Texas

[RonC]

I've never had my chickens eat a rat but they will kill it and make sure it's dead. Looked like hamburger with a tail.

 

[MandyJ]

Background: My husband just finished 'rebuilding' a '65 GMC pickup. He was told at the DMV the plates would be cheaper if he had an AG exemption. Save money wherever we can.

The only animals we have right now are our chickens. I sell their eggs. Is that enough to get an exemption? Are there pros and cons to getting one? (We've thought about gettings cows, raising bees, and/or pigs.)

THANKS!

We live in Washington county, here you can only qualify for an ag exemption if you have 3 breeding females on your property. Poultry doesn't count. Sorry! You have to do it for 5 years before you can even apply for the exemption.

We thought about it also but decided that by the time we bought feed over the winter, vet bills and all that goes with cows/pigs/goats we would have spent as much as the exemption AND we are tied to home with animals.

Check with your agriculture extension department to find out what is required for your county. But keep records.

Good luck!

 

[Tumbling K]

Thank you for the replies. I have 7 acres. Part of the reason I asked about Ag Exemption, is I don't want to be bothered by nosy officials.

Rooster, congratulations on the chicks!!

• The land must be devoted principally to agricultural use. Agricultural use includes producing crops, livestock, poultry, fish, or cover crops. It also can include leaving the land idle for a government program or for normal crop or livestock rotation. Land used for raising certain exotic animals (including exotic birds) to produce human food or other items of commercial value qualifies.

cut and paste from this site: http://www.appraisaldistrictguide.com/texas/exemptions.html

 

[ChicKat]

• The land must be devoted principally to agricultural use. Agricultural use includes producing crops, livestock, poultry, fish, or cover crops. It also can include leaving the land idle for a government program or for normal crop or livestock rotation. Land used for raising certain exotic animals (including exotic birds) to produce human food or other items of commercial value qualifies.

cut and paste from this site: http://www.appraisaldistrictguide.com/texas/exemptions.html

There may be a new program where you provide habitat for pollinators (bees, butterflys-- recently introduced because of the threat to pollinators) -- be sure to check your agent as BertS said.

ETA found this article:
http://www.texaswildlifeguy.com/ag-requriements/to-bee-or-not-to-bee/

maybe bees wouldn't mean that you had to forego all vacationing away from home ;o)

 

[ChicKat]

I've seen it. Threw a mouse pinky at my birds because I got curious and caught the results on video.

That's fascinating -- and I never knew that there were freeze dried mice. or maybe that was a baby rat? it was pretty large. I have had baby mice that were about the size of the last digit on my little finger. Agree with you it is more interesting that TV -- and hey! no commercials.

Like your pens set up -- and how great that you can see them right out a window. -- Your avatar -- is that active coloration an aura? ;O)

Often I think that the chicken that gets the treat and then has to play keep-away can get exhausted -- and harassed -- do they even get to chomp down? Another freaky thing is to see the chicken eat a snake baby -- and the other day I had a scenario where it was a frog instead of a mouse pinkie that was the object of the keep-away game.
Thanks for posting. Quite the birds-eye view.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Frog keep-away was one of my Paula's favorite games - she always found the small frog first (the others weren't as sharp eyed I suppose), and then she would run around with it dangling from her mouth by one leg. Funniest thing I've ever seen...

- Ant Farm

 

[Kiki]

All 5 Olive Eggers hatched.

That is great!!!
What did you mixed together to get these chicks?

 

[Ren2014]

hey there ....here from far far west corner...el paso .....breed phoenix and gamefowl....gotta have some color around this desert west

We have 3.48 acres and we have an Ag Exemption. Our qualification is because we "raise and/or sell poultry and/or poultry eggs".

WOW, that's very interesting. I have a friend who couldn't get one because she had less than 5 acres, poultry and goats. Maybe it's the county.

check with your county Ag Extension Agent.......he/she, will give you the run down for an Ag exemption in your area...

X2

We live in Washington county, here you can only qualify for an ag exemption if you have 3 breeding females on your property. Poultry doesn't count. Sorry! You have to do it for 5 years before you can even apply for the exemption.

We thought about it also but decided that by the time we bought feed over the winter, vet bills and all that goes with cows/pigs/goats we would have spent as much as the exemption AND we are tied to home with animals.

Check with your agriculture extension department to find out what is required for your county. But keep records.

Good luck!

Here it's allowed if it was Ag exempt prior to you purchasing it.

There may be a new program where you provide habitat for pollinators (bees, butterflys-- recently introduced because of the threat to pollinators) -- be sure to check your agent as BertS said.

ETA found this article:
http://www.texaswildlifeguy.com/ag-requriements/to-bee-or-not-to-bee/

maybe bees wouldn't mean that you had to forego all vacationing away from home ;o)

Very interesting.

Frog keep-away was one of my Paula's favorite games - she always found the small frog first (the others weren't as sharp eyed I suppose), and then she would run around with it dangling from her mouth by one leg. Funniest thing I've ever seen...

- Ant Farm

I'll never forget the first time my girls played keep away... it was a baby snake and the girl that caught it came running to me like I was going to protect her from the others, lol. Then there was the time I was sitting on a bench and one came running under me and then out with a scorpion in her beak. The others came running and I HATE scorpions. I was scared to death they were going to flick the thing onto me, lol.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

Kiki, I mixed a black Americana with a French Black Copper Maran Rooster. They are fuzzy black and white have little muffs and look a little frizzle day the moment.

 

[jtn42248]

I can not encourage you all enough to be on the watch for snakes. They seem to be worse this year than before. One of our dogs was bit by a rattlesnake tonight and we had to make a emergency trip to the emergency vet clinic 50 miles away. So far this season we have killed three rattlesnakes, one copperhead and an 7 foot long bull snake. Don't take any chances and be vigilant always. The vet says we got to them fast enough that the dog should be o.k. but we won't know for sure until tomorrow. Wish us luck.