Hello from the High Desert in Southern California

[OldMcContri]

Hi everyone,

I am Matthew, I have had vegetable, fruit and water gardens. Since I moved up to the High Desert (Apple Valley to be exact) I decided it was time for me to read more into having chickens added to my small family. Right now I am building my very first chicken coop (not only is the coop a first for me but also the fact I am building something out of wood is a first too) and cannot wait to finish it so I can bring some girls to call it their home.

To answer the questions of basic introductions here:

1) I am new to chickens in the sense of having them as part of my family and fully caring for them. I have been around a few in the past though.

2) I currently have no chickens, but will be looking for some real soon and need to decide on the best ones for my environment up here in the High Desert (summers can get to 100+ and winters it can snow). My coop will be able to accommodate 4 chickens according to square footage I read, but they will have about a 15 x 15 x 6.5 fenced in run they will be able to control.

3) I am wanting to get the larger girls, that lay white and brown eggs. Ones that are also not flighty and more of a friendly type.

4) I found out about BackYardChickens.com through searching the internet on raising chickens and chicken coops.

5) Some of my other hobbies are landscaping, gardening, cooking, baking and chocolate making.

6) A little more about me. I have 2 birth children and 6 step children. 2 Dogs (a mini long haired chihuahua and a Neapolitan Mastiff; she protects the outside) I am a computer programmer by trade but I also have a chocolate truffle company that I own on the side.

 

[drumstick diva]

You 'had me' from the moment you mentioned chocolate making - hard to think about chickens now. The best thing to do is go to "where am I, where are you," in the social forum. You can find your state thread and post your questions there. Then you can get advice on what breeds tolerate your climate, what type of coop to have etc.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

You will want to start by chatting with your local chicken neighbors in your state thread to see what they do and how to survive your hot climate...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/565482/california-the-whole-state-thread

Here are a couple of nice breeds pages that you can take a look at. Lots of quick info on the different breeds and their attributes..

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

You also might want to consider sand in your coop and run. Sand can be hosed down in the summer time and it will keep the birds incredibly cool. Cool feet, cool birds. It is easy to clean, keeps the flies away, soft of the foot pads and the chickens love to scratch and bathe in it. You can use river sand, dry wash or arroyo sand, (this is what I use) or you can even use sand from gravel companies. Many companies deliver. Here is a nice thread on sand for more info....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!

 

[petrel]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some great links and advice from TwoCrows, and be sure to check out the BYC Breeds section for member reviews when you've narrowed down breeds.

 

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC! You had me at chocolate truffle LOL

 

[gander007]

 

[OldMcContri]

You 'had me' from the moment you mentioned chocolate making - hard to think about chickens now. The best thing to do is go to "where am I, where are you," in the social forum. You can find your state thread and post your questions there. Then you can get advice on what breeds tolerate your climate, what type of coop to have etc.

HAHA, the chocolate making always perks up people, and it does tend to be a great convo started.

 

[OldMcContri]

Welcome to BYC!

You will want to start by chatting with your local chicken neighbors in your state thread to see what they do and how to survive your hot climate...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/565482/california-the-whole-state-thread

Here are a couple of nice breeds pages that you can take a look at. Lots of quick info on the different breeds and their attributes..

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

You also might want to consider sand in your coop and run. Sand can be hosed down in the summer time and it will keep the birds incredibly cool. Cool feet, cool birds. It is easy to clean, keeps the flies away, soft of the foot pads and the chickens love to scratch and bathe in it. You can use river sand, dry wash or arroyo sand, (this is what I use) or you can even use sand from gravel companies. Many companies deliver. Here is a nice thread on sand for more info....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!

Oh my, there are a lot of chicken breeds. Well I do know that I do not want Bantams, I prefer the heavier girls and they should be heat tolerant. Quick question about being cold hardy, what is the average minimum that the a chicken can handle without being cold hardy? I haven't lived in the high desert long enough to know how cold it gets and how long, but for a month it was about 30 - 40 degrees

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: Most of the heavy breeds are very cold and heat hardy as long as you provide cool shade in the summer and a draft free well ventilated coop in the winter. They can tolerate sub zero with no heat needed to be added. My girls see -10 and -15 on a regular basis up here at 7,000 feet and do just fine. I will only ad heat if it is going to get down to -20 or so. I use the temp rule of this....if it is going to be 20 or more degrees colder than the normal over night low, then I add heat. More than a 20 degree drop from what they are used to can be cold. So if you average over night low in the winter is 20 degrees and it is going to get below zero, you might consider a bit of heat. Not a lot, but just enough to raise the temp 5 or 10 degrees. Just to get them thru the night. You wan't good ventilation in your eaves, no matter how cold it is in the coop. All the moisture from the pooping and breathing releases a lot of moist warm air. This moisture wants to rise. If you don't have good venting in your eaves, this moisture is going to cool and fall back down on the birds as water or frost, chilling them or giving them frost bite. They say about 1 square foot of vents per bird. I use vents on a slanted roof in the eaves. Air goes in the low side and out the high side. Have your birds roost low to the floor in quiet air, and this moisture will get picked up in this positive air flow and go out the roof. The birds will stay warm in their tiny bubble and will stay dry as well.

I use a small panel heater installed in front of the roost bar. It radiates a very tiny bit of heat. I rarely use it. I didn't use it at all this past winter. I think our coldest temp was -12. I do wrap the roost bar with an old towel however. Warm feet mean warm birds. I don't insulate either. Birds need to acclimate to brutally cold temps while still need to get outside every day in the run for good health.