So ... I am wanting to switch to meat birds. I would like to be able to kill one per week or so. I have heard great things about Ideal in Cameron, Texas, and that's the vendor I am leaning towards, with either their black or red broilers. I am avoiding the Cornish varieties because they are not...
So I have 6 chicks from an Easter Egger rooster and Barred Plymouth Rock hen. The roo & hen are now the only ones left after two chickens died during a disastrous free-ranging trial. But that's another story.
I live in far north Texas. Temps are starting to taper down now *just* a bit, with...
Yeah I actually thought of removing the roosts also, forcing them to get down away from the vents and window cracks, and maybe also just cutting the bales and literally stacking 2 feet deep of fluffed straw.
I'm in north central TX, and we're about to get it here as well. Down to -2 by Monday 2/15. I posted about maybe stacking some straw bales they could perhaps hunker down in.
I had the idea of getting some straw bales to put in the coop, and placing them with 12" gaps, such that the birds can hunker into them and stay warm. Will they adapt that quickly? Is this a good idea?
This is a 6x10 foot coop and 9 birds, 1 roo and 8 hens
The coop is already pretty solid and...
Well my current routine is every 2 weeks I completely empty the coop of all hay and pine shavings, and spread it in the run, and replace the coop bedding with hay and shavings on top. Every morning I toss out about a cup of scratch grains.
I’ve been doing a little more reading and I think the...
Update: I appreciate everything, guys ... I put a heat lamp out late last night because it got down in the low 40s, thought maybe it would keep her comfortable at least... this morning she was just barely hanging on, and I decided that enough was enough so I dispatched her quickly. I cleaned...
Update: I went out to the coop just now and she was holed up under some boards. Breathing but almost no energy. I could easily pick her up and turn her over and she would stay put. Even as a newb, I’d be surprised if she lasts the night (but what do I know). I took a rag with warm soapy water...
I have an approximately 5 month old barred rock hen, along with 9 other hens and a Easter egger rooster. For the past few days, this single bird has had these symptoms
solitary and lethargic. Stays inside coop and very still
eats only a little
closes eyes often, when eyes are open can see...
They showed back up! All of them! The first one back, my favorite, was trembling,meowing (she never does that) and wouldn't get six inches away from my feet. She got to come inside for a few hours :-)
So a beautiful black Bombay female shows up at my place about 4 months ago, and in a month, instead of 1 cat that I've adopted ... I have 7 :)
No problem, so I have given mama cat & the kiddos shelter food & water for about 12 weeks. I am very attached to these babies but I can only...
I am very new to chickens, so please forgive ignorance :cool:
I have 11 birds, all about 12 weeks old, 10 hens, one rooster. I live in far north central Texas. The soil is sandy and fairly absorbent, pools don't last more than a day or two.
Coop is 6ft x 10ft, wood framed, elevated ~2ft and...
The frame for my walls are about the same height ... I went ahead and ran 1/2" hardware cloth all the way to the top. Expensive, but I felt it was worth it. I tried to keep as long of runs of the cloth as possible before cutting it, and then tried to put the seam along something solid. The HC is...
(Duplicating my post from another thread)
I have a JVR timer model I got from Amazon, and am pleased with it.
https://www.amazon.com/JVR-Automati...99884799&sprefix=jvr+automatic,aps,756&sr=8-6
With this model the door always hangs from the actuator arm, by a ~1.5" vertical slot ... that way...
I admit I'm a booger-eating newbie, including to country living, chickens, and to this board, but here is what I think, FWIW:
1) KEEP THAT GUN IN THE CABINET! Violence and weapons never make situations better. They are for dire emergencies, when there's no other choice. The attack is over. Now...