Texas

[RichnSteph]

Hello, I'm new to BYC and I live in Royse City, TX which is about 30 minutes East of Dallas. It's about as far out in the country I can live and still have a decent drive to work during the week. This is our first year having chickens.
Jan

Welcome from Adkins! I'm in the same boat with being just far enough out that I have a decent commute into town for work (San Antonio) but am still far enough out that I can enjoy country living.

 

[rubenmarquez23]

I have two new additions a fawn old English roo and a hen which I don't know the breed now my little flock of 3 moved up to 5

 

[texasmomma]

Here are my laying hens. We have three cream legbars and one marraduna basque.




I couldn't manage to get all of them in the picture. This one was hiding.




Here are some recent pics of the chicks in the grow out pen. The oldest is 4 weeks old today. They were all hatched within a couple of days of the oldest. They are kind of hard to see since I was using my phone for the pictures and didn't want to disturb the roosting.

 

[Starfire669]

My earliest layers were marraduna basque. They laid at 17 weeks. I was so amazed. Their half sister did not lay that early, but she also was brooded later in the year.

My idea hatchery black australorp was about 22 weeks old when she first laid. Most of my chickens are at least 20 weeks old. Many of them are older.

Thanks. I am in no rush for them to lay. I can impatiently wait for them to grow and I prefer them to be healthy rather than get quick eggs. I mean I want fresh eggs, but won't pusidly girls to lay before they are ready.. I hope I am not confusing readers, even though I am confusing myself as I write this.
I mainly just want to know when they should reach point of lay so I can keep an eye on their health better. I don't want to miss an egg bound hen because I read wrong information. And I don't want to put them on laying mash too early and cause health issues that way.

 

[Starfire669]

This morning I sat in the chicken yard and visited with my ladies.     I don't often get to do this because I normally have my little helper (daughter) with me, but I got to sit and watch them, and talk with them.  The ladies tried to flutter up to the branches of a small rain tree they like to snack on, but couldn't make it more than 1 to 1.5ft high...so, for now, looks like the wing-clipping has worked.  I felt bad that they couldn't get to the leaves, so I broke some branches down and put them where they could get to 'em.  They are going to be spoiled rotten before too long...if they aren't already. 

- TieDyeMommy

Mine are already spoiled. Today they got strawberries that had been left a little too long on the plant, or those the grackles had pecked at. The chickens played tackle football, the ducks and geese had pink faces. . Daisy duck and Jasper/Jasmine the goose took berries right out of my hand! So they had a nice snack this morning already. Can't wait for my blackberries and raspberries to ripen. Now that they are fenced off from my flock of gluttons I may actually get some!

 

[tiedyemommy]

Mine are already spoiled. Today they got strawberries that had been left a little too long on the plant, or those the grackles had pecked at. The chickens played tackle football, the ducks and geese had pink faces.

. Daisy duck and Jasper/Jasmine the goose took berries right out of my hand!

So they had a nice snack this morning already. Can't wait for my blackberries and raspberries to ripen. Now that they are fenced off from my flock of gluttons I may actually get some!

Daisy was the one who always ate snacks out of my hand too. She knows that's how you get the most snacks...or at least 1st pick.

This morning the ladies had some watermelon for breakfast...kind of a "welcome back to your free-range status" offering.

- TieDyeMommy

 

[Starfire669]

Ok, so peace is returning to my yard. The geese are much more accepting of the ducks now. They only really bother the Quakers when they want the pool the quackery are in. (there are 3 pools, but wouldn't you know the geese want the pool the ducks are using, like it's better cause they are in it or something!) but my brother in law is holding a 5 month old rooster for me and he says I have to take him by next weekend. Apparently this BA cross rooster is challenging my brother in laws older Roo and getting beat up. He has no where else to put it to keep it away from the older Roo. The younger Roo doesn't know his business yet either and his crow is rather pathetic. (looks like I am getting another Howard, lol.) Will the 5 month old Roo hurt my 11 week old girls? Or since there are so many of them will they be ok? If I have to pen him up separately I will, but I do want him to get to know his flock of future girlfriends. Any advice, tips, suggestions?

 

[tiedyemommy]

Ok, so peace is returning to my yard. The geese are much more accepting of the ducks now. They only really bother the Quakers when they want the pool the quackery are in. (there are 3 pools, but wouldn't you know the geese want the pool the ducks are using, like it's better cause they are in it or something!) but my brother in law is holding a 5 month old rooster for me and he says I have to take him by next weekend. Apparently this BA cross rooster is challenging my brother in laws older Roo and getting beat up. He has no where else to put it to keep it away from the older Roo. The younger Roo doesn't know his business yet either and his crow is rather pathetic. (looks like I am getting another Howard, lol.) Will the 5 month old Roo hurt my 11 week old girls? Or since there are so many of them will they be ok? If I have to pen him up separately I will, but I do want him to get to know his flock of future girlfriends. Any advice, tips, suggestions?

Sounds like you're collecting incompetent males...perhaps you should run a sex-ed school for birds.

- TieDyeMommy

 

[Starfire669]

Sounds like you're collecting incompetent males...perhaps you should run a sex-ed school for birds. 

- TieDyeMommy

Umm, no thanks. In this case I am quite happy he doesn't know his business yet. My girls are too young for that short of thing! My hope is, that since his attempts to steal hens from the mature Roo have always failed and earned him a beat down, he is completely inexperienced. I have never heard of a Roo attempting to mate an immature pullet, but there could always be a first time for everything. On the other hand there is 1 of him and 27 chickens in my flock, at least 6/7 of which are cockerals as well. If my flock gangs up on him he is in for some hard times. I have seen fully mature hens gang up on a rooster and put him in his place. I don't know if pullets will do it though. If they do I'll take pics and we can all have a good laugh.

 

[tiedyemommy]

Umm, no thanks. In this case I am quite happy he doesn't know his business yet. My girls are too young for that short of thing! My hope is, that since his attempts to steal hens from the mature Roo have always failed and earned him a beat down, he is completely inexperienced. I have never heard of a Roo attempting to mate an immature pullet, but there could always be a first time for everything. On the other hand there is 1 of him and 27 chickens in my flock, at least 6/7 of which are cockerals as well. If my flock gangs up on him he is in for some hard times. I have seen fully mature hens gang up on a rooster and put him in his place. I don't know if pullets will do it though. If they do I'll take pics and we can all have a good laugh.

Nice!

- TieDyeMommy