Chicken enclosure of some type

There is a department such as you speak of,
it's called The Karma Department. Things do
have a way of coming back around...so don't fret
over someone else's shortcomings, it's not worth it.

Oh I hadnt planned on putting my name on it! Hahaha...we have 8 houses around theirs and not one of them get along with those people. I thought I would just send an annoymous, random...'This is what it means to be a neighbor' letter. I thought it could go something like:

neigh·bor
–noun
1. a person who lives near another.
2. a person or thing that is near another.
3. one's fellow human being: to be generous toward one's less fortunate neighbors.
4. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress.
Think about which of these definitions YOU want to be refered to as.
Sincerely, Your neighbors

Hahaha...I dont know if I will actually do that...just thought it would make me feel better.

I do lots of things to make me feel better, we all do.

I think you might want to steer clear of even that type of a note. It's anonymous and could be misconstrued as stalking and further more, these types of people are self serving and don't particularly care how they are viewed by others. Just my humble opinion. They're miserable people who lead a miserable life. Not your problem.

I know...I know...I am just SO frustrated with everything they have done. I really wanted to plant cottonwoods all along the fence line since their house is right next to our fence...and our house is on the other side of our property...but my other half wouldnt let me. They would probably just kill the trees anyway. They also have horses that they dont take care of. I have spoke to the humane society...but horses have to be unable to move before the humane society can do anything about it. They dont trim their feet, so they are so long they can hardly walk, and they are kept in a mud pit year round. I just think it is sad.

Melissa, Lauren is right. Vent here, but don't put anything in writing. These are the kind of people who would look for a reason to sue. I ought to know. My evil neighbot thought he could spend a year building a false case against my chickens. He had no idea i would resort in getting a lawyer who turned out knew about his conviction as a child molestor! Sometimes Kharma seems to take too long, but God is always on time with Justice! Terrible neighbors are everywhere. But when/if my neighbor has to move, maybe you can buy his place and be MY neighbor :-)

tf

OH my...I wish he WOULD move! I just told Ryan this morning that I think we should pack up and move to Texas! We got another snow storm last night...and I am just so tired of this cold weather! Is there room for my horses down there? Hahaha...

Room for your horses where I live ;) I know in our Village we have more horses than people and this is Thoroughbred Country and I can assure you nobody leaves their animals out in a mudpit.

Regarding that mudpit those horses are in, would you consider planting a few trees that might be able to dry it up in the next few years? I normally don't suggest people consider planting weedy or non-native trees but... this man I know has been doing some research in this area and calculated out the evapotranspiration rate for a single 8" Silver Maple's rate to be in excess of 6600 gallons of water per year. And we wonder why we are losing wetlands at an unprecedented rate when people plant exotics like weeping willows for the Mayberry RFD look. Bet the evapotranspiration rate on a Weeping Willow blows away the evapotranspiration rate of a Silver Maple. There are things you can do, how about starting by planting a benign little Silver Maple or two right up close to that mudpit he's leaving his animals in.

I actually ordered 50 silver maples just this week. I plan to line our fenceline with as many trees as I can! I would like to do 300 Concolor...and that would help to give those horses some wind break since they have nothing else. I had NO idea that maples drank that much water a year! We dont live in a marshy area...so I dont think it will be a problem...but we do have very rich soil.

Umm, 50 might be overkill based on what I know about these plants. A little bit of diversity goes a long way and depending on how much space you're planting in, you could literally end up creating some long term problems for your property.

I don't know which Concolor you are planting, White Balsam? Again, 300 might be overkill.

I am spreading these trees out over 30 acres...so I think I will be fine. They are saplings only 16 inches tall...so I dont expect all of them to live anyway. The DNR recommended 700/acre...but I am doing patches of them throughout the property. Where I live used to be full of nothing but trees...but there were all removed to make way for farm ground crops. I still have plenty of pasture for the horses...but I want to add trees for the birds, deer, turkey, and air quality.

The concolor are also called White fir. I plan to 3 rows of these...and cover as much of our 1/2 mile of fence line that runs between our house and our neighbors.

Abies concolor = White Fir but another common name is White Balsam.

300 acres? Lucky you!

Given what you've shared with me about wanting to create habitat for wildlife, you might want to contact this organization-
http://www.inhf.org/prairiemgmt.htm
Check out their assistance programs.

Another possibility to receive assistance for creating such habitat is the Cropland Reserve Program (CRP). I am told there are several variations of this program, but generally it’s a 10 or 15 year agreement to take the land out of production.

Good luck to you.

Thanks! Actually it is only 30, but 300 sure would be nice! I still have enough room to grow my own hay that we sell half each year, and use the other half for the horses and chickens.

Oops, I can see you did type 30 not 300. Truthfully, makes no difference as far as most of those organizations are concerned. It's all about getting the right species in the ground to be able to support the most wildlife.

Do you use a round bailer?

We dont have the equipment to bale it ourself, so we hire it out. We have used a neighbor who round bales...then we would just split it with him. Then last year we did the first cutting round, and sold the other half to the same neighbor..then used the money from that to pay the guy we hired to do sqaure bales for the 2nd and 3rd cuttings. We have more then enough hay again this year...but I always prefer too much then not enough.

Sounds as if you have an ideal situation there. I'm sure you're glad you don't need to invest in the equipment to round bale or square bale. I have no idea how small farmers can survive these days what with the costs of heavy equipment.

I just checked with my husband and Joyce hasn't been seen since right after I started this thread which really sucks. I went out today in the fresh fallen snow to check for prints as well as to look up into trees. Nothing. I also drove around to the subdivision just south of us and walked back onto this one guy's property to where I know his kids (now in college) used to have a tree fort. Not there either. Left a note on his door for him to call me if he saw my chicken. He likes to gab and will probably call me even if he doesn't see the chicken which means I'll have another set of eyes out there on the look out. Came home and checked our tree house again just for the heck of it and nothing.

Maybe you should take a break from looking for awhile. You could always get some chickens just for fun...and maybe then she would come home.

I do have it pretty nice here...but things are always needing work. When he have to get the vet...or an electrician...or someone out here we try to give directions and they just say, 'Oh...you live on the mountain huh?' Well...we dont have mountains here...our hill were our house sits is just that big. And our driveway comes up at the best spot we could find...but it is awful. While you are half way up it...and you are looking at NOTHING but the sky...it suddenly turns. The winter is always fun to see how many people just dont make it up. Ok...enough gabbing. I am going to watch Leno and go to sleep so I can get up early and check on my eggs! Only 5 more days before a new batch of chickens are born!

Even if Joyce does't turn up (hopefully this will not be the case), you should still get chickens. As long as you protect them properly from predators, and keep them fed and watered, you won't regret it. Chickens are fun and absolutely addicting! There are sooooo many breeds, it's like being a kid in a candy store. Go to any hatchery site and take a look at all the breeds and descriptions, you won't even know what to order! They come in different sizes and shapes. Different colors and patterns. Different personalities and different egg colors and sizes. Some are feather legged, some are crested. The choices abound! Anyways, I really hope she turns up for you and if not, at least someone cared enough for her to feed her and miss her when she wasn't around. To be loved and remembered is really all that matters in the end cause that's all that's left anyways.

Truth be known we have a HO association that disallows livestock. We can have as many horses as we want; just no pigs, cattle, chickens, etc. They made a big mistake though when they drafted the bylaws and the fine for a chicken is laughable so I would have been in a position to write a check for three chickens for the next three years no sweat and would have done it just to annoy the gal who has nothing better to do than to run around citing people. It's a ridiculous restriction anyway given we're not exactly on small lots here.

Joyce I would keep and I'd even buy her a few sisters. I don't know that I'd go out looking for anything else that breathes intentionally at this phase in my life. We take off way too much and the last time we left around the holidays, it cost us $20 a day to make sure somebody came over here daily to feed Joyce. The raccoons will trash all of her food and you do need to make sure the de-icer is working. Now add that $20 a day to boarding our dogs and having someone come over daily to check on our indoor cats as well as to water all the plants in my home and greenhouse and taking a vacation can get a little expensive. Which reminds me, we're taking off again and even though Joyce isn't around, we still have to pay somebody to come over just in case she shows up. We really want to scale down these days but would still take Joyce in if she ever appears again.

Now, if she does magically reappear... the "sisters" we would buy for her would be what ever kid is selling a chicken in the 4H barn over the summer who looks as if s/he truly loves his/her chicken and the chicken they are selling has a nice temperament. We could care less about the breeds of the sisters but would be more interested in disposition. I have no doubt there are some nasty chickens out there and that would take all the fun out of it for me. Does this make sense?

Absolutely! It's too bad Joyce's original owners weren't as responsible as you : )

They don't have it in them to be responsible. It's all about "me me me me me". It's living in the here and now for them with no thoughts of consequences for their actions or in this particular situation... their lack of action.

See incubator for sale on eBay. Buy incubator. Watch eggs hatch. Toss chicks in garage until weather warms up enough to set them free where they can be chased down and mauled by feral cats, gobbled up by coyotes, hit by cars, or shot at with bb guns by unsupervised children. Great learning experience for their kids, eh?

For what it's worth, I think more and more people are trying to be responsible. This family would be the exception to the rule.

I adopted one of those chickens with a bad
temperament. Before I got Davey, the roo, she
was really sweet. She would hop up on the patio
chair and sit next to me. Now, and it seems for no
reason at all, she will attack me from behind. If I am
wearing shorts, I will have a mark! ouch!
I take very good care of them, and they get plenty
of food.
Only reason I can think of, is I think she came from
a man's yard in town. He raises fighting cocks, and
has pet igloos all over his yard with roosters in them.
Maybe she escaped, being a hen, and just has these
aggressive genes. Do you think this is it?
I worry about her aggression with my granddaughters.
So far, i have kept her because she lays a jumbo a
day in good weather, but if she went after the girls,
they could get hurt.

well, when you get Joyce's sisters, I know you will thoroughly enjoy them!

mcamden, there isn't thrity acres next to us, but there are plenty of places around for sale, esp on the other side of the lake...

we are rural, but still close to town, and to other larger towns. we'd love to have you as a nieghbor, and you can borrow my horse barn/pasture if you ever need to!

http://www.city-data.com/city/Fritch-Texas.html

tf

My DH built this coop. We have 6 RIR's. We have several acres and have hawks, cayotes, racoons, foxes and possums around. A neighbor who has been letting their chickens free range, has lost several chickens during the day to cayotes that have come into their yard and snatch chickens. Our coop and run are moveable. The run is covered with chicken wire also. We have a gate for access to a netted area. We have a net that we net off an area for them to range in and so far so good, no critters here. Here is a picture. We have a door on the side of the coop opposite from the window. The nest boxes are located next to the door with outside access, so that we can collect the eggs from outside the coop. Every night my girls go into the coop on their own. I do go out before dark and scatter some oats and scratch around their feeder and also in their litter. Usually when it starts to get dark they go into the coop and then I go out and shut their hatch. Which I can do outside the coop too.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2008 5:46 PM

This message was edited Jan 20, 2008 5:58 PM

Here is another view of the coop with run before the nest boxes were added.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2008 4:34 PM

Here is a picture of the side of the coop with the nest boxes.

That's about the exact size of what I wanted! Great photos!

Hey T,

I checked out that site. Your weather sure is nice compared to ours! I looked up houses for sale in the area...but I didnt see anything that seemed too exciting. I think things are cheaper there then they are up here though! I do like that lake though...

WEll, if you want something exciting in the way of a house, you just need my DH to build you one LOL

Beautfiul coop! WE need one of those... or three

Nice! We havent even finished designing our main house up here yet...so I guess we could always just bring these plans down there! Although...I am not sure we would get what we woudl want out of our current property without a permanant home here. ::::::::::::) Maybe someday!

sure just sell it as a "you build to suit" LOL

I'd love to hear about your house plans, dmail me [don't mean to borrow Lauren's thread

Goodness gracious, hi-jack away. I love it when threads take on a life of their own and besides which... still haven't seen hide nor feather of Joyce lately.

Maybe Joyce was the inspiration you need to go ahead and make a nice coop. When it is built, she, or some chickne who needs it, will come! I sure would be for paying that fine with a big smile!

My kids are already staking claim to the lumber my husband bought for Joyce if she doesn't reappear. They want to add to their fort.

I must admit the thought of leaving an envelope on my door addressed to little miss pink post-it in which I write a little note thanking her for the violation notice and include a check to cover three years of chicken fines did sort of put a smile on my face.

Here's how it will work, Murphy's law and all...
I let the kids have the lumber, and Joyce will reappear.
I leave the lumber sit, and Joyce will never reappear.

The only ace in my pocket is that I have a greenhouse to stash her in if she reappears and we nab her.

Well, I like the "build it & she will come" notion...

heck, if you are giong to violate, you ought to get something loud, like guineas or peacocks...

Oh Lord, no peacocks. Those are eardrum shatterers. Talk about waking the dead and I've got a horrible sinus infection right now and my ears are totally plugged but I know if I had peacocks that even stuffed up ears wouldn't be enough to keep out peacock din. Guineas I don't know about. How bad are they? We have a few neighbors who like to go to work and leave their barking dogs outside all day long and sometimes in summer they leave them out all night long. In spring and fall we like to leave our windows open but no can do because they're leaving dogs out and are running their AC so they can sleep peacefully. Have always dreamed of launching a counter sound attack but figured I'd end up biting off my nose to spite my face with a pet like a peacock. And peacocks aren't all that affectionate like chickens are supposed to be either, right? They're more a moving lawn ornament, right?

I would not reccomend guineas! We wanted to get some...but then our crazy annoying neighbor got some instead. We WERE going to research them first though. He cant keep them in...and cant let them out because they end up roosting down in our ravine...and then they wont go home. They are SO annoying...not as loud as a peacock...but I actually like the way peacocks sound. We have a farm about 2 miles away that is full of them, and we can hear them all summer long.

check into the guineas, L. they are very trainable, and great watchdogs! they can be taught to eat out of your hand, some even keep as housepets [with diapers]. but when annoyed or frightened, they can be quite loud and annoying, bet they would shut those dogs right up! the story goes that when out in a field a flock of ugineas come across a dangerous snake, they circle it and make their one-syllable alram sound "chi-chi-chi" until the snake bites itself!!!

you can learn more about them here:

http://www.guineafowl.com/board/index.php

Attack birds, my husband would be so excited. The slate blue guineas are actually kind of pretty.