Texas

[jockeyeba]

Had to put ice packs in the chicken brooder today. My meaties were panting like crazy! Probably aren't too many places having this problem right now!

 Yeah, I wonder who all is running the AC right now. I know I am!

*waves hand*

I run the AC when I'm hot and opening the windows and doors just don't do it. 50's house, no central air, I only use 3 rooms, and window units. So my electric bill is normally around 1/4 my neighbor's bill even when I run the space heater and the AC at the same time. Yep, I've caught myself doing that. Crazy weather!

We have a old 1938 farm house & it's twice as cold inside as it is outside in the winter if the wood stove isn't cranked up

 

[Little Wing]

sorry, i got nuthin! i was gunna say RANCH! but i know ya just got them...
hey ya never did post pics of them!!! lol

ill be waiting....

Ranch would have been good.

I will, haven't had a chance to take pics. They stayed in dog crates for two days while I got their pen finished. Just got that done today. They are younger than I was hoping for, they are only 10 weeks. I'll take pics tomorrow but they are not too impressive yet. One of them doesn't have a toenail on one of its toes. I hope that is a freak thing and not a genetic problem.

 

[Kilsharion]

i can't stand the cold .. I'll take the heat any day....

Amen to that.

 

[yinepu]

The RIRs I've had were nice. Today one of my the new BCM pullets I just got was pecking at the butt of one of the cockerels. I checked it out and his butt had been pecked to raw meat. It was like she was eating him. I separated him and watched the pullet and she didn't do it to anyone else. Anyone know if there is a dressing or something I can put on this.

blu kote - tractor supply should have it.. or your feed store.. it's pretty common
neosporin (no pain killer kind) - walmart or the drugstore
wonder dust - tractor supply

those are the first three that come to mind that should be easy for you to get

 

[Little Wing]

blu kote - tractor supply should have it.. or your feed store.. it's pretty common
neosporin (no pain killer kind) - walmart or the drugstore
wonder dust - tractor supply

those are the first three that come to mind that should be easy for you to get

Thanks...looking for the neosporin right now.

 

[jrmilstone]

Hi, my name is Joscelyn. I am just starting research on raising some chickens for fresh eggs. I am located in Central Austin. I would love any help from people around the area. I am so not handy, and all the coops look super complicated to build so I am going to have to figure something out! I'm worried about all the weather changes as well and how you protect you chickens from that.

Also does anyone know if it would be safe to have your chickens in with a rabbit? I'm thinking they could share the same run, and build it where the chickens have a coop on one side and the rabbits have a coop on the other side. Not sure if this would work or not though. Anyone know?

Also, where do people get their chickens and supplies? I went to the local tractor supply and they didn't have a lot of chicken stuff. The local feed store has a few chicks and a few supplies, but no coops or anything.

O, one more question. I would also like to start a large vegetable garden. Would the chickens bother it if they were free ranging in the backyard? Or should I always keep them seperated?

 

[KnobbyOaks]

The RIRs I've had were nice. Today one of my the new BCM pullets I just got was pecking at the butt of one of the cockerels. I checked it out and his butt had been pecked to raw meat. It was like she was eating him. I separated him and watched the pullet and she didn't do it to anyone else. Anyone know if there is a dressing or something I can put on this.

Went through this a couple months ago. Seven kept pecking on one until she bled. She was a good eater and the largest of the group. Was suggested to me to use Blu-Kote or a knock-off of it, comes in a spray can. The blue stuff is really purple but if you keep the blood covered with it, they won't continue to do it. They love blood but dislike the Blue-Kote more. Had to keep her separated for about 2 weeks. The second week I slowly reintegrated her back in during the day and then back to dog crate for the night. She healed up nicely.

I tried Neosporin but the bird's heat made a really runny mess all over her and she tried to get it off, maybe even making a worse area. I can see that neosporin is better than nothing.

I haven't really figured out that whole relationship. She wasn't a weakling, maybe even the biggest of the lot. She is an outcast but she picks on others and is really a pain in the butt, doesn't like me like a couple of the others do. Ingrate!

 

[KnobbyOaks]

Hi, my name is Joscelyn. I am just starting research on raising some chickens for fresh eggs. I am located in Central Austin. I would love any help from people around the area. I am so not handy, and all the coops look super complicated to build so I am going to have to figure something out! I'm worried about all the weather changes as well and how you protect you chickens from that.

Also does anyone know if it would be safe to have your chickens in with a rabbit? I'm thinking they could share the same run, and build it where the chickens have a coop on one side and the rabbits have a coop on the other side. Not sure if this would work or not though. Anyone know?

Also, where do people get their chickens and supplies? I went to the local tractor supply and they didn't have a lot of chicken stuff. The local feed store has a few chicks and a few supplies, but no coops or anything.

O, one more question. I would also like to start a large vegetable garden. Would the chickens bother it if they were free ranging in the backyard? Or should I always keep them seperated?

Hi, welcome to BYC and the Texas thread. I'll take a stab at a few of your questions. Weather changes is not too bad here in Texas.. As long as they're fully feathered out, they can take whatever comes along. They need some kind of coop that will protect them from any cold draft, the rain, and room for roosts. Predators, from coyotes, raccoons, hawks, owls, possums, neighbors dogs and cats and even your own pets is really a concern when building a coop and pen. They poop a lot so take that into account. I can't answer about the rabbit sharing with the chickens but I would think they probably would not make good roommates or even suite mates. How would you even keep their food separate? They would have different feed needs.

As for supplies, look online a lot at the chicken supply outlets and read up here on BYC because there's a lot and I mean a lot of helpful information here. My coop was a prefab job that I got from a local garden center, all can be ordered over the internet. Or make what you need. Ideal Poultry is located in Central Texas and is the largest hatchery. Also people in this thread are swapping chickens all the time.

The vegetable garden??? Yes, they will eat it, to the ground or dig everything up. I finally bought a large bird netting over the internet (25 x 50') and used half to cover their pen, to keep the hawks out, and the other half to cover the garden to keep the chickens out when I let them free range. I'm still new at chicken keeping but there's plenty more who can help you.

 

[Chucklecluck]

Hi, my name is Joscelyn. I am just starting research on raising some chickens for fresh eggs. I am located in Central Austin. I would love any help from people around the area. I am so not handy, and all the coops look super complicated to build so I am going to have to figure something out! I'm worried about all the weather changes as well and how you protect you chickens from that.

Also does anyone know if it would be safe to have your chickens in with a rabbit? I'm thinking they could share the same run, and build it where the chickens have a coop on one side and the rabbits have a coop on the other side. Not sure if this would work or not though. Anyone know? 

Also, where do people get their chickens and supplies? I went to the local tractor supply and they didn't have a lot of chicken stuff. The local feed store has a few chicks and a few supplies, but no coops or anything.

O, one more question. I would also like to start a large vegetable garden. Would the chickens bother it if they were free ranging in the backyard? Or should I always keep them seperated? 

Coops don't have to be so hard I gave my main flock in a dog kennel with wire on top and a couple doghousea I got for free online to use as nest box and then I wired a couple tree limbs up for them to use as perches last but not least I covered half of it with a tarp to keep the rain and wind out I know my us not fancy by all means but many of the chickens out here that my neighbors have live in the trees, and to be honest they really don't need a lot just a reliable food and water source safe place to roost and house from predators.
Edited to add
And yes they will eat some of your garden if its not protected I cover all me soft greens with netting before I let the chickens out, but they sure do love the bugs they find in your garden.

 

[KnobbyOaks]

Thought I'd give an update on my bee/cutter ant problem. When I changed to the organic feed, the bees have decided they don't like it. I've watched them hover over it for a few seconds and then fly away. YAYYY! The cutter ants who were hauling it away by the spoonfuls, isn't. Really??

Now, humorously, yesterday I bought a square bale of coastal hay so I could make the girls' sleeping quarters into nesting boxes since they're 20 weeks old and I'm hoping for eggs soon. The cutter ants discovered the hay and were furiously hauling it off. When they'd get to their holes, they couldn't figure out how to get the 3" pieces down the hole so it started to stack up on top. I'm interested to get out there this morning and see what they've done. Maybe they got the message out that just because you can carry it, doesn't mean we can use it. Or they'll assign someone to sit out and cut it into useable size.