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Old 04-11-2009, 10:36 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,079,250 times
Reputation: 9478

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Correction the tour is April 11, 09.

This is so typically Austin I thought it would be fun to share. It caught my eye because a friend was recently bemoaning after moving from Dripping Springs into Austin she missed her chickens.

Funky Chicken Coop Tour, 04.11.09 Chicken coops on display in Austin

Downing's chicken coop is one of 18 open to the public on a free tour today. The Funky Chicken Coop Tour is designed to let homeowners learn the ins and outs of chicken ownership in the Austin area.

Details about the tour: FUNKY CHICKEN COOP TOUR
Map of tour locations: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...,0.617981&z=11

Statesman article: Chicken coops on display in Austin (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/11/0411chicken.html - broken link)

Slide show

Funky Chicken Coop Tour, 04.10.09 | Photo Gallery | Statesman (http://www.statesman.com/ap/mediahub/media/slideshow/index.jsp?tId=151927 - broken link)

Video - mentions there are 18 different location on the tour.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/multimedia/players/brightcove.html?bcpid=1459162514&bclid=1461295911& bctid=19204028001 (broken link)

Last edited by CptnRn; 04-11-2009 at 10:43 AM.. Reason: correct date
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Old 04-11-2009, 11:37 AM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,509,263 times
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Folks should definitely go. Having a few "girls" in the backyard for fresh eggs can't be beat.
They are very easy to care for..10-15 minutes in the morning and night plus they will love your grass clippings (no chemicals please) and are fun to watch. You just have to give them a safe home and yard.
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Old 04-11-2009, 01:04 PM
 
8,231 posts, read 17,322,756 times
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I went to day and it was wonderful. I'm ready!!!
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Old 04-11-2009, 02:22 PM
 
Location: Hutto, Tx
9,249 posts, read 26,700,559 times
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I was going to go on that, but the local Easter egg hunt took precedence with the 6 yr. old I wish we could have chickens. Stupid HOA! The people in "old town" have them and it's only a block away
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Old 04-11-2009, 03:50 PM
 
Location: NW Austin
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Wished I'd heard about it earlier... I'd love to go look at chicken coops! Maybe next year. Thanks for the info.
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Old 04-11-2009, 07:57 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,509,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mimimomx3 View Post
I went to day and it was wonderful. I'm ready!!!
Well if you're ready and gung ho then check out Ideal Poultry.
Out in Cameron (about 1 hour away - nice country drive) and you can drive out and pick up day old chicks. You have to pick them up if you order less than 25 but they do take small orders. You'd probably want 3-4 pullets (future hens).

I would recommend Buff Orpingtons - very quiet sedate birds - they lay brown eggs. They are a dual purpose bird (meat and eggs) but I keep them for eggs and they are good layers and brooders.
I would stay away from banties..they are a nervous skittish breed.

Anywho..here's a link to Ideal. Once you're ready to make the plunge..post back here and I'll give you some more suggestions if you'd like. I've been raising chickens for over 10 years now.

File:Buff Orpington.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IDEAL POULTRY - Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Bantams, Chicks, Turkeys, Poultry, Birds, Fowl
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Old 04-11-2009, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,416,260 times
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We went. Got a late start, so we only got to go to a few, but it was well worth it! Not just for the coop ideas (we live out in the country, but we're about to build a new, raccoon-proof coop and thought this would be a great opportunity to see what other folks were doing that worked for them),but for the chickens themselves.

One caveat with buffs - if you've got hawks and an open area that the chickens frequent, they'll see the buffs (or other light-colored chickens) and pick them off in preference to the darker ones). I loved, loved, LOVED my buffs, but this was a problem since ours are free range during the day (which makes all the difference in the world in the quality of the eggs - they just can't get the same 'stuff" in the chicken feed that the chickens find in the various weeds, herbs, bugs, and small rodents they gather for themselves).

I personally prefer an assortment of breeds, not just for the multi-colored eggs, but for the sheer pleasure of looking at them.
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Old 04-11-2009, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,509,263 times
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THL I have a 40x40 yard for them. Posts are 6ft tall and I have netting over the top (Top Flight netting).
No losses to hawks. I do let them out to roam when I'm home mostly evenings to avoid the hawks.
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Old 04-11-2009, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,416,260 times
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Clearly, your hawks have city hours! Ours out here hunt until just before dark, and we have a two acre paddock (plus chickens are not respecters of fences that they can walk under). Of course, we also have the aforementioned raccoons (at night) and foxes (during the day) and assorted other critters that think a chicken dinner is just the thing.

I do love my chickens. I can still remember my grandmother's chickens (and she died when I was five, some 55 years ago) and her coop and chicken yard. She, of course, raised them for food and for egg money. I remember something about her raising 100 chicks each spring, and I remember her chopping the head off of one for dinner one night.

The plan this year is to rebuild our flock (see aforementioned racoon above) and also get a couple of dozen meat birds to share with our son.
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Old 04-12-2009, 12:11 AM
 
8,231 posts, read 17,322,756 times
Reputation: 3696
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan View Post
Well if you're ready and gung ho then check out Ideal Poultry.
Out in Cameron (about 1 hour away - nice country drive) and you can drive out and pick up day old chicks. You have to pick them up if you order less than 25 but they do take small orders. You'd probably want 3-4 pullets (future hens).

I would recommend Buff Orpingtons - very quiet sedate birds - they lay brown eggs. They are a dual purpose bird (meat and eggs) but I keep them for eggs and they are good layers and brooders.
I would stay away from banties..they are a nervous skittish breed.

Anywho..here's a link to Ideal. Once you're ready to make the plunge..post back here and I'll give you some more suggestions if you'd like. I've been raising chickens for over 10 years now.

File:Buff Orpington.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IDEAL POULTRY - Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Bantams, Chicks, Turkeys, Poultry, Birds, Fowl
Thank you so much! Things I learned today: buy at least 3 so they can have companionship (who knew!), you need a heating source for at least 6 months out of the year, you need to keep them 50' away from houses (COA rules), they need grit/food/water/perch and laying spot, the enclosure needs to be safe from predators. Thanks for the best breed type...I need one that's quiet!!! Do they get along with dogs? No way could I eat them...but eggs, yes!
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