I thought I would briefly introduce myself before I start diving into the main forum. I have been wanting to get into backyard chicken keeping for a while, and I've received a chicken coop for Christmas so I'm getting serious about getting started this Spring. I'm completely new to chickens, although not to birds, having three parrots sharing my office space! I've also taken care of horses, and I'm assuming that mucking out chickens will be a bit less demanding than that!
I have lots to do to read up on the FAQs. I also have a couple of books on chicken-keeping and some friends who have backyard poultry. My main interest is egg-laying and having them as outdoor pets, really, although I don't want to get TOO attached until I'm pretty sure I can keep them safe! We live in the high desert of Southern California and while our caliche ground is quite possibly hard enough to discourage burrowing predators (we had some planting done and they used a jackhammer to prepare the hole) we have plenty of hawks. We have wild quail that visit regularly and have seen hawks take the quail. We even had a golden eagle in the backyard once. So I'm not planning to let them free-range, although I do have a run that is fairly mobile and plan to let them be out in the run in different parts of the yard, and possibly have free run closely supervised on occasion, if they are tame enough to keep close by. The coop itself, which has a screened run underneath it, will probably need to be staked into the ground because we occasionally get very high wind and I would not want the hens to blow away coop and all.
I'm an astronomer and my main occupation is teaching astronomy, physics and physical science at the community college level. I used to be a "rocket scientist". So I tend to have a very research-based approach to things. When I'm not teaching (and man, is that a time-sink!) I am an amateur jeweler/metal-smith and I really love cooking, and have also done some cheese-making. I have a horse and used to ride competitively, but he's now in semi-retirement being pampered by a couple of young women, and lives nearer my old house than our current home, so I don't see him often. Although we have an acre-and-a-half zoned for horses, so we may yet have an equine on the property as well as the chickens!
Happy New Year!
Deborah
I have lots to do to read up on the FAQs. I also have a couple of books on chicken-keeping and some friends who have backyard poultry. My main interest is egg-laying and having them as outdoor pets, really, although I don't want to get TOO attached until I'm pretty sure I can keep them safe! We live in the high desert of Southern California and while our caliche ground is quite possibly hard enough to discourage burrowing predators (we had some planting done and they used a jackhammer to prepare the hole) we have plenty of hawks. We have wild quail that visit regularly and have seen hawks take the quail. We even had a golden eagle in the backyard once. So I'm not planning to let them free-range, although I do have a run that is fairly mobile and plan to let them be out in the run in different parts of the yard, and possibly have free run closely supervised on occasion, if they are tame enough to keep close by. The coop itself, which has a screened run underneath it, will probably need to be staked into the ground because we occasionally get very high wind and I would not want the hens to blow away coop and all.
I'm an astronomer and my main occupation is teaching astronomy, physics and physical science at the community college level. I used to be a "rocket scientist". So I tend to have a very research-based approach to things. When I'm not teaching (and man, is that a time-sink!) I am an amateur jeweler/metal-smith and I really love cooking, and have also done some cheese-making. I have a horse and used to ride competitively, but he's now in semi-retirement being pampered by a couple of young women, and lives nearer my old house than our current home, so I don't see him often. Although we have an acre-and-a-half zoned for horses, so we may yet have an equine on the property as well as the chickens!
Happy New Year!
Deborah
Welcome To BYC and Happy Holidays!
my husband and I were born and raised in the high desert of SoCal
we let ours free range but only when we are outside with them, they are also have access to a covered dog run during the day so that may be a good idea
