Texas

[jockeyeba]

Laura: "I'll use the tiller and get her some of our soil. It's organic, free, and she won't have to get it herself. She's been wanting to use ours to see if it'll work better for her plants. The chicken/horse/goat manure that has been dropped on it for years and was never touched makes our soil better than anything the store could sell."
Sounds like the perfect way to go If you could find some burlap bags to put it in & tie with ribbon

 

[jajeanpierre]

The coop I am building will hold 5, but you cold easily add to it to make it larger. That is my plan. I want it to hold 6-8. The city has a limit of 12 chickens I think. I'd love to get a silkie right now. They don't need much room.... I could worry about a big coop later. Dang! I need to get the tires paid off and recover from the roof first. grrrrr!!!!!

Here are some good ideas for building a coop. And plans for one. And another. And even more.


Aren't natural branches better for a roost? I know when I had parrots I always used natural perches for them because it is better for their feet.

Don't get one chicken, they need a friend. Two or three bantams would easily fit in that little dog house I showed the pictures of.

 

[Brookshire11]

The coop I am building will hold 5, but you cold easily add to it to make it larger. That is my plan. I want it to hold 6-8. The city has a limit of 12 chickens I think. I'd love to get a silkie right now. They don't need much room.... I could worry about a big coop later. Dang! I need to get the tires paid off and recover from the roof first. grrrrr!!!!!

Here are some good ideas for building a coop. And plans for one. And another. And even more.


Aren't natural branches better for a roost? I know when I had parrots I always used natural perches for them because it is better for their feet.

Do you want me to pick you up a pair?

She has buffs and whites...some bantam cochins too...
She's starting a breeding project with Cochins and Milles. I emailed her to find out about the silkies and we ended up txting back and forth about chickens lol!

I'll see if I can find a branch or 2 to use..I don't have a lot of trees...a Bradford Pear in the backyard and some HUGE tree in the neighbor's front lawn. But those a round like a dowel ...so is it ok to leave the dowel in until I find a branch?

 

[bnjrob]

I saw a hoop coop that seemed pretty easy and only cost 150-200 to build. But I don't know how adequate it'd be for winter..

As long as you make sure to have wind protection from north and west sides during the winter, it should be fine. Have had pullets and cockerels in open air pens all winter without any problems - in fact they are some very hardy birds and once the pullets started laying, they have been laying better than their mothers did at the same age. Chickens do not need heat in the winter in TX, they need good ventilation and a wind break.

The only thing I would worry about a hoop coop is the weight and whether or not it will stay put in a high wind. Lightweight stuff made with PVC can get blown around pretty good. Heck, I've got pens made of 2x4s and metal roofing that are incredibly heavy and they have gotten moved around slightly in a high wind while I was standing there.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Laura: "I'll use the tiller and get her some of our soil. It's organic, free, and she won't have to get it herself. She's been wanting to use ours to see if it'll work better for her plants. The chicken/horse/goat manure that has been dropped on it for years and was never touched makes our soil better than anything the store could sell."
Sounds like the perfect way to go

If you could find some burlap bags to put it in & tie with ribbon

JoAnn Fabrics has burlap.

Don't get one chicken, they need a friend. Two or three bantams would easily fit in that little dog house I showed the pictures of.

I would get 2 or 3 silkies. How much did that little dog house cost?

Do you want me to pick you up a pair?

She has buffs and whites...some bantam cochins too...
She's starting a breeding project with Cochins and Milles. I emailed her to find out about the silkies and we ended up txting back and forth about chickens lol!

I'll see if I can find a branch or 2 to use..I don't have a lot of trees...a Bradford Pear in the backyard and some HUGE tree in the neighbor's front lawn. But those a round like a dowel ...so is it ok to leave the dowel in until I find a branch?

Oh my what a bunch of enablers here! Oh the temptation!! I haven't a clue where I would put them right now.

Have a look around Finch Park (on College St) over the weekend. There are always branches on the ground.

I picked up poultry netting at Tractor Supply today only to find it on sale for $8 less at Lowe's. I'm considering exchanging it, but at the same time I really don't want to drive back to the store and then go to another store and..... I would have to do it today too. At least buy the new netting, since the sale ends today.

Look what I found. I wonder how much more/less this would cost than building one yourself. I know you would still need to run hardware cloth around the lower part to keep predators out.

 

[Brookshire11]

As long as you make sure to have wind protection from north and west sides during the winter, it should be fine. Have had pullets and cockerels in open air pens all winter without any problems - in fact they are some very hardy birds and once the pullets started laying, they have been laying better than their mothers did at the same age. Chickens do not need heat in the winter in TX, they need good ventilation and a wind break.

The only thing I would worry about a hoop coop is the weight and whether or not it will stay put in a high wind. Lightweight stuff made with PVC can get blown around pretty good. Heck, I've got pens made of 2x4s and metal roofing that are incredibly heavy and they have gotten moved around slightly in a high wind while I was standing there.

We do have pretty nasty gusts up here. I'll have to figure that out. The fence breaks most of it up but maybe I can find a good way to anchor it.
I know our winters aren't normally so cold. I guess I'm just thrown off because this is my first winter in North Texas..so I just assume it's always like this. Lol. Our summer is much longer than our winter though.

 

[jajeanpierre]

JoAnn Fabrics has burlap.

I would get 2 or 3 silkies. How much did that little dog house cost?

I think it was $138 or $148 at Tractor Supply.

It needs modifications--a secure door and more ventilation. I'll add outside nest boxes, but the cheap nest boxes from Tractor Supply will fit in. That's what is in the picture. My large fowl Ameraucanas miss pooping on the nest box roosting on the perch as set up in the photo. You can make a pen with $3 posts from Home Depot and some chicken wire. Just make sure they can be locked up tightly at night. Or, let them loose in your back yard. Silkies are really docile, can't fly and are very friendly and sweet little birds. Yes, they go broody. Another sweet bantam breed to consider are Cochins. I don't think they will cope with the extreme heat of Texas as well as the Silkies, but I might be wrong. Both will need heat considerations. I keep my chickens so they have access to deep shade with grass under trees which is a lot cooler than just a shaded area because the ground all around the chickens is cooler because of the living plants.

 

[Brookshire11]

Oh my what a bunch of enablers here! Oh the temptation!! I haven't a clue where I would put them right now.

In the house!! Lol, kidding. But it IS cheaper if I buy at least 5...lol

Have a look around Finch Park (on College St) over the weekend. There are always branches on the ground.
I'll do that thanks! We were talking about taking the kids to the park anyway.

I picked up poultry netting at Tractor Supply today only to find it on sale for $8 less at Lowe's. I'm considering exchanging it, but at the same time I really don't want to drive back to the store and then go to another store and..... I would have to do it today too. At least buy the new netting, since the sale ends today.

Look what I found. I wonder how much more/less this would cost than building one yourself. I know you would still need to run hardware cloth around the lower part to keep predators out.

I love that! That just seems perfect...hmmm
My husband and I were supposed to look at coop plans last night too and we forgot...now I guess we'll have to do it Sunday or Monday over lunch.

 

[gameandmore]

Does anyone else have a problem with wild birds eating the chicken feed? Last year I counted 17, now (and I'm not exaggerating) I counted at least 37, its the little Grey brownish one that have orange on there wings, I guess they are finches? And they aren't afraid of me, they perch just 2 feet above my head in the trees right next to the coops!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I think it was $138 or $148 at Tractor Supply.

It needs modifications--a secure door and more ventilation. I'll add outside nest boxes, but the cheap nest boxes from Tractor Supply will fit in. That's what is in the picture. My large fowl Ameraucanas miss pooping on the nest box roosting on the perch as set up in the photo. You can make a pen with $3 posts from Home Depot and some chicken wire. Just make sure they can be locked up tightly at night. Or, let them loose in your back yard. Silkies are really docile, can't fly and are very friendly and sweet little birds. Yes, they go broody. Another sweet bantam breed to consider are Cochins. I don't think they will cope with the extreme heat of Texas as well as the Silkies, but I might be wrong. Both will need heat considerations. I keep my chickens so they have access to deep shade with grass under trees which is a lot cooler than just a shaded area because the ground all around the chickens is cooler because of the living plants.

The area I have decided to put the coop and run is shaded in the morning by trees and the afternoon by my garage. When the redbud tree gets bigger it will shade the area all day long. Right now it is mostly dirt. Planting grass seed in the spring.... I was planning on landscaping the area with chicken safe plants too.

Oh my what a bunch of enablers here! Oh the temptation!! I haven't a clue where I would put them right now.

In the house!! Lol, kidding. But it IS cheaper if I buy at least 5...lol

Have a look around Finch Park (on College St) over the weekend. There are always branches on the ground.
I'll do that thanks! We were talking about taking the kids to the park anyway.

I picked up poultry netting at Tractor Supply today only to find it on sale for $8 less at Lowe's. I'm considering exchanging it, but at the same time I really don't want to drive back to the store and then go to another store and..... I would have to do it today too. At least buy the new netting, since the sale ends today.

Look what I found. I wonder how much more/less this would cost than building one yourself. I know you would still need to run hardware cloth around the lower part to keep predators out.

I love that! That just seems perfect...hmmm
My husband and I were supposed to look at coop plans last night too and we forgot...now I guess we'll have to do it Sunday or Monday over lunch.

It is so tempting to get 3 little silkies right now. I could use the diversion from my life too. It's just not in the budget right now though. I have to wait. Maybe I can get some late summer.....