Eastern Tennessee Thread

[Snozzle]

Hello everybody! how about a southwest virginian joining yall? We live in Wise County Virginia, about an hour from Kingsport Tn.

I lived there for several years, but then I managed to escape to TN lol
I actually went to college in Big Stone Gap

 

[laughingdog]

my chickens always did fine with bathings on hot days, after drying and crushing up clay to dust and covering them in or just let them roll in. seems to suffocate everything, but you can use children's RID as its supposedly safe and effective enough to use even on house pets and birds, and gets rid of all types of the creepy crawlies from lice and ticks to fleas and mites etc..

 

[tennesseeckn]

Quote: My big butt orps were able to cover nine last year with no problem but they wouldn't stick with it. This year their eggs are so honkin' big that they'll barely cover seven, I bet. But we are not saying the b-word, remember? I want to stick eggs in the bator, so they need to be LAYING!!!

I have a six wheaten ameraucanas, five orp, and one SLW eggs going into lockdown Wednesday.

I'm getting ready to set a whole big batch of SLW and I have some Welsummer and Marans coming at the end of March. Hmmmm... I'm starting to remember how I got close to a hundred chickens last summer...

 

[TNBarnQueen]

Hey all, Got a question. I noticed yesterday. That my 2 roos were fighting over hens. Now I have a hen with a bald butt and a roo with a bald butt. Then another hen that they keep fighting over today. Is missing feathers on her back. So do I need to separate the roos? Do any of you all use the hen saddles? I have the stuff to make one. But didn't know if it would really help. I did check them for mites and lice. Didn't see anything. Just a little dried mud from all the rain we've had. My yard is like a swamp in places. I hope my grass comes back.

Sometimes multiple roos get a long and some don't. I raise several together but when they became of breeding age some just did not get along with any of them so I seperated them out. They can really do damage to their combs. I use hen saddle on all my hens and strongly advise using them if your roos is a bit rough with the hens. The only mistake is I did not get the ones with wing protectors. Without them their wings will loose all their feathers and then they could get scratched and infected. Hope this helps.

 

[TNBarnQueen]

Well...it is hatching season!!! I had sit on my hands since November and decided 2 months ago it was time! I am hatching our Blue Marans, Lavender Orps..all for sale. I have been hatching out from my Crele Polish and have about 9 chicks from them now! Now silkies are coming along...they finally start laying and THEN... now they are going broody!!!!
If anything chickens sure are not predictable.
Here is a pic of one of my Crele polish...I love they have such a nice vaulted head! This one is not quite 2 weeks. It's dad is my avatar.


****Bario...I have a suggestion. What does everyone think about getting together with a covered dish picnic at the park?? Hopefully the weather is going to get a little better.....I hope. I am never going to get many eggs if the storms keep coming through! Hope everyone has made it safely through them.

 

[bairo]

@tennesseeckn; Well, we can not say the B-Word and be fine. You however live within the 50 mile hot zone radius of "the" Broody Queen and therefore have no hope at all. LMAO
Hurry up and raise those wels for me though, so I can get a few of your hatching eggs

 

[bairo]

I recently made a couple modifications to the hen house and wanted to share. Ill get pics up soon.

• I started having problems with egg pecking and read an article on Tunnel nest boxes. I built one 52 inches long with a 45 degree sloped and hinged roof. Basically it is a communal nesting box without dividers that has a single entry/exit hole on one end. You lift the lid to collect the eggs. It is supposed to do wonders..we shall see.
• I made a trough style feeder from plastic house gutter and hung it so the smallest bird could get her neck over and barely reach the bottom. This immediately solved the problem of them flinging food looking for the good stuff. Which reminds me: Never ever mix whole grains in the main feed, give it to them like scratch separately!!! I learned the hard way by mixing mine together that they will fling all the pellets out so they can get to what they prefer (usually the corn or sunflower seed) ughhh what a mistake.
• I built a floor/battery style brooder from a set of 1940's era plans. It involves basically a box that sits upside down on the ground with the front and back shorter than the sides. Imagine a wood box 2'x4'x18 inches tall that has a floor but no top...now make the front and back sides (long sides) 6 inches shorter so they are only 12 inches tall. Mount a ceramic bulb holder in the side (short side) as far towards the bottom as you can and still have enough room to screw in the brooder bulb. The bulb is pointing across the box parallel to the floor. Now flip the whole thing over. The short sides of the box are supporting it and the chicks come and go from the front and back that are 6 inches off the floor. They regulate their own temperature by how close to the bulb they get. I tested this in 30 degree weather and it was 85 under the box at the bulb end and 80 at the other end. All the heat is trapped under there instead of coming right out the top like a box with a screen on it. The brooder bulb works much better aiming across instead of straight down. The disadvantage is that the chicks stay hidden most of the time someplace under the brooder and are hard to watch and handle. But this was intended more for the production barn so you can brood in the coop in the cold weather instead of the house. I love it for that reason.

 

[bairo]

Hello everybody! how about a southwest virginian joining yall? We live in Wise County Virginia, about an hour from Kingsport Tn.

welcome!!!!

 

[tennesseeckn]

@tennesseeckn; Well, we can not say the B-Word and be fine. You however live within the 50 mile hot zone radius of "the" Broody Queen and therefore have no hope at all. LMAO
Hurry up and raise those wels for me though, so I can get a few of your hatching eggs

I wish the Broody Queen would get on here more often. I'd even be willing to risk having my girls all falling under her spell! Jazzy, the bunny we got from her, is so big. Think she'd check back in with the lure of bunny pictures?

I could picture the nesting boxes and the feeders, but can't get a mental image of the brooder. I'll have to see actual pictures.

I didn't order a boy for the Welsummer, but last time I placed a hatchery order I ordered all girls and STILL got about 50% boys. I planned on using them for olive eggers. Would you want some of those? I just started getting my first oe's and they are so cool! I have a guy at work that won't buy them or Ameraucana eggs because he says they look weird, but I love them.



Barnqueen, I love your new avatar!!! He's a handsome fella. I have to admit, when I saw that picture I started picturing projects that I would need crele polish for...

 

[TNChick82]

I wish the Broody Queen would get on here more often. I'd even be willing to risk having my girls all falling under her spell! Jazzy, the bunny we got from her, is so big. Think she'd check back in with the lure of bunny pictures?

I could picture the nesting boxes and the feeders, but can't get a mental image of the brooder. I'll have to see actual pictures.

I didn't order a boy for the Welsummer, but last time I placed a hatchery order I ordered all girls and STILL got about 50% boys. I planned on using them for olive eggers. Would you want some of those? I just started getting my first oe's and they are so cool! I have a guy at work that won't buy them or Ameraucana eggs because he says they look weird, but I love them.



Barnqueen, I love your new avatar!!! He's a handsome fella. I have to admit, when I saw that picture I started picturing projects that I would need crele polish for...

I thought I had a olive egg layer. But after seeing that egg. I now know I don't. Crud!