TejasJeff
In the Brooder
EDIT: Yeh I can't spell very good either!! Subject line should say THANKS!!
Me and my 2 kiddos set out on an adventure last year to start raising hens for eggs. No roosters as I like peace and quiet.
We're on acreage in central Texas and our birds mostly have the place to themselves and our 2 labs....and plenty of snakes.
Selfishly as Dad, I wanted my kids to know where food comes from. Another selfish thing is I love eggs and grew tired of store bought and not knowing where/what/when they ate - even those cartons that say "free range etc". So my son and I (he's 8) set out to find some plans for a simple coop. It's VERY simple but a mini palace mostly made from scrap wood from an old porch I took down.
Our initial 4 birds...oh my what a life lesson for all of us. Lost 1 chick to the stomach issue I read about here. The 3 remaining started to get their feathers and I arrive one afternoon to a coiled up snake with one of my chickens in it's belly. Turned out it was a western diamond back. It ended up in compost pile. And we were all very sad and I was leery about letting my kids go to the coop after that one.
We decided no more chicks for a while and ended up rescuing a little almost grown bantam at the feed store. She's been part of the family for about 8 months. Honery little thing though. And her eggs are delicious but tiny and fragile - I think common for a bantam.
Breeds? I'm terrible with this. I do know 1 orpington (my sweetheart!!), 1 bantam and one weirdo (we love so much!! - she's black/gold striped and lays green eggs and is scared of any loud noise)
I'm in the tech field and have 12 more years to go that can't get here quick enough. I disconnect from tech after leaving the office (no cable, computer and I love my dumb home - vs smart tech home), I'm raising a mini me (8) and my princess (11 going on 21), ride the hill country on my motorcycle, continuous home improvements and may be adding honey bees to our family next spring.
Hope I can contribute here and hope I can also learn from all of you.
Jeff
Me and my 2 kiddos set out on an adventure last year to start raising hens for eggs. No roosters as I like peace and quiet.
We're on acreage in central Texas and our birds mostly have the place to themselves and our 2 labs....and plenty of snakes.Selfishly as Dad, I wanted my kids to know where food comes from. Another selfish thing is I love eggs and grew tired of store bought and not knowing where/what/when they ate - even those cartons that say "free range etc". So my son and I (he's 8) set out to find some plans for a simple coop. It's VERY simple but a mini palace mostly made from scrap wood from an old porch I took down.
Our initial 4 birds...oh my what a life lesson for all of us. Lost 1 chick to the stomach issue I read about here. The 3 remaining started to get their feathers and I arrive one afternoon to a coiled up snake with one of my chickens in it's belly. Turned out it was a western diamond back. It ended up in compost pile. And we were all very sad and I was leery about letting my kids go to the coop after that one.
We decided no more chicks for a while and ended up rescuing a little almost grown bantam at the feed store. She's been part of the family for about 8 months. Honery little thing though. And her eggs are delicious but tiny and fragile - I think common for a bantam.
Breeds? I'm terrible with this. I do know 1 orpington (my sweetheart!!), 1 bantam and one weirdo (we love so much!! - she's black/gold striped and lays green eggs and is scared of any loud noise)
I'm in the tech field and have 12 more years to go that can't get here quick enough. I disconnect from tech after leaving the office (no cable, computer and I love my dumb home - vs smart tech home), I'm raising a mini me (8) and my princess (11 going on 21), ride the hill country on my motorcycle, continuous home improvements and may be adding honey bees to our family next spring.
Hope I can contribute here and hope I can also learn from all of you.
Jeff
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Every single time I went to gather wood, and I would just grab up the logs without kicking them first. ... 
Hello Jeff, welcome to the flock! There is many helpful, experienced members here who are always happy to offer advice if needed. Please make yourself at home 
About the only thing that will keep them out is half inch hardware cloth. 
