Recent content by texsuze

Barbed wire will be more of a problem to mess with for you and your dog than it will for a fox--I personally would not use it. Ditto others who suggest electric poultry fencing or running a hot wire/hot tape along the outside top and bottom of your (fenced?) run space.

I was also going to suggest rat snake based on markings and behavior described. I've yanked a couple of rat snakes out of my coop in years past when I'd do night check at the barn; they were going for the fake nest eggs as my hens watched from their roost. :hmm Glad your first reaction isn't to...

Wish they were emerging down our way--we're not in the right location! My girls have to be content with the crickets and grasshoppers.

I have a total of 6 water stations, all except one are the standard white plastic container with the click-turn or screw on dispenser trays. One 'waterer' is one of those large plastic shallow trays that potted plants sit on. Algae and wild bird poop are the most frequent challenges to keeping...

Chiming in from the Hill Country--do not cut down a healthy, viable live oak, please. Count yourself lucky that oak wilt hasn't affected your live oaks yet--ask me how I know. As for horizontal growth, that's a factor of time, wind, and Mother Nature; we have plenty of live oaks growing that...

Have you re-homed your hens yet? You might post your information over in the Texas thread on the "Where am I? Where are You?" forum.

Try posting your info in the Maryland thread on the "Where am I? Where are You?" forum. Good luck to you.

Welcome to the Texas thread!

Kudos to you for thinking things through for your special needs girl! Your setup in the pic looks good--fresh air, easy access to water/food, in the vicinity and hearing range (?) of other flockmates yet protected from pestering. Only concerns would be preventing predators (including dogs &...

I'll chime in here with only my personal experience from 14 years of keeping pet chickens. I started out with four Meyer chicks, one who lived to age 9. My hatchery girls after that had all lived to at least 4 years old. My first girls from a 'real' breeder were 3 started pullets (Dominiques)...

Former Dallasite here. A few comments and questions. Is your coop elevated or does it start at ground level? I have 5 hens with access to an 8'x10' run with another 6'x4' communicating space underneath my elevated coop. Although my girls free-range the entire day, I wouldn't consider adding...

If you have an Urban Wildlife Biologist in your area (through city or county channels) I'd consult them. Urban/suburban coyotes are not at all unusual, even in large cities. My understanding is that if they are trapped/killed, the next coyote pack in the area (and they are in the area) will take...

My first loss of a hen in my very first flock was Esmeralda, a year old BA, to a hawk, only because Agnes Boss hen was broody and not "on duty" that day. My only avian predator loss in 14 years. Love the BAs and have always had some in my small flock setup, but I've had EEs and Dominiques too...

Purina All Flock fed here. Oyster shells and clean, crushed eggshells provided free-choice in separate bowls. As some of my hens age out of laying I don't want to be swapping feeds around all the time.

Good plan to add more cleats to the ramp. You might consider sanding down those 90* edges on each of the cleats--all mine are chamfered down so no sharp edges. You can also try adding rubber mat strips in between the cleats for better traction and showing a distinction between cleats and ramp...