California - Northern

[UrbanChickenSF]

I wouldn't be expert on this, but living where it snows, my Ameraucana, Bovans Browns, Rhode Island Reds & Silkies have been pretty cold hardy. I think a Bovans Brown or a Silkie would be the best for docile/friendly. Need to do a bit more for the silkies, but so funny!! The lapdogs of chickens

Thanks! What do you mean by "need to do a bit more for silkies"? Do they require extra work?

I saw Buckeyes at the Woodland Tractor Supply last week. I made a call to someone, who may have bought them all. There is a breeder in Sonoma Co. http://thodefamilyfarm.webs.com/

There's a wonderful feed store in Santa Rosa (can't think of the name) that gets all kinds of breeds. So you might call any feed stores in your region and ask what they're getting in.

I know it gets chilly & damp in SF, but do the temps really get that low? Chickens can tolerate cold much better than people. It's been dropping into the low 20s here, this winter and my chickens have been fine. If it freezes for long periods of time and you don't watch the humidity in the coop, there is a possibility of comb damage with single comb breeds. Other than that, chickens are fine in the cold. AFAIK, any breed would do well in SF.

Thanks for the advice! I will check out Woodland Tractor Supply and will check with that Sonoma breeder too! It's good to know the the city doesn't get cold enough to really affect chickens.

my two cuckoo marans came from the Thode Family Farm, very nice people & lovely chickens -- and agree that SF (where i lived for many years) is cool but shouldn't be trouble for any chicken breed. that said, you might think about Basques or Swedish Flower Hens, both with reputations of being SUPER friendly & quite sturdy in various temperatures.

and the feedstore in question in Santa Rosa is Western Farm Center: http://www.westernfarmcenter.com

Thanks for the advice! I'd love a super friendly hen. How are they with laying?

You will get a lot of opinions on the best breed. Cold hardy really counts where it is below zero. In the Bay Area, just protect them from drafts and you can have any type of chicken you want.

Combs freeze off on big combed roosters. The Spanish breeds and Mediterranean have trouble even with the hens sometimes.

If you want a fairly quiet breed that lays in the winter, the Rocks are a good choice. A lot of breeders here have Silver Penciled Rocks. Partridge Rocks are a good choice too. Both are smaller than Barred Rocks yet lay a similar egg.

Black Australorps are one of the quietest breeds. The are also hardy and the Hatchery version is easy to get from feed stores.

Google Herndersons chicken chart.

Laying in winter would be awesome! I will look into Rocks as well. Thank you!

Buckeye breeders association page has people listed as breeders locally. Mario wanted one for mice control but I read they are bullies to other chickens. I have silkies and some docile girls so I don't need a bully. Of course every girl is different.

I love my marans. The great thing about heritage marans and silkies are the long lay time. Catalina, my lead hen is starting her 4th season. She is still laying about every other day and goes broody twice a year. Her egg is not as dark anymore but it is very big. Bbl time to feed silkies and give them their party.

I wonder if the Buckeyes would be bullies to each other... or is it just other breeds? Maybe it's new chicken additions to the coop in general?

And no roosters, right? Do you want to raise the chicks yourself or get older pullets that don't need to be brooded? If you want chicks, sexed hatchery chicks from a feed store or autosexing or sexlinks from a breeder would probably be the best way to go. Since it doesn't get below freezing in SF, cold hearty shouldn't be much of an issue. Any of the calm, larger, heavy bodied breeds would probably appreciate the cool weather, so you are cursed with the luxury of lots of options.

As for the conflicting information you are getting, I think some of that may stem from the how the birds are bred. Hatchery birds often differ from quality breeder stock in temperament and physical appearance, but they tend to be better layers (at least for the first few years) and are not as often broody. I find that most people don't clarify where their chickens come from when discussing the merits of the breed, but a hatchery Plymouth Rock, for example, can be a very different bird from what you would see exhibited at a show.

I have been very happy with my hatchery girls, who turn 1yr soon. The Gold Sexlink and New Hampshire are excellent layers, followed closely by Buff Orpington, Black Australorp (love her!), and EE (sold as Ameraucana). All of these are friendly and calm. Personality wise, the Barred Rock (a favorite) is one of the friendliest and talkative, but is less of a consistent layer. The White Leghorn is a super layer, but she is nutty and a bit aggressive towards the rest, although friendly to people. The Silver Laced Wyandotte is an ok layer with an ok temperament, but she is vocal and complains a lot (hence the name Grumpus). The Welsummer is also very loud, and very skittish, but lays nice rusty specked eggs. These characteristics seem to be common for most of the folks I know who have the same types of hatchery birds. I also have 2 Ameraucanas from a breeder (Chickee) that I like very much. They are quiet and docile and one is very friendly. Pretty eggs too. I have never had any of them in the house, so can't speak to that.

Hope this helps a little. There are sooo many options, and I have a wish list a mile long. You should get birds that you think are attractive as well. Some of them are so beautiful, it's like having a living work of art! Good luck to you!

No roosters, yes. I am willing to take my risks and raise a straight run order of 5. I can eat the roosters. Thank you so much for all the breed tips!!

 

[Alli Lea]

I will check with them. The local store gets it from their warehouse in Sacramento so it might take some time to get the new stock in.

I am looking forward to getting some!

Ron- I know that western feed in Davis carries it but I think they were out lat I checked. I'm glad I settled on feeding my girls King feed. It seems like it comes highly recommended here!

 

[ElitePoultry]

We are cookn up eggs for the chooks. Just thought id share a picture with you guys! This was the second batch

 

[gryeyes]

It is SUCH a gorgeous day, today! If March comes in like a lamb, does it leave like a lion? I know the homily has it as "Comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb.". Just idly wondering if we're gonna get any more winter.

My MW Tom thought I'd be a willing target for his mounting practice (did it yesterday, too) so I've been dissuading him of that behavior. I like sitting cross-legged on the ground to hand-feed BOSS to the flock members when the weather is so nice; the shyest birds will approach, trusting the rooster's tidbitting about the seeds in my hands.

Sarge, the Tom, is in full display whenever I am in the yard, and he too eats from my hands. The two ganders don't like him (all that stamping, huffing, booming, turning this way and that, it's so unseemly) and will run through the milling chickens to grab Sarge's feathers. Sometimes I pull Sarge into my lap so he will deflate and stop interfering with the Treats feeding. I try to let him know it's far more likely *I* will force him to the ground than he will be able to clamber onto a leg to make me one of his hens.

He's quite young and his lady MW is younger; the two BBB hens are older and occasionally willing to play mating games.

It's dorkier looking than chicken sex. Poor things.

 

[debs_flock]

We are cookn up eggs for the chooks. Just thought id share a picture with you guys!



This was the second batch

Wow, looks like my house. I do this once or twice a week.

Except yesterday I sold 12 dozen eggs to one person!

 

[gryeyes]

I am going to bake up "some" eggs for the flock, tonight. I want to thank Deb and now ElitePoultry for showing me how to deal with excess eggs. Question - as I mentioned, I am not a cook. Can I use a metal pan if I don't have glass in 13X9?

 

[UrbanChickenSF]

This is going to be a silly question that I think I already know the answer to but...

What is the benefit of feeding the eggs back to the chickens? Eating eggs is a wonderful protein source for them, is this correct?

 

[lawatt]

starting to get tempted by chicken math... one of my chicklets ACTED broody for a whole day last weekend, but no sign of it since -- and yet it had gotten me thinking about chicks, and now i'm hideously tempted to get an incubator. but the whole point of wanting a broody is that they'd do the hard part of actually *raising* the chicks. conflicted.

but it's the weekend! hurrah!!!!

 

[debs_flock]

Can I use a metal pan if I don't have glass in 13X9?

Absolutely.

This is going to be a silly question that I think I already know the answer to but...

What is the benefit of feeding the eggs back to the chickens? Eating eggs is a wonderful protein source for them, is this correct?

It's protein for them, it cuts back on the feed I have to buy, they LOVE it, but mostly it's I have 300ish chickens and am currently getting 4-5 dozen eggs per day. Even with being addicted to hatching eggs, eating lots, selling hatching and eating eggs, I still can't keep up with their production.

They don't get to eat so many in the winter when production is down.

 

[gryeyes]

Yes, a very nice, high protein treat.

The issue for me was what to do with the eggs I don't eat, sell, give away, or donate to a nearby church. I gots lots of chickens. I don't have many paying egg customers.

I have scrambled eggs for the flock before, but the baked eggs treat is a perfect solution for me.