California-Southern

[Jessimom]

That is so nice to have enough space to do that! Beautiful set-up! Do you keep any roos for your own freezer? Seems a shame to rehome roos after spending money to hatch, feed, and raise them.

I do have several in the freezer, but we decided it's too much work to do it ourselves, so we found a place that will do it for us. But, when they are SUPER pretty like the 2 I am currently trying to rehome, I can't kill them. Plus, they are half Ayam Cemani, so black skin, black flesh, black organs. Not appetizing. If anyone wants them, they are free - half AC, and one is half EE, the other half Mille Fleur D'Uccle. So, feathered feet.

 

[Calichicken2015]

I'm not zoned for ANY. But I signed my daughter up for 4H, which in a weird way allows me to have 6 A girl in 4H sued the city to allow non zoned ares at least 5000K feet to have up to 6 hens.

I'll eventually change my zoning, but we have other items to take care of first.

Even CRAZIER that with that much space...you aren't zoned for any????? Thank goodness for 4H

 

[MrBug708]

That sounds very lucky!  5 chickens are more than enough for a family.  I like having an even number of 4 birds but broke my protocol and ordered two more birds to bring my total to 5 again.  I had to do it because my two oldest birds are Silkies and hardly laying much any more.  They were terrific pullet layers but at 5 and 6 years old they've slacked off so I need at least 3 younger hens for production.  It's just two of us at home so 3 large fowl Breda layers should be enough with the occasional Silkie egg showing up from the two older girls.  I usually stagger the ages of my hens so that they don't get old all at the same time.  I had the perfect staggered ages last year with 4 birds but lost two to heat-related complications and it blew that plan all to crap and had to start all over this Spring.  Now if I lose a bird this year I'll still have 4 left.  I hate to think of losing a bird but that's reality for you!  It happens sometimes.  When I first started with chickens it was just to have two bantam "pets" but then I added a couple Leghorns, a Marans, and an Ameraucana to make a colorful egg basket.  Wrong plan.  Different color egg layers are not all compatible flockmates and I had to re-home the common egg layers and dual purpose in lieu of keeping the smaller gentler docile large fowl to mix with the Silkies and gentle Ameraucana.  We tried a lighterweight Breda and she was the perfect answer to mix with the docile timid breeds and she was a good layer too.  I've ordered two more Breda because they surprised us with their good temperament and production.

My biggest concerns are heat related with chickens and having enough shade for them

 

[Sylvester017]

I do have several in the freezer, but we decided it's too much work to do it ourselves, so we found a place that will do it for us. But, when they are SUPER pretty like the 2 I am currently trying to rehome, I can't kill them. Plus, they are half Ayam Cemani, so black skin, black flesh, black organs. Not appetizing. If anyone wants them, they are free - half AC, and one is half EE, the other half Mille Fleur D'Uccle. So, feathered feet.

Asians love the black skin cuisine. My friend found a butcher who dresses $5 each bird and gives back all the gizzards, feet, and head if you want them. I don't have roos and only had to rehome a couple that were mistakes -- but not to a butcher. I get so attached I can't eat my own but we did it all the time on my folks' farm.

 

[Sylvester017]

My biggest concerns are heat related with chickens and having enough shade for them

Our last 6 SoCal years have been brutal drought years. We set up a canopy for shade in the backyard -- and the coop and small run are under a patio roof.


Before drought 6 years ago we never needed to water the lawn - just the raised garden bed.


6 years later everything is bone dry and we put up a larger canopy for shade.


The wind tore up the canopy cover yesterday so now I have to scramble for a new tarp cover!



The coop is located under a patio roof for shade and protection from gully-washer storms.

 

[alirasolene]

I live in Orange County. I am about to get a gosling. Is there any geese lovers in OC?

 

[JShubin]

I am surprised you are allowed to have geese in OC... No problem for the most the IE (Norco here).

 

[alirasolene]

I am surprised you are allowed to have geese in OC... No problem for the most the IE (Norco here).

Yes you can, you can just have one.

 

[Skalabs]

From what I've read, it needs to be 20 feet from my residence, 35 feet from my neighbors residence, and 5 feet from fence lines. I live on a corner lot next to a huge county park so I only have one neighbor who runs a softball training program in his back yard and rescues huskies.

You are probably going to get along just fine. If your neighbor rescues huskies, then I'm sure he'll foster some and have one or three as pets; he probably wants to fly under the radar, too.

35 feet from your neighbor's residence is good. I called the city about my coop, and they used a map program to tell me how far from my fence would equal 50 feet from the neighbor's house...this took some of the guess work out.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Yes you can, you can just have one.

Weird. Usually pairs of animals are allowed. Would a single goose be happy?