California-Southern

[Sylvester017]

I'm in a Rural Residential area, and let the birds out all day to roam the property. Used to have no fencing at all and the roosters fought off coyotes and neighboring dogs a few times but it ended up being repeat attacks and kills from one neighbor's dog that made me fold and put up a 6' chain link. Of course HE didn't have a fence for either his dogs OR his pool (illegal, much?) and didn't offer any money for the fence that made his pool legal, even when I asked. But that's neighbors. You can't be too much of a jerk - they know where you live.

But yes, I used to close them in but now I leave them out unless I know I'll be home after dusk.

No problem with the neighbor's dogs digging under your chainlink? Our neighborhood strays actually broke down our chainlink gate which inspired us to ultimately put in block wall and iron fencing/gates. German Shepherds are STRONG.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Nah, had a bunch of construction trash and barbed wire left over from the previous owner. Ditch diggers are great tools!

 

[Skalabs]

Dog owners don't do anything to build strong fencing for their pooches so we chicken owners have to fortify against the occasional careless dog owner.

As for aerial predators like hawks, they usually like to swoop down on running prey, so we have lots of hiding shelters scattered about the yard.

I have an odd shaped and sized lot, so I share walls with six different neighbors. One wall was replaced with block, so they couldn't dig under or chew through; my block walls are intended to keep my dogs in my backyard. They weren't escape artists, but a bored Labrador can do quite a bit during the work day.

One of my labs totally ignores the chickens and cats while the other is very curious about both. The cats tolerate the dogs being around, but the chickens do not want the dogs too close. It's a shame because the dogs could help deter the aerial predators.

 

[Mnop]

Hi fellow chicken lovers! Anyone else from the Santa Clarita Valley in SoCal?

 

[Sylvester017]

I have an odd shaped and sized lot, so I share walls with six different neighbors. One wall was replaced with block, so they couldn't dig under or chew through; my block walls are intended to keep my dogs in my backyard. They weren't escape artists, but a bored Labrador can do quite a bit during the work day.

One of my labs totally ignores the chickens and cats while the other is very curious about both. The cats tolerate the dogs being around, but the chickens do not want the dogs too close. It's a shame because the dogs could help deter the aerial predators.

The relationship between dogs and chickens depends on the temperament of the individuals. I had one curious outgoing unafraid Breda that went beak to nose through our old chainlink fence with the neighbor's golden Chow and they slept side by side touching each other on their own sides of the fence ( I think the lonely dog welcomed the company even though it was a chicken). I had another Breda that doesn't even want to be around her own flock chickens let alone a dog. Animals seem to form friendships and bonds just like any others and sometimes with the strangest bedfellows.

 

[Chandra Prater]

Hi fellow chicken lovers! Anyone else from the Santa Clarita Valley in SoCal?

Hey there! I'm in Sylmar in the northernmost part of the SFV.

ETA: I sat here a while trying to think of something witty to say and failed.

 

[Mnop]

Hey there! I'm in Sylmar in the northernmost part of the SFV.

ETA: I sat here a while trying to think of something witty to say and failed.

Haha! Well you succeeded in making me laugh anyway! Happy to meet you @Chandra Prater! Tell me about your chickens. How many and what kind do you have?

 

[Chandra Prater]

@Mnop We have 2 RIRs, 2 Barred Rocks, a Buff Orpington, a White Leghorn, and one Muscovy duck. Their first birthday is coming up next month and, with a few hiccups, they have been a joy to keep. I am a stay-at-home-mom, so I have the luxury of letting them wander the yard most of the time. I miss gardening in the backyard, though. No plants survives more than a day or two with the hens.

Our unexpected joy has been the Muscovy. She is probably more spoiled than most humans.

 

[Chandra Prater]

Summer is swooping upon us-- what do you guys do to keep your birds cool?

 

[Jessimom]

Summer is swooping upon us-- what do you guys do to keep your birds cool?

I cut up fruit and veggies and put them in ice cube trays, fill the tray with water and freeze them. I give them the frozen treats on hot days. I just dump them into bowls in the coop. My runs and coops are almost completely shaded, so they have plenty of room to stay out of the sun. We also have a concrete mixing tub that we fill with water with a TOUCH of bleach. We change the water daily. I've only seen them land in the water accidentally - being chased by someone else, but I figure it's there if they want it. As a bonus, there are always plenty of bugs under the tub, so it's like a mad rush when I start to dump it.