New from Sacramento, CA

[PerrBear]

Hello everyone! I have always wants chickens, up until a year ago it was not allowed in Sacramento City limits. Once they changed the law and said we could have three hens I was ready. However my husband grew up with chickens and said no way they are too messy. I have spent the last year begging and finally made a deal. If I can do more research and provide him with some Internet proof that they can easily be cleaned up after then he said we can get some hens. His other concern was corn, he wants them to be organic and not eat corn. Luckily he is a home brewer and we have spent grain and I already buy meal worms for my box turtles so I don't think it will be too much trouble to keep them healthy. Thanks to my cousin who turned me on to backyard chickens I am hoping to have my own coop in the new year! Love to hear any advise, books, websites or what ever you have to offer!

 

[NatalieAnn]

Welcome!

Just wondering what you were intending on keeping the hens for - eggs, pets or meat? If it is for eggs I would think you would need to get some layer pellets for your hens along with the grain and worms to make sure they are getting the right level of nutrients to support egg and shell production. You should be able to get organic pellets.

As for cleanliness I have found that they do attract flies, but if you clean out the coop every few days (we add the manure to a compost system) and rake the run just as often to break down the poo (or water it into the ground) then this shouldn't be a big problem. Also we don't scatter food on the ground for them, we keep it in a container and bring it in at night to prevent mice and rats being attracted to leftovers.

These are just my thoughts - I would say there would be many threads on this site that offer better advice!

Good Luck

 

[Kevin565]

 

[birdonerous]

Welcome! Chickens can be messy, but they can also be tidy, depends on if they have their own space or if you have to share it with them

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, PerrBear, and

! Pleased you joined us! Happy also you were able to get your husband on the chicken deal. Best of luck to you!!

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[liz9910]

from Modesto!

 

[PerrBear]

Thank you for all the welcomes! I am sorry I was not clear. I am looking for eggs but I am an animal lover so they are of course pets. We are Pescatarian so no meat eating in this house ( my husbands has high blood pressure so we are also low sodium) Sacramento says chickens must stay in coop at all times. My husband grew up with roaming chickens so I think he is imaging poop all over the yard. I have been reading the formus and looking at coops all day!!! Thanks for all the advice so far!

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!