Advice on Chickens please

[Niri Te]

When I was a kid, my aunt and Uncle had a bunch of chickens at their place, and every Summer, I would help out there. One of my chores was taking care of the chickens, (many different breeds).
Ateyo and I are going to get a dozen polled Dominique hens and one rooster next spring, for two reasons. One, is that I like the way that Dominique's look, and the other, is that they are not bothered by the west Texas heat as much as other breeds of Chickens. The EGGS are real good TOO!! My question is this, are there any members here that are familiar with the breed? This winter, we will be building the coops, and fencing in the 1/2 acre Hawk and Coyote proof scratch yard for them. (I HATE caging chickens, I much prefer that they can go where they wish in a protected environment). Any SERIOUS comments on Chickens in general, but Hot weather raising, and Dominique's in particular would be welcome. THANKS,
Niri Te

[Raiden]

They like bugs.

I raise mealworms, Blaptica dubia cockroaches, crickets, and sometimes superworms for my reptiles and amphibians, but my cousin has chickens, so I bring him a few of my extra bugs when I come over and the chickens get a protein-rich treat.

Basically, if I raised chickens, I'd stay away from feed and try to give them as much "natural" food as possible, such as greens and fruits, and only give feed occasionally and in as small amounts as I can. And I'd raise bugs of some kind on the side to feed them with too.

[Niri Te]

Thanks for the tip Raiden !!
Niri Te