Virginia

[ki4got]

spazzy, all of my coops except the horse trailer have raised bottoms with hardware cloth for a floor. poops fall thru and bugs do their thing. in the winter I put a good layer of hay on the floor with shavings on top of that. in the spring it all comes out easily. the hay/shavings dry out easily because of the air flow under the floor so the coop stays nice and dry. I have open vents year round up under the edges of the roof as well.

 

[cindynkidsd]

I'm in Windsor, about 30 min from you. There are plenty of folks around that will take roosters if you end up with some. They won't be trying to crow yet if they're small. I had 15 through the winter with no problems even at - 4. Lots of cool water and an occasional frozen watermelon get mine through the heat with no issues.

 

[cindynkidsd]

Welcome and just holler if you need anything!

 

[Spazzy]

I am liking the look of the "chicken coop of the day" posted this morning. I am thinking something like that but with two seperate runs on the sides and the main door in the front for access.

How large should the vents be for winter use?

I like the fact someone might take any roos, I'd hate to have to just kill them. But the meat wouldn't bother me either as long as they got sizable enough before the city got called about the noise. =)

Never dressed a bird before but it has to be no harder than an elk, deer, pig, etc...

 

[user213590]

Who all will be attending the Wytheville Swap Meet-up at the Tractor Supply Company (STORE)?

 

[Cknldy]

@cowgirlboots Really?

 

[barnyardmommy]

I'm in Suffolk VA, glad to see so many "chicken people" so close to me....

 

[barnyardmommy]

 

[capt toad]

Well today is my birthday and last night my mother calls from up in VT and says "Happy Birthday! I have four chickens for you!"
Ok... so I'm thrilled yet terrified at the same time LOL.
I don't even have a solid coop idea yet, but I have four chickens coming at the end of the month. Yup thats my family. LOL
As for the dogs/fox in the area I've seen, and coons, I have a spare horse fence transformer vith a variable setting in my garage I plan on hooking up. They will enjoy that.... once anyway.
The chickens are unidentified, for sex, age, and breed, but she excitedly says to me "They are ony a few months old! They are five or six inches high and SO CUTE! I think they'll be white! Does that help?" =)
I'm thinking of building a coop with two attached completely enclosed runs, one on the right of the coop, one on the left. That way I can rotate between the two and let them recover, or if I need to do some work in one they can still go outside. I am concerned about enough ventilation as I have read several contradictory statements regarding that. But I am thinking the coop will have two large closable panels that open for air but still have 1/2" hardware cloth covering the entire opening.
Down here I am concerned regarding hurricanes though. So I want the coop elevated about a foot or so, so that I can avoid any issues with water and drainage. Plus I want to be able to mostly seal the thing against high winds and rain. Main thing is the trees near and over it breaking off and hitting the runs or the coop, but that's just something we all have to deal with here anyway I guess.

I feel like a brand new father.... full of worry for things that may never even happen. LOL

No worries, all be be well... Happy Birthday!

 

[capt toad]

Martha's being broody, again, but the eggs she was setting turned out not to be viable. I haven't been able to break her off the nest, so if anryone in central Virginia has 1/2 a dozen B. Australorp fertile eggs or game fowl eggs, I'm interested in speaking with you!