Hello from Pacific Northwest WA

[anndelise]

I am new to chickens. I've checked out almost every book from the library and have been reading various websites, including this one. I want to make sure that I feel ready for caring for chickens before getting any chicks.

While I live out in the county here, we are in an area that has an HOA which doesn't allow chickens. This is why it has taken me so long to finally look into them more. While technically the HOA doesn't allow chickens, it won't do anything about them, or those who have them, unless there are complaints. I've discussed with some of the people who have chickens here, and previous board members, and drew the conclusion that the HOA isn't ready for the subject to be pushed. And pushing it now would cause problems for those who have chickens. So, I've decided to join the ranks of our 'underground' chicken keepers. Perhaps if it's 'common' enough, respectful of neighbors enough, and demonstrates responsible and proven solutions for concerns, then it'll be easier to push changing the rule when the time is right.

I have asked my three neighbors (the two corner homes are totally emptied). I expected 2 no's, but all three said yes. The first neighbor who's wife works nights and sleeps days didn't even let me finish asking before he said go for it, that they thought the rule was stupid, and that the reason they moved into the country was to LIVE near nature etc. He assured me that with their two young kids and her deep sleeping, she wouldn't be bothered by the chickens. The second neighbor said they had wanted to do ducks but don't have the backyard space for it...it's a tiny back yard. He also hinted that his daughter would love to visit my chicks when I get them. The third neighbor promptly asked me if I wanted her to contact her dad who was just then selling his coop. Later, her 8yo and I had a conversation about frogs, fish, and chickens. That kid has experience!

I have decided to get 3-5 australorpes. I've read that they are usually really quiet, too heavy to fly much, are docile, and decent egg layers even in winter. I really only want 4 hens, but when I get chicks I'm wondering if I should get 5, in case 1 is a rooster or dies. Also, a 5th could be used for eggs for the neighbors. I haven't decided yet, and have til next spring to do so.

I am struggling to design my coop to suit my desires as well as my restrictions. The only logical place for the coop is in the way of our heavy winds, but if it's kept short it should be ok. Short also means easier hidden. Being in the pacific northwest, we get tons of rain. I want to do the deep litter method with poop boards under the roosts. I want a minimum of 4sqft per bird inside the coop, and 10sqft per bird in the run. And I eventually want to set up paddocks and forage friendly plants in them, but that is in a very shady (maple tree) area on top of our septic drain field, so shallow roots only. I cannot do a bunch of hauling and lifting so no chicken tractor. And, the entire yard gets no direct sunlight in winter, but not enough shade on the permanent coop spot in summer. I will have to plant something for summer shade. Also, the chicken area is relatively hidden from the front, with a somewhat sizeable garden area between. Oh, and I would prefer an 'open' wall, but I don't yet know how to manage that with DLM and constant rain.

I've almost given up on the whole idea a few times. But I recall reading that the most intimidating part of caring for chickens is the initial setup. So I'm hoping I can get this figured out and built within the next two months, before the rains and winds return.

Anyhoot...I hope to learn more from here as a member, to add to what I've learned reading through threads as a nonmember.

 

[anndelise]

The following are pictures to give an idea of what I am working with.
First, a shot from our 'back'yard area to the front to show what passerbys would have to look over/through.

A shot of our yard from our side of the 'wild area' between the road and our yard. There's not much growing now because this spring was build-a-frog-pond and recover-most-the-garden-area-after-two-years-of-utter-neglect spring. What IS growing this year is pretty much opportunistic experiments.

A shot to show that our backyard goes deeper still, into the shade. This is where I hope to eventually make some paddocks.

And finally, where the permanent coop will go. It'll be right under our bedroom window. I'll be the first to know something is wrong. Ok, well, after the hen(s) of course.

 

[drumstick diva]

I'm not the most creative person, so find it hard to visualize what you are saying. There are things to consider about having the permanent coop under the bedroom window.

The noise is minor but, the aroma of chickens may not be. Another thing insurers do not like coops close to a home or butting up against it for fire and other safety reasons.

It's hard to have stealth chickens when the neighboring kids are excited and want to tell everyone about your "chickens." I used to have a dog kennel so I know all about, kids, and the "other" kind of neighbors who always feel it is their duty to report things to the authorities.

You need to have a plan B. in case chickens have to be moved in a hurry. They very things that make it difficult to see into your yard- are the things that attract predators to making their home around your property. They will also know you have chickens before anyone else does. We had a fox that had a den at the back of our yard, in thick vegetation, for several years. We also have regular visits from skunk, raccoons, opossums and, feral cats, free running dogs and even woodchucks. Our town has a great deal of forest preserves.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided join our flock. Crumstick diva has given you some good advice. If you do get chickens, Australorps would be an ideal breed as they are extremely hardy, calm and gentle (my children and granddaughter made lap pets of them), and the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in being able to keep chickens in your neighborhood.

 

[anndelise]

I'm not the most creative person, so find it hard to visualize what you are saying.    There are things to consider about having the permanent coop under the bedroom window.

The noise is minor but, the aroma of chickens may not be.  Another thing insurers do not like coops close to a home or butting up against it for fire and other safety reasons.

It's hard to have stealth chickens  when the neighboring kids are excited and want to tell everyone about your "chickens." I used to have a dog kennel  so I know all about, kids,  and the "other" kind of neighbors who always feel it is their duty to report things to the authorities.

You need to have a plan B.  in case chickens have to be moved in a hurry. They very things that make it  difficult to see into your yard- are the things that attract predators to making their home around your property.   They will also know you have chickens before anyone else does.    We had a fox that had a den at the back of our yard, in thick vegetation, for several years. We also have regular visits from skunk, raccoons, opossums and, feral cats, free running dogs and even woodchucks. Our town has a great deal of forest preserves.

Admittedly the aroma and discussions of flies are on the con list for keeping chickens in that spot by the house. An alternative is that area behind the frame that I can put it, if I put a bushy/viney plant in the frame to hide the coop from the road. That area puts the henhouse at the county's suggested 10ft mark from the residence. But another way of looking at the smell is that if it bothers me, then it's at risk of bothering a neighbor, so i would be working to fix the problem before it spread across the fence. I will look into possible insurance issues though. We don't smoke and I've no intent to use a heater in the coop, but there could be other reasons so i'll look into it. Thank you for that idea.

Another con is the rains and the run. This is something that I've been researching on today, and was considering making a thread to ask more about what people do with their runs and rain. If I can't find a solution for it that will work with my restrictions, then it'll be a very significant and weighted con.

My plan B is to give the hens to a friend who has a large lot and one chicken (it's sister died). But she does total free range, and i don't think an australorpe would survive long without the flighty instincts. But I don't want to get any flighty birds that might annoy the neighbors, so it's kind of a catch-22 alternative.
Plan C is to harvest the hens for meat. (Another reason for getting a dual-purpose bird.)
Plan D is to move. We've discussed moving before, and have been slowly but surely getting rid of items we wouldn't need in a 'tiny house'. He wants a much smaller home. I want a much bigger yard with more available sun so I can build up a food forest.

I'm not too concerned about the HOA. They already know of some of the people who have chickens, if not all. When they get informed they ask something like, "Are you complaining of them being a neusance or just informing us they are there?" They also don't seem to follow through on upholding the rules when there ARE complaints...for other things. From the research and interviews I did, it doesn't seem as if they have any real power. But I am willing to allow for unknowns. I am sure that at the least they can have the county take steps if needed. But if I'm not breaking any county rules, then there's nothing the county would do. (As an aside, an ex board member was telling me how they all sat and watched a miniature goat at one house across from the office, they laughed about it being there, but weren't concerned even though goats aren't allowed either.)

Our areas primary concerns are mice, rats, racoons, outdoor cats and escaped dogs. Secondary are skunks and 'possums.
We used to worry about hawks/eagles taking our dog/cats, but we haven't heard stories and haven't seen any attempts, so aren't too worried anymore....(*knock on wood*)
Once in a long while we might have a coyote or cougar visit this general area. Like maybe 2x in the past ten years.
Around the corner of my block is one of the families that has chickens. They have had rat problems, but nothing else. A friend's home between us has constant rat problems, but they get them because they leave wild birdfeed out all over their yard, along with a couple of full compost bins.

I'm already expecting coons to show up to dine on my frogs. And the risk of coons harming our dog/cat is a definite con. I would, of course, do my best to protect the birds from predators/pests, but these are things I would have to be doing even if the hens were allowed. As well as doing my best to reduce the impacts of these predators/pests on my neighbors.

I am definitely taking these concerns serious, and while I am leaning towards finally doing it if i can figure out a good coop/run design, I am still weighing the pros and cons. I have spent the past 8 years mulling it over in my mind, and three months doing intensive research, going back and forth between no and yes. Currently the coop/run design is the biggest deciding factor.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens! I am glad you joined us!

 

[nj2wv]

welcome to BYC !!

 

[brucelapluma]

Hi Anndelise,
Just curious how things are going for you. I'm also in the PNW and we're buying a home with a chicken coop already on the property. I've read a lot on this forum so far and am excited to eventually get a flock. Any tips for dealing with the weather up here/ breeds you would recommend?

 

[anndelise]

Hi Anndelise,

Just curious how things are going for you. I'm also in the PNW and we're buying a home with a chicken coop already on the property. I've read a lot on this forum so far and am excited to eventually get a flock. Any tips for dealing with the weather up here/ breeds you would recommend?

Hi.
The chickens are going well for me. I'm really glad I finally got them.

I've only had mine for spring to now, so I have no winter related tips.
If you're looking at a small flock of about 5-10ish, i highly recommend City Chicks as reading material. Especially if you intend to use them as garden workers.

I use the deep litter method in their pen. Which needs to be covered to reduce smells from wet poo.
In their coop i use a drier version of deep litter. Which means it's not composting, but is breaking down. I've had the coop for a couple of months and haven't needed to clean it out yet. And the pen I just rake the litter into a couple of piles (once a week), wet the ground, and let the girls redistribute the pile. Once in a while i add some more woodchips.

They don't mind some rain, but hide when it's too much. Their pen is 4'x12' which seems to give 5-6 birds plenty of area, as long as I also have an added uncovered 2'x24' run in the garden. (Once it's light out I'll take a picture of my setup, which might be overkill for your needs.)

I'll adapt as needed for the wetter seasons.

As for breeds, because I have to keep my birds hidden, I chose australorpes. They are quietish, blend with shadows, good garden workers, and good egg layers (i hope). But, to tell them apart you have to really analyze the details of their wattles, combs, beaks, and/or feet. I think I'll take the risk and introduce other colored large birds down the road when it's time to replace the ones i have.

I started with incubating eggs. It was a good experience with ups and downs and lots of learning opportunities.
I wound up with 2 females and 3 males. One of the females was highly reactive and scared and basically causing the other chicks to be scared of us, so at 4 weeks when i had to give my males away for eventual meat birds to someone who could keep males long enough, I included that female. I won't likely do eggs again while living here. It was too stressful worrying about if/when the little males would start crowing. But if I was in an area where I could've raised them to eating size, I'd do eggs again.

After the first two weeks since the chicks hatched, I bought a spontaneous chick. Loved her coloring. But when i brought her home, she was half their size. The store hadn't marked her as bantam sized. Nor did they mark her group as straight run. (Bantams are rarely, if ever, sex checked.) So that was touch and go with her developing wattles and comb really early. And me worrying she was a male.

After realizing the bantam was a straight run chick, I bought two more chicks from the australorpe bin. But this brought my potential female number only up to 3. And only 90% chance of the two new ones as female. But my bad luck regarding males had me worried.

So at 8 weeks I bought 2 eight week old australorpes. This way i knew they were females. No surprises. But!! It was heartbreaking to see about 20 birds in a small box who had never seen anything beyond the sides of that box for their entire 8 week lives. They had to learn from our other birds how to act like chickens. One of these birds has deformed feet, which the guy knew about, and I was naive enough to trust him and not look them over thoroughly before buying.

So basically, there are pros and cons to whichever means you use for obtaining your birds.

I'm still a newbie, and I don't know your intended setup, so I can't really make recommendations beyond my favorite book. I have other books. While this one isn't as thorough as Storey's, it is easy reading and informative for the purposes of using chickens as helpers in the garden.