California - Northern

[caychris]

Is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area teaching a class on how to raise chickens?

a lot of us with them just ask we are a friendly bunch

 

[jenniferlamar70]

a lot of us with them just ask we are a friendly bunch

X2

 

[h2oratt]

Yes, four hatched. 3 EE's and 1 Marans. The 2 brown EE's are super cute. I saw they are selling chocolate EE's on My Pet Chicken for $40! Maybe it is a rare color.

Wow

 

[Sylvester017]

Is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area teaching a class on how to raise chickens?

Ask questions on this Northern thread and you will get a lot of nice people willing to help. However, before I discovered BYC threads, I learned everything I needed to know about backyard chickens by researching online - coops, health of chickens, and biosecurity. Researched for 6 months before buying a coop and then two more months before adding the 2 Silkies. We started with only what we thought we could handle and added one pullet at a time to make sure they were compatible/gentle around Silkies never going above the 5 hens/no roos ordinance for our neighborhood. Still there was so much more I had to learn AFTER getting the chickens and modified the flock, coop, backyard, better over the years. For emergencies I even lined up a vet in advance that would see chickens (not all vets will). In our case with a small cottage backyard the common heavier dual purpose breeds like RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Marans, Orps, 'Lorps, Legs, Wyans were too assertive for our gentle littles and found Ameraucana, EE, and Breda non-combative in flock politics. Here's a fun and informative website page that covers more than I'll ever need to know (even different kinds of chicken poop LOL) : http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/p/chicken-resources-directory.html

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area teaching a class on how to raise chickens?

There's a basic overview at http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A87846547

 

[h2oratt]

Ask questions on this Northern thread and you will get a lot of nice people willing to help.  However, before I discovered BYC threads, I learned everything I needed to know about backyard chickens by researching online - coops, health of chickens, and biosecurity. Researched for 6 months before buying a coop and then two more months before adding the 2 Silkies.  We started with only what we thought we could handle and added one pullet at a time to make sure they were compatible/gentle around Silkies never going above the 5 hens/no roos ordinance for our neighborhood.  Still there was so much more I had to learn AFTER getting the chickens and modified the flock, coop, backyard, better over the years.  For emergencies I even lined up a vet in advance that would see chickens (not all vets will).  In our case with a small cottage backyard the common heavier dual purpose breeds like RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Marans, Orps, 'Lorps, Legs, Wyans were too assertive for our gentle littles and found Ameraucana, EE, and Breda non-combative in flock politics.  Here's a fun and informative website page that covers more than I'll ever need to know (even different kinds of chicken poop LOL) :  http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/p/chicken-resources-directory.html

You found the orps aggressive?

 

[Honora]

You found the orps aggressive?

I have heard that some of the hatchery buffs are aggressive. I have only had the pure bred ones & found them to be very gentle.

 

[westes]

Ask questions on this Northern thread and you will get a lot of nice people willing to help. However, before I discovered BYC threads, I learned everything I needed to know about backyard chickens by researching online - coops, health of chickens, and biosecurity. Researched for 6 months before buying a coop and then two more months before adding the 2 Silkies. We started with only what we thought we could handle and added one pullet at a time to make sure they were compatible/gentle around Silkies never going above the 5 hens/no roos ordinance for our neighborhood. Still there was so much more I had to learn AFTER getting the chickens and modified the flock, coop, backyard, better over the years. For emergencies I even lined up a vet in advance that would see chickens (not all vets will). In our case with a small cottage backyard the common heavier dual purpose breeds like RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Marans, Orps, 'Lorps, Legs, Wyans were too assertive for our gentle littles and found Ameraucana, EE, and Breda non-combative in flock politics. Here's a fun and informative website page that covers more than I'll ever need to know (even different kinds of chicken poop LOL) : http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/p/chicken-resources-directory.html

I want to get hands-on experience raising chickens before I even make a decision to do this in my backyard. I may actually have to sell a home and buy a new one to get the land to do this properly, so it is a huge decision.

I am going to research exactly as you describe above, but only *after* I get hands-on experience first. I don't want to make a major time and life commitment to something and then discover at the end I hate it.

My real first preference would be to find a chicken farmer who is willing to experiment and try to feed a grain-free diet. So far I have not had luck with that.

 

[h2oratt]

I want to get hands-on experience raising chickens before I even make a decision to do this in my backyard.   I may actually have to sell a home and buy a new one to get the land to do this properly, so it is a huge decision.  

I am going to research exactly as you describe above, but only *after* I get hands-on experience first.   I don't want to make a major time and life commitment to something and then discover at the end I hate it.

My real first preference would be to find a chicken farmer who is willing to experiment and try to feed a grain-free diet.   So far I have not had luck with that.

What do yo mean? Just let the chickens free range?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I want to get hands-on experience raising chickens before I even make a decision to do this in my backyard.   I may actually have to sell a home and buy a new one to get the land to do this properly, so it is a huge decision.  

I am going to research exactly as you describe above, but only *after* I get hands-on experience first.   I don't want to make a major time and life commitment to something and then discover at the end I hate it.

My real first preference would be to find a chicken farmer who is willing to experiment and try to feed a grain-free diet.   So far I have not had luck with that.

I've never heard of someone doing that before. But even though yes they are a life commitment in a sense. It's easy to rehome if it's not for you and some breeds don't need much space at all..