Eastern Tennessee Thread

[TNBarnQueen]

Is anyone going to the Lawrenceburg show this weekend?? I believe it is this weekend. If so let me know..just shoot me a PM..thanks!!

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose some of them. Some just turn into pets

I too lost 2 of my favorites this fall. The puppy I got my kids killed and ate half of my Black Copper Maran hen Prissy and just killed Cookie an Ameraucana. The rooster had a limp for a few days. An aussie/jack russell was a bad idea. She is now gone. The kids want a new puppy but I'm on the fence. If I get a lil dog the coyotes that run thru the yard would have a snack and a big dog can kill my flock.

At least the coop is built like Fort Knox. Only a bear or human can get to them. They can dig under the run wall. The coop is about 3ft off the ground and the hatch is a dead fall type. Hubby built it into the wall and put 40 pounds of rocks in it. It is on a pulley system so my 3 yr old can open it. Just have to make sure no one is standing in the door way when the door drops down

They are only at risk in the day I let them free range. But we have lots of cover from the hawks. It is funny to watch the rooster give the run for cover call. Then the whole time he stands in the middle of the yard crowing his heart out all puffed up. The girls all under bushes, porches or in the pen. All just waiting for LaMar to give the all clear crow. You got to love a good rooster.

We love Harley dearly, but dont trust him actually inside with the chickens either. He is fine outside the run..he just herds them to one side so he can guard them basically. He hates when he can not see them all and he knows how many there are too. My inlaws have a laying flock of about 25 and they have two Great Pyrenees that have been outside with the chickens and goats since they were 12 weeks old. They have like zero prey drive it seems. They just step right over the chickens. But let them see a fox or coon and you would think they are the devil dogs. They sound the alarm and the chickens haul butt into the coop and then they go after what ever they saw. Now those are great dogs!! If you want a bigger dog, I think I would try one of those.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Argh, wish we could. Are you going...knee doing better?

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Yea.. I think I will set an alarm a few times at night to let him out for a bit. I need to hook those motion lights to an alarm box also. If something trips the lights, the alarm goes off too. I think i'll try and work on that this week. The coop is 125 feet away from the back door.

 

[tnchickenut]

Yes, 228am... Lol

Sorry to hear about your loss... It is always the best ones. I suggest live traps with eggs and/or chicken meat or chickens in it... I caught my fox and oppossums that way.

I'm wanting a lgd so bad but need the yard fenced first... My eyes are set on something other then a gp. I like to have things a bit different than what most have.



Well... Short again... Typing on a cell stinks when you are used to a laptop. What are we ever going to do if the internet goes down????!!! Lol

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Ok, hear from you on next break, LOL. Get a "Swissie" so we can babysit her, Lol. We tried soo hard to find one before we started rescuing. Then Harley came along and we stuck with him. He was the familiar/comfortable decision for us because ive had GSD's all my life. You should have seen the female St. Bernard we rescued. Found her a great perm home but almost kept her too. I had her up at last springs show in Newport.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose some of them. Some just turn into pets

I too lost 2 of my favorites this fall. The puppy I got my kids killed and ate half of my Black Copper Maran hen Prissy and just killed Cookie an Ameraucana. The rooster had a limp for a few days. An aussie/jack russell was a bad idea. She is now gone. The kids want a new puppy but I'm on the fence. If I get a lil dog the coyotes that run thru the yard would have a snack and a big dog can kill my flock.

At least the coop is built like Fort Knox. Only a bear or human can get to them. They can dig under the run wall. The coop is about 3ft off the ground and the hatch is a dead fall type. Hubby built it into the wall and put 40 pounds of rocks in it. It is on a pulley system so my 3 yr old can open it. Just have to make sure no one is standing in the door way when the door drops down

They are only at risk in the day I let them free range. But we have lots of cover from the hawks. It is funny to watch the rooster give the run for cover call. Then the whole time he stands in the middle of the yard crowing his heart out all puffed up. The girls all under bushes, porches or in the pen. All just waiting for LaMar to give the all clear crow. You got to love a good rooster.

Just read your page... was curious as to your plans for OE's. Are you going to do your BCM's over true Araucanas to get them?

 

[Peach2u]

Bairo:
Yes, my plans are to put my splash Maran roo over my green egg laying Ameraucanas and EE's as well as my Black copper Maran hen. Turning my Marans to Blue coppers and the EE's to Olive eggers. I have culled all the birds with bad genes, like cross beaks, white/pink legs, brown egg layers, I even had some with almost curly feathers. I will not get birds from that guy again. Think too much inbreeding going on. So that is the main reason I'm looking for more Black coppers,blue copper or cuckoo hens. Out of the 6 chicks I got 2 hens and the dog killed 1. The one I have left has more of a straw color than copper head but she is still pretty. My splash roo over cuckoo would make blue hens and cukoo roos. The splash over black copper makes blue copper. I am not sure what splash over blue copper makes but I'm guessing solid blue maybe splash depends on the grandparents.

As I said before I want to end up with chocolate and olive colored eggs. But till I get to that point I am just using the other breeds to get eggs this year and meat next fall. Not sure about the Cochin she is super friendly and is just yard candy. The kids named her Pookey if that tell you the status of that chicken

Kids just love the fluffy chickens.

I got 4 California whites 2 weeks ago and they are crazy. They are skittish, fly out of the 16 foot run and are skinny fast runners. They are hard to catch even in the pen. But they lay white eggs like crazy. Next year they will be the first to go to freezer camp. Need to finish the coop/run so the roof goes across the run and no more fly overs. Silly chickens I had them locked down so they would be dry and safe.

I saw my first fox this morning at about 8:15 this morning. I didn't think they came out in the day. Now a new reason to fence in the property and get a big dog! I been thinking about not doing it cause I like seeing the turkeys and deer in the yard. I do have a pack of coyotes that run thru at night with 3 adults and 5 pups.

My BCM Mammie and Trudy a RIR

 

[bairo]

Have your hubby or son pee back there where you saw the coyotes and or foxes enter the property. Sounds crazy but works pretty well. Any males "scent" lol, will help keep them aware that they are on someone elses territory (human or dog) Of course some swear there is not much diff. between us guys and our dogs anyway.

The above statement falls under the list of "things I never thought I would say" until I moved to the mountains. That list is not only hilarious but seems to be growing bigger, LOL

 

[Peach2u]

Humm Maybe that's why they haven't gone around the coop. My 5 year old marks all the bushes there already

Think it's a guy thing they are born with! But it hasn't stopped the smaller critters. A few weeks ago a skunk dug under the run, then dug under the closet. It gave up and only left its paw prints and smell. They can not get to my chickens at night!

Not a currant pix. We have added more roofing and siding since. But you can see the layout is sound.