"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

New2TheCoop,.. like Julie,. I too use the zip ties,..it's just easier and cheaper.

Julie,..We had a great time at the Strawberry fest,. but it's just not like when I was young and it was still a very small local thing,. when you literally knew almost everyone there. I must be getting old,. I can hear my Mom's words coming out of my mouth,...
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But it was yummy and we brought some home,. we make strawberry syrup every year,.. for cold vanilla ice cream!


I love the pic of that Mamma duck looking right at the camera,.. and that "dog",. at first it just looks like a blob of fur?/ We had to call the authorities on a neighbor about his dogs,. he just would not fence in his chicken killers.
we did have a neighbors new dog get in the yard over the fence when it got off the leash ,..and I was freaking out until the goofy thing ran past my chickens so excited to have gotten off the leash,. he was running around and around ,..all out for all he was worth ,. tongue hanging out and so happy,. he ran by my chickens and looked at them as if to say,.. hey ,. look at THAT,.. the rooster was a big coward,. and clucked like a hen,. the lead hen chased the poor dog all over the place,. the dog loved every minute of it,. DD couldn't catch it and finally hollerd SIT!!! and darned if that dog didn't just sit.
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It could have been a disaster,. we were blessed...... Brian is putting up a higher fence and gate,.more $ and time....
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Amylou,. that is a really nice coop. I like the paint job,.
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Terri Ann,. what kind of tomato's are blooming,.I have 4 this year and I find only the shrub typ are blooming,. my vine type are still putting on green growth. We are trying some Black and some Blue tomato's too this year for fun!

Baralak,.. It sounds like a "good" tired,. you got so much done! ( or the boys did
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We haven't gotten rain either,.I know what ya mean about that hard ground.
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we broke the tiller clearing some land and the roots were like a matt!,.. now I am scrambling to make some raised beds to put a bunch of started stuff in.

kingsfarm,...No chickens are not color blind,. but a Broody is a Mama and they love babies,..
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Paisaneaux,.. Luv the videos! we sat and watched them all!


Missi.. don't feel badly,. I can't tell you how many oops's I've had,..
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and I have to tell ya,. Olivia's pen came out pretty good,.. I am impressed,.. got to get pics,.. but I can never find the camera when I need it
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Everyone,.be safe and stay cool!
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Quote:
Joe,
Can you add a few more vents to it? Make them where you can
open and close them a little at a time. I know sometimes I have
to play with my vents to keep heat and humidity running right.
Most of the time I only have 2 vents open and they are barely
cracked open.
 
Quote:
Joe,
Can you add a few more vents to it? Make them where you can
open and close them a little at a time. I know sometimes I have
to play with my vents to keep heat and humidity running right.
Most of the time I only have 2 vents open and they are barely
cracked open.

I've found that to be the hardest thing to tweak too, & I also added extra holes in my bator & that helped.

"Terri Ann,. what kind of tomato's are blooming,.I have 4 this year and I find only the shrub typ are blooming,. my vine type are still putting on green growth. We are trying some Black and some Blue tomato's too this year for fun!"

BLUE tomatoes? Really? what kind? where from? how cool is that!

I tried some Cherokee Chocolate last year, which are pretty dark, but they didn't do well - too thin-skinned for our heat & humidity. What's blooming right now are the Sweet Chelsea's which are a large & VERY PROLIFIC cherry tomato -- lol, I mean I actually made a note to myself in my garden journal JUST PLANT TWO OF THESE NEXT YEAR! -- altho I planted three since I plan to halve the extras & run them through my dehydrator this year... the other varieties I have are Tomande, absolutely fantastic producer & flavor, Bella Rosa - ditto - that's the one that did so well on the LSU tests but I was raising them before they ever heard of them -- and a couple of Creoles. I save over the Creole seed year to year, the others I get from Tomato Grower's Supply & start in January in the greenhouse. Can't WAIT for that first BLT w/"real" tomatoes, lol! That's our traditional Sunday night supper during the summer!

edited for spelling - hey, it's a MONDAY! I can't help it today!
 
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I have an issue and questions.
My run....
Well, I am going to be honest, I have already spent way too much money on these chickens. As much as I like them, I am starting the have some regrets of ever starting this. I am scared to get the bill for my Lowe's charge in the mail.
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The coop is not finished quite yet and I want it to look nice since it is street visible. However, the fancy run I had planned just may not happen, for financial reasons. I just can not justify spending another $500 on this project.
Ok, what is the cheapest, most bang-for-your-buck option in runs?
Should I build the full boxed in run with treated wood and a screen door? Looking at Deer netting for the roof?
I just have to stop the money going into this. Any suggestions and guidance appreciated.
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Quote:
Do you have any real threats to your chickens? For me, it's my own dogs. Once I move onto our 10 acres that's totally wooded, there will be too many predators to count (Ex: coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, bobcats, racoons, skunks, oppossums, etc) My chickens will need protection for survival. My son lives out in the country in the open with no trees and no close neighbors and he justs lets the chickens free range in the open area. He always makes sure that they're shut in their coop in the evening. He has been doing this since he got his chickens in December and has not lost a single one yet. Just know that you ARE at risk for losing some (or all) of your chickens should a predator come around. You can choose to take a chance that nothing will happen and if something DOES happen just replace your chickens. Replacing some chickens would be a lot cheaper than building a run, for now, if you're looking to cut costs.

Growing up my dad always had a large flock of chickens that ran free and roosted in the trees at night. He ocassionally lost some to hawks, foxes, etc., but we had plenty of them left to eat, and always had lots of eggs. In the spring, we always had new chicks.
 
Quote:
Do you have any real threats to your chickens? For me, it's my own dogs. Once I move onto our 10 acres that's totally wooded, there will be too many predators to count (Ex: coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, bobcats, racoons, skunks, oppossums, etc) My chickens will need protection for survival. My son lives out in the country in the open with no trees and no close neighbors and he justs lets the chickens free range in the open area. He always makes sure that they're shut in their coop in the evening. He has been doing this since he got his chickens in December and has not lost a single one yet. Just know that you ARE at risk for losing some (or all) of your chickens should a predator come around. You can choose to take a chance that nothing will happen and if something DOES happen just replace your chickens. Replacing some chickens would be a lot cheaper than building a run, for now, if you're looking to cut costs.

Growing up my dad always had a large flock of chickens that ran free and roosted in the trees at night. He ocassionally lost some to hawks, foxes, etc., but we had plenty of them left to eat, and always had lots of eggs. In the spring, we always had new chicks.

We have foxes, coons and loose dogs. I do not think my dog will be an issue. She knows that if I say "leave it" I mean it. We have a few big hawks that worry me. The coop is close to the house though. Sigh.
 
Quote:
Do you have any real threats to your chickens? For me, it's my own dogs. Once I move onto our 10 acres that's totally wooded, there will be too many predators to count (Ex: coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, bobcats, racoons, skunks, oppossums, etc) My chickens will need protection for survival. My son lives out in the country in the open with no trees and no close neighbors and he justs lets the chickens free range in the open area. He always makes sure that they're shut in their coop in the evening. He has been doing this since he got his chickens in December and has not lost a single one yet. Just know that you ARE at risk for losing some (or all) of your chickens should a predator come around. You can choose to take a chance that nothing will happen and if something DOES happen just replace your chickens. Replacing some chickens would be a lot cheaper than building a run, for now, if you're looking to cut costs.

Growing up my dad always had a large flock of chickens that ran free and roosted in the trees at night. He ocassionally lost some to hawks, foxes, etc., but we had plenty of them left to eat, and always had lots of eggs. In the spring, we always had new chicks.

We have foxes, coons and loose dogs. I do not think my dog will be an issue. She knows that if I say "leave it" I mean it. We have a few big hawks that worry me. The coop is close to the house though. Sigh.

Yeah; sounds like you really need a run. You can build one fairly cheap if you use treated 2 X 4 and chicken wire. You don't have to make it very big. You can always add on to it later if you decide that they need more room or you want more chickens.

The most important thing is not to stress yourself over the chickens. It should be enjoyable and relaxing for you -- NOT tension and stress. You've worked SO hard on your coop. Give it a little time. I'm sure you will have fun with them.
 
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Have you checked craigslist for used fencing? Maybe an old dog kennel? I think I bought 150ft x 4th chicken wire for around 50 bucks & I got my 2x4's from an old fence.
 

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