Chicken Coops for Sale in Abingdon, Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Abingdon, Virginia
Snake in the Chicken Coop!
Yesterday morning was, shall we say, eventful, around here.
Usually I while the children run around doing chores like feeding bucks, chickens, etc.Well, I was almost finished milking when Lucas came and said, in a most serious voice “Mom, I have some news.”
He had gone to feed our chicks, who had just outgrown their brooder box, and been placed in the only 2 days before, when he spotted a snake inside with a suspicious lump in its belly. It had already eaten a chick.
You may not know this about me, but I don’t do snakes. At all. Like when my kids go to the zoo, they have to hope we meet friends there, because mommy is doing good to wait calmly outside the reptile house while other sweet mommies take them in. Like I don’t go into pet stores because I think the birds are squawking to warn me that the snakes are out. Like I dashed out the side door at Lucas’ school field trip because the exit they were leading us out was between 2 snake tanks. Who does that? Shame on you Huntsville Botanical Gardens! How about warning a girl?
Anywho, I don’t do snakes.
I also cannot just let one roam around our property eating my animals, eating my children, eating me, etc, now can I? I’m the adult in charge during the day, so it was my job to handle it. Lucas had opened the door to let the chicks out, and I went to the house to prepare for battle. First, I needed my . *affiliate* I feel much safer in my muck boots.
| Aren’t they pretty? |
Next I grabbed not one, not two, but THREE guns and I headed to the pasture. I tried to walk close to the coop, but my phobia prevented me getting as close as might have been prudent, so instead, I went to my garden. I feel safe there. (Don’t worry, the coop was near the garden, at least.) I set my excess guns down on the beehive. Bees don’t scare me, by the way. And I set to the business at hand.
| This shot was taken last month, before anything was growing, but the coop is still in the same spot! |
Warn neighbor who is standing outside. Check.
Yell at goat who is eating the chicken feed and blocking the shot. Check.
Yell at turkey who keeps sticking its head in the shot. Check.
Throw things at goat who won’t go away. Check, check, check, and check.
Ready, aim, fire. 5 rounds from my rifle. At least 4 were hits. Wait.
The dang things starts trying to slither off! Can I get a big southern girl “OH, HELL NO!”?
9 shots from Grandaddy’s pistol. (It’s a good thing the gun holds 9 shots because it isn’t accurate at all!)
One more shot from my usual sidearm, and I finally call it dead. I would have emptied that gun too, but it is a higher caliber and I didn’t want to accidentally put any holes in my coop! See, I can think under pressure. Kind of.
Anyway, it was a L O N G day of waiting for Eric to get home from work. I did all sorts of things that did not include mowing the pasture, which had been my goal for the day. Finally Eric came home. He pronounced the snake dead. He also said that the first shots I fired from the rifle had been adequate.
Whatever dude. This crazy stuff never happens when you are home.
Anyway, he disposed of the snake, but not before he gave a science lesson to the kids as they cut it open to see which chick had been eaten. *shudder*
I sure am glad that’s over. I sure would appreciate a calm, relaxing day on the farm today. Yeah right.
On the bright side, Eric has promised me a for snake dispatching, and I’m holding him to it. I thought about using his, but it probably would have knocked me over shooting it, and then the snake would have eaten me.
Happy Weekend Everyone!
P.S. No, I will not be posting pictures of it.
P.P.S. Don’t mess with my animals.
Did you enjoy this story? Believe it or not, crazy stuff like this happens around here all. the. time. Read all about it from the cow’s point of view with Beulah’s moooooooooosletter!
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Baby Chick Hatching in Abingdon, Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Abingdon Virginia" into any one of the numerous search engines and a wealth of information will pop up. This information will provide links to other websites that will be informative and will provide the right direction for finding Abingdon Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Abingdon, Virginia With the big rise in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as big increase in the range of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Poultry real estate is a situation in factor. It's also a timeless example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective fowl real estate professionals pitch a variety of lodging declaring to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate demands. Often the cost looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap and horrible cages flooding the market. I know this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was just a pricey stack of fire wood and also a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For Sale in Abingdon, Virginia
Usually these mass produced models are built of quick grown up hardwood - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm day suggests the timber dries and cracks, the felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their when desirable home yet because the hovel is now a place for, and probably abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit four large chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A couple of hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and also the pop hole door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to three factors which will define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally normally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home should have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. Your house needs to have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will accumulate every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Realize, ventilation works with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, however you need to additionally consider the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free variety bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is perhaps enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out some of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, appropriate ventilation and also sufficient nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a bargain, yet you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and also it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer given the proper treatment. In the long run your fowl as well as your chicken maintaining encounter will be considerably the far better for it.chickens build
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