Virginia

[ihatedarkroast]

Checking back here: each county has there own ordinance. Where’s the best chicken loving place around RVA that one can move to? I’m even ok with a 30 minute commute just to keep my hens happy.

Richmond has improved significantly from when I grew up. Lots more restaurants, better shopping, more middle class than it used to be, but further west is nicer IMHO. Try Bumpass or Farmville areas for more affordable living and a decent road to commute to Richmond. IF you can find a house and get a contract on it. The housing market right now is INSANE. I'm not sure of how far the commute would be. Richmond is 3.5 hours from me. I haven't been there in 10+ years.

 

[MadGardener]

We moved here from the Raleigh area last October after a storm took all the leaves down. This year made up for it! I love the mountain mist when I don't have to drive in it...almost like living in a fairy tale.

The allergy struggle is real. And dru woodstove air ain't helping!

 

[ihatedarkroast]

We moved here from the Raleigh area last October after a storm took all the leaves down. This year made up for it! I love the mountain mist when I don't have to drive in it...almost like living in a fairy tale.

The allergy struggle is real. And dru woodstove air ain't helping!

Oh nice! I went to Chapel Hill for my B.A. and lived in the area for a few years. Raleigh's a great town. Ah, have you tried putting a steamer on your woodstove? Hearth.com has a lot of tips for getting better quality air from your woodstove too. I've been looking into it bc I just bought a woodstove fireplace insert and we are getting ready to install it Friday.
Oh yeah, here are some pics I took the other day of our place. I missed it when the leaves were peaking. But it still makes me happy to see it out there like this.

 

[MadGardener]

Oh nice! I went to Chapel Hill for my B.A. and lived in the area for a few years. Raleigh's a great town. Ah, have you tried putting a steamer on your woodstove? Hearth.com has a lot of tips for getting better quality air from your woodstove too. I've been looking into it bc I just bought a woodstove fireplace insert and we are getting ready to install it Friday.
Oh yeah, here are some pics I took the other day of our place. I missed it when the leaves were peaking. But it still makes me happy to see it out there like this.

What majestic trees you have!

Raleigh got too crowded really fast! Literally once a month I'd wonder where all the new people came from. Chapel Hill is such a charming town!

I was gifted a kettle for the woodstove, and also used a Dutch oven filled with lava rock and water. It didn't seem to make much difference. I splurged on a powered humidifier and that's been much better. Of course I haven't seen the power bill yet.

I love hearth.com. Neither hubs or I heated with wood before last year. We moved here in Oct with no firewood. That site saved us a few headaches for sure! I especially enjoy the older stove section as we have a 78ish Fisher. She'll run you out of the house sweating if you aren't careful, but nothing feels warm like wood heat!

Good luck with your insert install. Are you going with a modern stove?

How do you find the feed selection at Rural King? I'm having trouble finding something that isn't layer feed at the TSCs and Southern States near me.

 

[ihatedarkroast]

Yes, this house came with mature pecans, maples, chestnuts and oak. I'm loving this place so much!
Yes, back when I lived there twenty years ago, Durham County was building like crazy, turning all the farm land into McMansion divisions. The traffic was becoming intense. Chapel Hill has also changed a lot. Last time I went back, one of the common green areas, the tennis courts and parking lots had all been changed into dorms and more buildings. :/ Still a beautiful area though.
I'll keep that in mind. I have a humidifier in the kid's room, but I might need a bigger one. We got a Fisher too off craigslist and I restored it somewhat. It wasn't in bad shape. I suppose I'll be learning.
Rural King runs out of different kinds of feed a lot. They also don't have minipellets for my bantams. I had to get them at TSC when I first got them. Now I'm switching to crumble so it doesn't matter. I'm using meat bird/game bird crumble right now since I have a mixed flock, as well as layer mini pellets and scratch grain. Once the turkeys are off to freezer camp I'm going to simplify.

 

[MadGardener]

Yes, this house came with mature pecans, maples, chestnuts and oak. I'm loving this place so much!
Yes, back when I lived there twenty years ago, Durham County was building like crazy, turning all the farm land into McMansion divisions. The traffic was becoming intense. Chapel Hill has also changed a lot. Last time I went back, one of the common green areas, the tennis courts and parking lots had all been changed into dorms and more buildings. :/ Still a beautiful area though.
I'll keep that in mind. I have a humidifier in the kid's room, but I might need a bigger one. We got a Fisher too off craigslist and I restored it somewhat. It wasn't in bad shape. I suppose I'll be learning.
Rural King runs out of different kinds of feed a lot. They also don't have minipellets for my bantams. I had to get them at TSC when I first got them. Now I'm switching to crumble so it doesn't matter. I'm using meat bird/game bird crumble right now since I have a mixed flock, as well as layer mini pellets and scratch grain. Once the turkeys are off to freezer camp I'm going to simplify.

Oh, pecan trees! I need to get a few in the ground on my little patch. Hubby's uncle has one and sends us pecans every fall. Watching the chickens squabble over the bad ones is great "redneck tv."

Most of my family is still living north of Raleigh in Youngsville/Franklinton. The development has made it all the way out there now. Same McMansion type of developments, just with lots big enough to not touch two houses at once.

If you have hard water, go with an evaporative humidifier. The cool mist/ultrasonic ones will leave white dust everywhere...and you'll be dusting enough with a woodstove lol.

Sad to hear the same supply issues are happening out your way. I want to keep my gals on pellets...crumble gets wasted and makes them sneeze a lot. Good luck with your turkeys, I bet your Thanksgiving feast will be awesome!

 

[ihatedarkroast]

Yes! They are hard to keep alive though with deer. My first batch I planted at the church got reckd. ...Yeah, I'm really thankful we have more elbow room out here!

Yes, we do have very hard water full of iron. It's orange. Every time it rains it gets cloudy too.That's the type of humidifier I have so great.

Oh my goodness, I have never seen a chicken sneeze. I'll have to try and catch one. lol. Rural King is never out of regular pellets, just sometimes out of all flock and mini pellets.

There is also a local feed company called Performance Livestock here in Martinsville. They will make custom blends for you for with whatever grains, protein and minerals you want. I visited it once but my toddler bolted for a skid steer and I had to tote him out kicking and screaming. Rural King is just easier when I drag my tribe with me. hah.

I got my turkeys late, so they are probably going to be too small for Thanksgiving. We're shooting for Christmas, but yes. looking forward to it

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

Is anyone near Campbell county looking for drakes? I have 2 adult pekin drakes and 2 younger khaki campbell and rouen drakes. The 2 pekins and rouen are pretty friendly and haven't attacked me, but the khaki campbell is pretty skittish, but only attacks if I pick him up.

 

[Ryguy3684]

I'm in Fauquier County.

I have 5, 7 week old Buff Orpington cockerals free for the taking. We hatched 9 eggs, from our own chickens, and 5 of them are boys. We already have a rooster, so we're only keeping the girls. If you prefer them older, I can keep them for a while longer. They are hand raised and their papa is a great flock leader. I'd send them to freezer camp, myself, but when I hand raise them, I can never seem to do it. Considering I hunt, and process my own meat, I turn into a softy with the little guys. .
P.S. They have been vaccinated for Mereks.

 

[buckock]

I'm in Amelia, nice to meet some fellow Virginians! We moved back to my husband's family's place to take care of his parents in 2019. The farm has been in his mom's family for 170 years and we're working to repurpose and remake the old into new. Stumping pine trees is hard work but we are really enjoying it! We have an experimental apple orchard of 30 trees, a couple of pecan trees planted in 2017, 8 denizon oaks that predate Jamestown, an old cow barn, a tobacco barn (come woodshop), a corn crib (my office), a wheat house, and a smokehouse. Chickens are the latest experiment. First dozen or so are due to hatch on Tuesday. Is anyone else hatching over the holidays?