Hi Y'all! Newcomer and Novice from Western North Carolina here

[KSue]

Hi everyone! My name is Karen and I am here to learn more about raising chickens! I want to start my own backyard flock, so I am combing the net for any info on coops, breeds, maintaining a small flock, etc. I am especially interested in chickens that are docile, good layers, hardy, and very forgiving of newbie owners! I have been looking at Buff Orpingtons and Wyandottes, but advice to any other suitable breed is greatly appreciated! We have no interest in meat birds at this time.

Our family has a small 7 acre farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I work for the Postal Service as a rural carrier substitute and my husband Kevin is a paramedic. We have 4 boys (all teenagers, ugh) between us. Our furry family includes, 3 horses, 2 dogs, and 2 cats.

Looking forward to meeting y'all!

 

[wolftracks]

from California!

I love Welsummers and Marans. Beautiful eggs and chickens.

 

[gettinaclue]

My DH has family over that way. It sure is pretty over there.

-From Fredericksburg VA

 

[Doodle_Doo]

Hello and welcome from houston

I have great layers..I have 10 rir hens and they give 8-9 eggs a day..very quiet friendly birds

 

[4boysmom]

Welcome from the Charlotte area. 2 of my 4 boys are at camp near Brevard this week.

My Rhode Island Reds are dependable layers, but I love my Welsummers for their beautiful brown eggs.

 

[TaLani]

from Bryson City, NC!

Where are you in western NC?

 

[theoldchick]

Howdy from SC!

 

[wolftracks]

I should have added Doms are great layers. My hen Susie would lay every single day and 3 or 4 times she laid 2 eggs in a day. Never had one do that before or since. I had to give up my flock last year, but I hear Susie is still an egg laying machine. The lady that has her loves her.

 

[KSue]

Thanks for making me feel so welcome! I can tell that I will be seriously addicted to this site! We are in Old Fort, NC...its a little bitty town between Black Mountain and Marion in McDowell County. On I-40 we are about 30 minutes east of Asheville and 50 minutes west of Hickory.

I have been going over the coop plans and ideas here. I can't decide if I want a chicken tractor so I can move them around or convert one of our sheds into a coop. The previous owner left tons of scrap lumber for framework. All I need really is some hardware cloth and a couple of sheets of plywood to make a nice tractor. Well, a tractor anyway, lol....I'm no carpenter! Will barter if anyone nearby wants to volunteer their services! LOL!

We have a lot of black snakes, copperheads, raccoons, cats and dogs here. I am concerned about predators. Any input on the pros and cons of tractors vs. permanent coops? We do have a solar powered fence charger that we can rig an electric wire to the bottom of the enclosure.

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

from the other side of the mountain....