Texas

[reindeermama]

Tjo804 thank you for the info. Good looking birds. I am going to steal your ideal about meat birds.

 

[reindeermama]

We've only had chickens since the end of May. We inherited a flock when we purchased 15 acres. They had 5 Brahma, 1 silkie and we added 2 RIRs. We are also raising 4 white leghorns and 8 keets . What have y'all found is the best breeds for the heat? We're just south of Houston.

 

[reindeermama]

I am near Corpus which I would say has weather that is similar. Barred rocks and black sex links are doing fine. Have a Sultan and Cochin. They are fine. My others are in a brooder. I know a lady near Brenham, that has Astrolorps, Orphingtons,Leghorns, Wynadottes, and Gold Comets. I an new to this but Mcmurrays hatchery has a breed selecter you can customize and use.

 

[Briza]

The dog came around again and I bribed it out of eating my chickens with cat food. It looks exactly like the vicious dog but is a different gender and thinner. Its ribs and hips are sticking out. My neighbor is going to go talk to the owner since it's been a problem on his property too. I can't even be mad anymore seeing the state it's in. The last time I saw a dog that thin it was a puppy I had that I missed one of the parvo boosters on. She looked like that a few hours before parvo took her.

 

[jtn42248]

Yeah. I think, when I incubate some eggs next spring, I may put the chicks out in that coop with a heat lamp, instead of a separate brooder. See if Erebel takes over from the get go. Mr. Feathers is certainly good with the littles too.

Use caution there. While she makes a good mom while she was broody she may not if chicks are introduced to her without those broody hormones going. Hens will often kill chicks that are not theres if they are not broody.

 

[Eliza1313]

Could anyone share their experiences with H&H Feed? (And I'm curious - has anyone tried Hugelland?) I'm actually planning to switch off of Coyote Creek once my pullets are ready to switch from grower to layer...

- Ant Farm

I did try the H&H starter when the original feed store I was getting TX Nat from was out. The chicks gorged on it (I now know why, TX Nat doesn't have everything they need in it). I didn't stick with it because the starter is more powder than crumbles. The feed store I currently get the TX Nat from is in the works of stocking Hugelland, but I am looking for other alternatives still. The way they label the ingredients make me a little wary of their product.

I don't know anything about H&H Feed. I have been using MFM (Martindale Feed Mills) layer pellets for some time now and am happy with it. My ducks and chickens love it and even my geese, who are a bit picky, are not put off by it. They are local (to Texas) from a town called Valley View south of Gainesville. Price is lower than Purina and Dumor and my local feed store carries it which is better than the 50 mile trip to the nearest TSC. When you use 800 pounds of feed a month price and distance are decision makers.

http://www.martindalefeed.com/MFM/poultry/poultry_feed.html

Checking them out now, thanks for the link. Most of us that have used TX Nat are wanting either the soy free or non-gmo product, or both.

I am in South Texas near Corpus Christi, Texas. I am a victim of chicken math. We are now trying to build another coop. I already have one, but since I decided to venture into incubating eggs. I need more room. Somehow, it went from 3 to 6 to 12 to 18 and it just keeps going. Oh well, the whole family is loving my addiction. So hello, fellow Texans. Has anyone ordered from Ideal Poultry? I am really wanting a frizzled Cochin. Notice wanting...not needing. We tried Texas Naturals, but kept getting weevils in it. (Was coming that way from feed store) I don't think the feed is bad, maybe just storage problems at the store we were using. So we switched to another feed bought at another store.

Welcome. Most of my flock is from Ideal, I am only about an hour away so I went to pick up my chicks. The ones shipped to the feed store, where I got my keets, did well too. The weevils in the feed seems to be a problem from the shipping trucks. The 2 feed stores that carry TX Nat here are about 15-20 miles apart and one kept having the weevil issue and sending stock back while the other has not had the problem. However I am in the process of finding an alternative to TX Nat since it seems to be lacking in some of the vitamins and minerals they need.

 

[reindeermama]

I did try the H&H starter when the original feed store I was getting TX Nat from was out. The chicks gorged on it (I now know why, TX Nat doesn't have everything they need in it). I didn't stick with it because the starter is more powder than crumbles. The feed store I currently get the TX Nat from is in the works of stocking Hugelland, but I am looking for other alternatives still. The way they label the ingredients make me a little wary of their product.


Checking them out now, thanks for the link. Most of us that have used TX Nat are wanting either the soy free or non-gmo product, or both.


Welcome. Most of my flock is from Ideal, I am only about an hour away so I went to pick up my chicks. The ones shipped to the feed store, where I got my keets, did well too. The weevils in the feed seems to be a problem from the shipping trucks. The 2 feed stores that carry TX Nat here are about 15-20 miles apart and one kept having the weevil issue and sending stock back while the other has not had the problem. However I am in the process of finding an alternative to TX Nat since it seems to be lacking in some of the vitamins and minerals they need.

I think I am going to switch to Coyote Creek. I kept getting weevils in Texas Naturals. My husband said when they use plant products and protein products in the label that means you don't know what they are using and they can switch ingredients that way to what they can get or what is cheaper. He was worried about Hugelland for that reason also. We were looking at Scratch and Peck also, but more expensive. I think Texas Naturals is labeled the same way. We are just learning more from people as we go.

 

[ShearerChicks]

I am near Corpus which I would say has weather that is similar. Barred rocks and black sex links are doing fine. Have a Sultan and Cochin. They are fine. My others are in a brooder. I know a lady near Brenham, that has Astrolorps, Orphingtons,Leghorns, Wynadottes, and Gold Comets. I an new to this but Mcmurrays hatchery has a breed selecter you can customize and use.

My leghorns are from Ideal. I'd also looked into getting some astrolorps or Orphingtons. Never looked at Sultan or Cochin. I'll have to check into those. Thank you!

 

[Eliza1313]

I think I am going to switch to Coyote Creek. I kept getting weevils in Texas Naturals. My husband said when they use plant products and protein products in the label that means you don't know what they are using and they can switch ingredients that way to what they can get or what is cheaper. He was worried about Hugelland for that reason also. We were looking at Scratch and Peck also, but more expensive. I think Texas Naturals is labeled the same way. We are just learning more from people as we go.

That is why I am not to sure of going with Hugelland. TX Nat labels out the ingredients, for the Layer feed it starts off with: Milo, peanut meal, oats, fishmeal. Then goes into the added vitamins and minerals. I am probably just going to start mixing in H&H with the TX Nat, especially if I can get a bag of the Fertrell that they use. Plus continue to research to be able to grow all the feed I use, which is the ultimate goal anyways. Just may start out with buying the ingredients. Know it will be a lot of work, have a hand mill currently. If I can make a good formulation then I will upgrade.

The local TSC has started carrying an organic layer feed, 40# for $23.99. First two ingredients are corn and soy. So it's not for me. If I remember correctly the websites were www.kreamerfeed.org and www.organicfeed.org

 

[reindeermama]

My leghorns are from Ideal. I'd also looked into getting some astrolorps or Orphingtons. Never looked at Sultan or Cochin. I'll have to check into those. Thank you!

The cochins and sultans are just ornamental. The kids wanted those. In Bellville, there is Blue Star Ranch that sells started pullets. I think that is around 1 hour from Houston. But I think they charge like $30,00 per bird. They have all kinds. Just type that name into your search. If your are looking for egg production and meat, leghorns are good. Plymouth Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn, Black Australorp, Americana (EE's) Red, Gold or Black "sex linked" hybrid chickens. These breeds are best known and extremely good egg layers. I copied this from her site. Her site is interesting. So you could get birds that are really close to laying at her place. If you don't mind the drive and price.