Castro Valley, CA person here

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happycc

happycc

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I am so so new at this. First off how do I find out the rules of chicken in the city of Castro Valley. I couldn;t find the city in the list. I know it is unincorporated so perhaps that is why...nonetheless does anyone know? I am renting a house on a horse ranch off of Crow Canyon Rd.
We are a large family (9 people total, 7 kids) and of course finances are tight so we are trying to lower our grocery bills. We are considering raising chickens for the eggs. I am not sure I can stomach killing them yet. My kids eat a ton of eggs anyways. How many would I need to start out with? I am not so thrilled about the idea of having a rooster so close to the house. There is a rooster someone on this ranch as I have heard it crowing in the morning, at night, in the afternoon-that thing crows all the time. Would having a rooster somewhere on the ranch count or would I actually need a rooster to live with my brood to keep my hens acting like hens.

Anyways, we are renting a house out with a fairly large dog run. We went to convert the dog run into a chicken run (we are not allowed to have a dog) and place a coop in it. Would this work. The dog run does not have a roof on it. Planning to chicken wire the top to make a roof.
I dont know a thing about incubating the eggs and worried about starting a fire with a heat lamp. I guess we would have to place the chickens in the laundry room for awhile.

I have kids with severe allergies to cats, dogs, etc and have asthma ...would they be allergic to chickens too? I just want to know in case they want to pet them eventually. For now the eggs and chicks would be in laundry room until we can get the outside area setup. It gets pretty cold up here in the canyon. How do I keep them warm during the winter?
I am planning to go to Alamo Hay and Grain to see what I can get there in terms of supplies etc.

Thanks so much in advance for your help and encouragement.
 
You don't need a rooster to get eggs, just fertilized eggs. So, if 9 people eat 2 eggs every morning for breakfast, you'll need 18 eggs a day. Some hens get broody, some decide not to lay everyday, better get at least 25 hens.
 
What do you mean just fertilized eggs instead of a rooster? Can you just go buy fertilized eggs at the hay and grain? What about not bothering with the hatching part and just buy chicks to start with? Also my dog run has cement at the bottom and sadly the door does not latch completely. I was thinking of placing the hutch at the opening. That way I can block out the bottom so they can't escape but the opening part can be used to access the eggs and clean and such. I read somewhere I also need to put chicken wire all around the dog run to keep the low critters from getting in. ugh....ok 25 chickens. are there certain kinds of chicken just for egg layers? Why do people buy different types of chickens. Do you need a variety for a reason?
 
You have so many questions I wouldn't know where to start. In the "search" box near the top right of this page, write in the key words to questions. You'll eventually find the answers to each. A good book will also help. Plan ahead and then get the chickens that meet your needs. Best of luck and
welcome-byc.gif
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welcome-byc.gif
from So Cal.
For your run- buy hardware wire vs chicken wire- this is to keep your chickens safe from sneaky racoon paws that pull chickens legs and wings off. Try www.mypetchicken.com to search different breeds/laying habits, egg size and behaviors.
Hens will lay w/out a rooster. You only need a rooster if you want fertilized eggs(to hatch).
Your baies will need heat, water, good chick feed, and lots of attention. Good luck-- and make the BYC search button your friend.
 

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