Texas

[bnjrob]

She puts plastic around the flights to block the wind.

Yep - We staple plastic on the north side of our chicken runs to block the wind during winter and also put tarps on the top of the runs to help keep the rain out of the runs and feeders a little bit more. Does a great job and those chickens love being out in the runs even when there is sleet, snow, and freezing rain coming down and blowing into the runs.

 

[LauriTX]

My chickens are on strike too... No eggs from Red who was laying pretty consistently and then, just stopped about 5 weeks ago. My other two should have started laying and haven't yet. I guess Red was molting, as there were feathers all over the coop.

We have just an A frame coop that is wood and metal siding covering the nesting area (not fancy at all, dh and I built it!) My girls insist on roosting outside and not in the covered part. The silly girls roost on a rubbermaid type storage box that I had in the coop for the newer girls (they were 9 weeks old when I got them).

I have been cleared to go back to work Friday. I am excited but sad at the same time that I am no longer going to be on a day schedule anymore.. I work 12 hour night shifts and have for 12 years. I love them but they are so hard on you. I don't really like working days at all.

Good night!!

 

[TexasLisa]

Good Morning Fellow Texans!

All is quiet here this morning.

My girls are starting to lay again. Moulting season (I hope) is almost over! At least 2 of the 5 poults are now hens. It makes me so proud of them!!

Lisa

 

[boomchickaboom]

New to the chicken world!! I only have 2 chickens a rooster and a hen. They were given to me along with a coop and some feed LOL so I guess you could say I started from SCRATCH Its just me at home so a few questions don't laugh because I don't have a clue


How often do they lay?
When they start laying do I need to refrigerate the eggs?
How long do I have before I need to eat them?


Call me crazy not real sure how I got mixed in with some chickens but I am going to give it a shot :0

 

[wlhtx]

Do you have a light on them at night?  All of my hens stopped laying in Sep.  Put a light on them 2 weeks ago and I am up to a dozen or more a day now.  Even my 3 yr old AA/Game mix started laying two days ago.

I can't use lights at night. Their pen is currently located right behind our house (literally on the other side of the wall from my master bedroom), and if I leave lights on outside then my blasted roosters CROW ALL NIGHT LONG. I've chosen sleep over eggs...

But I have gotten 2 eggs per day for the last 2 days. (No colored ones, just brown ones from my 34 weeks old BRs.) BUT I'm hoping this means the hormones are flowing again and maybe my others are getting close!

 

[TexasLisa]

New to the chicken world!! I only have 2 chickens a rooster and a hen. They were given to me along with a coop and some feed LOL so I guess you could say I started from SCRATCH Its just me at home so a few questions don't laugh because I don't have a clue


How often do they lay?
When they start laying do I need to refrigerate the eggs?
How long do I have before I need to eat them?


Call me crazy not real sure how I got mixed in with some chickens but I am going to give it a shot :0

Welcome from Rosenberg, TX!! You will love having chickens. They are a lot of fun to be around. Do you know the age/breed of your hen and rooster?

I can't use lights at night. Their pen is currently located right behind our house (literally on the other side of the wall from my master bedroom), and if I leave lights on outside then my blasted roosters CROW ALL NIGHT LONG. I've chosen sleep over eggs...

But I have gotten 2 eggs per day for the last 2 days. (No colored ones, just brown ones from my 34 weeks old BRs.) BUT I'm hoping this means the hormones are flowing again and maybe my others are getting close!

Hey Stranger!! Your hens need light 12-14 hours. I have a timer on my light. It turns on at 5:30 AM and shuts off at 7:30 AM. I know some people turn the light on early in the morning and again in the evening for a couple of hours to get the 12-14 hours of light. Of course I understand why you don't want the light on. Our coop is located on the other side of the garage so we don't hear our roosters that well.

Mine are slowly starting to lay again. Molting had struck them a few weeks back. UGH!

Lisa

 

[boomchickaboom]

Howdy Lisa,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I am not sure what I have but I will take a pic and post when I can.

 

[greybush]

Hey guys and gals from gilmer tx looking to purchase some start off layers and was wondering what a good breed for my area would be looking for possibly threes hens and a roost all the help would be great thanks

 

[wlhtx]

Hey guys and gals from gilmer tx looking to purchase some start off layers and was wondering what a good breed for my area would be looking for possibly threes hens and a roost all the help would be great thanks

Welcome! You're not too terribly far from me. Lots of breeds work well for our area. If you are mainly just looking for a few (brown) eggs, barred rocks are great. (Probably the most steady and longest lasting layers of e various breeds I've personally owned.) But you're asking a crowd that will gladly give you 100 different opinions!!! Ha! Beware, this site will very quickly cause you to wind up with a flock of 40+ hens and multiple roosters, and your coop/barn will never be big enough... Ask me know I know...

 

[wlhtx]

Hey Stranger!!  Your hens need light 12-14 hours.  I have a timer on my light.  It turns on at 5:30 AM and shuts off at 7:30 AM.  I know some people turn the light on early in the morning and again in the evening for a couple of hours to get the 12-14 hours of light.  Of course I understand why you don't want the light on.  Our coop is located on the other side of the garage so we don't hear our roosters that well. 

Mine are slowly starting to lay again.  Molting had struck them a few weeks back.  UGH!

Lisa

Hi Lady! Molting was the start of my woes, but right about the same time they started molting, I also culled all of my older layers. So, I am literally starting fresh this fall with all just barely at or past POL pullets. My hope is that, once they get cranked up, I'll have eggs all winter long. Last year all of my layers stopped mid-September and I didn't get a single egg until mid-February... This year they stopped end of August, but I've gotten 7 total eggs this week (from 28 at or past POL hens), so fingers are crossed that they have finally hit puberty!!'