Texas

[jockeyeba]

Hey all, is there a bible of chicken raising? Or a raising chickens for idiots? Basically, what number one book would you all recommend to read on the subject?

thanks,

John

It is a long read, but packed with great info and as they say, anything worth having is worth working for.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...l-up-a-rockin-chair-and-lay-some-wisdom-on-us

There are a LOT of people on this thread with plain and simple facts, these are people that have raised and kept chickens for 10+ years, not like some that claim to be experts but have only had them for 2 or 3 years (like me LOL). 

The first and most important thing I learned was, space, you need a lot of it, the base is 10 sq ft per bird, that can change with amount of ranging time, size, breed, however, it is better to have more space than not enough.  So those cute little pens I spent $300 "good for 4-5 hens" each on are junk, only good as a sick pen, 1 hen MAX.  Next, I learned is I never have to heat my coop.  They don't in the north, 100% no reason to do it in TX.Those were my first 2 and most important things learned.  There are a LOT more and they are laced through the thread. 

I don't think a single book exists that can capture what is in that one thread alone, but that is just my opinion

X2

 

[ellie32526]

Hello - I'm new here, from Euless (DFW area). No chickens yet, just reading and learning and developing major chicken envy reading about everyone's flocks!

Hello, I'm also from Ntx, I'm in Kaufman, east of you. I just got my chicks last week. Have been on here educating myself for months. What an education! Welcome and have fun! Good cluck!

 

[RachaelS]

Well, we started working on the coop today ... by "we" I mean DH and I .... and by "started" I mean "finalized the plans without killing one another."

(we weren't quite on the same planning page before, lol)

We are using an existing set of pens that were built buy a previous owner. One pen will be converted into a covered run and the other will be insulated and walled in for the coop.

We have 7 birds coming and will have just about 30 sq feet in the coop. Run will be about 40 sq feet, and then they will able to free-range in that portion of the yard (which is gated off).

WOW, what I would give to have that set up! Congrats

You hit gold!

 

[Imprfctme]

I

[/IMG]
The lady at Atwood gave this little guy to me and I've been thinking of just having him put down. Any suggestions? I don't want to euthanize him of I don't have to but it doesn't look very good at this point. With the one eye missing he can't get to the feed bowls and then if he does he can't eat unless I drop food and water in his beak, which worries me that he's going to choke. Not sure what to do.

I have one cross beak who isn't that bad. She can feed herself, and I just trim her beak down like clipping dog nails every now and then. But I was on the cross beak thread, and I can say that missing an eye + cross beak seems to be far worse. It's clearly a genetic mishap and you don't ever want it in your future chicks. I wrote an article on feeding cross beaks based on the info in that thread, you can find it searching cross beak I think. Keeping a severe scissor beak alive is a job, but - all that handling makes them very affectionate. Good luck with your decision, whatever it is!

 

[Imprfctme]

X2

Agree with all the book reccomendations, but have to add that the "founders" of BYC.com are behind the dummies guides for chicken raising. Personally I find them easy to look up info when I need it quick. Also anything by Gail Damerow (sp?). She just put a book out on disease, injuries, etc that I'm itching to get - along with the illustrated guide to breeds for the coffee table. This chicken stuff is addictive I tells ya!

 

[Cockle-Dood]

Agree with all the book reccomendations, but have to add that the "founders" of BYC.com are behind the dummies guides for chicken raising. Personally I find them easy to look up info when I need it quick. Also anything by Gail Damerow (sp?). She just put a book out on disease, injuries, etc that I'm itching to get - along with the illustrated guide to breeds for the coffee table. This chicken stuff is addictive I tells ya!

I agree about gail damarow...i have storey's guide and read it cover to cover BEFORE i found BYC! I want the illistrated guide as well because she refernces it within the text of her other book! Really great info, and great bed side table referance

 

[kkidsmom]

How do you get the zip ties off of their legs without hurting the bird?  That's what I keep worrying about.

we had a terrible time getting one off. that was why we went to rubber bands.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

Can someone post a close up pic of a properly zip-tied chick leg? I have a couple questions but figure a pic will answer all if them. Not sure how looses is too loos for my 3 week olds

 

[KnobbyOaks]

She just put a book out on disease, injuries, etc that I'm itching to get - along with the illustrated guide to breeds for the coffee table. This chicken stuff is addictive I tells ya!

Wow, for the coffee table? I gotta own that book!!

 

[galanie]

I personally think Story's chicken guide to be so much toilet paper. I bought it after having chickens and reading this forum for a couple months and it honestly had nothing in it I needed to know. It can be fun to read though.

I know the space recommendations are usually too small. The person before me that said More space is Better is right on the money. Most new folks just put way the heck too many chickens in too small a space. You'll have the peck each other and all sorts of other maladies if you do that. I keep my flock at about a dozen, and they have 1/4 acre to run on. The coop is a bit small for that many but they only sleep in there and there's plenty roost space for them. 2-3 feet per bird is what you really need.

As far as books, you can read what I consider the best one ever written for free on Google Books. Also at archive.org. It's titled "The Call of the Hen" and was written some time around 1920, forget exactly when. You can read it on the computer, on a kindle, whatever. Ideally I'd like to print it out but never have gotten around to that.