Texas

[Little Wing]

Oh, sweet. I'll have to give him a shout. And....907...I think my hometown (Grady, Alabama) is actually bigger than that...of course, it's grown quite a bit in the last couple of years because Montgomery is sprawling toward it

We're still working on finalizing the prototype cooler to fit our coop. I'll be happy to post pictures when we are done with it, if you like. I was complaining that we needed a) more ventilation (Mostly fixed) and b) cooling for the hotter weather. I came up with the idea for the cooling unit and my husband is putting it together. Between the two of us (he's done manufacturing of everything from boats to homes to hog houses to ...well - just about everything; and, I'm a development engineer) we have a pretty good design concept - it's just finding the time to actually get it up and put on the coop. It's going to be glassed and built to mount on our units. He's been kinda swamped getting the units out to people, lately, so the cooler's kinda on hold until he finishes up the last order.

And, if you like what we come up with, I can probably get you the plans ((I'll hijack them from Mike when he's not looking)) or we could probably work out a barter deal if you aren't familiar/comfortable with rigging solar power and glassing. I'm all about the barter system.

I was an electrician in new construction for 35 years...I thrive on solar power, glassing, building...More Power Ohh Ohh Ohh (Tool time grunts). I think we will be OK, the coops are under trees and I use fans. We have a nice sea breeze here in Houston that keeps it a little cooler than the rest of the state.

 

[Kilsharion]

I was an electrician in new construction for 35 years...I thrive on solar power, glassing, building...More Power Ohh Ohh Ohh (Tool time grunts). I think we will be OK, the coops are under trees and I use fans. We have a nice sea breeze here in Houston that keeps it a little cooler than the rest of the state.

Awesomeness Some areas of Houston get absolutely delightful weather. I am in the Austin area, so we don't get that lovely coastal breeze. We do get some nice breezes off the inland water systems (lakes and rivers) when it's not so dry that they are mostly rock and very little water.

Three of my children (two boys and a girl) live in Houston. Well, one lives in Sugarland, the other two live in Houston "proper". Soon to have a grandbaby there, too. **bounces** Will be gbaby #10; but, the first one close enough for me to visit regularly. The rest are in Wichita/Kansas City.

My coops are all over the place. However, my stationary one is going to be under a very thick canopy. Gonna have a huge run and about 12-16 hens and a rooster (or two). Depends on how grumpy my neighbors to the west of me get about multiple roosters. I live on what is technically zoned RE not A. So...if they get horribly grumpy about roosters, they can try to cause a fuss. Technically, I have them far enough from their residence that I'm well within the ordinance of the county (I don't live in city limits); but, well - you know how it can get when a neighbor gets grumpy with you.

 

[Chucklecluck]

I have (had) three Orpington Roos just under a year old. So I processed one yesterday needless to say I'm feeling horrible about it. The knife I used on him was sharpened dull, and to make it worse I feel the meat ratio made this culling even more senseless I think from now on I'm sticking to meaties for my kitchen table

 

[Little Wing]

I know how that is. That's one reason we moved to where we are now...No HOA. You look at a new home and love it so you don't read the HOA agreement and move in then realize you can't do the things you like to do like chickens or working on your car in your own driveway. I can't handle it. The only bad thing about this place is we are right next to a train switching yard. They also work on them. Right across the street is a "Horn test area". We didn't hear them when we looked at the house. After we moved in the first time we heard it we just about jumped out of our chairs! Sometime they do it for hours. I still like it better

Across the street.


This is 200 yards from my house.

 

[chickletteSarge]

I have (had) three Orpington Roos just under a year old. So I processed one yesterday needless to say I'm feeling horrible about it. The knife I used on him was sharpened dull, and to make it worse I feel the meat ratio made this culling even more senseless I think from now on I'm sticking to meaties for my kitchen table

Ive learnd to take time when culling roos for meat.... the 1st we took was about 6mo and there was no breast meat at all! Then i put the roos i wanted to eat in a pen and fed them broiler feed for almost a month! They were about 9mo at this time before i even thought about taking them i felt @ their breast areas and if i could feel the breast plate they were still too skrawny to take... i think a good eatin roo would take about 18mo to reach that nice juicy point... now with the new babies im thinking about learning how to caponize! That way the meat dosent get tough!

 

[Little Wing]

Ive learnd to take time when culling roos for meat.... the 1st we took was about 6mo and there was no breast meat at all! Then i put the roos i wanted to eat in a pen and fed them broiler feed for almost a month! They were about 9mo at this time before i even thought about taking them i felt @ their breast areas and if i could feel the breast plate they were still too skrawny to take... i think a good eatin roo would take about 18mo to reach that nice juicy point... now with the new babies im thinking about learning how to caponize! That way the meat dosent get tough!

I looked into caponizing. I don't think that's for me.

 

[chickletteSarge]

Btw... the caponizing will come in handy when i breed the cornish with the PRs to make meaties! Tyson aint got *$&# on me!!!! Lol

 

[Kilsharion]

I know how that is. That's one reason we moved to where we are now...No HOA. You look at a new home and love it so you don't read the HOA agreement and move in then realize you can't do the things you like to do like chickens or working on your car in your own driveway. I can't handle it. The only bad thing about this place is we are right next to a train switching yard. They also work on them. Right across the street is a "Horn test area". We didn't hear them when we looked at the house. After we moved in the first time we heard it we just about jumped out of our chairs! Sometime they do it for hours. I still like it better

Across the street.


This is 200 yards from my house.

Wow, yeah...lived close to tracks for a majority of my life; but, thankfully not near a switching yard. It's amazing the things you adjust to. While I'm not near a switching yard, I am near a quary. The first time they blew stone, I kinda freaked out. I spent too many years with bombs going off to be too comfortable with unexplained explosions. I hit the deck and Mike (my husband) started laughing at me. I chased him around the yard while he continued to laugh

I don't have an HOA, either - well, we "do"...but, it's a "voluntary HOA" that pretty much is $30/yr to pay for the annual neighborhood party. There are some deed restrictions - like one horse per two acres, etc. Goats and chickens (didn't specify "hens") can be kept as pets - not as a "business" - as long as they are kept in a humane and clean environment. Since I can claim my birds (and goats) are pets/hobby, I'm within the letter of the deed restrictions. Nothing in there about roosters **cheeky grin**.

Mike and I looked at caponizing, too. He says he's going to give the next rooster culled a going over immediately after culling to see how he thinks he could do. He used to work at a vets office years and years and years and eons ago ((he reads some of my posts, so I gotta pick on him when I can)) so he has some experience with cutting into and working on animals. He's just not sure how he feels about caponizing and definitely won't do it if he doesn't feel he can do it humanely. Dunno what we'll do with all the roosters that wind up being bred, since we don't eat THAT much meat. But, we'll figure something out either way

 

[ChixAddict]

I know how that is. That's one reason we moved to where we are now...No HOA. You look at a new home and love it so you don't read the HOA agreement and move in then realize you can't do the things you like to do like chickens or working on your car in your own driveway. I can't handle it. The only bad thing about this place is we are right next to a train switching yard. They also work on them. Right across the street is a "Horn test area". We didn't hear them when we looked at the house. After we moved in the first time we heard it we just about jumped out of our chairs! Sometime they do it for hours. I still like it better

Across the street.


This is 200 yards from my house.

OMG!!! I would go insane. My husband says I can hear a mouse phart 5 miles away....especially at night. Even when the neighbor's dog goes roaming at night or the deer run past the coops, the roos wake ME up!! God love those who can live with that kind of noise all the time!!!

 

[ChixAddict]

I should have added that I even grew up across the street from the railroad tracks....local depot that wasn't used much anymore, but trains came through all hours of the night. Somehow, they didn't bother me as a kid. Now...I'd be homicidal !!