Texas

[Cockle-Dood]

So i think im gonna attempt to free range my chickens. I have the sapce but was worried about preds...but only one way to know for sure, right? I will have a secure, uncovered 20x20 run with some more i plan on throwing some 100' of netting around to give them room but will not cover. Im nervouse but if this works it will feed my need for some free range guinneas and turkeys!

 

[yinepu]

They have issued another wind advisory...

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsig...e=TXZ156&local_place1=&product1=Wind+Advisory

 

[Kilsharion]

Y'all remember I was saying how muttastic my Ideal SLWs were? I finally got a shot of one of them (Hickory) while they were out roaming, today.




They were out keeping an eye on the rabbits. They seem to think the rabbits need close supervision:




The Rascals have been allowed to 100% free range the last two weeks and have been doing fairly well. They tend to go back and forth between their coop and the rabbits'. They've started wandering a little more widely the last few days. Any time we walk by they trail behind us like ducklings behind mama just waiting for treats they just know we've got. Dinner is doing his duty well and keeps a close eye on the gals to make sure all is as it should be.




He keeps up the good work, I may have to change his name.

 

[chickletteSarge]

So i think im gonna attempt to free range my chickens. I have the sapce but was worried about preds...but only one way to know for sure, right? I will have a secure, uncovered 20x20 run with some more i plan on throwing some 100' of netting around to give them room but will not cover. Im nervouse but if this works it will feed my need for some free range guinneas and turkeys!

Let me know how that goes! if ya need a roo to keep watch i got a couple extras that i think will do good! heck i got some about the same age as your EEs! and they are from little wings roo i got from him! olive egger! got blue ones and some black ones! but most of the black ones are from my minorka crossings...

 

[LilGAPeach]

I'm brand new to the whole chicken thing (still in the research stage at the moment). My family is PSCing to Fort Hood next week but we'll actually be living in Temple. I was hoping to find a few people in the area that I could pick their brains about some things and maybe visit their coops and chickens. I'm still working on a coop design that gives the chickies what they will need and look the way I want and I've got quite a few breeds in mind that I want, but not sure if they'll do well together or where to get them locally. Can't wait to be down there and settled so we can start building our coop!!!

 

[Kilsharion]

I'm brand new to the whole chicken thing (still in the research stage at the moment). My family is PSCing to Fort Hood next week but we'll actually be living in Temple. I was hoping to find a few people in the area that I could pick their brains about some things and maybe visit their coops and chickens. I'm still working on a coop design that gives the chickies what they will need and look the way I want and I've got quite a few breeds in mind that I want, but not sure if they'll do well together or where to get them locally. Can't wait to be down there and settled so we can start building our coop!!!

You're more than welcome to drop by our place, have a drink and watch the chickens be their crazy selves any time you like. We're about 30 min south-ish of Temple.

 

[adstoffels]

Anybody up toward the DFW area that has any contacts with quail pens? My father in law is wanting to buy some. He asked me is. Chicken coop would work but I'm not sure. Any thoughts or advice would be helpful.

 

[chickletteSarge]

I'm brand new to the whole chicken thing (still in the research stage at the moment). My family is PSCing to Fort Hood next week but we'll actually be living in Temple. I was hoping to find a few people in the area that I could pick their brains about some things and maybe visit their coops and chickens. I'm still working on a coop design that gives the chickies what they will need and look the way I want and I've got quite a few breeds in mind that I want, but not sure if they'll do well together or where to get them locally. Can't wait to be down there and settled so we can start building our coop!!!

welcome to TX!!!
i was at hood for almost 6 yrs!!!! good times!!!
hope you like it!!!!

 

[showbarnmom]

I live in Arizona and looking to move in the near future. I used to be an over the road driver, found Texas to my liking. It has everything, I like; hunting fishing, and people that believe in live and let live, and self responsibility. The state has several climates, high desert to low desert, tropical to deathly dry, you name it Texas has it.

I am looking for a small town, I'm 65 soon to be 67 so there is no chance of living long enough not to be a stranger in Texas. The area West of Temple, east of Junction, south of Dallas, and north of San Antonio.... A big area.

I love the kerrville/junction/hunt area of texas. That gets my vote I'm just north of San Antonio in new braunfels. Towns getting to be. If you want near SA, beorne or blanco.

I have a quick question.  Do you think that this will work?

I found a problem about getting rid of my mean roo.  Apparently he has been protecting my tiny banty hen from the two standard roos.  So I was thinking about just giving her away this morning when my DH made an observation.  That she is about the same size as my 4 week old chicks.  So I put her in the brooder and everything seems to be going okay.  She might get a little chunky eating the chick feed but I don't mind, she will lose it once everyone goes outside.

Do you guys think this could work out?  Or should I rehome her too?  I don't want those big roos trying to mount her, she's so tiny that if they hold her with their beak they can't actually get anywhere near her other end.

would she do ok wuth the SLW?

 

[yinepu]

I'm brand new to the whole chicken thing (still in the research stage at the moment). My family is PSCing to Fort Hood next week but we'll actually be living in Temple. I was hoping to find a few people in the area that I could pick their brains about some things and maybe visit their coops and chickens. I'm still working on a coop design that gives the chickies what they will need and look the way I want and I've got quite a few breeds in mind that I want, but not sure if they'll do well together or where to get them locally. Can't wait to be down there and settled so we can start building our coop!!!

My husband is with Ft Hood currently deployed to Afghanistan.. so welcome to the "neighborhood" lol

Anybody up toward the DFW area that has any contacts with quail pens? My father in law is wanting to buy some. He asked me is. Chicken coop would work but I'm not sure. Any thoughts or advice would be helpful.

What kind of quail?

I raise coturnix (rebuilding my flock after the neighbor's darn dogs decimated the population)

different types of quail do better with different setups:
Bobs can be kept in large coops (I know of one fellow locally who lets his "free range" and they come back to his barn every night for feed and to roost.. not recommended ..but it works for him). They need teh most room of any of the quail since they are prone to cannibalism... in Texas you're also supposed to have a game bird breeder permit to keep Bobs..

Coturnix do better in rabbit cages or hutches where they can be kept up off the ground.. you can raise them in large coops as well.. but most people in the quail section of the forum will give you a bunch of grief over doing that. Hutches or cages do make it easier for egg collection.. but if you have a "lift open top" type of hutch be aware they can flush and fly right out of there when you open the top. No permit is needed for keeping Coturnix.

Buttons are better off kept in the house as "pets"

If you do go with a "coop" just try to keep it away from your chickens.. there are parasites they can pass back and forth which will kill quail pretty easily.. you'll also have to make sure it is covered with hardware cloth (at least the bottom few feet) to help prevent escapes.


just remember to feed them a high protein game bird starter (i feed it to mine from hatch to dispatch) and to keep them dry