Howdy from South Texas

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Howdy, :frow and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy :ya to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

I agree with @janiedoe , lots of shade and plenty of fresh, clean, cool water. When it gets really hot here, I spray my pens down to keep the ground cool and the affects of evaporative cooling helps to keep my birds cool.

Thanks for joining our community! :celebrate
 
GreenJay said:
Howdy y'all! :frow

We live in rural south Texas and are new to chickens, our chicks are due in Mar, very excited!! Our mixed flock will be (1 each) Bielefelder, Midnight Majesty Maran, Barred Rock, Sapphire Olive Egger, Sapphire Splash, and 2 Prairie Bluebell Eggers. Yeah, kid-in-the-candy-store syndrome, I wanted some of everything haha. They will be sharing the roost with 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a pond full of koi but I kinda doubt the fish will care much.

Other hobbies or frequent activities include keeping my nose in a book; baking sweets & cooking; finding things for dear hubby that are "lost" (again); bird watching; explaining to the dogs that thank you but I can manage the bathroom without a 4-legged escort (again); and smelling the flowers whenever possible. Which actually is most of the time down here....

Found BYC when researching chickens and found lots of good info. I'm looking forward to learning and chatting with members and might ask a question or two (i.e. - but hopefully not- what do you do with the ladies in a hurricane?!). Thanks ahead for any tips or advice given, especially regarding chickens in south Texas, where hot and hotter, humid and windy, is normal weather. Today is definitely a feather-ruffling windy one!
And I'd love to hear y'all's opinions, good or bad, on the breeds we've chosen.
Y'all have a great day!
- or would that be an egg-cellent day?
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Welcome to BYC!!
 
Glad to meet you, and welcome to BYC. I love reading as well! And also have trouble shutting dogs out of the bathroom! Velcro dogs! :idunno

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. (are you where winter is starting??) Winter chicken care

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 
janiedoe said:
Welcome to BYC!
This texas humidity is hard on chickens, but I think the breeds you picked will do fine. Just make sure your coop has plenty of ventilation and preferably have 24/7 access to their runs and plenty of shade.
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Thanks, working on more vents definitely and placing coop/run under one large tree with a second one blocking later afternoon sun. Sometimes our "low" temps in summer aren't very low ya know :rolleyes:
 

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