Bay Area BYCers!

[chiqita]

I would have expected at least some feathers too, Kim, but in this case it was just a naughty girl! I leave early for work, just at daylight these days, and as I was walking toward the gate this morning I heard a "cluck-cluck" from an unexpected direction. There she was scratching around in the side yard! She must have pulled a jail-break then found a place to roost for the night. I picked her up and carried her back to the coop...AFTER showing my wife that she was still with us (!) and gave everyone a little scratch.

HUzzah! I have an escapee at least once a month. Usualy they are ok, but not always. it is the ones that refuse to sleep inside EVER that get picked off by our crazy amount of predators.

 

[bluenow]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to BYC's and will be a first timer once i figure out everything I need to know about keeping chickens. I plan on getting two for eggs. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a breed? I live in the sunset district of San Francisco (near the beach), and it's cold at night (and sometimes during the day) and often foggy. Are there certain breeds that will tolerate the cold better than others?

Any other helpful information for a first timer would be greatly appreciated. I'm very excited to get started!!!

Thanks!
Brian

 

[chiqita]

Welcome! Most any type of chicken will be fine in sf.
Think about what you want in chickens egg color reliable laying pets quiet? Once you focus on that oart you can zone in on what breeds you want.

Build big chickens aee additive!

 

[BluesChicken]

I have a question about "winterizing" my chicken run. I know that compared to much of the rest of the country our winters are really pretty mild, but they are usually wet. My girls get to wander around in the yard when I am around, but most of the time they are inside their run. Naturally they have reduced that to what looks like a WW-I battlefield, complete with bomb craters but without the barbed-wire. I am afraid that when it DOES start to rain it is going to turn into a mud-pit.

What do you folks do with your chicken runs during the rainy season? Do you spread chips or straw over it?

Thanks for your advice,

Dave

 

[PetRock]

I have a question about "winterizing" my chicken run. I know that compared to much of the rest of the country our winters are really pretty mild, but they are usually wet. My girls get to wander around in the yard when I am around, but most of the time they are inside their run. Naturally they have reduced that to what looks like a WW-I battlefield, complete with bomb craters but without the barbed-wire. I am afraid that when it DOES start to rain it is going to turn into a mud-pit.

What do you folks do with your chicken runs during the rainy season? Do you spread chips or straw over it?

Thanks for your advice,

Dave

After our first winter with chickens, we put sand in our run. We rake it out every once in a while and toss some new sand in it. The sand drains fast and the poop just disappears into it. The girls also love to dust bathe in it.

 

[gunnarmcc]

i second the sand method, i have about 6" of sand covering the run, i found it to drain much quicker dry out much better and even when wet sand is not nearly as dirty as mud

 

[wolftracks]

Sand here too. No more flooded coops and you don't get all the extra smells.

 

[chiqita]

I need more sand. The stuff I put down last spring is all now integrated.

 

[BluesChicken]

Thanks everyone. I use sand inside the coop, so it makes perfect sense to put it down in the run. It looks like it is going to take a yard or two...I will have my work cut out for me! HaHa!

 

[KristyAnn]

I am new here with the chicken raising going on my first year with a a few hens and a roo, looking to get more diff breeds though and latest information and resources available to do best for the interest.