Hi all, I am a new member from Santa Monica, CA with a ton of questions. I have never raised chickens before but have been dying to get into the backyard chicken craze. A few days ago, a chicken appeared in our backyard and we took this as a good omen. We have set up a temporary coop in an old rabbit hutch and have started making improvements. We plan on getting 2-3 more birds once we feel the yard is secure. I posted on the "breeds" forum to find out what breed this one might be, so not sure yet. We have 2 young boys (9 and 7) and a dog (pit mix that we are very concerned about jumping the fence to get to the chicken). I love to garden and grow herbs and vegetables and recently have gotten extremely interested in all organic and non-gmo foods. Our family life is very active with lots of sports and activities and we look forward to adding chicken raising to the mix.