New to BYC from Texas

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jtyler75

jtyler75

Hatching
7 Years
Mar 19, 2012
1
0
7
Hi, my name is Jennifer and we are looking into getting some hens mostly for the eggs but also for pets. We live in southeast Texas and have a very tiny backyard. Most of our yard is taken up by a huge pool. We have a side yard that is fenced and thats where we would make our chicken coop/run. My husband and I have been researching on your site. My concern is the neighbors cats killing our chickens. I've really enjoyed looking at all the coops on this site. We are getting some really great ideas on how we're going to build our coop/run. I'm assuming if we put a top on the run and bury wire or several inches down this will help with predators getting our chickens. Do most people let their chickens roam around all day in the run and then coop them at night. That's what we would have to do. Can someone tell me how big of a coop we would need for approx. 6 to 7 hens. Also, we are a family of 7, we do not eat a huge amount of eggs but we do eat them from time to time. I also use them for baking. How many eggs would I likely get from 7 hens?? I really do not know anything about chickens as far as what type to get. We know that we want them for eggs. I also would like them to be pets if thats possible. My kids would love that. Is it possible to have hens for egg laying and them be nice enough for pets? I was raised around chickens as a child because my grandparents had a large amount of hens and roosters. They were not the friendliest birds. So I would like some friendly ones. Any tips would be appreciated. Also, I read something about them getting mites/lice. Is this common? If so, do you just bath them with a certain type of shampoo? I hope I don't sound too dumb about all this. Thanks.

Jennifer
 
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Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan
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Many of your questions can be answered by going to the forum FAQ section, very helpful. I would also recommend googling the Henderson chicken chart for very interesting information on different breeds.
 
I think orpingtons and speckled sussex are a good place to start! Pretty, docile, sweet, and decent egg production. Yes, they can be both pets and egg machines...just select your breeds carefully, and when you get them, socialize them by handling them a ton and offering lots of yummy treats when you spend time with them. Mine follow me around the yard like puppies.

I live in North Texas. I free range my birds on the weekends, meaning I open the coop, and let them roam the yard. Many people do allow their birds in the run durring the day, and coop them at night. Generally, people provide four square feet of space per bird in the coop, and more in the run, if they are not able to free range.

For the first two years your birds are laying, depending on the breeds you choose, you can expect from 5-7 eggs a day. At the end of their second year, you can expect a drop off in egg production.

Lice and mites are more or less common depending on weather. I have not had mites or lice on my birds as of yet...but if you get them, it is easy to dust them down with a little sevin dust to get rid of them. Don't worry about sounding dumb! We all had to start somewhere! You have a great resource here on BYC! Welcome!
 

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