds in person. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[tiffanyh]

Hello All! Im in Durham....small town, quite agricultural still though. Im close enough to a dairy farm that I can smell it outdoors most days. I have a small area myslef, but I gave 6 chicken that I get at the local livestock auction everyo now and then.

Glad to see so many people form CT!