California-Southern

[Sylvester017]

Here are a couple of pictures of the spot.




Thanks for the responses!

That larger tree is what we're talking about getting rid of. If we took that out the space could be up 6x15. (18 square feet per hen) Now that I think about it if we cut the tree back it'd probably make the area a little cooler, but because of the position in the yard the tree would never cast a shadow over the coop, though the bushes to the left of it will. And we could easily use the tree to hang a sun sail.

I would assume we're a bit cooler than Fallbrook. But I don't want to stress them out when those winds kick up in the late summer either.

Also a good consideration about the critters, thanks for mentioning that. We've got 2 dogs and a cat... I'm primarily thinking about keeping them out. My office is actually in the backyard and I've not seen rats or raccoons. But we definitely have the occasional opossum.

Seeing the photos, anything else I should be thinking about? We're planning to have the coop towards the inside of the yard as opposed to up against that wall so that it's far enough away from the property line. But it's fine to have the run go up to the wall, I presume.

All your ideas are good ideas if they work for you. Whatever you build have good run-off away from the pen area for those occasional gully-washer rains we get in SoCal. I set my first small coop up on a paver stone foundation and it helped keep the pen area dry. You should think of good cover not from sun so much as those gully-washer sudden downpours we get. We had a pop-up canopy over our first little coop which also kept us dry when we collected eggs. With our larger Barn Coop we're building a patio roof over the coop which serves as protection from sun or rain. I don't care how well-built coops are they eventually warp, peel, or leak so after 5 years of struggling without a formal cover we've finally invested in a patio roof over the new coop.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Costco has those triangular sail shades for $20 right now. You can start with keeping the tree and see how it works out. You can always cut it back later!

Downpours have caused issues, but they're not usually without warning. I found a good layer of straw in the run helped with mud and back splashing into the coop. Just raked it out when the rain is done.

And ditto with the hardware cloth. Don't use chicken wire.

 

[mclanea]

Thanks, really appreciate the thoughtful responses. Message received on the hardware cloth & drainage. I'm not one to skimp on materials, prefer to do things right the first time. (Just built an office in the same backyard!)

Fortunately, this spot in the yard is the high point for the yard so even the biggest storm of the winter that part of the yard was above ground. I'll have to figure out some way to make sure their run drains well, great tip.

Our chicks are 2 weeks so I've got 2-3 more weeks to pick a coop design and get it built. But I feel lots better about the coop location after your input. Thanks again!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks, really appreciate the thoughtful responses. Message received on the hardware cloth & drainage. I'm not one to skimp on materials, prefer to do things right the first time. (Just built an office in the same backyard!)

Fortunately, this spot in the yard is the high point for the yard so even the biggest storm of the winter that part of the yard was above ground. I'll have to figure out some way to make sure their run drains well, great tip.

Our chicks are 2 weeks so I've got 2-3 more weeks to pick a coop design and get it built. But I feel lots better about the coop location after your input. Thanks again!

Chickens love mud. At least all 4 of mine do (2 Silkies, an Ameraucana, and a Breda). I can't lift a paver stone in the backyard without all 4 come running to dig in the moist soil for bugs. After a heavy rain if water seeped into the dirt floor run, they would dig in it all the way to China. All around the foundation I was glad the run was set on paver stones inside and outside the base of the run or the chickens would've dug and undermined the foundation if it had been directly on soil. Today I was battling the digging hens that wanted to undermine my raised garden bed that had to be moved about 2 feet to accommodate my contractor's footing plans for our two new patio roofs. Our hens love to help us dig in damp dirt and one little Silkie loves to sit on my shovel while I dig.

OLD LITTLE COOP ON PAVER STONE FOUNDATION. ANYWHERE WATER SEEPS IN THE HENS WOULD LOVE TO DIG IN IT SO IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE THE RUN FOUNDATION FORTIFIED W/ PAVER STONES AGAINST DIGGING HENS.


OLD LITTLE COOP ON PAVER STONES. THE NEW COOP WILL SIT ON A CONCRETE SLAB IN THIS SAME LOCATION. THE RAISED GARDEN BED IS IN THE PICTURE TOO -- IT HAD TO BE MOVED A COUPLE FEET TO ACCOMMODATE NEW PATIO ROOF FOOTERS.


THOUGH VENTS, AIR GAPS BETWEEN WALLS/ROOF/FLOOR TRAY ALLOW GOOD AIR FLOW INSIDE A COOP, IT ISN'T CONDUCIVE TO KEEPING THE COOP DRY IN WIND-DRIVEN RAINS ESPECIALLY COUPLED W/ SANTA ANA WINDS SO WE DECIDED TO PUT THIS NEW COOP UNDER A PATIO ROOF. WHILE THE CONTRACTOR WAS PUTTING IN A NEW BLOCK WALL FENCE WE HAD HIM POUR A SLAB FOR THE NEW COOP. OUR REMODELING HAS BEEN GOING ON INSIDE/OUTSIDE THE HOUSE FOR 6 YEARS AND STILL WE'RE NOT DONE. BABY STEPS!

 

[Little Miss Oli]

Hello, I just joined backyard chickens. I am in Duarte, CA. And am new to raising chickens in my backyard. Loving it so far. Was pretty bummed to find out 3 out of 4 of my chickens (got them as chicks) are roosters, but next weekend we will be heading to Norco to pick up some more hen to replace the roosters. Can't wait until we start getting eggs! we have a nice coop that holds up to six chickens and my husband is building a 6ft by 8ft run to attach. We had them free ranging the yard bit they keep eating my vegetables from the garden! So a run is much needed with just supervised playtime in the yard.

 

[sol2go]

Hello to all the new chicken enthusiasts!
It's fun to see your chicken pics when you have time to post.

 

[mclanea]

Sylvester017 - Thanks so much for this post. We can't do a slab where our coop is going, but you've given us some great insights!

 

[Sylvester017]

Hello, I just joined backyard chickens. I am in Duarte, CA. And am new to raising chickens in my backyard. Loving it so far. Was pretty bummed to find out 3 out of 4 of my chickens (got them as chicks) are roosters, but next weekend we will be heading to Norco to pick up some more hen to replace the roosters. Can't wait until we start getting eggs!

we have a nice coop that holds up to six chickens and my husband is building a 6ft by 8ft run to attach. We had them free ranging the yard bit they keep eating my vegetables from the garden! So a run is much needed with just supervised playtime in the yard.

I lived in Duarte too, Rancho Verde Golf Course single detached family home and now live in the next city over. If you ever need a good chicken veterinarian the Duarte-Azusa Animal Hospital on Huntington Drive sees my birds all the time. Dr. Zabihi used to work in the poultry industry so he sees not only dogs/cats but also exotics and birds. I've seen turtles and guinea pig patients in his office! He's saved my littlest Silkie a couple times when we thought we'd lose her to severe CRD symptoms. I've used his services to euthanize a bird shipped to me so ill that our efforts to save her just didn't work. Who are you seeing in Norco for chickens? I know Amber Waves Silkies in Norco sells DNA-sexed Silkies but then their prices are higher because of the DNA-sexing but it sure is worth it to know we aren't getting roos. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Silkies lay the largest of the bantam eggs (1.25 to 1.3 oz) and are prolific layers - but they do like to go broody - we let them go broody on empty nests to give their little bodies time to replace their nutrients from so much egg-laying. I also have potted container vegetables and a couple raised garden beds for veggies. I solved the problem with free-ranging by using a 2-foot roll of rubber-coated rabbit fencing around the yard - half the yard is for our patio and garden, and the other half is for the chickens to dig up any way they choose. It takes a couple times getting them out from flying over the barrier but after a couple flights over and removing them, they get the idea to stay on their own side as long as they have plenty of their own feed available. We have a lot of shelters - canopies, lean-to's, lawn furniture, stickery climbing rosebush, and dog houses for the free-ranging backyard chickens to hide/snooze under since we have a resident Cooper's Hawk that visits the yard but doesn't bother the hiding hens:

Sylvester017 - Thanks so much for this post. We can't do a slab where our coop is going, but you've given us some great insights!

The slab was 5 yrs planning of not only replacing an old chainlink fence with block wall but planning for a solid concrete slab for the new coop in lieu of the old paver stones we used for the old smaller coop. The smaller coop started to leak after less than 2 years so we used a pop-up canopy over it - we liked not having to stand in the rain to collect eggs from the nestbox and the canopy kept most of the run free from rain seepage. Everyone's backyard situation is different but that's what led us to decide on a roof over the coop. We got tired of using shredded canopies and tarps as covers.

 

[chickencrazy21]

Question. My mom has been bugging me. Does anyone know someone who has lavander orpingtons? Im willing to drive about 2 hours either way im in west covina. So la area is where im at she keeps bugging me saying we always get what chickens i want. The orpingtons can be of any age.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Help! I have room for only two more chickens. Which two should I get? These are from a breeder in Lakeside:

1) buff Orpington
2) New Hampshire
3) blue Wyandotte
4) Barnevelder

My BF wants the first two and I want the second two!

We're looking for larger breeds that will mix well with our existing flock: EE rooster and his girls - black/gold EE, barred Rock, speckled Sussex, salmon Faverolle.

Also, has anyone ordered from East County Zoo? He seems friendly and knowledgeable from the few emails/texts I've sent, he does sexing and takes back roosters from any mis-sexed purchases, so that lead me to him.

Thanks!