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  • 1 month later...
Posted

My son shot this rat snake inside one of the coops a week ago. I’ve never seen one not get pulled off the fence overnight. This is kind of amazing. Nothing left but skin, bones, and the eggs that were in his stomach. I guess this was nothing but the flies and maggots. 
 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

That’s awesome. 
 

Wife and I are here on St John for a few days (first vacay without the kids in a couple of years) and I love watching all the feral chickens. It’s not quite that bad here but it’s close. They are everywhere.
 

This morning I woke up early and sat outside to watch the sunrise with my coffee and the air was filled with continuous nonstop rooster crows for about an hour. I loved it but if I lived here permanently, probably not so much. 

Posted

Killed another snake this morning stealing eggs.

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Not sure if it's the drought causing it or what, but it's only June and I've already killed 4 rat snakes in the coops this year when most years I might just get one.

I guess they are really hungry right now and not finding what they need in the pasture. 

  • 1 month later...
Posted
4 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

Put golf balls in the nesting boxes, it will encourage them to lay there.

I've got one in each of the four boxes - I don't currently have a ladder/ramp from the ground to the nesting boxes as their not too far off the ground (18 inches approx) but might add one or possibly a landing/perch this weekend.  Second egg was laid yesterday afternoon/evening  underneath the nesting boxes so that's an improvement! 

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Posted
I've got one in each of the four boxes - I don't currently have a ladder/ramp from the ground to the nesting boxes as their not too far off the ground (18 inches approx) but might add one or possibly a landing/perch this weekend.  Second egg was laid yesterday afternoon/evening  underneath the nesting boxes so that's an improvement! 
Baby steps...headed in the right direction. The ladder will help too. Once one starts laying in the box it's a matter id time and then they all do, at least in my experience.
Posted
On 8/3/2022 at 11:11 AM, Mother mopar said:

Baby steps...headed in the right direction. The ladder will help too. Once one starts laying in the box it's a matter id time and then they all do, at least in my experience.

This. 

You can get plastic training eggs at tractor supply or off of Amazon. Put a couple in each nesting box and they'll all be laying them there in no time. 

Golf balls - mentioned above - sometimes work, but the training eggs are more effective, imo. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Update time. Golf balls worked, didn't take long. Getting 10-11/day for the last week from 13 hens. Rat snake found its way into the coop before they started laying but was too fat to squeeze out/got stuck in the fence when I attempted to coax it out. No hens were harmed but at that point they were weeks away from laying and I know the snake would have come back. Cottonmouth was found about 50 yards from the coop but on the carport this past weekend. I have a just beginning to zoom around yet still a wobbly toddler so there was no coaxing that time. 9f15cfbf51d35a33f76e0c01ef246ec3.jpg731696ca72537ac8c34f3eb0aa4f1dd5.jpg87b64049c5aff255abd7a70e62624ccf.jpg5ee9e54201ac2c618c6801d53e63d7a1.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
Posted
On 3/10/2024 at 1:23 PM, KYHorn said:

Just got 6 chicks. Any recs for a good beginner coop? We don't really have time to build one right now. We've been considering this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-villa-chicken-coop-12-chicken-capacity

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Any thoughts/suggestions? 

I've gone through about 4 chicken coops so far. These are by far the best and easiest to clean.

 

https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/modern_chicken_coop_eglu_go/

 

I wish I had bought this first. 

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Posted
On 3/10/2024 at 1:23 PM, KYHorn said:

Just got 6 chicks. Any recs for a good beginner coop? We don't really have time to build one right now. We've been considering this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-villa-chicken-coop-12-chicken-capacity

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Any thoughts/suggestions? 

The main problem I had with coups similiar to that is getting in there to clean of change food is a pain in the ass if you are over 4 feet tall.... especially if you need to get under where the "house" is

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  • 1 year later...
Posted

We’ve got 2 turkeys, 3 Cochins, 4 silkies ( hopefully 1 is a male, 5 that will lay green and blue eggs, and 10 Ayam Cemanis. Only 3 are egg laying age, should have 3 more laying early June and the rest in August. Apollo is the male turkey and he is very tame.  

 

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Posted
11 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

We’ve got 2 turkeys, 3 Cochins, 4 silkies ( hopefully 1 is a male, 5 that will lay green and blue eggs, and 10 Ayam Cemanis. Only 3 are egg laying age, should have 3 more laying early June and the rest in August. Apollo is the male turkey and he is very tame.  

 

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Would love to hear more about the turkeys.  Do they roost in the same coop as the chickens?  Assuming they free-range, do they wander much?

We're about 10 years into chickens.  Had two ducks for a while, but it was a pain keeping their little kiddie pool clean, and I'm afraid they'd end up in our swimming pool at the new house.  We're considering adding turkeys later this year and/or meat birds.  Would love to hear some feedback on the turkeys and the meat-bird situation if anyone does that.

Posted
4 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Assuming there is a rooster in the mix, can you get the hens to brood the eggs, and produce chicks?

Anybody?

We've done both hen brooding and putting the eggs in an incubator.  We had a broody hen years ago, snagged some fertilized eggs from a friend and let her sit on them until they hatched.  They did, and she was no longer broody.  Kids were young at that time, and loved the experience.  

We had a Silkie rooster and a Frizzle hen a while back.  Incubated those eggs and ended up with two "Frizzle" hens.  Really cool looking bantams.  Unfortunately, we had a coyote problem and they were the low hanging fruit.  

Bottom line is, breeding is easy, natural and cheap with chickens.

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Posted (edited)

@Spaulding Smails These are our first 2 turkeys. We got them as the third “batch” along with 2 Easter something’s and 3 silkies. Even though they were all 3 weeks old, I assume because they were so large, the chickens chic thought they were their moms. They tried to snuggle under neath them, did the thing where they try to hop on their backs, and generally screamed their heads off if the “turkey mommies” were more than 3 feet away. That set were kept together for the last few weeks in their own coop. As of last night, we finally have almost all the chickens in one coop. We’re just waiting for the last Cochin (2 weeks) to get a little bigger. Our 2 turkeys don’t seem to wander any more than the chickens. They do seem to try to get higher up at an earlier age though. They also have been protecting the chicks they were raised with from the old chickens as well as they can 
 

@High Plains Drifter our silkie went broodie at the same time we put our ayams in the incubator. We ended up giving her 3 of the 12 just to see how she’d do. When they hatched we slowly gave her all the chics. Granted 10 may be on the edge of being too many for 1 silkie, but it has been great. We didn’t have to use a heat lamp and she’s helped introduce them to the yard earlier than we might have otherwise. She’s also the queen bitch now. Also her chicks are more tame faster than the motherless chicks because she taught them first thing to come to us when we say chick chick chick. 
 

 

Edited by UT_OB1
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Posted

Have to get about 900 more lbs of sand to finish the ground. Going to install some solar lights and fans.  The small cage will be to get the new chick acclimated to the flock. 
 

 

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Posted (edited)

Quail Condo phase one at Del Boca Vista is 90%. There will be an aviary, double wire all the around this. Plan on building it next weekend. Fans are solar with no battery so only work during the day. Site is good sun, but not direct afternoon. @Kennythetiger

 

Hens (two) are getting a modified version of this.

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Edited by InkaUtexas
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Posted (edited)

Nice. The Renogy solar charger is pretty cheap and easy to use.  You could probably get a battery and charger for under $75.

 

Apollo's sister Artemis (on the right) is finally becoming a little more social. 
 

 

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Edited by UT_OB1
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Posted
20 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

Nice. The Renogy solar charger is pretty cheap and easy to use.  You could probably get a battery and charger for under $75.

 

Apollo's sister Artemis (on the right) is finally becoming a little more social. 
 

 

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Got a link? I am not that worried. I am back next week and can spend a few days building their development.

Was bored last night and designed a water fall. Stupid shit we do.

Posted (edited)
Posted
On 5/13/2025 at 8:06 PM, Jameslaw121 said:

Where did yall get the quail? I'm kinda thinking about getting some of them

 

Women out near Canyon lake. DM me and will pass on the number.

And I want a goat 

Posted
On 5/16/2025 at 4:04 PM, InkaUtexas said:

Women out near Canyon lake. DM me and will pass on the number.

And I want a goat 

 

growing up, our neighbor had a goat. Maybe once a month or so it would get out and chase me and my sister home from the bus stop. Then it would fuck with our dog. 

Although, once it got its horns caught in the fence that divided our and the neighbor's place. Our dog took the opportunity for some payback. 

 

Plus, it will moonscape your yard or wherever you keep it. You like living in a dust bowl? Because that is what a goat will get you. 

 

Fucking hate goats. 

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Posted

When I lived in Denver, my neighbor had 4 or 5 goats.  Those fuckers lover to terrorize my German Shepard.  He would have killed and eaten them all if he ever got the chance.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

Someone’s pitbull and 2 huskies broke in to our (pet) sheep pen. The boy played dead but the girl almost died. $1400+ later and she’s doing well after having her nasal passageway crushed and cheek ripped off. Yay me i guess. I asked if the vet could process her and give us the hide. I got a look or two.

 

Wife charged out and battle cried the pitbull into retreat. She said she would have strangled the dog to death if she’d been able to grab it. I almost directed her to the Kevin thread. 
 

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Edited by UT_OB1
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Posted
On 5/10/2025 at 11:40 AM, InkaUtexas said:

Quail Condo phase one at Del Boca Vista is 90%. There will be an aviary, double wire all the around this. Plan on building it next weekend. Fans are solar with no battery so only work during the day. Site is good sun, but not direct afternoon. @Kennythetiger

 

Hens (two) are getting a modified version of this.

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OK, so here is my  verdict. Quail are a pain in the ass. I lost 80% in the storms and well, it is not worth it. The chicken pen is a better investment. I will get two more hens once the larger coop is built (this weekend).

Quail stink. I have had chickens before, no comparison. 10 quail smell worse than 50 hens. 

They are a lot messier, so get ready to clean out the pen everyday. And that is a chore. If their shit gets wet, it is cement.

I clean it everyday, is not enough. I have had every predator in my backyard since I got them. Raccoons, fox, neighbor's cats.

If I was going to do it again I would get a shed and keep them in there.

Off to HEB to get some bacon and pineapple.

 

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