A BIG Hello from Texas!

[RogerTheChicken]

Hello from a fellow Texan

 

[bornbeth]

Thank you for your warm welcome and kindness everybody! I have been extremely busy (as I'm sure y'all have been too) getting my chicken barn set up, raising the chicks, and dealing with sooooo much rain and flooding I haven't had time to enjoy this sight yet!
Then j



Just as I took a deep breath (back in April), my husband fell and broke his back. It has been a VERY prayerful time, but not only am I surviving, I am THRIVING because of my CHICKENS!!

The breeds I have are....LET'S DO CHICKEN MATH Yay!!

6 Buff Orpingtons
6 New Hampshire Reds
3 Silver Laced Wyandottes
1 New Hampshire Red Rooster= 16 (with the possibility of a bunch more next year)

Here are a few pics...I can't post as many as I want today, but I will keep at it until I'm up to date. Also, i have to learn how to use the writing tools, so please be patient.

Peace Be With You All...
Beth

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks for posting the pics. Your coop looks nice but if you have any predators in your area (dogs, cats, racoons, opossums, coyotes, rats, weasels, snakes, etc.) I would strongly advice you to cover that chicken wire with hardware cloth as too many predators can either tear through chicken wire, or squeeze through the openings in the mesh. It will cost you some extra money but it's cheaper than replacing your flock. Hardware cloth has spared many chicken owners a lot of tears. Also if you have raccoons in the area, either put a padlock or a double action latch on your coop door as raccoons can quickly figure out how to open a single action latch. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens.

 

[bornbeth]

Thank you for the advice Michael OShay.

I live in town, literally 6 blocks from City Hall so I don't have to worry about predators other than hawks. I did bury the wire well below the ground and also installed steel sheeting around the bottom of their run to dissuade digging critters like skunks or opossums just in case.
I have a wonder dog (a Texas Heeler named Lucy) that keeps watch over the chickens and is very attached to them as her charges. She guards the yard from any intruders too.
Plus, the chickens are closed in at night and I have buried the walls of the barn underground and insulated the roof to prevent snakes from getting in.

I lost a bunch of chickens years ago out in the country by letting them free range during the day. I didn't loose any of my meat chickens because they were in chicken tractors, and never out of them. These chickens have never been outside the coop, not yet, and I'm having a hard time deciding if they ever will.

I've had to find and utilize salvaged materials (including the barn) because I live on a disability income, so buying enough rabbit wire to redo the coop is out of the question. Although, I am planning on going to a used appliance yard to buy refrigerator shelves to reinforce the run on the inside. So far I have been very thorough in planning for predators of the urban kind, and should be fully reinforced soon.
Again, thank you for your advice I do appreciate it...

 

[Michael OShay]

Thank you for the advice Michael OShay.

You're welcome, and good luck with your flock. )

 

[nj2wv]

welcome to BYC !!