The Middle Tennessee Thread

[RedRidge]

Hi ya'll , I know I haven't been around in months, I'm skipping a couple hundred posts I'm behind.
Hope everyone has done ok during all this cold!! (We had 3 inches of snow Nov 1st so I feel like its mid-winter here for a month already).
Welcome new ppl


Question -- I'm of course thinking about NYDH , & of course have only 1 pullet laying atm (major farm fail, I'll spare you the drama, lets just say I'm down to 1 pen really close to the house now).

So, anyone have fertile eggs ? near me & low cost (large fowl , Barn Yard Mix fine)

I'm 16 miles from Fall Creek Falls State Park, I go to McMinnville sometimes & to Chattanooga sometimes, anyway shoot me a pm if you think you'd have eggs I could get between now & set date which is Dec 11.

Just set 70 eggs and took cocks out to give the girls a break before Dec show in Knoxville. Won't need again until Jan.

 

[RedRidge]

Has anyone ever tried passive solar water tanks?  We are going to give it a go this year.  We bought 20 bales of hay for $2 a bale.  We are going to put the hay in black trash bags (help absorb heat and protect the hay from the weather) and stack them around all my water tanks and cover the top with some storm windows we salvaged from the remodel on the house.  Basically the hay keep the wind off the tanks and keeps the heat in.  The window will help collect heat during the day and once the water is warm the goal is to not loose much heat at night.  They say it will not freeze even at 10 degrees. 

Yes... similar...
Our stock tanks are in the shade in the summer to keep algae down. We move them to sheltered, all sun, low spots on the winter. Being in low spots provides not only shelter but also easy draining for the fill hoses.
We go through 400-500 gallons a day. Sticking a 2x4 out of the tank is handy also as it is a handle for breaking any surface ice.

 

[amenfarm]

love the breeding pens, but that low would kill me. You just can't make the wire floors work over time--bumblefoot. how about that type with legs or a table underneath?

I prefer the walk in type. But since you have these already made, you could add legs-rabbit hutch style with cross braces, or do what the coke factory did here when my husband worked the refit-hang them from the roof rafters--I don't think this will work because of weight. Built a custom size table to sit them off the floor, or re-build to stack 2 high.

 

[FeyRaine]

sent you a PM RedRidge

&
Anyone want to play hatching-egg-stork? I have an offer of a doz. in the Smyrna area, which would need stork service (transport) somewhere closer to me or where someone could meet them to pick up (Mcminneville, Crossville, Chattanooga somewhere around those)...Dec 1- 10 time frame. Just putting this out there b/c you never know w/ us "crazy chicken folk" somebody might be doing the drive already anyway.
I'm 16 miles from Fall Creek Falls State Park to give you an idea where I'm located.

Well off to do productive things, hope everyone gets to enjoy warmer sunnier weather today!

 

[EastNashChick]

I am a newbie in Madison, TN PLUS I just moved here and the move knocked my 2 out of 4 hens at 8 months off laying. Now it's freezing temps so NO ONE is laying. Do y'all know when you start getting eggs again on average in the spring around here?

I don't want to light their coop, I'll just give em a rest but I'm getting antsy already!!!!

I have Dominiques, Jubilee Orpington, and an Ameraucana.

 

[DMRippy]

Mine usually pick up about December.

 

[cazychicgirl]

Any one need a Showgirl cockerel or Cochin mix cockerel?
Showgirl is about 5 months and the Cochin is almost 7 months

 

[EastNashChick]

Any one need a Showgirl cockerel or Cochin mix cockerel?
Showgirl is about 5 months and the Cochin is almost 7 months

He is beautiful! If my fiancée would let me have a roo right now I'd get him! We just moved and neighbors aren't sure about chickens so we had to get rid of our roo.

 

[Cinny]

I am a newbie in Madison, TN PLUS I just moved here and the move knocked my 2 out of 4 hens at 8 months off laying. Now it's freezing temps so NO ONE is laying. Do y'all know when you start getting eggs again on average in the spring around here?

I don't want to light their coop, I'll just give em a rest but I'm getting antsy already!!!!

I have Dominiques, Jubilee Orpington, and an Ameraucana.

Mine have stopped too…out of 8 girls I get maybe 1 egg a day. They are also molting so they must be confused with that and the weather….all they are producing is massive amounts of feathers!!

 

[polishmom1744]

Mine have stopped too…out of 8 girls I get maybe 1 egg a day. They are also molting so they must be confused with that and the weather….all they are producing is massive amounts of feathers!!

LOL...that's exactly what's happening here in Cowan...no eggs....lots of feathers! My Hen Ducks are laying an egg a day ea!!! Gonna use them for all the season's baking!