Eastern Tennessee Thread

[bairo]

We just finished the Mini Coop for my mother-in-law. I will post a pic of it set up at my in-laws tomorrow. If you want to see it all the pics you can go to my profile & there is a folder of pic titled Mini Coop. Now time to start the Bachelor Pad. Here its is before we took it to them its about 90% done.

that same design would make a good one roo bachlor pad as well.....

 

[tennesseeckn]

that same design would make a good one roo bachlor pad as well.....

I was thinking that, too! Or a nice little broody coop...

I love it!

 

[littlechicklet]

I was thinking that, too! Or a nice little broody coop...

I love it!

that same design would make a good one roo bachlor pad as well.....

Thank you. I think it turned out cute & my mother-in-law seemed pleased. I like the way it turned as well.

 

[stanglover2001]

Littlechicklet, why can't all my husbands coops/barns look as good as yours?

Anyone going to the Knoxville Fair? I'll be there! Almost all week, I'll be in the rabbit barn though mostly...

We need to have some kind of meeting...

Just decided to end my contract with my realtor, so if anyone knows anyone looking for some acreage (like 7ish...) send them my way! We need to sale it so we can own a real home!

 

[littlechicklet]

Littlechicklet, why can't all my husbands coops/barns look as good as yours?

Anyone going to the Knoxville Fair? I'll be there! Almost all week, I'll be in the rabbit barn though mostly...

We need to have some kind of meeting...

Just decided to end my contract with my realtor, so if anyone knows anyone looking for some acreage (like 7ish...) send them my way! We need to sale it so we can own a real home!

Thank you. The coops are always a challenge: I have a picture in my head & my dh tries to help create it. I am trying to get past my fear of power saws (I like my fingers & want to keep them)

We are not carpenters by any stretch of the word but we can usually cobble something together.

 

[Tigeura]

Hello all,

I am in Knoxville area, and very new to backyard chickens. I am in the process of working up plans for the coop and run. I have been reading lots of wonderful posts that have given me some great ideas. Some questions are:

~Insulating the coop for winters?
~Using sand in the run? ~~ How does this do during our winters when the ground freezes?
~Can a coop be too big? ~~I am looking at 3-4 sq ft. per chicken and can only have up to 6 hens.

Thank you a head of time for reading this. I have tried to wade though all the posts on the site, but haven't found answers to these yet.

 

[grawg]

Hey, just checking out this thread. Awesome!

Anyone know how winter laying tends to be around here? My hens will hit 6 months in December, but I wasn't sure if they would start laying then or not til spring. No big deal, just curious about what to expect.

Depends on the type of chicken and then it gets down to the chicken itself... Just depends!

I think at this point I need to drop a subtle hint as to the superiority of a certain backyard poultry that is quite content to lay through the winter. They even enjoy the cold rains that winter bring and in general, are hardier than their distant chicken relatives. I believe last year from November through March I was 4-5 eggs per 5 birds.

I've really been slacking with all these new folks and I'm doing a horrible job of displaying the power of the the duck side.

 

[stanglover2001]

Hello all,

I am in Knoxville area, and very new to backyard chickens. I am in the process of working up plans for the coop and run. I have been reading lots of wonderful posts that have given me some great ideas. Some questions are:

~Insulating the coop for winters?
~Using sand in the run? ~~ How does this do during our winters when the ground freezes?
~Can a coop be too big? ~~I am looking at 3-4 sq ft. per chicken and can only have up to 6 hens.

Thank you a head of time for reading this. I have tried to wade though all the posts on the site, but haven't found answers to these yet.

I've never worried about insulating my coops, depending on what breeds you get there are cold-climate hardy birds. Just make sure you don't insulate it so well that it gets "stuffy" in there, you want ventilation. I mean, we do live in Tennessee after all...

Sand, can't help you there.. Ask bairo or TNBarnqueen... there are a few others that use sand...

I think there is no such thing as a coop that is too big, depends on what you want - a coop just large enough for 6-10 hens and a latched door on the back to collect eggs, or a building you can walk into and collect eggs, possibly have enough space to ::cough cough add more chickens cough cough::
Have you looked through the Coops section of BYC and look at the way some have built theirs? Are you on a small budget? I mean, most of us have spent WAY too much money for that first egg...

I'm guilty! My first coop cost me at least $600! I don't have the exact numbers...

 

[stanglover2001]

I think at this point I need to drop a subtle hint as to the superiority of a certain backyard poultry that is quite content to lay through the winter. They even enjoy the cold rains that winter bring and in general, are hardier than their distant chicken relatives. I believe last year from November through March I was 4-5 eggs per 5 birds.

I've really been slacking with all these new folks and I'm doing a horrible job of displaying the power of the the duck side.

"These are not the ducks you're looking for!"

 

[chigger bait]

Speaking of ducks, my 5 year old granddaughter got 4 mallard ducks from TSC this past April.

They were all Susies.

A Greenhead flew in, a few weeks back, has taken residence with them, and has stayed.

She also has a White Pekin named Mr. Bubbles, that she carries around on his back, like a baby doll.