Hello All,
Greetings from beautiful Riverside California. Growing up, we always chickens, geese, hogs and cattle. My Grandparents owned a hog farm on 4 acres complete with multiple garden areas and dairy cattle - Yes fresh milk. Milk was never my thing but my grandmother's homemade butter was amazing!
I started vegetable gardening again last year and my wife is behind me. I thought she would draw the line when I brought up the idea of having chickens but she was thrilled so here we are, chicken owners.
We plan on building out a much larger run but the little pre-fab, "Ikea" chicken coop is big enough for the hen and three chicks we got from my parents. They have feral chickens that got started more than a decade ago with a couple of hens and a rooster and now there are about a dozen hens and three roosters free ranging on their half acre property. They are all inbred and their colors and size have changed a bit over the years. My first hen and three chicks are out of that group. She is a good mother hen for her chicks but being wild she is really wary of human contact.
My first venture with this coop didn't go so great as my dog was able to dig under the side and get the first pair of pullets - We had our first chickens for around six hours. This time, I dug down and lined the pit with masonry bricks with a slot on one end that I used to place the hutch into and then added a hot wire to inspire my dog to keep out. So far she is unable to get close so no digging under, she just sits and stares at them. I'm afraid she's working on her Jeti powers to lift the hutch.
Wish me luck. These are the first chickens I've had since moving out of my folks house.
Alan
Greetings from beautiful Riverside California. Growing up, we always chickens, geese, hogs and cattle. My Grandparents owned a hog farm on 4 acres complete with multiple garden areas and dairy cattle - Yes fresh milk. Milk was never my thing but my grandmother's homemade butter was amazing!
I started vegetable gardening again last year and my wife is behind me. I thought she would draw the line when I brought up the idea of having chickens but she was thrilled so here we are, chicken owners.
We plan on building out a much larger run but the little pre-fab, "Ikea" chicken coop is big enough for the hen and three chicks we got from my parents. They have feral chickens that got started more than a decade ago with a couple of hens and a rooster and now there are about a dozen hens and three roosters free ranging on their half acre property. They are all inbred and their colors and size have changed a bit over the years. My first hen and three chicks are out of that group. She is a good mother hen for her chicks but being wild she is really wary of human contact.
My first venture with this coop didn't go so great as my dog was able to dig under the side and get the first pair of pullets - We had our first chickens for around six hours. This time, I dug down and lined the pit with masonry bricks with a slot on one end that I used to place the hutch into and then added a hot wire to inspire my dog to keep out. So far she is unable to get close so no digging under, she just sits and stares at them. I'm afraid she's working on her Jeti powers to lift the hutch.
Wish me luck. These are the first chickens I've had since moving out of my folks house.
Alan
and Welcome To BYC!
