I live in the Central Texas Hill Country and last year my garden was devoured by grasshoppers, not wanting to use chemicals I decided I would turn to chickens this spring. Even though I have never owned chickens myself, I did grow up with Grandmothers who did. My Grandmother on my dads side raised laying hens and we would go see her every summer. There was never an easier time to get me up than to get to go out with Grandma to feed the chickens and gather eggs in the mornings. My Grandmother on my mothers said would buy 100 pullets every spring and nurse as many as possible before she put them in the freezer. As I have made preperations to get ready for the big day that I would bring my chickens home this website has given me a lot of information on feeding, caring and selecting the right chickens for my backyard and I really appreciate all the information I have found so I decided it was time to join the forum. I purchased 3 hens a couple of weeks ago. They are between 15-17 weeks old. I have a Barred Rocks named Roxy, a Black Australorp named Black Beauty and a Speckled Sussex named Speckles. It has been an interesting couple of weeks since we hardly every have cold weather in this part of Texas and experienced 4 days in a row below freezing. I look forward to learning more about my girls and all the knowledge you all can share with me!