Hi, from Dallas, TX

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hstave

hstave

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jul 8, 2013
19
3
24
Hi! I'm not exactly new here (I've been checking out the site for information and advice for a good while), but I thought it'd be good manners to introduce myself and ask a couple questions.

First, we are (again) from Dallas, and we currently have three chickens that we were sweet talked into owning by a close friend. I fell in love with these little girls, and am now planning on building a second coop (oh, yes, I have learned to love power tools) with my husband, and acquiring a bit more of a flock. We have a cochin, a bantam orpington and a crevecoeur. I want naked necks, but aforementioned friend would like to get brabanter eggs and see if we can incubate and hatch these (I'm totally game to try a couple to see how they get along with my girls). This would lead me to first question: would she be able to sell pairs if we were acquiring the eggs from a good breeder rather than a hatchery? And, of course, if we had enough hens and roos to pair? Also, if say, she ended up with 9 roos and a couple hens, would it be difficult to rehome the roos? Dallas does not allow rooster ownership in city limits. :(

This is a little ways off, but we've both become quite enamored with the chickens we currently have, and would be open to expanding our flocks.

Secondly, the days are getting shorter, and daylight savings is still in full force, but I notice my chickens sleeping in longer each day, and by the time I get home, there's barely an hour left of sunlight for me to let the girls out of the run to free range. How do I find time to interact with my chickens during the short days before we have more time in the morning with DS time? It's like it's dark when we wake up and it's almost dark by the time I get home. I want to ensure that my chickens still have interaction with people so they're used to the handling. Any advice?

Thanks!
Heather
 
Welcome to BYC
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I'm afraid I can't tell you if/how you'd be able to sell chicks. You'll just have to give it a shot and
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. Second question...You can try adding a light in the coop to stretch the "day length" a bit. Many people do this to encourage their flocks to keep laying through winter, since most chickens need around 14 hours of light to stay in production.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan
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Extra roos can be difficult to rehome, as most people can only keep one (if any at all) and extras are likely to get culled. If you find that distasteful, you may want to rethink breeding.
 
sumi said:
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
I'm afraid I can't tell you if/how you'd be able to sell chicks. You'll just have to give it a shot and
fl.gif
. Second question...You can try adding a light in the coop to stretch the "day length" a bit. Many people do this to encourage their flocks to keep laying through winter, since most chickens need around 14 hours of light to stay in production.
Click to expand...


Thanks, Sumi! On your suggestion, my husband and I are looking into finding LED bulbs that will put out a warmer "natural" light, but with less risk of anything catching on fire. We currently have an ark style coop (actually, a really big one that we made for the chickens), so we need to be extra cautious. Also, the chickens are lazy, lazy, lazy, LAZY! They'll sleep in if allowed, especially after a rain when it cools down the following night. We may add a timer and have the light come on in the mornings, too, so that they are encouraged to come downstairs at the same time each day. Do you think this could help?
 
1muttsfan said:
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan
big_smile.png


Extra roos can be difficult to rehome, as most people can only keep one (if any at all) and extras are likely to get culled. If you find that distasteful, you may want to rethink breeding.
Click to expand...

I know.
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I think she was hoping we could re-home them as pairs, and that they'd be more desirable since brabanters are so rare.

This really came about as an idea because she really wants the brabanter hens, but we can't find them as chicks, just as eggs. She certainly doesn't want to breed, and can't own roosters within city limits here, anyway. The poor guys always seem to have a bad reputation.
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When adding light to a coop, it is best to have it come on in the morning, and let them have a natural dusk to allow them to find their roost - that way the lights do not suddenly go off at night.
 

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