Leghorns -19 weeks to first eggs

[AllenK RGV]

I didn't think Houston would get cold enough to even give coop winterization a thought. The wind here blows from the south nearly 95% of the time, 100% spring, 100% summer, 100% Fall and 90%winter. Since last Sunday though we have seen winds calm outta the northish directions.

I think since I have lived down here we have only gotten cold the winter of 14-15, you would never believe I lived in Germany 12 years of my life and was last there full time in March 2013. I know you are like an 6-8 hour drive away but surprised it gets that cold for you. Since the hard winter of 2015(orange harvest survived it fine so couldn't have been that bad), I think we have experienced fewer than 7 heating days. Last winter I did have to bring in my tomatoes and pineapples for 2-3 days. I'm not planning on changing out any major aspect of their coop for this thing you call winter.

 

[RUNuts]

Ain't it great! We will get a frost for maybe a week. Odd times. Only 1 or 2 hard freezes that kills the softer plants.

I have a large 8'x2' window at the front top of my coop. The flap is more a rain fly than winter protection. Still have triangles at both ends that are open. I learned a lot before and after building this one. Have plans for when we move. Gotta get kids out of college.

I was planning a small flock. Then I got helpers. I still think I'm doing another thinning next spring, but let's see what egg demand is. Amazing how everyone wants backyard eggs when they find out you have birds. The hardest part is seeing who is serious and how many eggs they will eat. The committee decided I needed to keep all 25 birds until I explained the coop wasn't large enough for that many full sized hens. The plan was to harvest down to 8 and we are at 18 now. I know that I will have eggs. The egg committee may be surprised.

Egg committee is comprised of wife, daughters, neighbors, daughter's boyfriend and work mates. I should have started a list. Price is $3 a dozen if I like you. $5 a dozen if I don't and $20 a dozen if you ask why I don't like you.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Ain't it great! We will get a frost for maybe a week. Odd times. Only 1 or 2 hard freezes that kills the softer plants.

I have a large 8'x2' window at the front top of my coop. The flap is more a rain fly than winter protection. Still have triangles at both ends that are open. I learned a lot before and after building this one. Have plans for when we move. Gotta get kids out of college.

I was planning a small flock. Then I got helpers. I still think I'm doing another thinning next spring, but let's see what egg demand is. Amazing how everyone wants backyard eggs when they find out you have birds. The hardest part is seeing who is serious and how many eggs they will eat. The committee decided I needed to keep all 25 birds until I explained the coop wasn't large enough for that many full sized hens. The plan was to harvest down to 8 and we are at 18 now. I know that I will have eggs. The egg committee may be surprised.

Egg committee is comprised of wife, daughters, neighbors, daughter's boyfriend and work mates. I should have started a list. Price is $3 a dozen if I like you. $5 a dozen if I don't and $20 a dozen if you ask why I don't like you.

By frost you mean that stuff that freezes on the grass like in Dallas? I did lose some basil leaves and milkweed leaves from that last winter. That was when I brought in the tomatoes and pineapple plants. I like your committee you got going. I preside over my committee and wife doesn't believe in culling but I'm allowed to overrule somehow. Those red face cocks I keep wanting to take em out to the t-bar on trash day they really have some bad genes at Meyers in Polk, OH for sumatras, and yes I understand that you will never get 100% gypsie faces but 4 of 8 cockrels is a bit much.

edit- more rambling, so I did move the compost bin today and also added in the hardware cloth to their doors framing. It isn't time to move the bin to their coop yet it has a new home at the base of my plumeria tree that soil needs improvement in such a bad way I was able to save 5 5 gallon bucket loads of the original compost. The chicken had a real good time scratching up what I couldn't take with me they were such good little helpers.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Flighty Leghorns! I checked 3 and they are 2 fingers wide. Really didn't want to get them all riled right before bed, so let's say all are 2 fingers. All have red combs.

2 eggs on day 3 for a total of 5. Still extra small and well formed. I'm up to a medium omelet for the weekend.

The light red hens (Production Reds?) are more wary. I caught one and her pelvic points are touching. Very little comb and light pink on all 3. They won't make this year.

The Dark Red hen (RIR) with the largest comb and wattles is barely a finger. She is the friendliest one of the bunch. And had a Barred Rock fly up my back. I can't touch you, but you can sit on me? I don't think so.

This is why people who have kept layers for years say that you can't beat a Leghorn when it comes to producing eggs.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I feel so terrible for being a bit critical of this guys coop. He is an awesome carpenter. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/built-my-own-chicken-crate.1204029/

But if I lived directly on the Atlantic coast of Florida I would not be counting on 8 foot centers to keep my coop intact. Just me but this thing would just go flying away and get turned into matchsticks. So I offered some constructive criticism @RUNuts . I bet he boarded up for Irma and hopefully will improve this design. Random ramblings from me.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Mine still needs some roof anchors but I did throw in a minimum of 3-3 1/2" offset screws at every roof joint. Now I need to get to home depot for anchor straps to make mine more stout. Tropical Storm Hermine was near-hurricane strength in 2010 my coop survived that but I want it to be able to take a cat2 min. With a cat3 or more I'm not hanging around and the chicken can take their chances in either of my storage sheds that are hurricane prooffed and bolted to concrete pads or my bathroom. I would probably go with a bathroom just the house doesn't heat up like those sheds do in sunlight. You can see why we were worried until this guy took a turn towoards the north.

 

[RUNuts]

11 eggs! HaHaHa! <Thunderstike/crash/BOOOM> I feel like The Count. This is the second brown one! That is TWO Brown eggs! HaHaHa!

RIR to the rescue. 3 days w/o white eggs. About to make a dozen! 8 white layers to 10 brown layers.

8' centers. Nice way to conserve resources. And you get to practice your salvage AND building skills on the same project. Repeatedly. I agree. Nice open air coop that won't last the first good toad drowning thunderstorm or a small raccoon with that chicken wire. Practice makes perfect.

Yes, after 2 years I threw away the ice scraper and immediately had frosts for a week. Really annoys me one day a year. I get over it quickly. The other thing, I'm so close to the upper end of Trinity Bay that we get lake effect warming. We do better than the north end of Houston. The swamp water holds a lot of heat. Beautiful early morning mists with the geese honking. Red sunrises. Makes me wanna play hooky and start duck hunting.

How did you wind up in the Valley? I came to Houston for work and parked as close to Louisiana as possible for a small commute. I can see I-10. Almost. The opportunities were better than Louisiana, or so I thought. Hind sight and all that. But I did get the wife away from mother in law. Mixed blessing and now we are that far away from the grandkids. Ya win some.

I think my next coop will be a walk in dirt floor. Deep litter method. Chicken tractor soon. Need to pay tuition and buy wire. Daughter at Corpus Christi A&M. Going for biology. Not sure where she will wind up though.

Cheers!

 

[AllenK RGV]

11 eggs! HaHaHa! <Thunderstike/crash/BOOOM> I feel like The Count. This is the second brown one! That is TWO Brown eggs! HaHaHa!

RIR to the rescue. 3 days w/o white eggs. About to make a dozen! 8 white layers to 10 brown layers.

8' centers. Nice way to conserve resources. And you get to practice your salvage AND building skills on the same project. Repeatedly. I agree. Nice open air coop that won't last the first good toad drowning thunderstorm or a small raccoon with that chicken wire. Practice makes perfect.

Yes, after 2 years I threw away the ice scraper and immediately had frosts for a week. Really annoys me one day a year. I get over it quickly. The other thing, I'm so close to the upper end of Trinity Bay that we get lake effect warming. We do better than the north end of Houston. The swamp water holds a lot of heat. Beautiful early morning mists with the geese honking. Red sunrises. Makes me wanna play hooky and start duck hunting.

How did you wind up in the Valley? I came to Houston for work and parked as close to Louisiana as possible for a small commute. I can see I-10. Almost. The opportunities were better than Louisiana, or so I thought. Hind sight and all that. But I did get the wife away from mother in law. Mixed blessing and now we are that far away from the grandkids. Ya win some.

I think my next coop will be a walk in dirt floor. Deep litter method. Chicken tractor soon. Need to pay tuition and buy wire. Daughter at Corpus Christi A&M. Going for biology. Not sure where she will wind up though.

Cheers!

We first landed in Austin, but the traffic was way too annoying. And the VA was quite a drive away. My wife hates the cold after 30 years in Germany she was born in PA BTW. We heard about the cost of living here and decided to give it a go our ultimate goal is puerto rico and a decent 20+ acres up in the mountains where its always 75-80. We also thought we might pick up some Spanish down here too. Turns out I could give a rats ### about learning another language. With tolerable French, Fluency in German and an English speaker I'm done with those.

Oh and Austin just had horrible traffic the valley has horrible drivers who can't even read a speed limit sign. I really should become a County Deputy I'd love writing all of these idiots up. Impeding the flow of traffic would probably be my top ticket given out.
That and distracted driving, hitting brakes like you are break checking before using a turn signal. I try to avoid even going near Brownsville cause you are always stuck behind two douches on a two lane roadway who pace each other driving 30 in a 50 zone. Having grown up in Dallas where the limit is just a mere suggestion, lived in San Antonio and Austin its a wonder I'm not in lockup for a road rage incident. On a positive note someone hit my Jeep last week by turning right from the left lane right in front of me. We mangled two doors on that Dodge crew cab 1500 to the point I suspect one or both were inoperable and I'm looking at my Jeep trying to find a scratch. Karma was totally on my side then.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Regarding deep litter I think I'm going that route after I seal the wood in a water and oil proof garage floor type of sealant. Going to potentially hit every surface in that stuff as it can only make poop scraping the walls easier. Those suckers really can shoot that stuff a good ways off!

 

[RUNuts]

Dad wound up in Austin after 22 years in the Air Force working for the state. Had a 20 minute drive. 10 years after that with Dell moving in, 50 minute drive. Same house, same commute and same job. He double dipped and is pulling federal pension along with state. Was looking for a county job when Mom had health issues. Moved back to Dallas (Euless) and is close to one of my sisters and never see her.

Austin is weird. Dallas is fast. Houston has a mix. Love the *people* in the left hand lane talking on the cell phone going 40 MPH less than the flow of traffic, bless their hearts.

Buy meat from a San Antonio game ranch about once a year. Almost cheaper than cow and infinitely better tasting and texture. Oryx is delicious. They compare with elk. Axis is right behind them. Whitetail, eh.

Sorry to hear about the accident. Glad you are OK.

Always wanted to go to Germany. Got married instead. Took enough in school to make myself look bad. Married a French girl who can't speak Cajun. And then wound up in Houston and wanting to learn Spanish. Eh, we will see. Not dead yet.