I am a newbie from the great state of Texas too. I live in a very small town, Rising Star, near the heart of Tx. We have zero chickens at the moment due to an aggressive predator that wiped us out in 2 nights. The rooster was the last to go. We are waiting to repopulate until we are able to double wrap the pen in chicken wire. One layer wasn't enough. The article about training your chickens is what drew me to this site, but I must admit that I find them completely entertaining exactly as they are. We started with Guineas because that is what my husband thought he wanted, but I find the chickens to be far mor enjoyable at every stage of their growth. As far as their eggs are concerned, I don't need those either. My chickens are like my dog, they don't have to be productive to be welcome members of the ranch family.