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GriffBM

In the Brooder
Jan 18, 2023
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Hello! New guy here Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Ben and I live in Southern Texas. I do not have any chickens yet, but doing my research and that is how I ended up here. We plan on having about 10 chickens, really haven't decided on what kind. Maybe ya'll can recommend a few types that do well in the heat. We decided on chickens because my wife has always wanted some and it would be nice to have fresh eggs readily available. I'm your typical guy so enjoy anything that deals with cars/motorcycles, guns, and football. I'm retired from the Marine Corps and moved to Texas not too long ago. No occupation yet, so for now just being a trophy husband. Kids are grown and live in North Carolina, thats where we moved from. We miss the beaches, but Texas has some as well. I guess we'll have to see how they compare once it starts getting warmer. Actually got to this site from looking at chicken coop ideas on Pinterest. Glad I'm here, I've already found some great information/tips on how to set up your coop and a lot of you have some amazing ones. Well thats my intro. Look forward to picking your brains about chickens, because all I know is what I've picked up in the last few weeks.


 
Hi Ben, welcome to BYC.
Ideal poultry out of Cameron, TX has several breeds that do well in the Texas heat. I'd especially recommend the welsummers. They lay a nice dark reddish brown egg or a speckled egg. Their easter eggers and olive eggers are also very hardy. And of course, the Longhorns are very heat resilient. My brahmas and naked necks from ideal do well too.
 
GriffBM said:
Hello! New guy here Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Ben and I live in Southern Texas. I do not have any chickens yet, but doing my research and that is how I ended up here. We plan on having about 10 chickens, really haven't decided on what kind. Maybe ya'll can recommend a few types that do well in the heat. We decided on chickens because my wife has always wanted some and it would be nice to have fresh eggs readily available. I'm your typical guy so enjoy anything that deals with cars/motorcycles, guns, and football. I'm retired from the Marine Corps and moved to Texas not too long ago. No occupation yet, so for now just being a trophy husband. Kids are grown and live in North Carolina, thats where we moved from. We miss the beaches, but Texas has some as well. I guess we'll have to see how they compare once it starts getting warmer. Actually got to this site from looking at chicken coop ideas on Pinterest. Glad I'm here, I've already found some great information/tips on how to set up your coop and a lot of you have some amazing ones. Well thats my intro. Look forward to picking your brains about chickens, because all I know is what I've picked up in the last few weeks.
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Welcome here sir. First of all thank you for our freedom and your service.
I just started with my flock about 3 years ago. I always wanted chickens too so my dear hubby built me a coop (customized) after I did my research on them. We mostly used scrap we had around. And I have since doubled my flock!
This is a great forum so glad you joined here.
 
Glad to meet you, Ben, and welcome to BYC. Congratulations on your move and new life! Best wishes as you take your next steps. Janie Doe, who is in East Texas has some good advice based on experience about the breeds she likes. But you can talk to other Texans (or those from Arizona or New Mexico or elsewhere) by hooking up to the state and area threads here. Note that there are sometimes more than one thread per state, so browse a little.

Here are my favorite beginning chicken keeper articles. All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. (are you where winter is starting??) Winter chicken care

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop.

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.

There have been some good discussions here about cooling, so you will want to use the SEARCH button to look for those, or else start a new one by just asking in the Managing Your Chickens forum. Best wishes with choosing a breed, and establishing a flock! Tell us how it goes and send pictures when you can.
 

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