Virginia

[Kikiriki]

Hi people in Virginia! I’ve just moved to Roanoke County from Florida and I am loving my new home!
I rehomed my last two hens before leaving FL to a woman I know who will provide a safe and loving forever home. They were 3 and 4 years old so I thought the stress of moving, plus adapting to the colder weather would be too much strain on them.
I will not be starting a new flock until the spring, so I’m just looking to gather info on the local predators, and what measures y’all take for winter. We rarely dropped below freezing in FL, and cold snaps usually only lasted for days. Extended cold weather is new to me as a flock owner and I want to get advice from locals. I would also like to know what breeds have had problems for you here...frostbite or health wise.
The property has a coop, but I don’t like where it is...it’s in a small pasture with no cover nearby. If I can’t move it, I will repurpose it and build a new coop in a spot I like better.
I will repost this in a new thread, but wanted to just say “hey” to my new neighbors!

 

[Susan Dye]

Hi people in Virginia! I’ve just moved to Roanoke County from Florida and I am loving my new home!
I rehomed my last two hens before leaving FL to a woman I know who will provide a safe and loving forever home. They were 3 and 4 years old so I thought the stress of moving, plus adapting to the colder weather would be too much strain on them.
I will not be starting a new flock until the spring, so I’m just looking to gather info on the local predators, and what measures y’all take for winter. We rarely dropped below freezing in FL, and cold snaps usually only lasted for days. Extended cold weather is new to me as a flock owner and I want to get advice from locals. I would also like to know what breeds have had problems for you here...frostbite or health wise.
The property has a coop, but I don’t like where it is...it’s in a small pasture with no cover nearby. If I can’t move it, I will repurpose it and build a new coop in a spot I like better.
I will repost this in a new thread, but wanted to just say “hey” to my new neighbors!

So glad you've joined us! I also moved up here from Florida. I've been here about 6 yrs now, but I was born in Va and lived here off and on throughout my life other than the nearly 30 yrs I lived in Florida. The cold can take some getting used to. At least this winter is mild, though wet. You might find getting used to not seeing the sun everyday more difficult than the cold temps. Most of the chickens you will find sold locally are very adept at coping with the cold. You may notice they have smaller combs, which helps to cut down on frostbite. And, there are tons of articles on this site about how to deal with the winters and which breeds are best suited for this area. Mostly, our winters are mild enough, compared to our more northern neighbors, that not a lot of extra preparations are necessary. Though being prepared for winters like last year is always prudent. Again, you'll find lots of good info right here on this site.

Hope you enjoy the lovely mountains, forests, parks, rivers, and waterfalls that define our great state. Have fun setting up your new flock!

 

[Mrs.Megan]

Welcome to VA @Kikiriki!

For me (I’m in northern VA in a urban area) the predators I see are hawks and foxes and I’ve heard from some others in my city, raccoons and coyotes too. A recent attack by a fox through a failed autocoop door left me with only 3 chickens sadly... A rookie mistake on my part. Perhaps more than you’ve had to deal with but easy enough to save guard your flock with a tight (and well functioning!) coop door and the bushes, evergreens and good cover you mention adding to your yard.

I think our winters are too mild to worry about but a veteran chicken keeper living here can probably speak to that better. Although as @Susan Dye mentioned, last year was especially cold so being prepared for just in case situations, which would be good coop ventilation, a heated waterer or two and maybe some Vaseline for combs for a particularly long cold spell or extreme low temps.

And if you need a reccomendation for chickens, I just met a women (she bought 2 greenfire blue birchen marans cockerels from me) who has some interesting breeding pens with spring and summer hatches coming up.

Again, welcome to VA and BYC. Good luck getting your coop and chickens set up!

Megan

 

[Susan Dye]

Hi people in Virginia! I’ve just moved to Roanoke County from Florida and I am loving my new home!
I rehomed my last two hens before leaving FL to a woman I know who will provide a safe and loving forever home. They were 3 and 4 years old so I thought the stress of moving, plus adapting to the colder weather would be too much strain on them.
I will not be starting a new flock until the spring, so I’m just looking to gather info on the local predators, and what measures y’all take for winter. We rarely dropped below freezing in FL, and cold snaps usually only lasted for days. Extended cold weather is new to me as a flock owner and I want to get advice from locals. I would also like to know what breeds have had problems for you here...frostbite or health wise.
The property has a coop, but I don’t like where it is...it’s in a small pasture with no cover nearby. If I can’t move it, I will repurpose it and build a new coop in a spot I like better.
I will repost this in a new thread, but wanted to just say “hey” to my new neighbors!

I should have mentioned some of the predators you might encounter in your part of the state. Although you can encounter the same predators in the cities as you'll see in the surrounding rural areas, some will not be as prevalent in the urban areas. You can expect racoons, opossums, hawks (daytime) are going to be pretty common everywhere. Foxes, bobcats. and black bears are more commonly found in rural areas. Though I should mention while I lived in Winchester when I first moved back here to Va, there was a black bear in downtown Winchester. The main thing to remember is that regardless of where you live in Va you are only minutes from mountains and woodlands. I've only seen one hawk where I live, but less than 30 mins away from here someone was getting rid of his entire flock because the hawks were killing them off. I think the general rule is, the bigger the flock, the more predators you're going to attract. And the easier their access to your flock, the more frequently they are going to strike. The gentleman with the hawk problem had over 30 chickens that he was free ranging in his backyard. Before the hawks moved in he had over 50. But, don't let any of this scare you off from starting your flock! Just plan accordingly. There are some great articles here on BYC about how to protect your flock from most predators. Hey, at least we don't have gators!

 

[BunnyGirlxoxo]

I need to re-home 3 ducks (Rouen/Mallard drakes). Approximately 8 months old. I would love to keep them but my little backyard farm has no room. Located in Nokesville, Virginia

Thank you!
Angel

 

[Kikiriki]

In Roanoke, Cave Spring...looking for nest run eggs
No chemical wash or coating, normal nest clean...no poo

 

[dlamb82]

Hello everyone! I’m new to BYC and after 3 years of bugging my husband he has finally agreed to let me start a backyard flock! I’m working on getting my coop and set up done so I can hopefully start my flock in a couple of months. In the meantime I’m trying to figure out where I can get my chicks from.

I want to raise Wyandottes and the one variety in particular I want to have are the blue laced red Wyandottes. I have had 0 luck in finding a local breeder and I am not seeing many positive reviews for the quality of the online hatcheries for the blrw. Are there any local breeders on here? I’m in Unionville Va (Orange County near Madison and Charlottesville). Thanks so much!!

 

[dlamb82]

Any Blue Red Laced Wyandotte Breeders here? Prefer hatching eggs over chicks or chickens for vaccination preferences..

Hello 0wen, did you ever find a local breeder for the blrw? I’m in VA and also looking for a breeder of them. Thanks!

 

[Henderly]

There’s a “Little Barn Farm” in Mechanicsville that should have them this year. They’re on facebook if you use that.

 

[Mrs.Megan]

This local farm has them in a few weeks. Currently they have golden and silver but in the text it says blue laced will be in the next hatch. But that might a good drive for you.... http://store.marker99.com/
Did you check out my pet chicken? There are not many reviews for the blue laced red, but it was very positive.
Good luck with your flock!