Texas

[lovingmyhens]

Here's a few of the gang.....most Orpingtons and one of Buff Laced Brahma: Mottled babies Chocolate Orp Roo "Mr. Fluff N Stuff Cuckoo Orp hen....."Ms. Cookie" Gold Laced Orp roo......:"Big Hoss" Buff Laced Brahma roo......."Buddy" I'll quit now....I've got way too many to put on the thread....LOL

They are so pretty!

 

[henless]

Hello fellow Texans!

I'm new to chicken raising and in the process of building my coop. I would like to know what chickens do best in our summer heat and what type of coops do best?

I'm thinking about getting a mixture of chickens to see what I like best. Orpingtons, Australops, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and such. We had a Buff Orpington Roo when I was a kid and he was the nicest roo!

I'll post back later with what my coop is looking like and maybe ya'll can give a few pointers. I have to run and pick up our old blue heeler from the vet. She developed an abscess over Christmas and she had to stay a couple of days.

Thanks in advance for any help!



eta: I love the Orpingtons posted above! Pretty!!

 

[lovingmyhens]

Hello fellow Texans!

I'm new to chicken raising and in the process of building my coop. I would like to know what chickens do best in our summer heat and what type of coops do best?

I'm thinking about getting a mixture of chickens to see what I like best. Orpingtons, Australops, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and such. We had a Buff Orpington Roo when I was a kid and he was the nicest roo!

I'll post back later with what my coop is looking like and maybe ya'll can give a few pointers. I have to run and pick up our old blue heeler from the vet. She developed an abscess over Christmas and she had to stay a couple of days. 

Thanks in advance for any help!



eta: I love the Orpingtons posted above! Pretty!!

Welcome!! Anxious to hear (and see) how it all comes out! I'm new as well...just bought a small coop to hold 4 hens comfortably in oct and I have a black australorp, 2 americaunas, and a white leg horn. If you go to the breeds section you can read up on every type of chicken imaginable!!

 

[henless]

If you go to the breeds section you can read up on every type of chicken imaginable!!

That's just it, there's too many to pick from! lol

I have a 30x30 barn that I'm going to use 2 of the 10x10 stalls for my coop and covered run.

Here is my set up so far: Coop is 10x10. Looking at the coop, the back (Northwest) wall will be osb with vent along the top. This is where the roosts will be located. The left wall will be osb for about the first 5 ft (from back) and hardware cloth the other 5 ft. The right side will be osb with vent along the top for about 7 feet (from the back). The exterior access nests will be located on this wall. The other 3 feet will be the coop door. The front wall (Southeast) was going to be hardware cloth with pop door to covered 10x10 run. I think I have decided to not put up the wire wall and just have a coop/run all in one. Total space would be 10x20. It would save me some money for the wire/wood for framing the wall and give the chickens more room to run around in under cover. I do plan on putting up a 20x20 attached run later as I get time/money. This run won't be covered except by wire.

 

[Texasmja]

Hello from Conroe! Looking for Seramas for my kids to raise this spring! Does anyone know where I can get a few?

Come to the Bluebonnet Show at Texas A&M next Saturday at 9am, there will be a tabletop Serama Show, I am sure you will find someone there who can sell you what you want.

 

[bnjrob]

That's just it, there's too many to pick from! lol

I have a 30x30 barn that I'm going to use 2 of the 10x10 stalls for my coop and covered run.

Here is my set up so far: Coop is 10x10. Looking at the coop, the back (Northwest) wall will be osb with vent along the top. This is where the roosts will be located. The left wall will be osb for about the first 5 ft (from back) and hardware cloth the other 5 ft. The right side will be osb with vent along the top for about 7 feet (from the back). The exterior access nests will be located on this wall. The other 3 feet will be the coop door. The front wall (Southeast) was going to be hardware cloth with pop door to covered 10x10 run. I think I have decided to not put up the wire wall and just have a coop/run all in one. Total space would be 10x20. It would save me some money for the wire/wood for framing the wall and give the chickens more room to run around in under cover. I do plan on putting up a 20x20 attached run later as I get time/money. This run won't be covered except by wire.

Adding insulation in the walls against summer heat is a good option if you don't have plenty of shade - the coops can hold a lot of heat and added to the heat from chicken manure, it can get stifling. The heat is more of a concern than the cold. The more ventilation and open the coop, the better for both summer and winter. But you do need to have it so there isn't direct wind blowing on them when it is chilly. We have youngsters that have been growing out in open air pens and they have done well even with the cold temps we've had - but they have solid wind breaks on the north/west sides of their housing.

I would recommend having a cover on any run that you have. we use shade cloth on the tops and sides of our runs, otherwise it is too hot. We don't have any trees for shade. We run the shade cloth down to within 2 feet of the ground - this lets air into the runs, otherwise it is stifling, but still offers sun protection as the sun moves around during the day. If the only shade is the coop, your chickens will not spend as much time outside as they would like and is good for them. Our coops are 2 feet off the ground so that the chickens have "deep" shade under the coops as well as the shade from shade cloth on top/sides of the runs.

During the winter we throw a tarp on top of the runs so they can get out even in the cold rain and keep dry. We staple heavy plastic to the runs on the north/west sides - for those pens that don't have some special wooden flaps that close down in winter - and the chickens are quite happy to be out even in the nastiest of blowing sleet/snow/rain during winter.

Generally speaking, your single combed birds and clean shanked birds will do better in TX because the combs will be larger to dissipate heat and less feathering on the legs will also help dissipate heat. Not saying you can't have other kinds of birds, but it's a rule of thumb to consider if you are worried about specific breeds of birds tolerating the weather. And heat is always more of a concern in TX than the cold since birds have high body temps naturally.

But it also depends on how you acclimate your birds to our changing weather. If you baby them too much, they will be more inclined to keel over during relatively low temps in the summer and relatively high temps in the winter. They should be acclimated so that there is no electricity required to run fans/air conditioners/heat lamps during any time of year because there is always a potential for a power outage from storms or too much demand on the state's power grid. If you can acclimate your birds to our crazy 50 degree temp changes that happen in a 12 hour period - you will be much better off and have a mostly unlimited selection of breeds to choose from.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Adding insulation in the walls against summer heat is a good option if you don't have plenty of shade - the coops can hold a lot of heat and added to the heat from chicken manure, it can get stifling. The heat is more of a concern than the cold. The more ventilation and open the coop, the better for both summer and winter. But you do need to have it so there isn't direct wind blowing on them when it is chilly. We have youngsters that have been growing out in open air pens and they have done well even with the cold temps we've had - but they have solid wind breaks on the north/west sides of their housing.



But it also depends on how you acclimate your birds to our changing weather. If you baby them too much, they will be more inclined to keel over during relatively low temps in the summer and relatively high temps in the winter. They should be acclimated so that there is no electricity required to run fans/air conditioners/heat lamps during any time of year because there is always a potential for a power outage from storms or too much demand on the state's power grid. If you can acclimate your birds to our crazy 50 degree temp changes that happen in a 12 hour period - you will be much better off and have a mostly unlimited selection of breeds to choose from.

I agree, I think the heat is the biggest problem for them; plus the 50 degree swing in temperature over a 24 hours period.

My property just north of San Antonio is almost completely covered with live oak, so it is relatively cool. My native grass under the oak canopy rarely goes brown, even in drought conditions and I don't water, so it is quite a lot cooler than the exposed areas where the heat just radiates up. Even with my relatively cool property, the chickens really suffered in the summer. I would make sure they had wet ground to lie on and occasionally sprayed them off with a hose. They were spring chicks, so maybe they will cope better next summer.

I have small, portable coops that are raised above the ground, giving them deep shade underneath. The coops are kept in the shade, but the sun does change its angle, so I also suspend a tarp over top so any sun that makes its way through the leaves will be blocked before it hits the coop. I worry about the nest boxes heating up just from the temperature of the hens. They weren't laying last summer, so I'll be watchful of how it goes next summer.

 

[henless]

The heat is more of a concern than the cold. The more ventilation and open the coop, the better for both summer and winter. But you do need to have it so there isn't direct wind blowing on them when it is chilly.

I would recommend having a cover on any run that you have. we use shade cloth on the tops and sides of our runs, otherwise it is too hot. We don't have any trees for shade.

Generally speaking, your single combed birds and clean shanked birds will do better in TX because the combs will be larger to dissipate heat and less feathering on the legs will also help dissipate heat.

But it also depends on how you acclimate your birds to our changing weather. If you baby them too much, they will be more inclined to keel over during relatively low temps in the summer and relatively high temps in the winter.

I don't think they will have direct wind blowing on them, but in case they do I plan on putting up some plastic sheeting during the winter to help block the wind.

I haven't thought about the shade cloth. I do have Pine trees on the east side of the coop and a good size Oak on the West side, but during the middle of the day there won't be any shade on the big run.

I was wondering about the leg feathered birds. I figured they would get "hotter" since they had less skin exposed.

I would rather they get used to the temp extremes, so that if we do have any trouble with the electricity( which happens during storms) then they wont be over stressed without the fan/heater.

I agree, I think the heat is the biggest problem for them; plus the 50 degree swing in temperature over a 24 hours period.

I would make sure they had wet ground to lie on and occasionally sprayed them off with a hose. They were spring chicks, so maybe they will cope better next summer.

I worry about the nest boxes heating up just from the temperature of the hens. They weren't laying last summer, so I'll be watchful of how it goes next summer.

I've heard of people putting frozen water bottles in with them so they can cool off. We used to do that with my daughter's show rabbits. Gives them something cold to lie next too.

Do you find your chickens lay less eggs in the summer heat or in the winter cold?

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Welcome to all the new eggs.

Here is a list of heat-hardy chicken breeds.

Lots of ventilation and shade for the coop. Be sure to have a lot of water available too. I've seen some people put pools out for their chickens. Who knew chickens liked to swim? Dirty water would be a major concern with a pool....


I found these chairs to put on my front porch. They are the perfect style for my house. Someone had put them out on the curb to give them away. I can see why. I need to sand and paint them first. I'm thinking a rich, warm brown. I think the color of a black copper maran's egg. I can't wait for the weather to warm up again so I can paint them. The next couple of days are going to be cold! :/

 

[bnjrob]

I don't think they will have direct wind blowing on them, but in case they do I plan on putting up some plastic sheeting during the winter to help block the wind.

I haven't thought about the shade cloth. I do have Pine trees on the east side of the coop and a good size Oak on the West side, but during the middle of the day there won't be any shade on the big run.

I was wondering about the leg feathered birds. I figured they would get "hotter" since they had less skin exposed.

I would rather they get used to the temp extremes, so that if we do have any trouble with the electricity( which happens during storms) then they wont be over stressed without the fan/heater.
I've heard of people putting frozen water bottles in with them so they can cool off. We used to do that with my daughter's show rabbits. Gives them something cold to lie next too.

Do you find your chickens lay less eggs in the summer heat or in the winter cold?

I do use ice bottles - when the heat first hits during the year, if they are looking stressed I will give them ice bottles when it is about 100*. But after they are used to the heat, I try to wait until it is about 105* or higher before I give them any ice bottles. During summer I water every day and the old water I throw on the ground in their run and they lay in the puddles and mud to help cool off.

Our mature birds slack off laying in the highest heat of August but the pullets usually don't. In winter with the decreased light - same thing, older ones slack off. Had to put a light into my breeder house to get them laying again after they finished molting because I wanted to hatch early this year - have some due in a couple of days hopefully. But I was too busy to candle them so I don't even have any idea if any were fertile, so if they hatch, it will be a surprise. Had some challenges with things this year and don't yet know if the cock was able to do his job and get things fertilized before I collected eggs to hatch.