Texas

[pohnjarker]

pohnjarker,

Welcome in!!! Lots of good people and interaction on site. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Am sure there are some people on this thread that can guide you in the right direction. Best wishes on the coop and pen. There is a thread called "post your chicken coop here" that is active.
We are very close to each other. Do not know the feed stores in your area, sorry. If you ever get a chance, go check out "What'z Up" recreational fun park. My family & I painted the climbing rock wall there.

thanks for the welcome. We have a feed store in Mabank and a new Tractor Supply Company that recently opened as well. I work in Dallas and I know of at least 2 feed stores between Dallas and Mabank and I'm sure there are more.

My kid loves What'z Up, we had his last birthday party up there. that's cool about the rock climbing wall!!

pohnjarker, welcome to the group.....As for your dog /chicken pen....I would (if it were me), build something to put the whole thing on , so nothing could dig underneath it and get the chickens....I, too, was going to buy one of those dog kennels for my chickens but just keep in mind , anything ( like raccoons, skunk, or opossum) can dig under it, if it is setting on the ground.....I have learned the hard way, and lost many of my chickens to mostly raccoons, by not having my pen secure enough....If you do put it on the ground, attach hardware cloth all around the outside, attach it right to the bottom of the pen and ALL the way around.....That way the animals can't dig under as the hardware cloth, tears up their feet...They won't dig for very long...Have a friend who built a pen for his wife and he removed a lot of the dirt all around the outside of the pen, wired the hardware cloth to the bottom, then put all the dirt back in place.....It really looks nice.......Well anyway, this was just my suggestion...Hope it helps...Others on here may give you better ideas.....At any rate, enjoy your chickens.....Dexterlady

Thank you for the welcome and the information. I think I will end up building a platform for the kennel to sit on to keep anything from burrowing under and to make it easier to move and keep it off the ground in case we get a really bad rain that floods the yard.
I'll check out our new TSC and see what all they have chicken wise. I've been in there many times but never needed to look in that area until now!

 

[GnaMtz]

Hello felow Texans from HENDERSON.....
Just joined yesterday after lurking around for awhile. I'm born and raised TX but mostly South TX.
Currently in Henderson which is in the area of Longvuew, Tyler, Arp, Kilgore, Jacksonville.
No chickens yet but am hoping in about 12 days.
Am thinking of repurposing 2 old walk in dog kennels (each 10' long x 5' wide x 6' high) for when they can be moved out.
Recently bought "Raising Chickens for Dummies" and "Chicken Health for Dummies".
Between the books and looking around the BYC site I've already learned a lot and looking forward to much more.
We went and bought a heat lamp a few days ago.
I have a large 55 gallon rubber maid tote that I had planned on using when I bring them home.
Each day gets more exciting than the last .... Like waiting for Christmas!!!!!
My husband and mom think I've lost my mind. Maybe I have BUT I'm loving it
Great to be here !!!!!

 

[Wendy High]

Glad to have u gnamtz. Ur not too far from me. Am sure you found loads lurking. )

 

[newchickjess]

Welcome GnaMtz! I'm in your general area. Ever heard of Elysian Fields?

 

[GnaMtz]

Thank you Wendy High and yes, learned a lot and enjoyed reading everyone's experiences. Not sure why I waited so long to join lol

Newchickjess... I hear of Elysian Fields often on the weather and such. Wasn't sure where it was so googled it just now lol

Good to have "neighbors"

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

Hey everybody...take a look at Texas size lemons. Any body else got fruit yet. It came off of a neighbors tree today.

Everything is blooming here. That is when it isn't dumping volumes of water. The chief competitor for fruit trees here are the tree rats.

 

[newchickjess]

Taking my girls out for their third "field trip" this afternoon. They had a blast yesterday!
Mae had so much fun she started to fall asleep in my hands

On a side note, are the bald spots on their bellies normal or is it a concern? No redness or signs of irritation.

 

[Wendy High]

Everything is blooming here.  That is when it isn't dumping volumes of water.  The chief competitor for fruit trees here are the tree rats.

I have some huge rats. Will kill them hopefully b4 they want to chew on my fruit trees.

 

[jtn42248]

I have some huge rats. Will kill them hopefully b4 they want to chew on my fruit trees.

No rats here yet but last year we did have a rat that ate my truck. The truck would not fit in the garage so I had to park outside. The rat ate the wiring to the point that it could not safely be repaired and the insurance company totaled it out. I ended up with a new Jeep and the rat ended up...well, lets just say the rat is no longer a problem. Our problem this year has been field mice so far.

 

[needlessjunk]

Everything is blooming here.  That is when it isn't dumping volumes of water.  The chief competitor for fruit trees here are the tree rats.

I have some huge rats. Will kill them hopefully b4 they want to chew on my fruit trees.

My dogs got one the other day. I hate using poison on them but it's the only way I can get them under control. I've been watching the trap and so far only little nibbles here and there but I know it's coming. I'm just glad that the guy a few doors up moved and took all the junk and birds with him. His place was nasty and there is where they were coming from.