Virginia

[Maggiesdad]

...from Louisa!

 

[finnfur]

Im from a little Town called Beaverdam, i'm a newbie in the chicken world!! Beaverdam is just west of King Dominion & Ashland!!!!

Welcome aboard to the Virginia thread

 

[Spazzy]

Don't own any chickens... yet. Have wanted them for about two years now. Been reading a lot and maybe overthinking this all but I don't want it to end in disaster.

I am in Chesapeake VA.
I have a full acre of land, fully fenced with chainlink 42" high, maybe half of it semi wooded but open.
City says I am allowed 6 chickens, but no roos.
Heat can be an issue here with temps often in the mid 90's with near 100% humidity, as well as mosquitos which have been noted to carry equine encephalitis, winters are mostly low to mid 30's with temps occasionally dipping to 15F for a night or two.
I have two dogs which are most definately predators and I have zero hopes they will ever be friendly with any birds.
Even though I have been reading tons of material, I still feel I know next to nothing about chickens.

Ideas on types of housing abound but I'm thinking some of you have a better idea of what's practical for the area instead of "cute" as my wife n kids call some of the plans I've seen.

Also what breeds might fare better for the area?

So with all that said...

I'm glad to be here. =)

 

[ki4got]

Don't own any chickens... yet. Have wanted them for about two years now. Been reading a lot and maybe overthinking this all but I don't want it to end in disaster.

I am in Chesapeake VA.
I have a full acre of land, fully fenced with chainlink 42" high, maybe half of it semi wooded but open.
City says I am allowed 6 chickens, but no roos.
Heat can be an issue here with temps often in the mid 90's with near 100% humidity, as well as mosquitos which have been noted to carry equine encephalitis, winters are mostly low to mid 30's with temps occasionally dipping to 15F for a night or two.
I have two dogs which are most definately predators and I have zero hopes they will ever be friendly with any birds.
Even though I have been reading tons of material, I still feel I know next to nothing about chickens.

Ideas on types of housing abound but I'm thinking some of you have a better idea of what's practical for the area instead of "cute" as my wife n kids call some of the plans I've seen.

Also what breeds might fare better for the area?

So with all that said...

I'm glad to be here. =)

welcome! as for breeds, pretty much anything will do just fine. the biggest problem during the winter would be moisture in the coop. that's the #1 reason for frostbitten combs. this last winter was an exception. I lost 2 roosters' combs to frostbite for the first time ever in 20 years (from Maine to Virginia.)

the key thing you need to ask yourself, is what do YOU want from your chickens? colorful birds for pets? lots of extra large eggs? a colorful egg basket?

some of the more ornamental breeds aren't as dedicated to laying every day like a white leghorn would, but a white leghorn, IMO, doesn't have half the friendliness and personality that some of the more decorative breeds do. some breeds can also be excessively broody, which diminishes the number of eggs they'll potentially lay as well.

for my own experiences, bantam cochins are great starter birds with very friendly personality, a wide color variety and do well in confinement (smaller coop spaces).

Swedish Flower Hens are exceedingly friendly and easy going, very colorful too, but they don't do as well in confinement as some other breeds.

Wyandottes are decent layers of large brown eggs, but tend to mature slowly. they are typically calm and do ok in confinement. they also have a rose comb, which is more resistant to frostbite, and come in a large variety of colors.

Easter Eggers are generally mixed breed birds that lay blue to green (and grey and olive) eggs. their personality and egg laying capabilities are dependent on the breeds that went into making them, but in my experience, they are somewhat aloof but easy going, do well in confinement and typically lay very well.

for your coop, the house should have about 4 sq ft per bird with at least 12" of roosting space per. the pen should have at least 10 sq ft of space per bird. so for 6 hens that's roughly a 4x6 (base size) house and an 8x8' pen. larger is always much better. oh and you would probably want 2 nest boxes, tho they may share one large one easily enough. I have 4 boxes for 12 hens and only 2 get used.

 

[finnfur]

Don't own any chickens... yet. Have wanted them for about two years now. Been reading a lot and maybe overthinking this all but I don't want it to end in disaster.

I am in Chesapeake VA.
I have a full acre of land, fully fenced with chainlink 42" high, maybe half of it semi wooded but open.
City says I am allowed 6 chickens, but no roos.
Heat can be an issue here with temps often in the mid 90's with near 100% humidity, as well as mosquitos which have been noted to carry equine encephalitis, winters are mostly low to mid 30's with temps occasionally dipping to 15F for a night or two.
I have two dogs which are most definately predators and I have zero hopes they will ever be friendly with any birds.
Even though I have been reading tons of material, I still feel I know next to nothing about chickens.

Ideas on types of housing abound but I'm thinking some of you have a better idea of what's practical for the area instead of "cute" as my wife n kids call some of the plans I've seen.

Also what breeds might fare better for the area?

So with all that said...

I'm glad to be here. =)

Well as usual I think Karen about nailed it. I started with 6 hens a 4x8 chicken tractor which had a small box on top- no nest they laid eggs in the box in one corner.
Some advice with two killer dogs, which are still family . Get a Enet from primier with a charger and movable coop. The dogs only need to hit that fence once and they won't try it again. Also a 42 inch fence won't keep coyotes or fox out.
Good luck and there is lots of advise here just ask.

 

[MistyMountain]

Well as usual I think Karen about nailed it. I started with 6 hens a 4x8 chicken tractor which had a small box on top- no nest they laid eggs in the box in one corner.
Some advice with two killer dogs, which are still family . Get a Enet from primier with a charger and movable coop. The dogs only need to hit that fence once and they won't try it again. Also a 42 inch fence won't keep coyotes or fox out.
Good luck and there is lots of advise here just ask.

I agree with what everyone else said but did want to add: Don't just write off your dogs as killers and resign to "keeping them apart." We had a proven chicken killer, cat killer, squirrel killer. My idea was to always keep them apart… ignorance on my part not to do proper introductions. The chicken kill she has on her record was 100% my fault. We spent time with her. Introduced her to the chickens the right way and made our expectations of her clear as to what was acceptable curiosity and when she had to "leave it". Her obedience is poor, again, our fault, but she is a tricky one with an overly submissive/fearful temperament. But she respects us and our place in her "pack". The flock free ranges within her territory and aside from a little chicken bowling now and then (come on, tell me who doesn't have the urge to run through a flock of seagulls and watch them scatter? I still do!) she ignores the hens. She plays with the Roo, but that is only because he will fight back. I do not and will not trust her with the littles, as it has been a long time since she has seen them that small… and their sounds and mannerisms are different nor would I trust her with anyone else's flock. I guess what I am saying is putting in a little bit of time with introductions and making your expectations clear to them may save your flock if you ever have an "oops" incident and they end up out together.

Good luck and welcome to the world of chickens!!

 

[khawks]

Howdy,  neighbor!

I live pretty close to you! In tappahannock

 

[Spazzy]

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

 

[Spazzy]

Oh yeah. Since there are only four, and I can have six, is it complicated mixing the birds with additions of different types?

And what the heck do I do if I get any roos? I can't have them here... Banned by the city.

 

[7isheaven43]

Just wanted to say "Hey" to everyone! I'm in Virginia too! I live in Spotsylvania. Look forward to getting to know everyone better soon!

Many Blessings,
Della