"Just winging it" "isn't cutting it"!

Ok, so I moved here to Plant City three years ago. I immediately built a very large hen house (an old carport I moved to the back of the property) with makeshift nesting boxes and a fenced in large run.... Then I just picked a breed from a chart and ordered... Wow! What a mistake. I don't want to offend anyone by dissing breeds, but for me the Dominique were not what I was looking for. Now, two years later, and a little better studied on the subject, I'm considering changing the breed entirely. My hens aren't laying well at all any longer, and its back to the drawing board. I've remodeled the coupe, even with new nesting boxes, and have been getting the yard ready for free-ranging (still fenced in away from the dogs and other predators but able to scratch through the composting and vegetation out back in a corner of the property). So, I hope to get some guidance and education and have been real thankful for the site so far. It is much appreciated and I'm glad to finally be in here.

 

New Buff Orpingtons (50+5males)! Stromberg's, very timely service and very healthy chicks! Also got the EcoGrow heater from them. LOVE IT! Made the brooder box, understanding it won't hold them for very long. Going this morning and getting better feeders (had to take the top off the sliding tray because they kept climbing in the holes and getting stuck) and a watering system that can warm the water. Refilling every few hours with warm water is a joke. But, all in all, happy so far! My Dominiques must have known something is up; egg production just picked up! ;-) Thanks to everyone here and the site for all of the helpful information! I will keep you posted on our progress!