Texas

[Brookshire11]

Annnnnd...looks like no one wants to be in their bed tonight!

Pretty sure this pair is trouble.




#chickenproblems

 

[redpennies15]

i'm not too far north of you same heat and humidity. i have rhode island reds and ameracuanas have had brown leghorns , barred rocks , black austrolops , buff orpingtons, silver laced wyndottes...ect and some others ... if you raise them here and keep plenty of shade and they have room (not too crowded) they will make it fine. heat will affect laying . i have found too that shade trees are cooler than a roof or shade cloth for them. the electric netting i have is 4' tall. so you might want to stick with the heavier breeds as the lighter ones can fly over that.
good luck with your birds. if you want ee's or reds give me a shout i am hatching some at least twice a month .

Yep, I lived in Nacogdoches for a few years while getting my graduate degree! I agree that shade from trees seems to be cooler than a roof or shadow cast by a building. I seriously thought about getting chickens based on types that can tolerate heat...probably would have been better. Now I live east of Dallas and we don't have many trees.

It takes some planning ahead, but if you plant live oaks and let them grow bushy (rather than trim them), they make good cover for chickens. Great place to hang out in the shade or escape from hawks/black vultures. The chickens also roost in the low branches. If there's any breath of wind, they can feel it up in the tree and it keeps them cooler at night.

Darn I miss those beautiful pines! BTW, white bass are running in the Angelina river right now....friends are catching their limit!

 

[jockeyeba]

Caught a 3rd raccoon this morning
My husband is feeling a little better each day
Hope to catch up on posts tomorrow

 

[A1momof3]

Well it's 2am and I have made another run out to the barn to check on my baby girls. I can't stand it. So back into the house they go tomorrow. I can't get their temp set right in my room I closed in, in the barn for a brooder room. It's driving me crazy. I'm worried sick. So until they have adjusted to not needing the heat light and our night here in East Texas stop dipping down into the 30 n 40s they will just stay in the house. Lol
My family calls me the mother hen.... They are so original.... But I have to say I miss my babies being right where I can watch them, talk and play with them whenever I want. Less worry and stress in the house and I get more sleep!! Lol

 

[A1momof3]

420am just in from checking and readjusting the temp again. Lol as soon as the sun us up my baby's are back in this house.

Question! What do other east texans use for bedding in your chicken coop. I have been working on my coop and I still don't know what I want to use for my bedding. I could really use some good detailed advice.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Thanks everyone for the kind thougths and sweet prayers. It's never easy putting down any pet, but you guys made it a little easier. I slept last night instead of laying awake worrying about that sweet bunny.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Good afternoon Texas!!!

I have a question for y'all.

Do any of you get birds based on their heat tolerance? I am near Crockett in East Tx and it gets very hot. I am about 1/3rd finished with my coop/run. It is 10X25 and will be roofed with left over barn roofing. 1/2 inch hardware cloth all around. I also will be using heavy duty tarps on all sides except the southeast, so they will provide shade also. I will also be using electric poultry netting to allow the birds to range too!

Appreciate all the help!!!!

David

It is a consideration, but I did choose a breed to breed and show--bantam Cochins--that are not heat tolerant. I will be extra careful about the placement of their pens and the temps. This year I'll have misters out for all the birds. I'll also not have roosters with the females so they won't be stressed.

 

[lovingmyhens]

420am just in from checking and readjusting the temp again. Lol as soon as the sun us up my baby's are back in this house.

Question! What do other east texans use for bedding in your chicken coop. I have been working on my coop and I still don't know what I want to use for my bedding. I could really use some good detailed advice.

It won't be too long now til they can go out worry free!! Spring is just around the corner. If they were here in Houston they'd get blown away!

 

[lovingmyhens]

Very glad to hear another is gone and your hubby is better! Have a fabulous day!

Caught a 3rd raccoon this morning
My husband is feeling a little better each day
Hope to catch up on posts tomorrow

 

[jajeanpierre]

In a good way! lol.
Are the Red the Partridge Silkies?
I need to stay off that site...there's no way I could justify an $85 Partridge Orp...although they're beautiful!
I may need to start saving..look at those Lavendar Orps too!
I think I may just need help for my Orp addiction..


Welsummers I think are pretty heat hardy..? And maybe Pheonix and Blue Andulasians? Don't quote me..
I started the same way but ultimately figured I'd go more for temperament and production, and just work a little more to keep them cool. Then I got 2 Silkies which, I know can't be too heat hardy. They're little poodle chickens. Lol.
A lot of people suggest frozen bottles in the run/coop and little kiddie pools.
I know I'll be getting my girls a little pool. If this summer was anything like last summer..maybe I'll jump in there with em

Right?!

Just remember when you go to a web site that describes a color or color pattern of a breed, understand that they are describing the desired color/pattern, not necessarily what you are getting. Some colors and patterns are really hard to get even by dedicated exhibition breeders--don't expect it from mass produced hatchery chicks.

I don't think you will be happy with Lavender anything. Along with the Lavender color, weak feathers seem to be inherited. It's a big problem with the color. I have one Lavender Ameraucana and she will be my last. Her feathers were all ratty and broken even before the rooster shredded them. It is a beautiful color when right, but the feather quality is awful on almost all of them, even the exhibition birds.

If you are looking for heat hardy, look at the Mediterranean breeds. Also the Egyptian breed--I can't remember the name--is very heat tolerant and I think a very good egg producer.

Your Silkies are fine in the heat.

Keep the whole area shaded--deep shade--as well as the area around the pen so the ground near the pen never heats up. Ventilation is critical--heat can build up under a tarp. Three quarters of my property is covered in big live oak. Even during the heat wave last year, the trees cooled the area significantly, but as soon as I left the treed area, I was hit by the heat radiating up off the ground. Keeping a muddy spot is good. Don't expect them to stand in a pool filled with cold water--a lot don't. I'm always afraid to use something like ice because I never want them to rely something extra and artificial because one day during a heat wave, I might not be home to put it out. Digging a hole under deep, deep shade and keeping that hole damp helps. I'm putting up misters this year, so that I can turn them on several times a day during stressful times.