Texas

[Belott]

Well, my old self is falling asleep sitting here. Been up since 4:30am and been working since dawn. Really tired. Goodnight all and God Bless.

Good night Ken, I ain't far behind ya!! Been a busy day!!!


David

 

[tiedyemommy]

Dang, no fun. Life is all about risks!

Oh well, can't blame me for trying.

I would worry if you didn't at least ask. Yay chicken math!

- TieDyeMommy

 

[bnjrob]

It looks like there are a lot of us that are new to the 'Texas' thread.

I also have a question about the best material for a larger run. I was also hoping my dogs and hens would be good friends.....NOT! We've already had a couple of close calls and we are only 9 weeks into this. I used 4 foot metal fence panels lined with chicken wire on the side open to the dogs/yard. It took the hens 5 days to figure out how to fly over it. I acquired 4 to 5 foot wood fence panels thinking I could use those, but now I think it would be a waste to use it + I can't see the girls through it when I'm in the house and it won't have the same ventilation as chain link. If I use chain link, should I put a layer of chicken wire or hardware cloth? Would it be better to use 4-5' panels and cover the whole run with hardware cloth or get taller chain link and leave it uncovered?? TIA

If there is nothing on the top of the run, you have the risk of chickens getting out, as well as predators - dogs, possums, coons, hawks, owls, etc - getting in.

With the run being only 4 feet tall - having it covered is going to suck and kill your back when you have to get inside to catch chickens, clean, refill water/food, etc. And it is not fun to have to catch a chicken and wind up getting covered in chicken poop because you had to crawl on your hands and knees to move around in a short run. So think about raising the support posts to at least 6 feet tall if you decide to cover the run.

As far as chicken wire vs hardware cloth - that depends on how much you want to spend as well as how the run will be used etc.

A predator can reach inside chicken wire and pull a chicken's body parts off. And small chicks can still get their heads through the holes of chicken wire - so if you're going to have small chicks next to a dog pen - hardware cloth would be better at chick height. If your chickens are going to be put up at night and locked in a coop, then putting up chicken wire in the run may be fine, and then you can line the windows of the coop with hardware cloth for predator protection.

We have very large chicken tractors that we drag around the pasture. The runs are wire fencing with holes that are about 2 inch x 3 inches. The tops of the runs are covered with this wire also and shade cloth is placed on top of that with tarps on top during winter. Then we run 3 foot tall chicken wire along the bottom, inside the welded fence wire - that's to keep chicken parts inside. The attached coops can be locked and the vents and windows of the coop are covered with hardware cloth. Because we have ventilation under the roof, there is hardware cloth covering the roof, underneath the roofing panels, to keep a climbing predator from trying to get in under the eaves of the coop. We also have some open air pens that also have the welded wire/chicken wire combo on them and plywood shelter on one end that is 4 ft deep so a predator isn't easily able to reach in and grab a chicken that is in the "apartment" area.

It's all about what your predator threat is, what your budget is, and what your coop/run design is and how it is working for you.

 

[Starfire669]

I would worry if you didn't at least ask. Yay chicken math!

- TieDyeMommy

If i get my hands on some EE chicks. I will be sure to let you know. and then run and hid from the hubby! lol

 

[MadieChic]

Their website as far as available chicks is down right now but if you know the breeds you want you can call them. Just do a search on the web with "Ideal Hatchery" and you will be good to go!!


David

K

Is Ideal a quality hatchery? Just curious.
Thanks,
Susan

 

[Starfire669]

K

Is Ideal a quality hatchery? Just curious.
Thanks,
Susan

All my chicks are from a feed store that orders from Ideal. Ideal doesn't breed to confirm to type, it breeds for the most chicks. So the chicks you get from them are not the quality that you would get from a true breeder maintaining type. But for a first timer just starting to get chicks, they are fine. my chicks were all healthy and I only lost 1 chick due to a stupid accident (humans at fault not the chicks) and 1 gosling because she was poisoned when the feed store sold me medicated feed and I (like an idiot) didn't read the bag. I ended up buying 6 goslings, 9 BA, 6 BO, 6 BR, 6 RIR, and 7 SLW from them. my chicks are growing nice, at 9 weeks old they are getting fat like a chicken should, and my BR especially are so friendly they jump up on my shoulder when I clean their coop and talk to me.

 

[orumpoultry]

Most hatcheries aren't quality... they're quantity.

 

[MadieChic]

...

All my chicks are from a feed store that orders from Ideal. Ideal doesn't breed to confirm to type, it breeds for the most chicks. So the chicks you get from them are not the quality that you would get from a true breeder maintaining type. But for a first timer just starting to get chicks, they are fine. my chicks were all healthy and I only lost 1 chick due to a stupid accident and 1 gosling because she was poisoned when the feed store sold me medicated feed and I (like an idiot) didn't read the bag. I ended up buying 6 goslings, 9 BA, 6 BO, 6 BR, 6 RIR, and 7 SLW from them. my chicks are growing nice, at 9 weeks old they are getting fat like a chicken should, and my BR especially are so friendly they jump up on my shoulder when I clean their coop and talk to me.
[/quote
I spent some time llooking at their menu of rare breeds and wasn't sure about the quality. Thought I'd ask.
Thanks!

 

[chickieluver26]

Hey you guys I'm going to hatch some chicks in July and I will be keeping them in an outdoor brooder(if its ok). Will it be okay for them to be out there from day 2 or do they need to stay in longer? I figured they would not need a heatlamp because......we live in Texas. Will this all be okay? I need to know. If they can't go outside immediately I can accommodate that. I do have a heat lamp if they need it and they will have a good brooder. I have had many batches of chicks, but I've just never hatched them before or used an outdoor brooder. The family refuses to have the chicks inside for the usual 2-3 months . Thanks
-alicia

 

[Starfire669]

Quote: No problem. they are good starter birds. once you get the hang of it all, then you can get quality stock. but i figure why risk mistakes with expensive birds? i plan on letting mine mix breed, as long as they are dual purpose for meat (extra roosters I hatch) and eggs. I most likely will get a few quality birds later to increase size or egg production in my flock, but for now I am content with hatchery birds.