NY chicken lover!!!!

[LuvMyChicks1491]

I must say I find the previous posts a bit saddening. I will only say this...I look forward to pictures, answers to questions and seeing the what and how other people take care of their chickens and gardens and such. Let's keep that first and foremost. That's why we are all here.

I agree. We all have different views on all sorts of different subjects and most likely will not agree on some of it..I look forward to reading every ones posts each day and it makes me sad when people aren't getting along..

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, as had been said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. That also means everyone has to deal with the repercussions of their opinion, so if you have an opinion that offends other people, you have to know that you're probably going to get some backlash. That's no reason to leave a thread over. If you can't handle your opinion being challenged, it's probably best not to post it in the first place. I understand this. It's part of life. My opinion is that no one should be bullied, for any reason. Others seem to have a different opinion, and I'll just have to live with it. It's not going to stop me from coming to thread. All I ask is people think about what they post before they post it. Think if it could really hurt someone's feelings if they happened to be in here and saw it. Think if it might make someone feel unwelcome. I think that's fair to ask. I hope we can move on before the thread gets locked or people stop coming here. It's a good community with great people and I'd hate to lose it.

Back to poultry related things! My little surviving guinea keet has started to buckwheat! That means she's a little female, which is perfect since my remaining adult guinea is a male. He'll have a mate, and I'll get fertile eggs. He was excited when I put her in the coop in the pen with the juvenile chickens. He ran around the perimeter for a bit trying to get in before giving up. She's still only six weeks old so it'll be awhile before I let them together, and she also needs to be penned in the coop for at least six weeks to coop train her, so he's gonna be waiting for a bit before they can free range together, but still, I was so excited to hear those buckwheat calls! Something only other poultry people will understand, lol.

 

[Pyxis]

Hello from Albany County!


 We just bought an 180 year old farm in Berne NY last year and have yet to move in there. We are renting out the farm house until we can fix up and sell the house we are in, in Albany. In the mean time we are fixing up the land, planting fruit trees and berry bushes and working on the chicken coops. I am going to be a brand new chicken mommy so any advise would be appreciated. 

 Personally I would like to fix them up first and wait until spring for chickens but my guy wants them now. I am worried about winter and having them so new. This farm is on top of a mountain and has terrible snow and winds in the winter. We won't be living there but the renters will keep an eye out. I will be traveling about every other day to take care of them. He is running electric to the coops and want everything automatic. Feeder, door, etc. The pen will be old 6' dog pens with an electric fence around it. Not sure what to use for the top because of the snow. He suggests the electric fence wire criss crossed all over the top. He said the snow will melt off and won't build up and will deter flying predators.

Very nervous.

 Then there is the choice of chicken breed(s). I want buff and/or Lavender Orpingtons. I hear they do best in the winter and are quite docile. But I also hear the are broody. Even without a rooster? I have heard conflicting reviews about them so now I don't know. I don't really want chickens that are mean and nasty so any other suggestions on breeds that do well in cold winter on top of a windy mountain would be great! Anyone close to me?

 

Welcome and congrats on the new house and the new chickens! Orpingtons are a good choice for a beginner. They are a great docile breed and yes, they will go broody even without a rooster. Their single combs need to be watched for frostbite over the winter, but otherwise they are very cold hardy. Right now most of my flock consists of buff orps I took in from a lady who was getting younger layers. They're great birds and almost all of them have gone broody so far this year and hatched me something. Another breed that is very docile and good in the winter is brahmas, one of my personal favorite breeds. They have a pea comb too so frostbite is not an issue. But I've never really had a problem with any of my chickens in the winter - they have a down coat Heat is much more dangerous for them than the cold.

If you want to get chicks before winter I'd do it as soon as you can. You don't want them too young for their first winter, and if you got them now they'd be four months old in November, when things really start to get cold.

 

[TwoCrows]

Lets try to keep this on the topic of chickens please. While we are all entitled to our opinions on politics, religion, sexual orientation, etc..., BYC is certainly not the place for these types of discussions.

Thank you all for your cooperation and continue on with the regularly scheduled program here!

-Staff

 

[rancher hicks]

Look what I just found crawling up my leg ...
A Tennie Tiny Tree Frog ...he must have come in my window ..SO CUTE !

I have been seeing little buggers everywhere. I don't bother with them since I'd need thousands to deal with these mosquitos. Every evening at close up time I have to wear a long sleeve jacket.

 

[rancher hicks]

Lets try to keep this on the topic of chickens please. While we are all entitled to our opinions on politics, religion, sexual orientation, etc..., BYC is certainly not the place for these types of discussions.

Thank you all for your cooperation and continue on with the regularly scheduled program here!

-Staff

I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset anyone. Nor for anyone to leave. You all know I carry my card with BYC on the back and invite anyone I see buying chickens stuff to join us. I would not do that if I thought this were a bad place or there were bad people.

I've been watching "Foyles War" of late on dvd. Folks getting upset because someone is a German and all that kind of thing.

Point I'm not the type to let dust ups keep me from being nice to someone. I'm just not that kind of person. "A friend loves at all times". Even when we don't see eye to eye.

Please keep that in mind if there is anything I can do for you.

 

[rancher hicks]

NOW on to chickens .

Fox bait ooh aah aah died. I think she was trying or had laid an egg. She was an EE hen that walked like a Runner duck. She had gotten swollen and while I quarantined her she wouldn't kept getting out and finally I just let her go back to the coop. She was still roosting and laying egg pretty good. I'm sad to have lost her, that's how good a layer she was.

The four hens in the Marans coop are done. Only four chicks for all that trouble. I've been kicking them out of the coop and closing the door. There are still three hens on eggs, so I'll keep water and feed in the coop for them during the day. The others still have the run to go into.

I put them on the roost in the evening but they still jump down and go into the nest box. Four hens in one nest box has to be hot. They're stubborn but I'm more stubborn.


I've got the chain saw running or did I not say I bought one? Anyhow I've been cutting up fallen trees and what not. If anyone has any ideas how I can cut this thing over the coop down without crushing it I'm open to suggestions. Though I suspect there are some who'd like me to stand under it and cut it.

I mowed all that grass since this picture was taken. I suppose if I could built something that it could fall on and not crush the coop that might work but I don't have the lumber nor the use of the van anymore to buy some. It's a long story about the van.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Rancher...can you get a rope on it and pull it towards the tree I see behind it? You will need another person to work the rope. It's hard to tell how close to the back of the coop it is.

 

[horsekeeper]

If anyone has any ideas how I can cut this thing over the coop down without crushing it I'm open to suggestions.

I had a guy here a few weeks ago with a little tiny excavator. A huge tree fell from across the creek and my neighbor cut it from the other side. Just saying because he grabbed the tree where it was down a 30 foot bank and pulled the whole thing up and out with the claw on the bucket he was excavating with. (I'm working on building a horse barn and he was helping me set the posts.) Maybe you can find someone close by who has a little machine like that to grab it and pull it over away from the coop.

 

[perchie.girl]

NOW on to chickens .

Fox bait ooh aah aah died. I think she was trying or had laid an egg. She was an EE hen that walked like a Runner duck. She had gotten swollen and while I quarantined her she wouldn't kept getting out and finally I just let her go back to the coop. She was still roosting and laying egg pretty good. I'm sad to have lost her, that's how good a layer she was.

The four hens in the Marans coop are done. Only four chicks for all that trouble. I've been kicking them out of the coop and closing the door. There are still three hens on eggs, so I'll keep water and feed in the coop for them during the day. The others still have the run to go into.

I put them on the roost in the evening but they still jump down and go into the nest box. Four hens in one nest box has to be hot. They're stubborn but I'm more stubborn.


I've got the chain saw running or did I not say I bought one? Anyhow I've been cutting up fallen trees and what not. If anyone has any ideas how I can cut this thing over the coop down without crushing it I'm open to suggestions. Though I suspect there are some who'd like me to stand under it and cut it.

I mowed all that grass since this picture was taken. I suppose if I could built something that it could fall on and not crush the coop that might work but I don't have the lumber nor the use of the van anymore to buy some. It's a long story about the van.

Poking my head in here not from NY.... but been reading.... Can you toss a rope over the top of the tree thats leaning over and winch the tree over toward the trees behind the coop.... get it anchored some so when you cut it it will fall toward the other trees. If you put it under stress you will want to be on the inside of that so when the tree pops free it will go away from you... The top wont fall because it will be attached to another tree. You could do it all with a come-along for assist. In essence you will be making a controlled widow maker....
(a felled tree hung up in other trees)

I am not a logger but have been watching quite a bit of horse drawn logging videos.... Day dreaming of actually getting to use my own horse on my place. But I do know ropes and mechanics... AND how each if not used properly can be very dangerous.

Here is another idea as well. Just tie the rope and pull the tree towards the others and leave it.... If it falls or snaps it wont hit your coop.
If its going to be there some time.... might buy some chain...

deb