California-Southern

[Amelia Egghart]

Hello Everyone! This is my first post....I think. Lol. I've been following several threada, always meaning to post, but don't think I ever got around to it. We will be turning a shed into a coop amd plan to have 6 hens and 1 rooster. We live in a rural area in Yucaipa. Do you know where I can find some chicken breeders out here? I'm willing to travel up to 45ish miles. We went to tractor supply store, but they don't carry the breeds I want in the store. I am looking for chicks of the following breeds Easter Egger, New Hampshire Red, Silver/Gold laced Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Buff Orpington. I know I can order online from hatcheries, but the shipping is ridiculous! Any help is greatly appreciated.

Welcome! 6 hens might only work with a *very* gentlemanly rooster. I have 6 girls to 1 boy right now and they all have bare backs again this year. If you get 7 hens, one might be a rooster anyway! That's been my luck with sexed pullets from hatcheries, at least

 

[OCeggs23]

:wave:

Hello from Orange County! We are new to the chicken scene and picked up chicks from The Wagon Train in Orange about 6 weeks ago. Put the chicks outside in the coop at 3.5 weeks when it seemed most of the rain has passed... although forecasts say more rain this week. Crazy.

Anyhoo just wanted to start on my local thread and say hello!! Trying to fight chicken math since we're only zoned for 4 hens. The temptation to sneak another 1-2 is terrible, esp since my daughter really wants a silkie. LOL

Here are my 4 (hopefully) girls from last weekend (3 EEs and a Welsumer):

Boy are they in the awkward teenage phase right now!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

:wave:

Hello from Orange County! We are new to the chicken scene and picked up chicks from The Wagon Train in Orange about 6 weeks ago. Put the chicks outside in the coop at 3.5 weeks when it seemed most of the rain has passed... although forecasts say more rain this week. Crazy.

Anyhoo just wanted to start on my local thread and say hello!! Trying to fight chicken math since we're only zoned for 4 hens. The temptation to sneak another 1-2 is terrible, esp since my daughter really wants a silkie. LOL

Here are my 4 (hopefully) girls from last weekend (3 EEs and a Welsumer):

Boy are they in the awkward teenage phase right now!

Hello and welcome! EEs and Welsummers are easily my favorite breeds. Welsummers can take the heat but I found my EEs are drama queens over summer so be sure you have cool, shaded, protected resting zones for them. If you can resist the urge for more for a while, it's best. Four girls is perfect for the needs of a family and for their own social needs. You can always reassess later and I mean, do Silkies even really count as chickens?

 

[Sylvester017]

:wave:

Hello from Orange County! We are new to the chicken scene and picked up chicks from The Wagon Train in Orange about 6 weeks ago. Put the chicks outside in the coop at 3.5 weeks when it seemed most of the rain has passed... although forecasts say more rain this week. Crazy.

Anyhoo just wanted to start on my local thread and say hello!! Trying to fight chicken math since we're only zoned for 4 hens. The temptation to sneak another 1-2 is terrible, esp since my daughter really wants a silkie. LOL

Here are my 4 (hopefully) girls from last weekend (3 EEs and a Welsumer):


Boy are they in the awkward teenage phase right now!

Silkies do handle heat fairly well -- which SoCal has been getting plenty of brutal summers for sure! I lost my two best large fowl layers to heat-related issues last summer but my two old Silkies just kept toodling on.

Having 3 EEs is a great idea since they are non-combative and generally kind flockmates. Better to have 3 EEs rather that 3 Wellies. Great choice.

Back to Silkies -- if they are in a large fowl flock, you have to have more than one Silkie because they will get picked on. I didn't heed warnings and learned the hard way so I don't keep my two Silkies with any aggressive fowl or heavier than 5-lb. We found EEs, pure Ameraucana, and Breda as very docile breeds and kind flockmates around Silkies. I'm only zoned for 5 hens and two are Silkies. I experimented with different laying dual purpose breeds and finally narrowed it down to 2 docile Breda and 2 Silkies with a 5th Breda coming next year. We had a lovely gentle 3-yr-old Blue Wheaten Ameraucana in the flock but she was one that we lost to heat-stress and I won't be getting any more Am's unless our temps go back to normal like they were 6 years ago!

The Breda are a quirky interesting unusual breed and on someone's recommendation we tried one in the flock. We were surprised at how docile and terrific layers they are. Now I'm just concentrating on Breda to have around our Silkies. Wish our climate permitted comfort temps for Ameraucanas or EEs because we miss the pretty eggs but couldn't bear watching them suffer in our heat.


I love this goofy look on our Cuckoo Breda pullet going one way as the two Silkies go the other direction. Breda have absolutely NO comb but have a triangle tassle where a comb should be, have vulture hocks, and feathered legs/toes.


This Spring we have a Blue Breda on order to replace the Blue hen we lost last summer.


.

 

[Calichicken2015]

:wave:

Hello from Orange County! We are new to the chicken scene and picked up chicks from The Wagon Train in Orange about 6 weeks ago. Put the chicks outside in the coop at 3.5 weeks when it seemed most of the rain has passed... although forecasts say more rain this week. Crazy.

Anyhoo just wanted to start on my local thread and say hello!! Trying to fight chicken math since we're only zoned for 4 hens. The temptation to sneak another 1-2 is terrible, esp since my daughter really wants a silkie. LOL

Here are my 4 (hopefully) girls from last weekend (3 EEs and a Welsumer):


Boy are they in the awkward teenage phase right now!

Hello and welcome! I lived in OC for a long time and LOVE Wagon Train!!!!!!! Went there for everything until we moved up here! We were zoned for 4 hens too...but....well we had bantam cochins and silkies..so we figured they didn't REALLY count as a whole chicken..so we actually had 7

Gotta watch that chicken math..LOL!

 

[Skalabs]

Do you know where I can find some chicken breeders out here? I'm willing to travel up to 45ish miles.

I got my pullets from Dare2Dream, and all went well. They do charge more plus there is a delivery fee, but I found it to be worth every penny to get coop ready chickens dropped off in my backyard!

There is Chickens Galore in Norco. Has anyone bought chickens from CG?

 

[Skalabs]

My girls finally get to eat out! I was worried if they would fly over the fence or mess with the dogs, but all has gone well.

 

[Anapsid]

Morning everyone. Anybody from the San Diego area?

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Morning everyone. Anybody from the San Diego area?

*raises hand*

North County, Fallbrook, here! There's a few other people here in east county and further south as well. Welcome to BYC!

 

[Anapsid]

Hi! I hail from La Mesa. Got my first flock of chickens. Super excited to be here.