Hi Meredith,
I see from a previous comment, you used to live here in Rochester, NY (I'm in Gates). I have a couple questions for you.
I may need to inquire about a permit, or permits for my 6 girls?
Question 1: My girls free range in a 19'x30' fenced off section of my yard, that is mostly shaded by a cherry tree. In Rochester, what level of extra protection did, would you provide for your girls in the winter months? (Scarves, mittens, boots, down jackets? LoL)
- I ask as the coop we acquired in April is not robust, thin ~1/8" plywood walls and not at all 'wind proof', as the entire lower level, and one of the upper-level doors into the main room is only 1/2" screening. I do plan to move the coop to within about 5' of the side of my house with the doors all facing the house to minimize the effects of the weather (wind and snow). I expect that I will also need to attach some type of outer boarding either a sturdy cardboard or a thin, either wood or plastic, plywood) to cover the screening. I do have an external power outlet near where their coop will be, so I can keep their water from freezing, and run a light/heater that I have hung from the top of the peak of the upper section main room of the coop.
Question 2: I hear about people being able to easily approach and hold their birds, yet at this point, except when up to 5 of them may be sitting atop the high point of the coop at bedtime, when they will allow me to pet them, and possibly hold them to put them into the coop, none of them want to interact with me at all. Any thoughts as to why all 6 of them are so aloof?
- My 6 girls are: 1 Americauna (Henrietta), 1 Sapphire Gem (Lynn), 2 Lavender Orpingtons (Fredi and Ricki), and 2 Easter Eggers (Holly and Princess). Since I got them as peeps in early April, I have attempted to bond/ connect with them, and handle them. Daily, I let them out of the coop in the morning, assuring their food and water are full and clean. I frequently also bring them out pie tins with various treats (fruits, vegies, seed mixes, purchased dried bugs, egg shells, etc) that they seem to enjoy. I always talk to them, frequently calling them by their names, and in the evening at around sunset, "tucking them in" to their coop, so they are safe from things that go "bump in the night".
Thanks - Chris
Meredith
Sunday 28th of July 2024
Hi Chris! What a fun coincidence, I grew up in Chili! At both of our houses in rochester our chickens were housed in pretty robust sheds that we converted into chicken coops, so they had thick walls and substantial doors and windows. That helped a lot with the cold. We also always stacked a few bales of straw in the coop in the winter just to make the space a little smaller and provide some easy insulation. We covered the doors and windows with wool horse blankets when the temps dropped below zero. Be very careful with heaters in the coop, even though it seems like a good idea it can kill your flock if a fire happens or if the power goes out and they go into shock from the quick change from warm to cold. We never used a heater and our chickens never had any issues. As for your second question, I find that friendliness depends mostly on breed and secondly on how much you handle them as chicks. Breeds like Silkies and Orpingtons are more likely to want to be held than breeds like Leghorns and Ameraucanas who are more flighty and wary of people. All of our Easter Eggers/ Ameraucanas have always hated being held, so I think breed is your biggest culprit. I hope this helps! Thanks for writing!
Reuben
Thursday 11th of May 2023
Looks like you moved. Your bio says Knoxville, but you mention upstate New York. In Rochester, licenses are a little expensive($70).
Meredith
Thursday 22nd of February 2024
Yes, I did move last year. And yes, it's expensive to keep chickens in Rochester! Just as a note, we kept chickens in Rochester for 6 years and never got a permit for them. We were very close with our neighbors and gave them lots of free eggs, and they never had a reason to call the city on us because we kept everything clean and didn't have roosters. All to say, you don't strictly have to get the permit, but it's a good idea to get it to cover yourself if you have picky neighbors.
Janien
Friday 10th of June 2022
Can I let my chickens out yet? I have been keeping them in due to the 2022 bird flu.
Meredith
Friday 17th of June 2022
That's totally your call. The risk of bird flu is still present and likely will be for awhile. But with that said, we never kept our birds inside due to bird flu. It just depends on what level of risk you're comfortable with. You may also want to look into how many cases are present in your area, if it's low you're probably fine to let them out!
Chris Bohman
Wednesday 3rd of July 2024
Hi Meredith, I see from a previous comment, you used to live here in Rochester, NY (I'm in Gates). I have a couple questions for you. I may need to inquire about a permit, or permits for my 6 girls?
Question 1: My girls free range in a 19'x30' fenced off section of my yard, that is mostly shaded by a cherry tree. In Rochester, what level of extra protection did, would you provide for your girls in the winter months? (Scarves, mittens, boots, down jackets? LoL) - I ask as the coop we acquired in April is not robust, thin ~1/8" plywood walls and not at all 'wind proof', as the entire lower level, and one of the upper-level doors into the main room is only 1/2" screening. I do plan to move the coop to within about 5' of the side of my house with the doors all facing the house to minimize the effects of the weather (wind and snow). I expect that I will also need to attach some type of outer boarding either a sturdy cardboard or a thin, either wood or plastic, plywood) to cover the screening. I do have an external power outlet near where their coop will be, so I can keep their water from freezing, and run a light/heater that I have hung from the top of the peak of the upper section main room of the coop.
Question 2: I hear about people being able to easily approach and hold their birds, yet at this point, except when up to 5 of them may be sitting atop the high point of the coop at bedtime, when they will allow me to pet them, and possibly hold them to put them into the coop, none of them want to interact with me at all. Any thoughts as to why all 6 of them are so aloof? - My 6 girls are: 1 Americauna (Henrietta), 1 Sapphire Gem (Lynn), 2 Lavender Orpingtons (Fredi and Ricki), and 2 Easter Eggers (Holly and Princess). Since I got them as peeps in early April, I have attempted to bond/ connect with them, and handle them. Daily, I let them out of the coop in the morning, assuring their food and water are full and clean. I frequently also bring them out pie tins with various treats (fruits, vegies, seed mixes, purchased dried bugs, egg shells, etc) that they seem to enjoy. I always talk to them, frequently calling them by their names, and in the evening at around sunset, "tucking them in" to their coop, so they are safe from things that go "bump in the night".
Thanks - Chris
Meredith
Sunday 28th of July 2024
Hi Chris! What a fun coincidence, I grew up in Chili! At both of our houses in rochester our chickens were housed in pretty robust sheds that we converted into chicken coops, so they had thick walls and substantial doors and windows. That helped a lot with the cold. We also always stacked a few bales of straw in the coop in the winter just to make the space a little smaller and provide some easy insulation. We covered the doors and windows with wool horse blankets when the temps dropped below zero. Be very careful with heaters in the coop, even though it seems like a good idea it can kill your flock if a fire happens or if the power goes out and they go into shock from the quick change from warm to cold. We never used a heater and our chickens never had any issues. As for your second question, I find that friendliness depends mostly on breed and secondly on how much you handle them as chicks. Breeds like Silkies and Orpingtons are more likely to want to be held than breeds like Leghorns and Ameraucanas who are more flighty and wary of people. All of our Easter Eggers/ Ameraucanas have always hated being held, so I think breed is your biggest culprit. I hope this helps! Thanks for writing!
Reuben
Thursday 11th of May 2023
Looks like you moved. Your bio says Knoxville, but you mention upstate New York. In Rochester, licenses are a little expensive($70).
Meredith
Thursday 22nd of February 2024
Yes, I did move last year. And yes, it's expensive to keep chickens in Rochester! Just as a note, we kept chickens in Rochester for 6 years and never got a permit for them. We were very close with our neighbors and gave them lots of free eggs, and they never had a reason to call the city on us because we kept everything clean and didn't have roosters. All to say, you don't strictly have to get the permit, but it's a good idea to get it to cover yourself if you have picky neighbors.
Janien
Friday 10th of June 2022
Can I let my chickens out yet? I have been keeping them in due to the 2022 bird flu.
Meredith
Friday 17th of June 2022
That's totally your call. The risk of bird flu is still present and likely will be for awhile. But with that said, we never kept our birds inside due to bird flu. It just depends on what level of risk you're comfortable with. You may also want to look into how many cases are present in your area, if it's low you're probably fine to let them out!