Patriot00
Chirping
Good afternoon! My name is Frank. My wife, Harmony, and our 4 kids (3, 7, 10, 11) recently took the plunge into backyard chickens! I have been lurking here for a few months, learning what I can about this new adventure. We got two pullet chicks, a Delaware and a Red sex link (for a grand total of $6 and change), from our local Tractor Supply on April 14th. We wanted to get 6 total, but they didn't have any of the breeds we were looking for. The boys (7 & 10) couldn't bear the thought of leaving without any, so they picked their chicks from what they had on hand. While we were there, a family came up and was telling us they get their chickens from Blue Star Ranch, which is about an hour from us. They seemed really pleased with Blue Star, so we decided to drive out there on Monday. The experience left us scratching our heads a little bit… Either way, we asked for an assortment of 4 female chicks and told her we had two, 1-week old chicks that we picked up the previous day. She gathered up 4 chicks that she said were 3-4 weeks old. The total bill was around $90 for the four (ouch!), but we were assured they were healthy and definitely female and would be good layers. She said we got two easter eggers, a barred rock, and I cannot remember what the 4th one was claimed to be at the time. She seemed knowledgeable and sure of herself and the chickens. That was Monday, April 15. Fast forward to May 14…what was that noise?! Yep, crowing. The “4th hen”, who had been named Daisy, is now named Hei Hei. 90% sure Hei Hei is a Golden Laced Wyandotte. Then a few days later…more crowing. I had suspected this may happen, as Spots, the “barred rock” had a very similar build to Hei Hei and just looked like a roo to me. Sure enough, Spots is a boy. And I think he is a Cuckoo Maran because he has very lightly feathered legs, but otherwise looks a lot like a Barred Rock. The other two (the Easter Eggers) are pretty definitely hens. So, how’s that..50/50 on the sex & breed from the chicken lady. Hmmm. She has a “rooster exchange program”, but we are not sure if we want to drive back out there and buy more hens so she will take the roosters…
So, right now, we have 6 birds. The two youngest, from Tractor Supply, have not grown nearly as fast as the 4 who were supposed to be 3-4 weeks old. The size difference now is enough that I have the two smaller ones in a large clear plastic tote right beside the brooder the 4 big ones are in. It was getting snug in the brooder and the little ones were getting stepped on a lot. The little Delaware chicken is feathering out in brown, not white, feathers…so I am not sure what she will end up being (maybe a Welsummer based on feather patterns?). But I don’t know enough to call her something different at the moment. So, as of right now, we have 1 Delaware pullet (Chili), 1 Red Sex Link pullet (Geia), 2 Easter Egger pullets (one white (Snow White, aka Pecker) and one lavender (Truffle)), 1 Cuckoo Maran roo (Spots), 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte roo (Hei Hei). We will get a couple (maybe a few) more hens and will likely have to either eat one of the roos or otherwise rehome him, though we will try to see if they can all coexist first. They’ve grown up together, so who knows?
We started from scratch with the chicks, so I built a 4’x2’ brooder to house them while I built a coop & run, which is almost finished. I hung the front door last night and am hoping to hang the back doors tonight. I have a roll of vinyl flooring for the coop that I need to install. Planning on deep litter method with hemp bedding. Then just the ramps, feeder, and waterer. Hoping to have them all moved in this weekend. It has an 8’x8’ footprint, with a 10’x10’ corrugated metal pitched flat roof. The elevated coop is 4’x8’, with 16’ of roost space and 3 exterior nesting boxes. I designed it myself using ideas gleaned from youtube, BYC, Carolina Coops, and others. We are in central Texas, so the coop faces south and has 3 open walls, with the north-facing wall being the only solid wall. I put it under an oak tree, so it will get morning sun but be shaded in the afternoon summer sun but have full sun in the winter. Also, the tree will keep the rain from blowing into the coop from the side. 1/2” hardware cloth all around, with a 2’ wide, ¼” hardware cloth apron around the perimeter. I was concerned about the big wing that is a roof with the sometimes gusty winds we get pretty regularly, so I anchored the structure with 3 of those spiral dog tie-outs and 8 big 14" landscape timber nails. The run is entirely “secure”, so the coop has one side completely open to the run. We plan to let them out into the yard most days, so my chicken math says we can house 10 comfortably, as many as 15 during transition periods if needed. Once I “finish” it, I will tally up the costs, but I can tell you it has already cost twice as much as I expected and has taken at least 3 times longer to build than I expected. I used scrap wood where I could, but I would guess it has only saved me $70 or so.
The 4 bigger chickens are all very curious about us. I have given Snow White the nickname Pecker (at which my wife rolls her eyes and sighs) because she is curious and always pecks at my hands when I am feeding/watering. And she is always first to snatch the junebugs from my hands when I catch them around the lights outside at night. The smaller two are content to be left alone, though we handle them regularly so they will be as friendly as possible when they grow up. We are all looking forward to interacting with them and watching them pack and scratch about the yard. And the eggs…mmmm. Since we have a rooster, the idea of hatching replacements is floating about, but again, we will have to play it by ear. Pun intended. There are at least four other roosters in our neighborhood that I can hear throughout the day. Our immediate neighbors on both sides are supportive of the project and have said they won’t mind the roos. We made sure to be very clear that if they become bothersome, we will do something about the noise.
Looking forward to years of learning and experience with this new hobby. Thanks for all you do here to share your knowledge.
So, right now, we have 6 birds. The two youngest, from Tractor Supply, have not grown nearly as fast as the 4 who were supposed to be 3-4 weeks old. The size difference now is enough that I have the two smaller ones in a large clear plastic tote right beside the brooder the 4 big ones are in. It was getting snug in the brooder and the little ones were getting stepped on a lot. The little Delaware chicken is feathering out in brown, not white, feathers…so I am not sure what she will end up being (maybe a Welsummer based on feather patterns?). But I don’t know enough to call her something different at the moment. So, as of right now, we have 1 Delaware pullet (Chili), 1 Red Sex Link pullet (Geia), 2 Easter Egger pullets (one white (Snow White, aka Pecker) and one lavender (Truffle)), 1 Cuckoo Maran roo (Spots), 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte roo (Hei Hei). We will get a couple (maybe a few) more hens and will likely have to either eat one of the roos or otherwise rehome him, though we will try to see if they can all coexist first. They’ve grown up together, so who knows?
We started from scratch with the chicks, so I built a 4’x2’ brooder to house them while I built a coop & run, which is almost finished. I hung the front door last night and am hoping to hang the back doors tonight. I have a roll of vinyl flooring for the coop that I need to install. Planning on deep litter method with hemp bedding. Then just the ramps, feeder, and waterer. Hoping to have them all moved in this weekend. It has an 8’x8’ footprint, with a 10’x10’ corrugated metal pitched flat roof. The elevated coop is 4’x8’, with 16’ of roost space and 3 exterior nesting boxes. I designed it myself using ideas gleaned from youtube, BYC, Carolina Coops, and others. We are in central Texas, so the coop faces south and has 3 open walls, with the north-facing wall being the only solid wall. I put it under an oak tree, so it will get morning sun but be shaded in the afternoon summer sun but have full sun in the winter. Also, the tree will keep the rain from blowing into the coop from the side. 1/2” hardware cloth all around, with a 2’ wide, ¼” hardware cloth apron around the perimeter. I was concerned about the big wing that is a roof with the sometimes gusty winds we get pretty regularly, so I anchored the structure with 3 of those spiral dog tie-outs and 8 big 14" landscape timber nails. The run is entirely “secure”, so the coop has one side completely open to the run. We plan to let them out into the yard most days, so my chicken math says we can house 10 comfortably, as many as 15 during transition periods if needed. Once I “finish” it, I will tally up the costs, but I can tell you it has already cost twice as much as I expected and has taken at least 3 times longer to build than I expected. I used scrap wood where I could, but I would guess it has only saved me $70 or so.
The 4 bigger chickens are all very curious about us. I have given Snow White the nickname Pecker (at which my wife rolls her eyes and sighs) because she is curious and always pecks at my hands when I am feeding/watering. And she is always first to snatch the junebugs from my hands when I catch them around the lights outside at night. The smaller two are content to be left alone, though we handle them regularly so they will be as friendly as possible when they grow up. We are all looking forward to interacting with them and watching them pack and scratch about the yard. And the eggs…mmmm. Since we have a rooster, the idea of hatching replacements is floating about, but again, we will have to play it by ear. Pun intended. There are at least four other roosters in our neighborhood that I can hear throughout the day. Our immediate neighbors on both sides are supportive of the project and have said they won’t mind the roos. We made sure to be very clear that if they become bothersome, we will do something about the noise.
Looking forward to years of learning and experience with this new hobby. Thanks for all you do here to share your knowledge.
Glad you joined.
Best wishes and have lots of fun! 
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
