Central Coast California

[KippenhokChick]

Atascadero here, just joined BYC. The coop is nearly ready and girls are coming to their new home next week

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Atascadero is a great place for chickens! Perfect weather. What breed of "girls" did you get? Good luck with your new pullets.

 

[KippenhokChick]

Sent my friend an email who is gifting the chickens to me. She is looking into the breed. Atascadero is great, heat is my biggest concern. Planning on putting shade cloth over at least half the run, possible fan in the coop and run as well as looking into if minsters may help when it gets really warm. September and it's 102 degrees today

 

[crabby chickens]

Hi from Paso Robles,
Yes, we understand the summer heat. It was 103 here today. We find that a shade cloth does help, we also wet the ground. They will dig and lay in the cool dirt. We also may add ice to their water container and we usually have something from the garden that contains a lot of water like; watermelon, tomatoes or cantaloupe during these times. A mister would be great also.

 

[KippenhokChick]

Thanks for the tips! I put poly roofing on a 8x8 section of the run to help beat the heat. A little delay but the hens are coming first thing tomorrow morning

 

[rlreed]

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I'm looking for pullets/hens ready to go in the coop. Do you have any for sale?​

Thank you,

Rachel

 

[FaerieChicken]

Hi all! We were in Atascadero from August 2013 to late July 2015, now we are behind Lopez Lake in Arroyo Grande! I knew there was a Central Coast thread! I had been trying out the Souther Cal thread but not much happening, doesn't seem to be much activity here either. I understand though, the working community!

We started raising chickens when we moved back to A-Town in 2013, we had talked about it previously while living in Nor*Cal but never followed through. I am glad it worked out when we got back to the CC because I absolutely love love LOVE my girls and boys, and all that they do for us.

I am so greatful to have such a wonderful community here on BYC also, everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable. I really was saddened when we had to leave Atascadero and gave up everything chicken! I really was devastated! I didn't think we would ever be able to bounce back as the first time round it was easy as my friend had left everything to us. We were renting her home from her while she worked in Nor*Cal and she already had a set up at her home and already had hens laying. We were given the option to buy but when she deciced to change her mind and move back into her home, hence the reason for us to have to give it all up and start all over from scratch.

It's not great like before, and still a work in progress, hoping to get a night enclosure built soon as the rain is approaching, much needed too! Right now they are roosting on top of and inside of their nesting houses, which really are just dog houses that I found for free on Craigslist, I put old dresser drawers in there for nest boxes and lots of fluffy straw. I also found on Craigslist a free chicken coop, it's small and awkward and doesn't work well for such as it has no nest boxes or any opening other than the door and a few vent holes on the sides. I didn't put any straw in it, so it would discourage the want for laying eggs inside, and took off a board from the back to allow more air flow through it. I was thinking of puting some small perches inside for them to perch but it is so thin/shallow already, barely enough room for the chickens to walk through it and not much more head clearance I think. I have it up on a pallet, it has 6 legs and a board missing in the middle of the flooring that fell off, we still have it, but I am thinking to maybe open up the floor more and enclose around the legs and make the perches on the pallet?

Sorry for going off into left field....... I am just obviously really happy to have chickens again, and it is soothing to have an outlet from the craziness at work.

I hope to find some local chicken lovers to connect, share and possibly trade things/info/tips/chickens with!

Happy Chicken Rearing ;D

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Hi!
I have a few really nice looking roosters hatched out this spring, I'd like to find homes for...
-Black Orpington: very pretty, from Blue/Black/Splash line, could be show quality, huge!!!
-Cuckoo Marans: still young but showing good potential.
-Black and Splash Ameraucana: some show quality, others would make good flock protectors.

We are in S. Monterey county

 

[FaerieChicken]

Hi!
I have a few really nice looking roosters hatched out this spring, I'd like to find homes for...
-Black Orpington: very pretty, from Blue/Black/Splash line, could be show quality, huge!!!
-Cuckoo Marans: still young but showing good potential.
-Black and Splash Ameraucana: some show quality, others would make good flock protectors.

We are in S. Monterey county

I have been wanting a Cuckoo Marans, I so want to add that dark chocolate egg to our collection! I just don't think we have room for any more roos! We have 3 already! and with only 10 laying, 4 pullets, and 6 more on quarantine that I got for free that are young 3 are just 1 year and the other 3 are hatched this spring and just started laying, I think I barely have enough hens to keep the 3 roos happy. Some of the 10 hens are older and do not lay as often anymore, but I am hoping they will be good broody mamas this coming spring and hatch out some more hens for us!

the roos are:
Barred Plymouth Rock
Egyptian Faymoui
Unknownd- we call him Rainbow Dash as he has multi colored feathers, and a very odd comb, almost like a pea, strawberry and a walnut got together..... LOL

Our hens are all different breeds:
Barred Rocks- like 4
Amaraucanas-3
Buff Orpingtons-3
Rhode Island Reds-2
Araucana x's-2
Light brown leg horn x silver pencil Wyandottes (?) -2
Wellsummer-1 and she has got some wicked spurs on her too!
And I think the black one is a Jersey Giant Hen, but she could be a Black Sex Link, Hard to tell, she came a Black Jersey Giant Roo, but he passed about a week after we got them. It was sad!
A white one with few black specks, not sure what she is, but she lays light brown/pinkish eggs.
A white silkie

That's it, 20 hens all together and 3 roos!