Bay Area BYCers!

[SavKel&RynKel]

@<3 mi some chickies, @dixie&trixie, @J & J FARM, @J&JCossey, & @SavKel&RynKel, how are you?

Moved to Georgia last year! Have 3 ladies in the new coop! Slow expansion this time round!

 

[clemens204]

I have 2 free 14 week old cockerels if you are interested. One is a Barnevelder and the other is a Lavender Wyandotte. They are both beautiful and friendly. I am glad to meet you somewhere near Pacifica to give them to you.

 

[StephanieSD]

Hello everyone!

We just bought a house in Novato, in Marin County, and when we saw there was a chicken coop in the backyard full of chickens, we had a family meeting and decided to negotiate keeping the coop as part of the sale! (But the owners taking their chickens.) We are moving into the house in July but think that realistically we won't be ready to start our chicken journey until the end of August or in September.

We are a family of two parents, a teenager, and a dopey pit bull (he is curious about birds sometimes but has never gone after one and ignores them once he's used to them; he'll keep the yard free of mice and rats, however). The teenager says she will help with the chicken care as long as she gets all naming rights.

My first question is what is the best way to clean the coop and run in order to prepare it for my flock?

We had a pet rooster once who free-ranged (coming to the kitchen door for snacks) but we are not experienced with an egg-laying flock. We want to start with 4 hens before we decide how much further into this adventure we want to get. Also, the house owner says his run and coop has kept the chickens well protected from predators but I imagine if we give them free-range time we'll have to look out for hawks or other flying predators? We envision only letting them range when we're out in the backyard with them so we don't have to worry about their safety as much.

I've been doing a lot of research on the breeds that will fit our needs and have a pretty varied list, so we can be flexible with availability when we're ready for our chicks. Our real estate agent recommends Mill Valley Chickens; that's where his family buys all their chicks. But I wanted to check out some other local places so I'm asking for more recommendations on where to get chicks and supplies. Also, my guess is that the younger we can get the chicks, the better they and the dog will assimilate to each other. I don't want to hatch eggs, though, at least not yet. I know the chicks will have to live in a brooder box inside for a few weeks, and we have room for them to have privacy without the dog sticking his face in the box all day.

Thanks everyone! We're looking forward to this adventure.

Stephanie