YO GEORGIANS! :)

Is there anyway we could orgsnize a coop "raising"? You know, like a barn raising. We could all go to CDs and build her a secure coop/run in a day?

Aww, thank you. I appreciate the thought, but it's really not necessary. Right now they are all in one main pen together (except the Sumatras) and that pen is secure. It's just the fact that Skeeter didn't want to go into it last night. Maybe he doesn't like some of the chickens in there. Or maybe there's another reason. Whatever it was, he was adamant about staying outside of the pen. I usually don't push him too hard, because he roosts on top of the pen, out of reach of predators. The pen is sheet metal sides, 4' high, and a net over the top. Nothing can climb that 4-foot-high sheet metal, so they are okay up there. IF they get up there. And inside the pen is just as good, since nothing can climb over the sides to get in either. But he didn't want to go in there.

I am trying to get the money to build more pens. Labor isn't really the problem. But working only one day a week right now doesn't help the money matter. The pens will be cheap, but made of welded wire, which can stand up to the claws of a raccoon. The frame will be made of PVC pipe, which will leave me with a very light-weight pen that I can move around across the grass as needed. This is especially important because my brother just got a new chain-saw to help us with clearing the woods behind the house. So the chickens will be moving into the area that is currently wooded, once it is cleared.

Each pen will be 10ft x 10ft with welded wire sides, and a tarp over the top. I'll be building nest boxes and solid walls for a corner here and there with plywood. I've got enough welded wire fencing for 6 pens right now, and all of the materials for one complete pen MINUS four side-outlet PVC elbows (I needed 8 total, one for each corner on top, one for each corner on bottom). I would have gotten those recently IF the Lowe's near me would have had them in stock when I went up there. I'll post a pic of the lower frame I've already put together so you can see the concept of what I'm going with.

Once I get a good secure pen that Skeeter couldn't have gotten out of, and I know predators could not get IN to, AND I'd still be able to separate them by breed, then they would be locked up 24/7. I didn't fight Skeeter when he wanted to stay out, because he likes to breed with a half EE/half mixed bantam hen in the big pen. But I'm trying to keep her bred by the frizzle roo and NOT Skeeter, so I kinda let him decide if he wanted to stay out or go in the pen at night. I never expected this to happen to HIM. He was fricking huge and the piles of feathers tell me what I already knew - he puts up a massive fight when he gets attacked! I am SO VERY glad he never tried to attack me! I've seen his damage before!

Anyway, I'm rambling. I admit I've been upset and depressed all day, cried all over again when my nieces asked about it, and just plain bummed out today. Yeah losing the others sucked, but it's part of owning chickens, and I could write it off easily enough. Losing Skeeter was totally different though. He was my boy.
 
Anybody on BYC live in Georgia?

I'm gonna make a list of Georgians below! Let's get the LONGEST list possible! Each name counts one point, and mods or staff are worth 5 points!


Georgians' names collected so far:

1. SeramaSweetie

2. Pumpkinpup

3. porteryork

4. rooster-red

5. jonbanks

6. Chix-in-GA

7. mazdacrzy

8. Missouri chick

9. bantyman

10. 1acrefarm

11. EggCentric

12. poohevans

13. mattmatt's-momma

14. newnanchic

15. soonerdog

16. bargain

17. asa

18. key west chick

19. rays123

20. Granolamom

21. Lupa

22. PunkërTeçhñöRøø§ter

23. AnnMarie12

24. GaDawg

25. 2chickenrich

26. embkm

27. Los Pollitos

29. katrek

30. oegblady

31. spotnapp

32. teresac

33. Lmarie

34. speckledhen (MOD= 5 pts!)

35. dawg53

36. featherfooted

37. Hellvagirl




POINTS COLLECTED:

41. Wow! /img/smilies/ya.gif So Many! /img/smilies/yippiechickie.gif
 
Oh thank you!! I have mystery chicks a mixed batch of nice relatively normal chickens
Are there any particular questions you have or are you just trying to figure out the breeds? You said that this is your first time you should probably head to the learning tab on BYC and look through that to get your bearings. First thing though. make sure they have food/water/heat lamps.

EDIT: Here are some links that should help :)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...s-in-your-city-the-basics-of-raising-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/first-time-chicken-keep-questions-and-anwers
 
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I know many are not taking this salmonella outbreak with Mt. Healthy seriously but I feel like my family needs to. Most of our birds came from them this spring and I got very sick for near 2 weeks a bit ago. I wish I had gone in to be tested.....

Anyway, does anyone know a vet that can test at least a few of my birds near Thomson/Augusta?

We have small kids and like a dumb *** we have had these birds all over the house and free range the yard.

*** would TSC sell birds from a hatchery that has had this outbreak the last 2 years (now three?).

Not all birds have salmonella and in other countries they out and out cull flocks that do. In out country (because of costs!) We try to treat when we process meat with chemical washes! That doesn't really work for a family back yard flock. Unlike commercial farms (they wear suits when dealing with the chickens and masks) they don't LIVE with the chickens. We need healthy flocks.... With untreatable salmonella the common cures are not going to work! All the ****** industrial farming and anti-botics have caused super bugs.

I should have researched where our TSC gets chicks. If I have known Mt. Healthy had outbreaks this last few years I would never have gotten them.

I have health issues.... I catch everything. I am worried about my kids. We got chickens for HEALTHY eggs, better than what the industrial farms sell. Look what I have done..... I brought what I was trying to avoid right into the house. I feel so foolish.
 
This maybe a repeat . I thought I sent it already! I have mixed chicks but they are at 10 weeks now and one is so big he can hardly move. He sits down to eat. He's quite a bit bigger than the others of the same age. Is this a breed or an aberration? All white red comb huge legs and feet!
 
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