Texas

[RachaelS]

I am very excited for the State Fair. Maybe I can actually meet some of the people I "see" on here! I am eager to see the different chickens and learn!

Does anyone have any helpful "hints" on how to train or accustom my dogs to chickens. They are golden retrievers. Are there any strategies that you've used that work?

Here is a good website about that

http://canterlc.com/StopChickenKillerDogs/site/pages/home/

I personally have not used it, I need to, two of my 3 German Shepherds have killed a chicken each. One does not but she was raised with them, she just likes to eat their poop

. I need to work on the other two, but it is too hot right now, they get cranky and so do I. Hoping to work on this once the fall comes around, however, I am not sure I would ever trust both of them out with chickens at the same time.

 

[Vickir73]

state fair????? where? when? I wanna be there. Are ya'll talking about the Bluebonnet Classic in January? I'm sending my entry fee today for the show in La Grange. We got the breeding pen finished and I have all my show birds in there now. 1 BCM cockerel, 2 blue pullets, 1 blue copper hen, 2 black maran hens, and 1 araucana pullet. I'm excited. Need a few more chicken totes, but I think I have everything else.

Bnj, can you blow my way (East Texas)?? and while you are at it, we need rain too!! Maybe 6 drops this weekend

GaryDean - sent you a PM regarding breeder

Anyone going to La Grange?? I'd love to meet some of y'all.

 

[SarahMcD]

I've bought from Ideal in Cameron and have no complaints. (ok, just one - they didn't make good on some chicks that died right after arriving - but if you picked the chicks up that wouldn't be a situation) I think they're close to you - in 'Texas distance'.

 

[GaryDean26]

Anyone going to La Grange?? I'd love to meet some of y'all.

My wife and I talked about going to La Grange, but today is the last day for entries, so I guess we won't be taking anything for our debut at poultry shows. I want to meet you since you have CH Marans. We are leaning on to going to Dallas to see my parent that weekend so things are still up in the air.

 

[Nomibear]

I am very excited for the State Fair. Maybe I can actually meet some of the people I "see" on here! I am eager to see the different chickens and learn!
me too, are you talking about the State Fair in Dallas, Oct 13-14? I would love to make that one, but right now it's not looking like a good possibility...

Does anyone have any helpful "hints" on how to train or accustom my dogs to chickens. They are golden retrievers. Are there any strategies that you've used that work?

we have 4 dogs between us and our neighbors (no fence), when we got the chicks, we know we would have to have a fenced in area to protect our chickens, we just didn't know who we were going to have to protect them from yet. When the chicks arrived, we would hold the chicks, and let the dogs smell them. Our dog, a mid-sz female, was friendly and curious. the boys were all friendly, and licking their chops! At that point we know we were going to put her in the coop as the guard dog. Nala has done Beautifully!

 

[joan1708]

Is anyone else worried about the mosquito spraying Dallas is doing?

 

[GaryDean26]

Seems like a good way to prevent fowl pox in chickens and I guess West Nile for those who are worried about that (I lived in areas with it before and it wasn't life threating in the case of the two people I knew who got it so I decided to not worry about something I had very little control over).

I haven't really followed the Mosquito spaying patterns in the state though, so I don't really have an opinion one way or another. What are the pro's and con's?

 

[mamawolf544]

Is anyone else worried about the mosquito spraying Dallas is doing?

No, I think it is silly they are throwing such a fit over it. I personally dont want to become sick or die from West Nile.
They have biologist on the ground and they do this all over the country.
This is just a first for us in years.

 

[yinepu]

When I lived in Delaware they used to drive by and spray.. made the cats sick every time (no idea what pesticide they were using).. it also killed a few birds (we know the bird deaths were from the spraying since every time they sprayed we would find a handful of dead birds the next morning).

We use mosquito dunks in all the water containers that aren't cleaned out every day (the horses water trough, bins the water lilies are growing in, and rain barrels).

Other than that we just make sure there isn't anything around that holds standing water.. we still see a few mosquitos; but not as many as we did earlier in the year

 

[Vickir73]

we've got the ****** things everywhere even though I've done my best to make sure we dump out any standing water. I have closed hanging waterers in the coop and a few open containers outside the coop. Those get changed every other day with fresh water. I vaguely recall them spraying for mosquitoes here in Houston a few years back, but I can recall for sure. It doesn't matter to me either way really. If they sprayed any where near me, I'd just close the animals up at night (which I do anyway) and just make sure I clean out the open water containers out really well. I mailed my entry fee out yesterday, so I'm hoping it will still be ok.

GaryDean, I'm sure if you called Mr Hughes, he would be able to tell you whether or not it they would take late entries. The first show I attended this year (back in January) I didn't pay my fee until the day of the show because I only found out a few days before the show that I would be able to go.