Texas

[hensfortherapy]

I think the world was a better place when more people kept backyard flocks of chickens. People were nicer. Ha. Now they deal with the same amount of $hit, maybe more, and they don't have the benefits that chickens provide.

 

[ClovisMan]

I made sure when I bought this last house that there was no such thing as an HOA! Community Nazi's is all they are.

 

[rubenmarquez23]

Try the Modern game bantams.... thread, you might find some Texas people on there

No luck yet

 

[hensfortherapy]

I'm driving to Ideal today to pick up my chicks. I have some handwarmers and the front passenger seat is heated, so I hope they will be warm enough on the 2 hour ride home.

I'm excited but nervous, too. Afraid I might do something wrong!

Does anybody know if Ideal will have them Ina box for me, or if I need to bring my own box?

I had to move my chickens 4 hours once and the vet told me to have a few vent holes near the top of the box, not let them be in a draft and I think not have the radio blairing. Mine were about 8 months old so I did not worry about keeping them warm. I am sure it will be ten times better than what they would get if they were shipped. Good luck. Post pics.

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: Nice! & welcome back

even though I see you on facebook

that's our Mandy

 

[Ms Jellybean]

If you really want chickens, why don't you just get yourself that little dog house from Farm Supply, a roll of four foot chicken wire, some cheap posts you can drive into the ground (about $3 each at Home Depot), a small roll of really strong hardware cloth--not the usual 1/4 inch or 1/4 stuff, but the really heavy stuff--from Tractor Supply, some little angles for the corner of the door, two hinges, a box of screws with the washer already on it to attache the wire, some 1x2 and 2x2 lumber, and a bolt fastener. If you want to cover the top of the pen, get a roll of plastic bird/deer netting. Their fencing doesn't have to be particularly strong. The night-time coop does. Your property's fencing will keep out your biggest threat--dogs. Or you can just run a roll of 24" chicken wire along the bottom of the fence you already have and not have any pen. Three or four little Silkies are not going to make all that much of a mess. Just don't put them outside unprotected until they are all grown.

You can get Silkie chicks from a feed dealer. Buy twice as many as you want since half will be cockerels. A trio of hens is a nice number to work with. Keep them in a cardboard box with a heat lamp (be really careful--I hate heat lamps).

It will cost you probably $250/$300 fpr everything.

Your Silkies will be good when or if you finally get yourself some of the bigger chickens next year--they'll likely just mother them chicks and you won't even have to brood them. Other breeds of chickens are problematic when introducing new birds to an existing flock. I'm not sure you really want the other breeds of chickens. You probably would enjoy something like a Silkie or a bantam Cochin more than any other breed. They are small (an advantage in suburbia) and very friendly and sweet.

Your plans for a coop are very ambitious and will be quite expensive. You admit to not being particularly gifted in the woodworking department and money is an issue, so why would you consider such a coop? I see it costing thousands. I don't know what the zoning laws would be for your dream coop, but you should check to be sure it is allowed. Plus, your chickens will be very unhappy in such a small yard. Chickens are just not that difficult or expensive to keep as you seem to think they are.

Just to remind you, here's the little dog house my husband converted to a chicken coop. The dog house cost about $140. This particular dog house is a really well-built with bolts holding it together, unlike the other prefab garbage one usually sees that is held together by stables even at the corners. There needs to be a lot more ventilation than pictured--we're going add a removable wire insert under the roof, which is hinged. Pens don't have to be fancy, especially when you are in suburbia where there isn't as heavy a predator load as there is in the country. Just make sure they have plenty of shade. I would put a pen in deep shade.

I am planning on the coop being built with free lumber. I will use hardware cloth and chicken wire on it. I was also planning on putting a large run around the coop/run that will be about the size of garage. I also plan on letting the chickens run around the yard for a few hours every day.

You do have a good idea to start small. Would removing one of the top boards and replacing it with hardware cloth be enough ventilation? Maybe two would be better. The only deep shade that I have in my yard is in the front yard. :/ I could put them on the north side of my garage, but that gets sun at certain times during the day too. I was thinking shade cloth over the top of the pen would be good.

How big a pen area are you thinking? My yard is 1/4 acre and the back fenced area is big. My biggest concern is rat snakes and other snakes that like to eat small thinks like eggs and small chickens. We have some feral cats, but they usually stay out of the yard during the day. What is out there at night, I don't know. I know there are armadillos, possums and raccoons around here. I haven't seen them in my yard though.

I made sure when I bought this last house that there was no such thing as an HOA! Community Nazi's is all they are.

Some are better than others. My last house was in a neighbourhood with an optional HOA. I opted out.

 

[bnjrob]

I am planning on the coop being built with free lumber. I will use hardware cloth and chicken wire on it. I was also planning on putting a large run around the coop/run that will be about the size of garage. I also plan on letting the chickens run around the yard for a few hours every day.

You do have a good idea to start small. Would removing one of the top boards and replacing it with hardware cloth be enough ventilation? Maybe two would be better. The only deep shade that I have in my yard is in the front yard. :/ I could put them on the north side of my garage, but that gets sun at certain times during the day too. I was thinking shade cloth over the top of the pen would be good.

How big a pen area are you thinking? My yard is 1/4 acre and the back fenced area is big. My biggest concern is rat snakes and other snakes that like to eat small thinks like eggs and small chickens. We have some feral cats, but they usually stay out of the yard during the day. What is out there at night, I don't know. I know there are armadillos, possums and raccoons around here. I haven't seen them in my yard though.

Some are better than others. My last house was in a neighbourhood with an optional HOA. I opted out.

You wouldn't even have to remove the entire boards. You could cut holes in the boards and staple the wire over the holes. With something small like those prefab houses, you have to be careful about weakening the integrity of the structure if you start cutting holes/removing boards because they are not made out of the thickest pieces of wood and are usually stapled together rather than being held together by long screws. But you could do it, just plan it out carefully and look to see how any holes will affect it.

We have no shade and use shade cloth - it's the best. Use the lightest color possible as they help keep the temp underneath cooler than a darker shade cloth. You may also need to double up on the shade cloth since a lot of what is available locally is pretty thin. Greenhousemegastore.com sells shade cloth in varying ratios of how much light they admit and their white colored cloth is the best for lowering temps underneath the cloth. The turn around time for shadecloth from them can be a few weeks when it is in high demand during summer so you want to get it early from them but I have been pleased with my dealings with them.

 

[hensfortherapy]

I made sure when I bought this last house that there was no such thing as an HOA! Community Nazi's is all they are.

When we bought this house I thought I would be able to rehome my chickens. My husband loved this house, the property, the potential for his workshop. I wanted to keep looking for an unrestricted property. Well, we moved and I could not be without my chickens. My anxiety reached levels I never knew existed. Meds just do not work as well and are harder on you than therapy animals. When my therapist realized what was sending me through the roof, he informed me of the Americans with Disabilities Act and said my therapy chickens were covered under it's protection. It's been a battle. Still on going. Prayers appreciated.

 

[Brookshire11]

Chicken butt.

This is the first thing I saw and I had to stifle a giggle..lol

An updated picture we await!

I'll take one at lunch and upload it. She's a trip

My concerns developed over reading the posts prior to my post. I knew bantams could fly but I hadn't planned on getting them, except for silkies now, which can't fly.

BO's are the one breed I don't have on my list. I do have my limit set at 5 hens plus a couple of silkies. My yard is pretty big so they will have plenty of room. I hate clipping wings. I can do it, I just worry I will cut wrong.

I just got the silkies so I can't speak for them yet (right now they're whiney babies ), but my favorite lil buddy out of all my chicks is a BO. She's the first one to run and "greet" me, loves to perch on the brooder and never misses a chance to climb onto my hand so she can be carried around lol.

 

[TexasLisa]

When we bought this house I thought I would be able to rehome my chickens. My husband loved this house, the property, the potential for his workshop. I wanted to keep looking for an unrestricted property. Well, we moved and I could not be without my chickens. My anxiety reached levels I never knew existed. Meds just do not work as well and are harder on you than therapy animals. When my therapist realized what was sending me through the roof, he informed me of the Americans with Disabilities Act and said my therapy chickens were covered under it's protection. It's been a battle. Still on going. Prayers appreciated.

You have my prayers!

What is it with husbands and workshops??? When we were looking for property, the workshop was looked at first. Where we live now, the workshop was the decisive vote!!
MEN and their play toys!

Lisa