Texas

[Ren2014]

hi im raised in Austin Tx been city girl til 6 months ago i moved in Creedmoor very country i blend in.. i got 6 hens and one rooster first time to have chickens.. whatever i need help or feedback i would come down to typing on forum

thank you for warming welcome and i m looking forward to learning more things have a great day and stay warm!

Hello from Red Rock, not too far from you

I might have missed this, but how old are your chickens? Adult chickens will be fine as @bnjrob said as long as they have shelter. If they are young and not fully feathered, they need to be in a brooder with a heat source.

 

[lovetea9]

...

No heat lamps!  They are far too dangerous and very unnecessary!  Chickens did not have heat lamps 100+ years ago and they do not need them now. Using a heat lamp makes it much more difficult for your chickens to get acclimated to the weather.  By making artificial weather for them, they become unable to regulate their bodies and can die even when it doesn't get very cold.  You would not want to get your birds accustomed to using a heat lamp and then have the power go out and they can't survive because they don't have their heat lamp anymore.   They need shelter from wind and rain and they will be fine.  If you use roost bars that are larger around, like a 2x3 or 2x4, they can sit their breasts on their toes and keep their toes warm too.  They need good ventilation to keep the moisture from their breath, poop, and water bowls from settling on their combs/wattles and causing frost bite, so you don't want a coop that is super air-tight.  Putting down a thick layer of shavings on the coop floor will let them snuggle into the shavings if they don't want to go on the roost bars.

Most of my birds are in open-air coops, they have 3 sides of solid walls, plus the roof, and they have done fine for years, even with the temps down toward 0*F.  Friend of mine experienced the tragedy of a heat lamp starting a fire.  She no longer uses heat lamps but she had to learn the hard way.




thats really good point and i am far concern about the fire in coop.. i wont use it at all expect baby chicken?

 

[topdycke]

love tea - yes the baby chicks need to be in a brooder with a heat lamp until they start to get their feathers in around 7-8 weeks. I use a large rubbermaid tub or the feed store uses a big livestock tank for their chicks

 

[Ren2014]

Check out the mommy heating pad https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update it's a safe way to provide heat for the babies.

 

[newchickjess]

Hi again all!
Hope you all had a great holiday season!
Update on my girls: they went on a 3 week strike but they are now getting back on track. The easter eggers will be a year old in March and still no eggs from those two. Is it possible that some hens will never lay eggs?

 

[Nksg75]

Question for those of you who have ever ordered chicks from MPC.
How long did it take for your chicks to arrive?
I live near Houston and I just ordered 15 chicks that are scheduled to hatch and ship Monday, January 30th.
I am a nervous wreck, this is my first time ever to get chicks through the mail. After reading horror stories of USPS and chicks, I told myself I would never do that. However after batch after batch of eBay eggs hatching many cockerels, I really think this is worth a try to get what I want. I had originally planned on going through ideal because I could just drive to them and pick them up, however they really didn't have the breeds I wanted. So I decided to pay the price and order the ones I want, and order sexed chicks.
On the order form it says express mail. I realize the USPS doesn't guarantee much of anything. I looked on both MPC and USPS website and couldn't find a map with typical delivery times for chicks/live poultry.
I asked MPC where this shipment is coming from, and they replied Ohio. Then I really panicked.
Have any of you in Texas had your chicks delivered to you from that part of the country? If so how long did it take to get to you?
Thanks

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Question for those of you who have ever ordered chicks from MPC.
How long did it take for your chicks to arrive?
I live near Houston and I just ordered 15 chicks that are scheduled to hatch and ship Monday, January 30th.
I am a nervous wreck, this is my first time ever to get chicks through the mail. After reading horror stories of USPS and chicks, I told myself I would never do that. However after batch after batch of eBay eggs hatching many cockerels, I really think this is worth a try to get what I want. I had originally planned on going through ideal because I could just drive to them and pick them up, however they really didn't have the breeds I wanted. So I decided to pay the price and order the ones I want, and order sexed chicks.
On the order form it says express mail. I realize the USPS doesn't guarantee much of anything. I looked on both MPC and USPS website and couldn't find a map with typical delivery times for chicks/live poultry.
I asked MPC where this shipment is coming from, and they replied Ohio. Then I really panicked.
Have any of you in Texas had your chicks delivered to you from that part of the country? If so how long did it take to get to you?
Thanks

I got two different shipments of three chicks each for them ("Only three?! you ask? Well, this was pre-chicken math...). Both shipments came from Ohio (I think possibly fulfilled by Meyer). Both shipments did fine. (This was in April/May time frame).

Tell your post office they are coming, and make yourself a pest of checking with them - the main thing would be if some fool in USPS puts them on a truck for delivery instead of holding for pick up. (Which could happen with any shipped chicks...)

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

.
(wrong thread - sorry!)

 

[Nksg75]

Thank you so much for replying! I completely understand the chicken math!!

Do you remember if your chicks arrived overnight or if it was more like 2 days after being shipped?

It drives me nuts that they don't give you a tracking number. I do realize USPS tracking isn't updated regularly, however at least it's something I can obsessively check.

I would have ordered less, however even MPC requires larger minimums during the winter time.

I will definatly be a pest at the post office. I am sure that my local post office has probably RARELY, if ever dealt with live chick shipments.

 

[supergirl105]

I've ordered from Stromberg 3 times now. They shipped on Tuesday and were here at 6:30 Thursday morning. We are a rural post office, so most things take an extra day- but the chicks didn't! And they called me a 6:30 am! Which I believe is when thier trucks come in.