California - Northern

[OR4-hmom]

Yay, a Northern CA thread! First time posting on this thread, so hi everyone! We live right at the "elbow" of Nor. CA; anyone know where Camino is? Just east of Placerville? We technically live in Camino, but we are eight miles down a dirt road so I don't technically consider us to be in Camino... I have been calling our "area" Cougar Ridge...

We only moved down to Camino/"Cougar Ridge" last fall... soooo glad to be out of Pollock Pines (a few more miles east-ish)... all the neighbors except one constantly complained about our chickens (and guinea fowl, I don't blame them for that), even after we offered them fresh eggs...

I actually am not sure it was legal for us to have chickens, we were probably very lucky no one called the police...

Welcome David!
Sounds like the move was a good thing. I'm gifted with good neighbors that like fresh eggs.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Yay, a Northern CA thread! First time posting on this thread, so hi everyone! We live right at the "elbow" of Nor. CA; anyone know where Camino is? Just east of Placerville? We technically live in Camino, but we are eight miles down a dirt road so I don't technically consider us to be in Camino... I have been calling our "area" Cougar Ridge...

We only moved down to Camino/"Cougar Ridge" last fall... soooo glad to be out of Pollock Pines (a few more miles east-ish)... all the neighbors except one constantly complained about our chickens (and guinea fowl, I don't blame them for that), even after we offered them fresh eggs...

I actually am not sure it was legal for us to have chickens, we were probably very lucky no one called the police...

Welcome! This is a great thread. There are quite a few chicken folks in your neck of the woods.

 

[redriver]

X2! They will be fine. They do not need to be out all day long. Some leave them in until later. With a Bobcat around, you might want to let them free range a couple of hours in the afternoon so that you can watch them.

I lived in Corning from1977 to 1992.

Thanks..  Gal up the road lost 60 chickens to a bobcat. He ate 1.. They used an injured chicken for bait and trapped it. Not sure
what they did with it.

Have a great evening!!

Len

Howdy neighbor! (from Yreka)

Bobcats must be doing well this year because someone else I know in the valley lost about 20 of their hens over the winter, too. Lots of people having to restock.

 

[gryeyes]

Yay, a Northern CA thread! First time posting on this thread, so hi everyone! We live right at the "elbow" of Nor. CA; anyone know where Camino is? Just east of Placerville? We technically live in Camino, but we are eight miles down a dirt road so I don't technically consider us to be in Camino... I have been calling our "area" Cougar Ridge...

We only moved down to Camino/"Cougar Ridge" last fall... soooo glad to be out of Pollock Pines (a few more miles east-ish)... all the neighbors except one constantly complained about our chickens (and guinea fowl, I don't blame them for that), even after we offered them fresh eggs... I actually am not sure it was legal for us to have chickens, we were probably very lucky no one called the police... :/

Welcome! Several of us know exactly where Camino is, as we're around Placerville and its environs here in El Dorado County. Regarding legality in Pollack Pines, if you had an acre or more AND were in a residential/agricultural district as zoned by the county, you were fine. If not, well, who cares now?

 

[threadgeek]

Quote:
David we just moved to a remote area where no one would complain about our chickens. We used to live in suburbia with an HOA that wouldn't allow us to have chickens... so I'm overcompensating now for having to go so long without!

I have a silly question... what is TSC?

 

[gryeyes]

I have a silly question... what is TSC?

Tractor Supply Company. I had never seen one - nor heard of it - until I stumbled across the one in Davis. I'm not sure there IS one in Santa Cruz or Monterey counties... Maybe down by King City, perhaps. Or even in San Benito County, for that matter.

 

[threadgeek]

Quote: Thank you for clarifying! And you are right, I would have to go over the hill to Gilroy for one. It seems like they are the Petco for farm animals??? Its probably a good thing that I don't live by one!

 

[Deerling]

Thank you for clarifying! And you are right, I would have to go over the hill to Gilroy for one. It seems like they are the Petco for farm animals??? Its probably a good thing that I don't live by one!

Yes! They're pretty tricky. That's why we have ducks. Although I got a big Breyer horse for my daughter there on sale there for $10.99! That was pretty cool.

 

[WildflowerJLH]

Most of my broodies (and I had 8 of them last year) will raise them a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum (so far) of about 10 weeks. Some start laying again before they fully wean the babies.

It sounds like your hen is starting to wean them. She will start chasing them away during the day, but still let them snuggle with her at night. I would just let the hen wean them naturally, but that's me. I like to have the hen raise them naturally.

I only worry because they cannot get to her to stay warm at night if I don't move them. Tonight, when I got home, one of the chicks was roosting under her wing. Cutest thing EVER! The other 2 were down on the ladder rungs with no heat source. They are almost 5 weeks old, so not quite feathered enough that I feel comfortable leaving them like that. It is currently about 35 degrees, dipping into the high 20's before dawn. As soon as I put them in the brooder, she wanted to come down and join them in there, so I patiently held the light while she worked her way down.

The other "issue" that I have seen is that they can still get through the 2" x 4" holes in the fence. The gates are open, but when the chicks work their way to the other side of the fence, mom gets upset and can't quite work out how to go around. Most days, my kids and I are home to help out in these situations, but Tuesdays, we are gone from 8 am to 7 pm. My husband will be home until noon tomorrow, so I think I will let them all out in the morning, then hope they do OK until I get home.

I totally agree with wanting to let the hen raise them naturally, but I also want to make sure they survive, KWIM?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

question - anyone here in the Northern California/Sacramento area breeding either Blue Andalusians or Buff Catalanas or Golden Polish?

not sure about norcal but LaceyBlues ( Reno area) Andalusians
Gjensen ( South Carolina) Catalanas