2 kids in TX want to raise chickens...Here i am! What now?

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spanknoid

spanknoid

Hatching
5 Years
May 23, 2014
4
0
7
McAllen, TX
I have two kids, 5 & 8, and live in South Texas. We have a space in our back yard that would be good for chickens, we think. Mom wants fresh eggs to eat, the kids want a pet(s), I want help to make this all happen. I am on board with the idea and am most worried about the chickens getting over the fence. Ill be reading the posts to get a better idea but know that my wife eats at least 2 eggs a day so I would need to produce at least a dozen eggs a week. Last thing, I wont want a rooster, but didn't know if chickens are loud at night? Will the cats and possums get them as they seem to frequent our back yard; until my son can learn how to use a BB gun.
 
Alright
welcome-byc.gif
great to have you joining the BYC flock
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BYC has a very useful learning center
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You should put a top on your run and secure the coop and run really tight or the possums will get in at night and destroy everything and they do kill for fun ...

I have several roosters and they do crow all night just need some noise or a faint light and them chickens will never go to sleep but a rooster is only for fertilizing egg's and making noise and a rooster will keep the hens in one spot also .....



Do you have any idea what kind of chickens you are going to get ???
 
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Welcome.
The predators are a problem. Everything likes the taste of chicken. Unless the hens are disturbed, they won't make a peep at night. They're night blind, go to roost at dusk and don't move till dawn. For that reason, the coop needs to be predator proof.
You'll use more eggs than you do now when you have delicious fresh eggs in your own backyard.
There are times of the year, like during and after molt, when they don't lay eggs.
It's recommended to have at least two chickens for every family member.
Some breeds fly more than others.
Being in south Texas, you'll want to start with a list of breeds that are heat hardy and narrow it down from there.
Start by researching these two charts.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
Use the learning center tab at the top of the page to research, especially coop building.
Chickens need fresh water, good food, lots of fresh air and predator protection.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice and links above, X3 hens are usually quiet at night unless something is bothering them. You might like to check out the BYC Learning Center, lots of good articles on all aspects of chicken keeping in general you'll find useful. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
X3, the predators will be a problem, there is a good overview in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock and you can check out the Predator forum for suggestions on dealing with them www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests
Be sure to check out the Coops section for some design ideas www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coop_Designs
Check out those breed links ChickenCanoe gave you for some breed ideas, they do list average egg production per week for the breeds when they are laying well. And check out your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors and what breeds they have had luck with https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/44/texas
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Yes, you will need a good predator proof coop for night time roosting. Predators will come for miles knowing you have chickens! You may need to build a run to contain them if they do fly over the fence. Chickens fly. So consider a big run. Many of us keep our birds in large runs and let them out with supervision only.

You have been given lots of great links to follow for more help. Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
Thanks for the insight thus far. We are looking at chickens solely for egg production for consumption. If I use the 2X family member that would be 8 chickens. I am not sure we want to throw ourselves that deep that early. I have a space that I would like to use that is roughly 8X50. Would that be enough for 8 chickens? I would let them roam in the larger back yard at times but would rather they stay in that area.

Given the heat, and the want to lay eggs frequently and 2 kids that would want to play with them, are the following breeds OK? Can we have multiple breeds in the same area?

Austorlorpe, Hybrid, Polish are the 3 that jump out at me from the chart in the learning center.

Thoughts?
 
spanknoid said:
Thanks for the insight thus far. We are looking at chickens solely for egg production for consumption. If I use the 2X family member that would be 8 chickens. I am not sure we want to throw ourselves that deep that early. I have a space that I would like to use that is roughly 8X50. Would that be enough for 8 chickens? I would let them roam in the larger back yard at times but would rather they stay in that area.

Given the heat, and the want to lay eggs frequently and 2 kids that would want to play with them, are the following breeds OK? Can we have multiple breeds in the same area?

Austorlorpe, Hybrid, Polish are the 3 that jump out at me from the chart in the learning center.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
You can mix most breeds together with no troubles at all. However, the exception can be Polish or Silkies. These birds with the big top hats and long feathers hanging down tend to get picked on sometimes, especially Polish. So be aware of this. The Australorps are great on laying and do make great pets, as do the Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Easter Eggers...ect...

Take a look at this link...lots of quick info on the different breeds and their attributes...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
 
If I lived in the heat of south Texas (heaven forbid) I'd be looking at Mediterranean breeds, Cubalayas, Fayoumis and similar breeds. Chickens can handle cold but suffer in heat. They pant at 85, suffer at 95 and start dying at 105.
I lost a nice Welsummer to heat a couple summers ago when it stayed at 100 and above for weeks.
No offense to the learning center because it is a valuable resource on this incredible website and forum but I think the 2 charts I gave you are a little better. They are written by people with experience in all the breeds in the US. I could be wrong but IMHO, most of the BYCers that write reviews don't have experience with enough breeds to be able to fairly evaluate them. Everyone loves their birds and will sing their praises.

X2 on the birds with top knots being prone to bullying and especially vulnerable to predator attack. They just don't have the same field of vision.
 
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ChickenCanoe said:
If I lived in the heat of south Texas (heaven forbid) I'd be looking at Mediterranean breeds, Cubalayas, Fayoumis and similar breeds. Chickens can handle cold but suffer in heat. They pant at 85, suffer at 95 and start dying at 105.
I lost a nice Welsummer to heat a couple summers ago when it stayed at 100 and above for weeks.
No offense to the learning center because it is a valuable resource on this incredible website and forum but I think the 2 charts I gave you are a little better. They are written by people with experience in all the breeds in the US. I could be wrong but IMHO, most of the BYCers that write reviews don't have experience with enough breeds to be able to fairly evaluate them. Everyone loves their birds and will sing their praises.

X2 on the birds with top knots being prone to bullying and especially vulnerable to predator attack. They just don't have the same field of vision.
Click to expand...

Not to sound funny but there is a trick to having chickens in + 100 F degrees and it is water and getting the ground wet several times a day as it get's up to 129F for about 4 weeks the end of July and the Beginning of August and I have a lot of different types of birds here now the wind with the sand in it now that is a killer ...

But a wet towel to set on makes all the difference ...





Some of the geese have been here for over 12 years ...





The EE pullets ,,I have been doing them for 5 years ...





4 years old ...





Feeding time at the zoo ....





Yep little shallow water pans with just enough water to get the
feet wet .....
 

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