Hello from Tomball, TX (Houston Area)....
- Thread starter ConnorClan
- Start date
Looking for folks in the area. We're in Magnolia and have Barred Rock and Dominique chickens. We have a secure yard and coop. Interested in seeing what others are doing with this whimsical Texas weather. 
I am still improving on my habitat but its a neat design both from an ergonomic and from a climate control stand point. Our girls have laid pretty well through the recent cold snaps. We have a hanging feeder with lay pellets in the chicken house, a flock block in the far corner of the yard in an old dog igloo, grit and calcium in rabbit feeders on a post in the middle of the yard, water in and out side of the chicken house, and we feed greens, peas and squash or melon in the afternoons. We throw scratch and black sunflower seed when ever we exit the yard (no more than ten percent of the diet of course) and we add an omega 3 supplement to the pellets. We have an automatic pop door but I started having it raise later like ten am because the roosters are getting aggressive and I just don't enjoy working in the yard with them out anymore. So I get everything done and gather the feed for the house before I let them out. But propping the door open means I have to close it later. The pop door still closes after dark but sometimes getting back out there to close the house door is inconvenient. I sure did like the pop door schedule we had before but its better having the roosters at bay. After we hatch a clutter or two Nique and D'roo are soup quite possibly. I just love Nique. He's such a tough rooster but he is trying to bully me so he's going to have to go. I'll try to handle the next generation more. I've tried the "not being a rooster" approach, which involves ignoring attacks and backing away and trying not to startle them. I tried. It doesn't work. That just encourages them to try to gain territory and block your path and then eventually they will attack again. And who has time for that? So Whatever. I'm back to the original "be a better rooster" approach. Ha ha. It involve the rooster behaviors of controlling their privileges to food, hens and standing in the corner. IDK maybe it'll be the soup technique. But I have to admit its funny when I run one of them off from mating. How rude. Ha ha. So I let them out of the house, poke towards the boys with my staff to herd them directly into the corner of the yard, go in and fill the feed bin. If I throw scratch I make them stay in the corner until the girls have a start at it like the dominant roo would do. If I'm serving greens I do the same. then I let them come and eat. I worked like a charm when it was new but in the third week the dominant Nique is coming out with his dukes up. I would like to hold out for chicks but I have to admit I am shopping for a pressure cooker. Any idea? How did you do in the cold snap? did you get eggs? I got 7 or 8 eggs a day from eight hens with two roosters. I hear they lay better without the roosters to bother them. But that doesn't make chicks. besides, if you don't have cockerels, what would you eat? How are yours laying? what are you feeding? do they roam? what kind of habitat do you have? how many do you have? What breed? Are you in a neighborhood or country?
KatDawson
I am still improving on my habitat but its a neat design both from an ergonomic and from a climate control stand point. Our girls have laid pretty well through the recent cold snaps. We have a hanging feeder with lay pellets in the chicken house, a flock block in the far corner of the yard in an old dog igloo, grit and calcium in rabbit feeders on a post in the middle of the yard, water in and out side of the chicken house, and we feed greens, peas and squash or melon in the afternoons. We throw scratch and black sunflower seed when ever we exit the yard (no more than ten percent of the diet of course) and we add an omega 3 supplement to the pellets. We have an automatic pop door but I started having it raise later like ten am because the roosters are getting aggressive and I just don't enjoy working in the yard with them out anymore. So I get everything done and gather the feed for the house before I let them out. But propping the door open means I have to close it later. The pop door still closes after dark but sometimes getting back out there to close the house door is inconvenient. I sure did like the pop door schedule we had before but its better having the roosters at bay. After we hatch a clutter or two Nique and D'roo are soup quite possibly. I just love Nique. He's such a tough rooster but he is trying to bully me so he's going to have to go. I'll try to handle the next generation more. I've tried the "not being a rooster" approach, which involves ignoring attacks and backing away and trying not to startle them. I tried. It doesn't work. That just encourages them to try to gain territory and block your path and then eventually they will attack again. And who has time for that? So Whatever. I'm back to the original "be a better rooster" approach. Ha ha. It involve the rooster behaviors of controlling their privileges to food, hens and standing in the corner. IDK maybe it'll be the soup technique. But I have to admit its funny when I run one of them off from mating. How rude. Ha ha. So I let them out of the house, poke towards the boys with my staff to herd them directly into the corner of the yard, go in and fill the feed bin. If I throw scratch I make them stay in the corner until the girls have a start at it like the dominant roo would do. If I'm serving greens I do the same. then I let them come and eat. I worked like a charm when it was new but in the third week the dominant Nique is coming out with his dukes up. I would like to hold out for chicks but I have to admit I am shopping for a pressure cooker. Any idea? How did you do in the cold snap? did you get eggs? I got 7 or 8 eggs a day from eight hens with two roosters. I hear they lay better without the roosters to bother them. But that doesn't make chicks. besides, if you don't have cockerels, what would you eat? How are yours laying? what are you feeding? do they roam? what kind of habitat do you have? how many do you have? What breed? Are you in a neighborhood or country?KatDawson
Welcome to BYC from Southern California!
a girl after my own heart
Hello there,
We have had chickens for a couple of years now. We have read that it is better to have a dozen hens to a rooster. We have 20 layers and get 12-15 eggs a day. They still produced well in the summer too. We had a small building built and built the rest out ourselves. We have 8 nesting boxes. We built a pen with a small door to where they can come in and go out as they want. At the end of the pen we built two seperate areas to keep the problem chickens in or ones being picked on or the smaller chickens. We have done things by trial and error. I think we are on the right trail now to raising chickens. We just had a mom hatch out two babies two weeks ago.
We have had chickens for a couple of years now. We have read that it is better to have a dozen hens to a rooster. We have 20 layers and get 12-15 eggs a day. They still produced well in the summer too. We had a small building built and built the rest out ourselves. We have 8 nesting boxes. We built a pen with a small door to where they can come in and go out as they want. At the end of the pen we built two seperate areas to keep the problem chickens in or ones being picked on or the smaller chickens. We have done things by trial and error. I think we are on the right trail now to raising chickens. We just had a mom hatch out two babies two weeks ago.
Help...
I am in need of finding a new good (kill free) home for my Buff Orpington rooster. He is almost a year old. I have had him since he was two days old. He was suppose to be a she when I purchased him.He is huge and beautiful. He loves the girls. My Jersey Giant rooster is about 10 lbs now and had decided he is going to be boss and is trying to hurt Buff. Buff is a very sweet rooster. Free to a great home.
I am in need of finding a new good (kill free) home for my Buff Orpington rooster. He is almost a year old. I have had him since he was two days old. He was suppose to be a she when I purchased him.He is huge and beautiful. He loves the girls. My Jersey Giant rooster is about 10 lbs now and had decided he is going to be boss and is trying to hurt Buff. Buff is a very sweet rooster. Free to a great home.
Post an ad in the Buy Sell and Trade section here of BYC. Include all you can, your location and pics. Good luck in finding him a new home.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade
Thank you for the advise. I can not figure out how to post. Do I have to pay more money?
No it is free. If you want to place an add, go here.....https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/16182/animals-in-need-of-free-re-homing and "start a new thread". Take a look at other ads to get an idea. Good luck!
Thanks again
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