Texas

[henless]

I worked in the yard today for about 6 hours. That included a trip to Calloways too. My back bed is coming along nicely. I just need a couple more shrubs and more flowers.

It went from this...

To this....

There were several changes in between. The back yard is looking so much better. I need to get better photos when the sun is out.
We have been here a 1.5 years now. Still a lot to be done.

What a big change! Looks so much better with all the work you have done.

Ok my husband laughs at me. But I gotta ask does anyone else name there favorite hens and roosters or am I the only crazy one?

Several of mine are named and I'm planning on naming all of them.

We are on a 3.5 acre farm north of Coleman, TX about half way between Coleman and Lawn. My partner, 8 dogs, 24 chickens who are just discovering they are Hens and 6 ducks who just discovered water yesterday. We have grand plans for a large garden if our well holds out and are really enjoying life on the farm after retiring from far to many years of city life and office work.

We are both retired and really ready for the cold to finally end and get our farm going. We call ourselves Moran-Newman Farms and, while surrounded by large farms that run cattle we are orienting our efforts to poultry, eggs and produce.

If this forum is anything like the rest of BYC I am looking forward to many pleasant interactions and the help of everyone here as we face the challenges to come.

Welcome to the Texas thread and BYC!


We never did get any of the rain that was forecast. Got a few sprinkles, but that was about it. Worked out in the yard today. Raked up some more leaves for my DL, mowed the yard for the first time this year. I also mowed part of the pasture around the barn/chicken coop. The grass was already so thick, it was choking the mower down. Spotted the first snake of the season. It was a 3 ft chicken snake.

Went to TSC yesterday and picked up a new waterer. I ended up getting a 1 gallon waterer. It works really well and isn't hard to open/close.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/harris-farms-poultry-drinker-1-gal-capacity?cm_vc=-10005


I like that it's a hanging waterer. It helps keep the shavings out of the water. My chicks were bad about filling up the small waterer with shavings. So far today, there has only been 2 shavings in it.


@Ms Jellybean ~ My chicks have had access to dirt since they were a week old. I would bring in dirt from their pen every 5 days or so. The first couple times they just picked at it. This time, they actually got down and took a dust bath. They just loved it!





I have some more in their cake pan drying out. I pick a sunny day and set the pan out in the sun to warm up the dirt. They have a ball!

I would assume silkies like dust baths, but I don't know.

 

[jajeanpierre]

My dog crate is big enough for a Great Dane (full grown) and is all metal. I have boxes I can put around the sides to keep it warmer.

I want 3 silkies, but since they can't sex them I was planning on getting 5 or 6. With my luck they will either all be hens or roosters.

Would this style coop be good? Not planning on getting this one, as I think I could build this for a small fraction of the price.

You would need a good, attached bottom on it so nothing can get under. If it weren't out in the open exposed to wind and rain, that would work well as a sleeping coop (with a solidly attached bottom). It's quite cute.

If you think the big dog crate is just too big, you can make a circle of cardboard to make the area smaller. Or use a big cardboard box. I would line the dog crate with cardboard and duct tape it so there are no openings. You have to worry about them squeezing through an opening and then getting squished or suffocated. They don't have a diaphragm the way mammals do, so any constriction of their ribs/body can suffocate them. Chicks are a lot smaller than they look.

 

[TexasLisa]

Found a couple more ideas...

This one - a review talks about keeping silkies in it.

And this one.

Dang! Just noticed the shipping charges.

Edit: There is this one too. It would need new wire, but I have that.

I love all the coops you keep finding whether they are too small or too big. They are just CUTE!!! I will be anxious to see what you end up getting!

Ok my husband laughs at me. But I gotta ask does anyone else name there favorite hens and roosters or am I the only crazy one?

Doesn't everybody??? Yes, I am guilty....I name mine (if I can tell them apart).

So, in a quote/reply to another post here on BYC, it was suggested that I check out the Texas Forum. I did not even know it was here, so...

We are on a 3.5 acre farm north of Coleman, TX about half way between Coleman and Lawn. My partner, 8 dogs, 24 chickens who are just discovering they are Hens and 6 ducks who just discovered water yesterday. We have grand plans for a large garden if our well holds out and are really enjoying life on the farm after retiring from far to many years of city life and office work.

We are both retired and really ready for the cold to finally end and get our farm going. We call ourselves Moran-Newman Farms and, while surrounded by large farms that run cattle we are orienting our efforts to poultry, eggs and produce.

If this forum is anything like the rest of BYC I am looking forward to many pleasant interactions and the help of everyone here as we face the challenges to come.

I posted this as a new thread in error. Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of that other thread. If I knew what I was doing I would be dangerous.

Welcome from Rosenberg!! We love pictures! Dangerous......you will fit right in with this group!

@Ms Jellybean ~ My chicks have had access to dirt since they were a week old. I would bring in dirt from their pen every 5 days or so. The first couple times they just picked at it. This time, they actually got down and took a dust bath. They just loved it!





I have some more in their cake pan drying out. I pick a sunny day and set the pan out in the sun to warm up the dirt. They have a ball!

Ooh, I have some cake pans handy. I love that idea--thank you!

Lisa

 

[Frances Salazar]

Interesting. I named all my animals even my chickens.
Miniature Horses
Sonny
Candy
Miniature Donkeys
Little JJ
Little Richard
Cookie
Shirley
Laverne
Goats
Squiggy
Frankie-From an Elvis Movie
Johnnie-From and Elvis Movie
Ringo
Michael
Michelle
Bruno
Chickens
Elvis & Priscilla : Their coop is called Graceland
Penelope
Petunia
Claudia
I haven't named the rest of my chickens yet.
Stray cat-Corkey
Black Stray Cat-Midnight

 

[hensfortherapy]

Interesting. I named all my animals even my chickens.
    Miniature Horses
             Sonny
             Candy
    Miniature Donkeys
            Little JJ
            Little Richard
            Cookie
            Shirley
            Laverne
   Goats
           Squiggy
           Frankie-From an Elvis Movie
           Johnnie-From and Elvis Movie
           Ringo
           Michael
           Michelle
           Bruno
  Chickens
           Elvis & Priscilla : Their coop is called Graceland
           Penelope
           Petunia
           Claudia
      I haven't named the rest of my chickens yet.
              Stray cat-Corkey
              Black Stray Cat-Midnight

Love the names. I started out with 4 BO. Hard to tell apart. Miss Priss, Blondie, and the twins (cause they looked exactly alike) Scrambled and Omellet.
Then I added two chicks that were suppose to be golden lace Wyandotte, but like a year later someone on BYC said "not".Lol they were brown leghorns. I just did not care about the fact they didn't look right. They are great egg layers The neighbor girls named them Brownie and Cupcake. Next came Princess a Rhode Island White and Whatknot a Barred Rock.

 

[ClovisMan]

Only a few of my chickens have names as they are the only ones we can tell apart. The 2 roosters are Matilda and Jane, and the White Leghorn is KFC.

 

[A1momof3]

Ok, I have a Question!
Do any of you show chickens? If so how do you know what are show quality chicks? Where do you get show quality? What type chickens are good for showing? Yes I have been bitten by the bug and I have the addition.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I configured my HUGE dog kennel so it is (hopefully) chick escape proof. Whoever invented zip ties was genius!





The back side and half the one end is a tatami mat. (A souvenir from a trip to Hawaii. ) The other half and front side is window screen from a patio door. I've it in my tool box for probably 16 years! The other end is covered by a box that I can remove for easy cleaning. A beach towel is on the top to help hold in the heat.
Right now the bottom is covered with newspaper that is covered with rubbery shelf paper. After a few days on that kind of surface and they know where the food is I will put in pine shavings.
The brooder light is hanging, and there is no way it can fall. I also have a wee stick in for perch when they are ready. I'm currently checking the temperature to see how warm it is in there.

Their water is on a brick (it's the nipple kind of waterer) and I can hang it from the side too. I'm going to have a bowl of water too. I have a bowl of grit and a bowl ready for food. I'm going to go to the thrift store and see what I can pick up to use for dishes in there too.

Chick day is tomorrow!

 

[hungnguyen]

Baylor is doing great. It's 40-20 at half time.

Hens, are you watching?

 

[lovingmyhens]

Baylor is doing great. It's 40-20 at half time.

Hens, are you watching?

Hey there I just finished working on my report cards and my daughter is watching High School Musical. It's a movie. Lol