"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[alwaystj9]

Leghorns, while among the best of the layers, tend to be very active & prone to fly.
Also research broodiness - some hens want to set eggs & can be frustrating if you don't want her to set.
Heat tolerance is another factor to consider.
I personally prefer clean-legged birds due to the amounts of rain & muck we have.
The RIRs that I have had were usually bossy and hard on the younger birds.
Are you in a subdivision or unrestricted? Some HOAs & townships have restrictions.
Does that spot in your yard stay wet or does rain run off?
I live in Zachary, btw.

 

[Ragfrey]

Leghorns, while among the best of the layers, tend to be very active & prone to fly.
Also research broodiness - some hens want to set eggs & can be frustrating if you don't want her to set.
Heat tolerance is another factor to consider.
I personally prefer clean-legged birds due to the amounts of rain & muck we have.
The RIRs that I have had were usually bossy and hard on the younger birds.
Are you in a subdivision or unrestricted? Some HOAs & townships have restrictions.
Does that spot in your yard stay wet or does rain run off?
I live in Zachary, btw.

Zachary…so pretty out there. Damn that city has crazy blown up in the last 10yrs.
Have a buddy that lives out that way- R. Rabalais.

Anyway,
Am in an unrestricted subdivision on 1-1/2 lot, back yard prob 3/4 acre.

Good eye…that area is low and stays wet all the time so I will haul in some cheap river silt to build it up.

Have some questionable neighbors over that back fence, so I don’t want wandering chickens that want to fly and go.

Clean legged sounds smart.
A productive layer is not necessary, but don’t need to be barren either. Really kinda want them to enjoy in the back yard. Fun, colorful, quirky and personable. I raised and trained two Dobermans with online forum help so figured I would give chickens a go.

My wife does not eat eggs and my dtrs have all moved away to college so just be me eating the eggs. For the last 15yrs, I have coached and ran girls in soccer, last dtr just left the nest for college. I have finished the flower beds, 4-4x8 raised garden, planted 4 trees and put up hummingbird feeders. Nothing left….I think having chickens will be fun and entertaining. (Yes, I do work days). Always wanted chickens…..

Thought all you experts have done this before, gained the knowledge and experience I am needing to figure all this out.

 

[alwaystj9]

I have an open air coop that is inside a chainlink fenced pen so mine are actually never "locked up" . My security is based on the pen: high sides, overlap on gate, most of the bottom 2 feet actually has welded wire tiewrapped to keep small chicks from running in and out. My main problem has always been birds of prey: Red tail, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks, occasional owl issues. A couple of years ago a pair of Cooper's hawks set up a nest in a tree next to my fence line. I had to cover my run. My birds do free range as often as possible and right now hawk migration is over and I am not having any issues.

 

[alwaystj9]

I think the main predator in subdivisions is other peoples' dogs.
Chicken wire is not sufficient protection for chickens, either.

 

[alwaystj9]

 

[Ragfrey]

I need to level out a part of the backyard and then I will start with the coop. Problem is, I have not quite figured out what I want to build for 8 hens. So many kinds of coops out there….I know I want a spacious coop to walk into, suppose to have great ventilation, want something like a 10x12 run- protected with hard cloth on all sides and top…

I found a feed store in Gonzales that will order chickens in pairs. I think I want some:
Blue laced Wyandotte’s
Americaunas
Welsummers
Australorps
Speckled Sussexs
Barred PlyRocks
Sumtras
Fayoumis

Gonna need to figure out which four to get because prob good to get in pairs.?.?

 

[jus10inla]

Old time farm / feed store. There pretty good

 

[jus10inla]

Australops if u want broody for sure. Welsummer for there egg color. ( dark brown) Same with Americana. (normaly a blue / lt green) Plymout rock for egg production .

those bottom 2 are bantams.

 

[alwaystj9]

My americaunas and barred rocks do very well in louisiana heat, I have my first Welsummers this year and they are only 2 months old. Australorps have done well for me in the past. The others I haven't had much experience of. I know I have had wyandottes but they never really stood out enough for me to notice.
As for coop plans, there are a lot out there! So many good ones available on this website or in the book, Chicken Coops for Dummies. I would say don't get too fussy to start with because as you get used to your chickens you will realize and discover that it needs tweaking and changing things around a bit to suit your management style. I also recommend including a way to section off a part to allow for integration of new birds, a way to segregate a bird that lets them see the flock but not get picked on. You can always do quarantine in a crate in your house, garage or carport but having a separate place in the coop is nice.

 

[Ragfrey]

Awesome info y’all!!

Thanks a lot!