Howdy from Texas!
We recently moved from the Texas Gulf Coast to Magnolia, a small town in SE Texas. We have 4 acres with a large pond in our front yard, surrounded by forests. Once our coop/runs/fence are built, we plan to get about 6-8 hens and 'maybe' 4 bantam hens. I raised chickens when I was in FFA, years ago. We also raised White Leghorns for eggs. Now that my husband and I have acerage, we are looking forward raising chickens, guineas, and possibly several ducks and geese. Plan to eventually get several Nigerian Dwarf goats to have our own milk, cheese, butter, etc. Plan to get hens that are good egg layers, with friendly, sociable temperaments. Our coop will consist of two enclosed runs. We have preditors in our area and don't want to risk injury/death to the flock. We'll run the hens in one run while the other run grows grass, cover crops, etc, then switch the hens to that side once the other side is eaten/scratched down. As soon as we learned we'd be moving to the country, I started researching and reading everything I could find on chickens. I was so excited knowing we'd be able to raise our own hens and have fresh eggs! I learned about BYC.com while doing my chicken research.
We are both retired and LOVE it! We are avid cyclists, runners, swimmers, and fitness nuts who love just about every type of outdoor activity. We also participate in triathlons and running events. My husband is an avid surfer and windsurfer. He's also an excellent carpenter. I also love growing vegetables. Despite the Texas drought, we've had a pretty successful garden. In time we plan to sell eggs and veggies at our local farmer's market. No 'farm' animals yet, just our two dogs, and four cats.
Any input on the pros/cons of raising standard and bantams together is appreciated! Looking foward to being a part of the forums and learning as much as I can!
We recently moved from the Texas Gulf Coast to Magnolia, a small town in SE Texas. We have 4 acres with a large pond in our front yard, surrounded by forests. Once our coop/runs/fence are built, we plan to get about 6-8 hens and 'maybe' 4 bantam hens. I raised chickens when I was in FFA, years ago. We also raised White Leghorns for eggs. Now that my husband and I have acerage, we are looking forward raising chickens, guineas, and possibly several ducks and geese. Plan to eventually get several Nigerian Dwarf goats to have our own milk, cheese, butter, etc. Plan to get hens that are good egg layers, with friendly, sociable temperaments. Our coop will consist of two enclosed runs. We have preditors in our area and don't want to risk injury/death to the flock. We'll run the hens in one run while the other run grows grass, cover crops, etc, then switch the hens to that side once the other side is eaten/scratched down. As soon as we learned we'd be moving to the country, I started researching and reading everything I could find on chickens. I was so excited knowing we'd be able to raise our own hens and have fresh eggs! I learned about BYC.com while doing my chicken research.
We are both retired and LOVE it! We are avid cyclists, runners, swimmers, and fitness nuts who love just about every type of outdoor activity. We also participate in triathlons and running events. My husband is an avid surfer and windsurfer. He's also an excellent carpenter. I also love growing vegetables. Despite the Texas drought, we've had a pretty successful garden. In time we plan to sell eggs and veggies at our local farmer's market. No 'farm' animals yet, just our two dogs, and four cats.
Any input on the pros/cons of raising standard and bantams together is appreciated! Looking foward to being a part of the forums and learning as much as I can!
