California - Northern

[HippiAiti]

I am terrible at following threads like this and I believe I have posted here before... :/

Is anyone near or in Oakland/Berkeley? I want to connect with other chicken people here and I KNOW they are here (in Oakland) but are they here (on BYC) too?

I have a neighbor who has ducks, a friend with bantams in Berkeley, but I think I need more chicken friends. Plus, I'm looking for others to go in on a chick order in the spring. I lost 3 chickens in 2012 and I am down to only one layer plus two hens who haven't laid a single egg since I took them in. (Grrrr)

So... hi!

 

[chiqita]

Welcome! I'm in San Jose, we have a few posters closer to you. But I drive through there when I work in Marin, so it feels like we are neighbors .

 

[ronott1]

I am terrible at following threads like this and I believe I have posted here before... :/ Is anyone near or in Oakland/Berkeley? I want to connect with other chicken people here and I KNOW they are here (in Oakland) but are they here (on BYC) too? I have a neighbor who has ducks, a friend with bantams in Berkeley, but I think I need more chicken friends. Plus, I'm looking for others to go in on a chick order in the spring. I lost 3 chickens in 2012 and I am down to only one layer plus two hens who haven't laid a single egg since I took them in. (Grrrr) So... hi!

Chicken Friends are Great!

Who are you ordering chickens from?

 

[HippiAiti]

chiqita: I used to live in San Jose! Yay!

ronott1: I don't know who to order chicks from as I've never mail ordered chicks. I usually get them in person or hatch them myself. Any suggestions?

 

[lawatt]

Yay Laura! Congrats on the egg and your new rooster who is one beautiful guy.

thanks for the all the egg-congratulations! and to make things even more exciting, one of the light sussex girls has been fluffing around in the nesting box for nearly an hour now -- and Max is standing guard nearby in the henhouse, while the rest of the flock free-ranges elsewhere...

 

[ronott1]

chiqita: I used to live in San Jose! Yay!

ronott1: I don't know who to order chicks from as I've never mail ordered chicks. I usually get them in person or hatch them myself. Any suggestions?

It depends on what you want. If you want chickens for eggs and only want pullets, then the big hatcheries like Ideal, or Cackle are great. Cackle will sell an Urban small pack of 6 pullets of certain types.

If you want rare breeds(not using Heritage or Preserve LOL), then you usually have to buy 25 straight run chicks form someplace like Sand Hill.

One option is to take culls(ones that don't make the cut for breeding) from one of the breeders on here. I have too much fun hatching(addicted?), so I often have ones that I can't keep.

chiqita often has extras too and with a 300 egg incubator........

 

[lawatt]

welcome HippiAiti! i lived in oakland for many years before moving up here to Sonoma Co -- but only recently got into keeping chickens, so can't be of much help in that department.

but more news from here -- i took my camera down to the coop to snap a picture of Max guarding the would-be layer, Jane -- here they are:



and look! it's egg #2, still warm!


a little smaller than the first one and less shiny -- but wow, never any eggs before and then suddenly two in one day! and I'm SO pleased that Max is such a gentleman -- surprised he's not handing out cigars!

 

[ronott1]

welcome HippiAiti! i lived in oakland for many years before moving up here to Sonoma Co -- but only recently got into keeping chickens, so can't be of much help in that department.

but more news from here -- i took my camera down to the coop to snap a picture of Max guarding the would-be layer, Jane -- here they are:



and look! it's egg #2, still warm!


a little smaller than the first one and less shiny -- but wow, never any eggs before and then suddenly two in one day! and I'm SO pleased that Max is such a gentleman -- surprised he's not handing out cigars!

Congratulations!

Pretty soon you can take eggs off of you shopping list!

 

[lawatt]

Congratulations!

Pretty soon you can take eggs off of you shopping list!

right away, i think! here are the two eggs side by side: on the left is the marans (most likely) one, sussex on the right:

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats on the eggs!