El Paso Tx looking for local newbies to exchange experiences and knowledge

[DntCallMeChickn]

I am a first timer, I have taken the challenge of raising 6 baby chicks of various breeds.
they are 3wks old as of now
I live in the Far East side
built a chicken coop from reclaimed pallet wood and old dog run
not to many people know of the benefits of raising chickens in the inner city and I would like to bounce ideas of people here locally

 

[randysam11]

HI!! I live on the far west side in canutillo.
i got my first 3 chickens in march of last year a year later nd im up to 28 haha
and cant find anyone who is as chicken crazy as i am.

 

[pollopicante]

Hi, I have been lurking at byc for quite some time, this is my first post. My hubby and I are about to buy our first home on the east side and I will get to realize my dream of having back yard chickens! The only concern is we will be in the city...near eastwood to be precise. So what type of chickens are you all having success with in our city? Im thinking i want heavier birds to prevent them from ending up on wedgewood.

 

[randysam11]

just be sure to keep their wings clipped and a confined area with a top so that doesnt happen.
ive got barred rocks
easter eggers and an ameraucana
bantams
rhose island reds
a sex link and a leghorn
easter egger rir crosses
and an easter egger barred rock cross.
ive got barred rock rir crosses due to hatch at rhe end of this month
and some easter egger/ameraucana crosses as well to hatch soon.
also i have a silkie.

we will be getting a shipment of partridge, light, and gold laced brahmas in the next week.

from my experience rir tend to be a bit more Aggressive toward eachother and other breeds.
banty roos are jerks.

if youre wanting them for eggs id say go with leghorn sexlink or rir those are great laying breeds.

if they are strictly for pet id day go with barred rocks very docile and sweet or banty hens.

if for dual purpose go for brahmas rir or barred rocks.

im only talking out of my experience
and the breeds i know.

 

[pollopicante]

Hi, thanks for the reply and the good info. We want them for pets and eggs-a different type of dual purpose I suppose. We were thinking brahma, naked neck, easter egg and maybe susses or sex link. Its so hard to choose just 4!

 

[randysam11]

it is super hard!
finding a brahma is going to be difficult. ive had chickens for 2 years now and am only now able to get access to brahmas. (through a breeder)
easter eggers are easy-ish there is a feed store on the west side in canutillo who will be selling easter eggers (ameraucanas) end of this month.
sex links are easy, pretty much anyone who sells hens sell those around here.

 

[randysam11]

you might have the best of luck to go through a hatchery... because of the turkey neck and brahma but you may not be able to get access to girls for awhile unless you order st run. and then there is still no garantee youll get a girl in there and it can get stupidly pricey. also depending where you buy youll have to get more than 4. you could easily sell the rest or split a shipment with someone.
from what ibe been hearing theres lile a shortage on chicks this year, and stores that sell chicks in our area arent/havent been getting everything they wanted.
super fruaterating when youve already got your set breeds

 

[pollopicante]

I know, I'm so on the fence about having chicks shipped, I would definitely prefer to purchase locally and avoid the risk/expense of dealing with the post office and a hatchery. The Tractor supply place on Alameda and Americas has a big sign out front that their chicks are in. I realize I should start small but I'm so excited. Have you seen the movie Bridesmaids? At one point the bride calls her wedding party a "stone cold pack of weird-o's" and that is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of what my flock will be like. The funniest part is we haven't even bought the house yet...but I'm more excited for the chickens than the house!

 

[randysam11]

tractor supply has been lacking it this year. ive been to the one in cruses every weekend for about 2 months straightnow and they usually only have sex links and bantys

the house will be fun!
theres a lot of people who build them around town and some do special orders my boyfriend builds mine for me and wants to get into building chicken coops for the public for some extra cash and its fun for him cause he gets to design it.
youre going to love having chickens! with all my different breeds i keep experimenting with the chicks. so far the prettiest mix i have is the EE rir cross and shes super friendly but the cutest cross i have is a barred EE hes adorable! ill definetly be doing some more of those!
we sell the chicks and whatever stays we keep for food.
i know its horrible but its a lot more humane this way i feel and i personally eat a lot of chicken and turkey (red meat hurts my stomach) and it has cut down our grocery bill a bit.

 

[pollopicante]

I dont think its horrible to eat your chickens, it makes sense. I dont think we will ever have enuf of them to do that tho. Just enuf to keep my kids full of scrambled eggs. Do you kill them yourself? Ive read through some of the threads in the meat section and I think I would be afraid of hurting the bird too much. that sounds wierd considering the goal is to kill the bird. I think I want to build a coop/run out of mostly found items. Maybe old cabinets or something if we do any renovations at the house.