Hello: New Member from Oakland, CA

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jeanie510

In the Brooder
Sep 16, 2024
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Hello!

My family of three is chicken curious -- just read an introductory book on raising chickens, which is how I found this website! We've just moved into a house in the hills with a fairly good-sized chicken coop/run. We don't have chickens now, but we've been considering getting a few chickens soon (within the next few weeks), so I'm trying to learn as much as I can before we do!

I'll be sure to mine the discussions, but if you're reading this, I have a few questions....

  1. Any suggestions on how to clean the coop to get it ready for young chickens? It hasn't been used in years!
  2. It's legal to raise chickens (except roosters) in my city. My husband thinks we should let the neighbors know our intentions or ask if they have any objections. Does anyone have advice (we want to keep relationships friendly, but we also don't want neighbors to tell us not to!)?
  3. I'm thinking we'll start with three or four chickens, preferably docile and quiet (in our neighborhood, the houses are pretty close together). I love the thought of a silkie or two, and perhaps ameracaunas. I would love feedback on what kind of chickens would be quiet, fun for my daughter to raise, and easy to manage. We aren't concerned about meat or egg production.
  4. And if you live in the Bay Area, favorite place(s) to buy chicks?
So happy this community exists. Thank you in advance for your collective wisdom!

All my bestm
Jeanie
 
Welcome to BackYard Chickens!

jeanie510 said:
Any suggestions on how to clean the coop(...)
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I think I would just do a check-over on the coop, and make sure there aren't any sharp points for the chickens to get hurt on and that it's structurally sound. Put in some fresh bedding, and whatever substrate you are going to use in the run (wood chips or sand works well.)

jeanie510 said:
My husband thinks we should let the neighbors know our intentions or ask if they have any objections. Does anyone have advice (...)?
Click to expand...
If it was me, I would just assume that they have already had chickens there, so hopefully the neighbors were fine with it then, and bring them some eggs over in the future. 😅

jeanie510 said:
I would love feedback on what kind of chickens would be quiet, fun for my daughter to raise, and easy to manage.
Click to expand...
I think Orpingtons are fairly quiet and maybe Cochins and Brahmas. I think it varies mostly by bird and not a lot by breed, since their personalities can be so different. (I have heard Silkies and Ameraucanas going both ways.) I would generally stay away from "flighty" breeds and think the "calmer" more "docile" breeds would be your best bet in the decibel department.

jeanie510 said:
And if you live in the Bay Area, favorite place(s) to buy chicks?
Click to expand...
I don't live in the Bay Area (I live in Idaho) but I would suggest buying from a local breeder or the closest, reputable hatchery you can find. I have ordered chicks from Meyer Hatchery and Cackle Hatchery and have had great experiences with them.
 
Hello Jeanie, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

I would suggest starting a second thread in the Coop and Run forum and post lots of pictures of your current setup. If it has been out of commission for several years it's probably going to be a simple matter of just cleaning it out by scraping it down, sweeping and vacuuming it. Maybe go ahead and giving a spray with a very dilute bleach solution and then let that just air dry several weeks before you plan on having anything housed in it.
 
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Jener8or said:
Welcome to BackYard Chickens!


I think I would just do a check-over on the coop, and make sure there aren't any sharp points for the chickens to get hurt on and that it's structurally sound. Put in some fresh bedding, and whatever substrate you are going to use in the run (wood chips or sand works well.)


If it was me, I would just assume that they have already had chickens there, so hopefully the neighbors were fine with it then, and bring them some eggs over in the future. 😅


I think Orpingtons are fairly quiet and maybe Cochins and Brahmas. I think it varies mostly by bird and not a lot by breed, since their personalities can be so different. (I have heard Silkies and Ameraucanas going both ways.) I would generally stay away from "flighty" breeds and think the "calmer" more "docile" breeds would be your best bet in the decibel department.


I don't live in the Bay Area (I live in Idaho) but I would suggest buying from a local breeder or the closest, reputable hatchery you can find. I have ordered chicks from Meyer Hatchery and Cackle Hatchery and have had great experiences with them.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your responses -- very helpful & reassuring. And for the record, I agree -- get chickens & bring eggs later :).
 
DobieLover said:
Hello Jeanie, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

I would suggest starting a second thread in the Coop and Run forum and post lots of pictures of your current setup. If it has been out of commission for several years it's probably going to be a simple matter of just cleaning it out by scraping it down, sweeping and vacuuming it. Maybe go ahead and giving a spray with a very dilute bleach solution and then let that just air dry several weeks before you plan on having anything housed in it.
Click to expand...
I will definitely look through Coop & Run, and I like the idea of posting photos. I would welcome opinions (I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing!)...

And I was thinking of a bleach or vinegar solution ahead of time -- thanks for that!
 

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