I’m a newby from Texas

[baymule]

Howdy neighbor! We are just north of Tyler, TX and moved here 3 years ago from Livingston. Where in east Texas are you? We have chickens, hair sheep, horses and raise feeder pigs for the freezer. We have 8 acres of sand. Most the soil around here is red but we have sugar sand. We raise a garden and I can, dehydrate and freeze the proceeds. Welcome to SS and a better way of life.

 

[Scott Henry]

Howdy neighbor! We are just north of Tyler, TX and moved here 3 years ago from Livingston. Where in east Texas are you? We have chickens, hair sheep, horses and raise feeder pigs for the freezer. We have 8 acres of sand. Most the soil around here is red but we have sugar sand. We raise a garden and I can, dehydrate and freeze the proceeds. Welcome to SS and a better way of life.

I am over in Kilgore about 30 miles east of you right off I20. Our ground has red clay as well. Not sure how that is going to work when it comes to gardening.

 

[baymule]

We are in Lindale 7 1/2 miles from I-20. For the red clay, the answer is COMPOST and MORE COMPOST! Better get a LOT of chickens! LOL I like to pick up bags of leaves off curbs in the fall and stuff the chicken coop/run 3-4 feet deep in leaves. The hens scratch it to bits, poop all over the leaves and turn it into black crumbly compost in 3-4 months. Best get to building that coop! How many chickens are you going to get?

 

[Scott Henry]

We are in Lindale 7 1/2 miles from I-20. For the red clay, the answer is COMPOST and MORE COMPOST! Better get a LOT of chickens! LOL I like to pick up bags of leaves off curbs in the fall and stuff the chicken coop/run 3-4 feet deep in leaves. The hens scratch it to bits, poop all over the leaves and turn it into black crumbly compost in 3-4 months. Best get to building that coop! How many chickens are you going to get?

I go through Lindale quite a bit for work. I honestly haven’t decided on how many chickens to get. I have to get my living arrangements situated first and clear the land. I should have a good stock of firewood after clearing the land though.

 

[sumi]

I'd suggest setting aside a decent area for the chickens and a build them a nice big sturdy coop (for predator protection as much as shelter). (There are loads of coop plans HERE to give you some ideas.) Size wise go big. Chickens can get addictive once you're into it and many a chicken owner like myself started with a few and ended up with a few hundred! For eggs and meat you have lots of options breed wise and so many wonderful breeds to choose from. Dual purpose birds, good egg layers, meat chickens… We do all sorts here. @Beekissed is a good one to ask about recommendations for breeds, as is @frustratedearthmother and @Hinotori and @NH Homesteader I'm probably forgetting someone now… Spring would be a good time to get started with them. Lots of chicks available and the weather is better then too.

 

[Mini Horses]

from VA. There are some really good cow people on here, also. Both beef & dairy. Goats abound on many farms...we are a diverse group of enablers. yep, you can just ask and receive info for most anything.

Enjoy your new adventure. Oh -- we are picture addicts. Anything from the wood pile to compost, to animals -- we are just thrilled.

 

[Beekissed]

Amen to that...we love pics of your place, what you are doing there, before and after pics are really impressive, etc.

Question...do you have fences and buildings in place already for said animals?

 

[Scott Henry]

Thank you to everyone for all of the usefull info and I definitely will be taking and posting pics. I’m happy that I joined here I feel like I will be picking everyone’s brain for ideas and help. As far as the land is now it is 20 acres of fairly dense woods. There are no fences, homes or any buildings of any kind out there now. I am starting with nothing at all out there but I am happy about that. There will be a lot of hard work coming to my life very very soon. Also a plus to this land is that there is a lot of Wild game on the land already so I’m very happy about that. Hopefully by next hunting season I will be able to sit on my back porch and watch the deer.

 

[Hinotori]

Deer are all fine and dandy until they destroy your garden and eat your fruit trees. Plus eating any fruit before it's ripe. It's the elk that destroy trees when shedding velvet.

 

[Scott Henry]

Deer are all fine and dandy until they destroy your garden and eat your fruit trees. Plus eating any fruit before it's ripe. It's the elk that destroy trees when shedding velvet.

I honestly haven’t thought of that. I was thinking more of being able to hunt oh my own land. I guess putting a fence up around the garden is the only way to keep it safe then. Or is there other options that are better?