YO GEORGIANS! :)

[katsdar]

Is there anyone close to me, I'm in Pine Mountain are near Callaway Gardens that has a young or young adult sweet docile hen, maybe a 1 year or younger that they would part with. I lost my Ginny last night...can you say devastated !! I cried myself to sleep and woke up crying. My chickens are my babies, and my therapy, since i suffer from severe depression and PTSD among other things. Just wondered. I have chicks, and was more comfortable with a older one in the coop to watch over them. I of course am not trying to replace Ginny, that could never happen. Thanks in advance..

If we can meet somewhere I can give you one of my beautiful girls.

 

[PapaChaz]

If we can meet somewhere I can give you one of my beautiful girls.

well my house isn't halfway for her, or I'd volunteer to let y'all meet here If I hadn't just lost some of mine, I'd give her one of mine....let's see, we're going to Franklin to the Heard County Arena, friday evening the 31st with the camper and the grand daughter who will be riding JR Rodeo on saturday, so if Missy doesn't find something, and y'all get together, I can work it out to get one from you and she can come to Franklin to get one????

 

[katsdar]

well my house isn't halfway for her, or I'd volunteer to let y'all meet here If I hadn't just lost some of mine, I'd give her one of mine....let's see, we're going to Franklin to the Heard County Arena, friday evening the 31st with the camper and the grand daughter who will be riding JR Rodeo on saturday, so if Missy doesn't find something, and y'all get together, I can work it out to get one from you and she can come to Franklin to get one????

 

[brucifer]

Talking about building stuff out of pallets I'm in the process of trying to build a chicken tractor out of some. Its slow go thought . My little helper is 18 months old and she likes to play with my tools and hide them on me.

At that age my little ones used to "hide" things in the trash can, thinking they were doing me a favor. Car keys, portable phones (I know; I'm showing my age.), bills, just about anything not nailed down went into the trash can. I only have one son left at home now, and he's 14 and a great helper.

My eldest is 33 now (34 next month), and I can remember bringing her to construction job sites when she was five. She was a real joy back then. It seems like only last year.

It can be tough to break down pallets. For some pallets, all it takes is a couple of sawhorses and a good hammer to knock loose the planks. For other pallets, especially the ones with planks nailed with the nail tips bent back, you're better off using a grinder with a cutoff wheel and cutting through the nails.

Anyway, here's one way to make a tractor out of pallets:

1. Make a basic 4' x 8' frame out of one 8' (cut in half) two 10' 2 x 4s, leaving a 1' extensions lengthwise on each side. Use this as the bottom frame or plate.

2. Attach a wheel to each of the two extensions on one side, and attach a 4' cross brace to connect the extensions on the other side (to use as the tractor handle).

3. Construct another 4' x 8' frame to use as a top plate, this time out of three 8' 2 x 4s. (Be sure it is attached identically to how the bottom frame/plate constructed.)

4. Construct four 4' corner studs using two 8' 2 x 4s, and attach to the inside of the bottom frame/plate at each corner.

5. Find six similar 4' wooden pallets, and cutting along the outside of the pallet braces, cut off the plank extensions on one side of each pallet, top and bottom.

6. Measure the outside distance between two of the pallet braces (should be either 39 or 40" depending on the maker of the pallet). This measurement is VERY important!

7. Mark each of the corner studs with the above measurement, and start your measuring from the top of the bottom frame/plate. (If you're going to cheat, make the marks longer, not shorter. It's much easier to shim than to trim.)

8. You'll definitely need a helper for this next step: Using the marks on the corner studs as a guide, attach the top frame/plate to the inside of corner studs so that the bottom of the frame/plate is either at or just above each mark.

9. Except for any pallet you want to use as swing door, insert each pallet between the frames/plates, and the nail or screw the pallets down.

10. For a swing door, use two hinges to attach it to a corner stud.

11. Customize it the rest of the way to your liking.

The materials involved in making the above tractor:

(2) 10' 2 x 4s
(7) 8' 2 x 4s
(24) 1-1/2" metal framing angles
(1) 1 lb box of 1" sheet-metal screws
(1) 1 lb box of 3" gavlanized 10-penny nails
(2) 3-1/2" door hinges

Not including the wheels and pallets, that's about $60 or so in materials.

Of course, you can add an arch top; or even an easy, portable run made from 10' chain link dog-pen panels. To make life a whole lot easier while framing, I would attach the framing using metal 1-1/2" joist angles and 1" sheet-metal screws. You can get the joist angles at Home Depot for 52¢ each. By using joist angles, the framing will end up strong and square, and you won't have to deal with the headaches of toenailing any of the framing pieces. The pallets can simply be fitted/inserted into the framing and nailed into place.

I hope you get your pallet tractor built soon. It sounds like a fun project for you and your helper.

 

[katsdar]

Flowerbh,
Do you have pics of your Chocolate Orp parents? I'm going to look at some adults today, but I have concerns about the tail colors on the male.


Hi all! Long time no chat!
Basically I needed a break, since I brought some chicks home, quarantined them 30 days, put them in my grow out pen and lost ALL my growouts.
My swap chicks from the cook out last year, my welsummers, marans, speckled sussex, black & blue Ameraucanas, EVERYTHING in my big pen.
Over 100 when all was said and done.
Had the state vet out, she said it was ILT (Infectious Laryngeal Tracheosis) and that everything in that pen would be a carrier IF it survived.
I had to cull what didn't die.

Then I sold everything in the adjoining pen, just in case, with a disclaimer that they MIGHT be carriers. They were bought for eating so the family didn't care.
Broke my heart to load up some of those! All my RIR, BBS Ameraucanas, Silver Laced Wyandottes,so much more.

It really took a lot emotionally, so I kind of dropped out.


Luckily I had separate pens on the other side of the yard with my Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ams, my Lavender Orps and Ams, my Silkies and my Buff Orps (although something got their rooster so they are just for eggs) and I switch shoes between sides of the yard.
5 of each breed.

I'm starting over as far as my big pen with a Cackle Surprise (or two) and some quail. I've been loving my Cackle babies, and am going to try to frame up a bigger brooder for them today.
Hubby will finish if I can start it


I'm supposed to go look at a good friend's English Chocolate and Chocolate Cuckoo Orps today, 3 hens, 2 roos. That would fill my last separate pen.

I've read about the last 4 pages, trying to catch up a little.
I have missed you all, and I did appreciate Flowerbh checking on me before the Newnan show. I told her some of what had gone on, why I had disappeared, But I have missed you all!

Sorry to hear that, how awful, get you or borrow a fogger and get the can't think of the name but it kills everything and spray the yard, coops,fence to kill the disease.

 

[brucifer]

That's cool! I would totally buy one from you (if it's not 42$) XD if you decide
When I get my crate next week I'll post a pic of

LOL! I'll keep you posted, and yes, I'd love to see a pic of your crate.

 

[missy1971]

 
Is there anyone close to me, I'm in Pine Mountain are near Callaway Gardens that has a young or young adult sweet docile hen, maybe a 1 year or younger that they would part with. I lost my Ginny last night...can you say devastated !! I cried myself to sleep and woke up crying. My chickens are my babies, and my therapy, since i suffer from severe depression and PTSD among other things. Just wondered. I have chicks, and was more comfortable with a older one in the coop to watch over them. I of course am not trying to replace Ginny, that could never happen. Thanks in advance.. 

If we can meet somewhere I can give you one of my beautiful girls.  

where are you? Can you post a pic? I would love to do that

 

[missy1971]

 
Is there anyone close to me, I'm in Pine Mountain are near Callaway Gardens that has a young or young adult sweet docile hen, maybe a 1 year or younger that they would part with. I lost my Ginny last night...can you say devastated !! I cried myself to sleep and woke up crying. My chickens are my babies, and my therapy, since i suffer from severe depression and PTSD among other things. Just wondered. I have chicks, and was more comfortable with a older one in the coop to watch over them. I of course am not trying to replace Ginny, that could never happen. Thanks in advance.. 

If we can meet somewhere I can give you one of my beautiful girls.  

Oh and btw, you are amazing! Like ivsaid, I just want a friendly docile mommy figure for my chicks ...and for me to baby along with the others

 

[RoboDuck]

Well the clutz has struck again. I am at the ER with GAM. Seems she can't walk and chew gum at the same time afterall.

 

[speckledhen]

Okay Georgians, I just got off the phone with the doctor at the GA Dept of Ag. She says no mailing eggs from Georgia. She said that one on one selling of chickens (in person at your farm) isn't outright banned, but it's not a good idea because of the biosecurity hazard. She did say it'd be better if you are NPIP certified since your birds would have been tested for avian influenza. No mailing of chicks or chickens (well, I guess poultry) from GA. No public swaps, sales, conventions, etc. You can give her your email address if you call and she will email you updated info. (855) 491-1432

I know I'm late to this conversation, but this bugs me, them telling folks different things. The memo I read said nothing about hatching eggs and it depends who you talk to as to what information you get. Typical government agencies. AI is not spread from egg to chick. I am suspicious of anything to do with the state vet or the GA Ag dept. Why are they telling people this when AI doesn't pass through the egg? Well, IMO, they are anti-backyard flock anyway and will seize any opportunity to stop what we do. I don't trust anyone in our state vet's office, not since Dr. Bohannan left.

I am going to continue to sell hatching eggs, though I don't mail them anymore. I don't go to swaps/auctions/flea market events to do with poultry anyway, would never buy from any of those. My birds are all hatched here.

feathersaloft, that's terrible. I know of an NPIP breeder who sold an ILT-postive rooster to another NPIP breeder. She had to know he was a carrier because he either had it and survived or he was vaccinated with the live vaccine. You NEVER use that for ILT unless it's in your flocks. I do not trust NPIP, useless. I won't ever do it.