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We lived 14 years in a suburban neighborhood within a major metroplex. Didn't have chickens at that time but had plenty of wildlife (raccoons, possums, owls, hawks) and feral predators wandering the alleys and eating the cat food that dingdongs would leave out on the front porches.😠 Regardless...

Ditto the suggestion of an exterior nest box attached to your main coop. That is my setup; my nest box room (a compartment that holds two small plastic totes with cut-outs at the front end) is 'free floating' off the side of the coop, with a large hinged lid for me to collect eggs and remove the...

Hi, ATX, just a quick couple of answers to questions. If your run roof gets shade all seasons most of the time then insulation won't be needed for heat abatement, but it does help eliminate drips from condensation. We used a leftover roll of wafer-thin insulation from our barn build underneath...

Welcome, ATX! Presume you're in a subdivision with fenced backyard vs rural acreage? TSC has lots of good supplies, depending upon which store you use. Just a few random thoughts about your questions: --Presume you're constructing your own coop/run and not buying the cheaply made, worthless...

If you decide to reduce flock size you can always post your "gotta go" birds here on BYC. Put in the 'Buy-Sell' forum and be SURE to include at least a general geographic location in the the subject line. Pictures are always helpful. My girls are pure pets so often live beyond their "production...

I've had good success with: (a) good ol' snap traps baited with peanut butter. I slide them (primed and baited) into a small, empty cardboard/chipboard box (canned catfood box, kleenex box, etc) that can open/close at one end. Cut a mouse hole in one of the box sides. This setup is to make...

Cute coop. Ditto the predator proofing. Might depend upon where you're located (heat of summer, etc) but I'd go ahead and hang both a food & water feeder in each side.

IMHO the "question" is what your personal tolerance level is to a given feed/food contaminant, for yourself and/or your chooks. It is quite possible that, somewhere, individual small farms following true organic practices might be a source for the grains and other ingredients by which you can...

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...