Texas

[hensfortherapy]

Im out by lockhart tx.gptta love being close to the bbq capital! I currently have 2 cows, 160+ and counting quail "300 eggs in the incubator", 2 dogs, 2 cats, few buff brahmas, few new jersey black giants, some Americanas.

BBQ and the Pullet Shut automatic chicken doors are made there.

 

[layinfram]

I did not know that. I will look for them tomorrow cause I need one lol.

 

[hensfortherapy]

I did not know that. I will look for them tomorrow cause I need one lol.

I love mine. I have one on both of my coops. I have the kind you have to set, but they have one with a sensor. Real nice people too.

 

[layinfram]

I love mine. I have one on both of my coops. I have the kind you have to set, but they have one with a sensor. Real nice people too.

Thanks I hate when I wake up late and and they dont get to go out in the morning. Cuz I work weird hours so sometimes the dont get to go out till 11am. I thought of making one out of a motor for curtains.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Officially started the coop today. I had a 8x6 dirt floor shed rough framed, but my Darling Wife said it was way too small. I pulled it apart and now I'm going with an 8ft x 12ft barn-style coop.

Laying out the floor...


Framing the floor using 4x4 skids and treated 2x6's...


Putting down the 3/4 inch tongue and groove flooring...


That's as far as I got today. The kids kept crawling around me like gnats. It also looks like I need to lower one corner. Good thing I took pics!!

My concern would be that mice, rats and other undesirables can set up a home under your coop. Can you raise it high enough that the chickens can get under it? They'll take care of any mouse problem, that's for sure.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Oops! I thought I replied hours ago.
Im not opposed to processing. I know eventually my girls will get older and ill have to make the choice between having eggs, which was my original drive for having chickens, or keeping them as pets. I don't have enough space for both.
The only reason im rehoming him is that the city doesnt allow roosters at all. I don't know my time frame before he starts crowing.
I knew when I got chicks that not all of the "pullets" would be hens. I knew I'd get a roo or two

Im just unfamiliar with the practice of selling them I guess, which is fine cause it was never my focus.
I could keep him and hope he lays an egg lol But he's already getting red and iridescent green/black feathers, his comb is hot pink with 3 rows of peas, while my other two EEs have yet to get any pigment..things just aren't looking promising for him..lol. I know he may (most likely) end up in a pot. I know his chance of living out his days as a pet are not great. He IS a chicken, and Im okay with him feeding some family. But the cockfighting info makes me feel a lot better.

Brookshire11, I never buy sexed chickens. Do you know what the big commercial hatchery does to the ones that are sexed as male? They get tossed down a shute into a glorified wood chipper. At least if you buy a straight run bunch, the cockerels have a short, but happy life and you get some fresh, healthy chicken meat that is humanely processed, which is not the case with the tasteless mush you buy in a grocery store.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Morning Texas! It's pea soup here in Houston. Hoping the cold will hold off til I can get to the grocery store after school. I'm not going to hold my breath though

 

[hungnguyen]

a good day for hot soup

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Nasty here in McKinney as well. Yesterday never panned out the way they said it would either. They seem to get the bad weather forecasts down, but not the nice days. I wish I could be paid to be wrong all the time.... Waiting for Thursday. After that the month looks awesome! Hope they are right. Time to start the spring planting.

Here is a list of good foods to grow for your chickens.

Speaking of good food for the weather.... Starting this tonight for tomorrow's supper. I I think I will make some bread to go with it too.


Stay warm today!

 

[8isenuff]

Final incubator pics! 36 eggs went in 2/5 around noon. Temp holding steady between 99 and 100. Little cooler in the "back" by about 1 degree, so I rotate position every 2-3 days. Humidity is a little harder to control...I can get it where I want it, but keeping it there at night is difficult. It all evaporates. I have a dish with a rag in it...I also added a gel bottle thing from my husbands humidor and that seems to help some...I think I'll switch out the rag to a sponge...but when I had the sponge in there the humidity ran pretty high...maybe just part of sponge? I also took out the air plugs after reading a suggestion on another post...I think that's helping...