Hello from Sunol, CA

[SunolGirl]

Good Morning...

I am completely new to chickens so I'll need lots of help.

Where I live, we don't have grass. I am deep in the woods and I have a lot of trees all around me. I am planning on building a chicken coop on my back deck. Would this be a good place for the chickens? Is it okay uif they don't have grass to roam around in?

Besides all my reading assignments here on this site, any hints on where to start?

I also have a young German Shepherd dog, she is 18 months old and very sweet. Will this be a problem for chickens?

Thanks for your help....Lisa

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC. I dont recommend having dogs around chickens.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard. I think you might regret putting the coop that close to your house. Their poo can be very smelly at times even with cleaning the coop frequently.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, SunolGirl and

! Great to have you here! In terms of grass - chickens love it but will adapt without it - they will pick at almost any greenery even if it isn't grass. Plus, they just like to dig and scratch around at the dirt. Some penned birds never get access to green grass so I don't think you have to worry about them not having grass. Sounds like they will get something green. In terms of dogs - my two labs either ignore or protect my chickens - there has never been a problem - they actually seem to like each other. When the chickens give some alarmed ("we think we see a predator") clucks, the dogs are on alert. A months ago a young coyote made the mistake of trying to stalk around my coop. The big lab you see in my avatar made sure he won't be doing that again - ever. So, I guess it just depends on the dog and its training. Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[weimarmama]

& from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Howdy SunolGirl, It's not a necessity for chickens to have access to grass and greens as long as they are provided with a good starter/grower or layer food. They will get all the vitamins, minerals and protein they need from the food. You can always supplement their diet by providing greens yourself. Mine love and get cabbage, lettuce, kale greens, etc almost daily but free range too. As far as building on your back deck is concerned I'd personally have to advise against it. They can be rather nasty creatures at times unless you plan on cleaning the coop out daily. Also another point I'd like to bring up is treated lumber. Treated lumber omits odors which can be very harmful to chickens and other animals in general. Best of luck to you and your flock!

 

[Kevin565]

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi SunolGirl! I agree about not putting chickens on your deck. Besides the poop (which can attract flies as well as smell) there will also be feathers and feather "dust." Even without a rooster, hens can be noisy too. You will be much happier having the coop away from the house.

Some dogs will be fine around chickens. Most see chickens as irresistible dog toys! Carefully evaluate before trusting any unsupervised dog around chickens.

If your chickens don't have grass, your pictures of them won't be as pretty as those lucky folks who don't have dry summers like we do (I have grass envy!

), but the chickens themselves really prefer dirt for dust bathing. You can easily supply extra greens for their diet.

As far as where to start, a secure predator-proof coop is the first necessity. Check out the COOP forum and look at ideas for a California style coop that is built for hot summers and mild winters.

Also, come join us on the California - Northern thread (or Bay Area BYCers) and meet some local folks with lots of helpful ideas.

Good luck,
Lynda