Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[ChickenAl]

Exterior! Wow, you guys are tough. I just got up from a nap and opened the deck door and got hit with a blast of hot air. The girls are standing in front of the fan, still. They are huddled down at the end of the run up close to the fan. I'm going to give them some watermelon to cool them off.

Stay cool and don't overdo it. Hope you can catch a break with a couple of cooler days. Should look great when you are done.

 

[magsrags]

Good grief.....he's back up there painting some lattice. My youngest son is home from work in Manhattan and looking at him like he is NUTS. Our older son helped him all day today on his day off and is SO thankfull he has work tomorrow!

That leaves me and the girls to paint & cheer him on. Good grief......I HATE heat/humidity.

I'll have to do some before and after shots as it is a bit of a "different" horse. My house has been called" Lavendar & Lace" since about 1900. Picture that oif you can.....literally.

 

[ChickenAl]

Suggest he has done enough for the day and make him take a break. House painting is rough enough without the heat. I'm cleaning out the shed right now. The other half is shared by the chickens. Putting some work lights up to finish. It is still hot out there.

We have a house down the road from us that was more purple than lavender. And trimmed in black. It was turn of the century too. The previous owners restored it to the supposedly original color. The new owners painted it yellow.

I'm sure yours will look gorgeous when you are done. With any luck you will not have to paint it again anytime soon.


Good luck.

 

[magsrags]

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Thanks Al!
We're relaxing now with tomorrow's plans in the making.

My house was built in 1850. It is originally maintained in most respects. Wide plank wood Floors....plaster walls and 5 fireplaces. And actually it has a lot of historical family/history attached. We purchased and moved here in Nov. of this past year during Thanksgiving weekend and then the WINTER HIT. egads I was incubating 88 eggs in my attic.

 

[ChickenAl]

1st Thanksgiving in the new home had to be a sentimental one. Family tradition started, and with all that history surrounding you.

88 eggs in the attic over this horrible winter must have been a trip when they hatched. My wife would have brained me. As it was she was not too keen on chickens, but loves them now. More pets for the zoo we call home. I told her to stop rescuing dogs after we hit #4. Now, I was the one who wanted chickens. Go figure? I think we need to retire to a farm.

I grew up in an old house in the Bronx. It was built in 1854. Slate roof that was still the original. It is still there. The heating system n the house was duct work that ran through the walls from a heating system in the basement. No fireplaces, if you can believe it. The house had been converted to oil hot water heat before my Grandfather bought it in the 30s. Plaster walls with wood lathe under that that had horsehair mixed in the mortar to bind it. Walls were about a foot thick. Houses back then were built to last, but an absolute bear if you had to work on anything in the walls.

Your husband deserves a medal for tackling that outside project. I'm getting past the point of enjoying working on our house. Our boys did the coop and run after it was taking me forever to get it started. I had drawings and plans and kept changing them. Couldn't decide where to divide the shed. Our sons went out and tackled the project and did it way better than what I would have done. Plus, the chicks would have still been in the basement or a bathroom had I handled the construction. They did such a fine job I couldn't find any fault in the workmanship. All level and squared. They built a covered run so the girls can be out in the rain. And it is secure.

Finished cleaning the shed side of the coop and got everything back in. The chickens were cackling on the other side of the wall until they fell asleep. Over the weekend I'll move the feed and other supplies form the house into the shed. At least that project is over. Next is putting in electricity. What we do for our girls to keep them comfy...

 

[magsrags]

Ahhhh..........how I spell RELIEF!!! Offspring to help.

Bless 'em for sure.

I've been brained/warned/threatened and actually thought about sleeping in the coop upon occasion. My guys like it but could do withpout it. I have fought tooth and nail for 4 years or more to have my way. See my youtube video below my signiture. that was the beginniong....perhaps 8 months after I entered this madness.
We have the duct work and froze our tootsies off last winter. My birds were warmer than I was for sure!

I am not a feint-hearted woman.....I calls 'em as I sees 'em. This past winter was the worst one I ever spent in 57 years no doubt. Chickens in the attic....den and shed off my kitchen. The rest of my family did NOT appreciate the mess one bit....


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[hhong3138]

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Hi Vanessa, welcome, and thanks for stopping by. Hopefully we all can have an active thread for us to be able to question each other and get advice.

I use organic feed but it is soy which does bother me a little. Which feed are you using? Right now I use Nature's best which is a change from the Green Mountain. I might go to Countryside Organics. I believe the link is up on the thread for Megan Paska in Brooklyn, who is now a distributor.

Getting the cockerel out before he disturbs the neighbors is a good idea. Ours were sexlinks so we are pretty certain they are all pullets.

Glad to see rooftop chickens are getting to be a big thing in the city, and Brooklyn has a big following from what I've read. In the old days it was pigeons, but eggs are a great benefit to having chickens.


Again, Welcome. Hope we can get more following the thread.



Al

Hi Al,

I am using organic soy-free grower from Countryside Organics. I order on their website as Megan only distributes layer feed. I will buy from her when my hens get older (15-16 weeks).

Yes, more and more people in NYC want to live a self-sufficient life-style and know where our food comes from.

Have a nice evening.

Vanessa

 

[hhong3138]

Quote:
Hi Marianne,

Thanks for sharing your story. Most people live in NYC don't have outdoor space to keep chickens, but more and more people who have a little backyard or roof space are taking the advantages of it and join the city chicken keepers group. I am hoping to see this group grow bigger

Vanessa

 

[Noble Rooster]

Hello, everyone, from Northern Westchester! So cool to see that the NYC folks are managing to keep their city chickies!

Yes, it's been pretty darn hot, but last year at this time wasn't it over 100 here?

 

[ChickenAl]

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Maggie, so nice you were the inspiration for the book. Great video. Beautiful chickens, BTW.

Yup, this is madness, and an obsession. Never thought I would be a chickenhead. Does give me something to look forward to in the morning. I'm not going to be a happy camper in the middle of January having to get up in the dark to let them out, though.

I get what you said about being a nurturer. My wife is that way and the reason she loves dogs so much is that she is a nurturer. Empty nesting is going to be a tough one around here. Might have a kennel business by the time she is done.

We have a Helen too. Named her the other day because I can tell her apart from the other two "White Chicks" now that she has huge wattles. One of our sons is also a Chris. Life is full of coincidences.