New Guy here. Looking for some Chickens Riverside, CA

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RobtheBert said:
thanks, everyone ill get some pics up later today after I work on the coop more. and thanks for all the help. Is it best to buy as chicks and raise them indoors first or buy them laying eggs already
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I think that is a personal decision. Review the costs and seek what you think is best for you. It’s less time to egg laying as started pullets so less feed and housing costs up front since will not need a brooder. You can set up a brooder easily and inexpensively. I was unable to buy started pullets as gone by the time my housing up for the season. I bought baby chicks loved the experience, learned a lot, but it is a long time till laying. Patience is a virtue. I’m glad I had the experience. Others had regrets of buying started pullets from locals and found diseases once at home. If I did started pullets would definitely come from a Hatchery which vaccinates who is NPIP certified to make sure they are healthy.
 
RobtheBert said:
thanks, everyone ill get some pics up later today after I work on the coop more. and thanks for all the help. Is it best to buy as chicks and raise them indoors first or buy them laying eggs already
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Assuming you read my post from earlier in this thread...do not buy locally. Get them from a hatchery...Murry McMurry and Meyer are two that come to memory quickly. They both have day old chicks and started pullets. The birds get more expensive the old they are, which is because the hatchery is trying to recoup the cost of raising the birds. So it is a matter of what your wallet can afford, oh and there will be shipping charges. So good luck tto you and Merry Christmas from Lake Elsinore
 
Trux said:
Welcome to BYC
Before you continue on your journey with chickens please read this
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/Newcastle_Disease_Info.html
Learn all you can about Bio Security...This all started here last spring after a poultry show and they haven't been able to get a handle on it so now everyone in the affected areas is losing their flocks. Also a commercial flock in the area has it as well, no mention of where exactly. So if you are in an affected area you may want to wait and or contact the state or county to find out if you can have chicken or if there is a hold on new flocks
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With Newcastle a concern in many areas -- including, I think, your own -- this is VERY important advice.

I'm in LA -- out in the Valley near the Ventura County line. We're not affected yet, happily.

I get my chicks from My Pet Chicken and my experiences with them have been excellent. The downside is you have to wait until they've decided it's safe to ship and you have to order a minimum number of chicks. And when they're due -- they'll advise you when they ship -- someone will have to be available to go right to the post office. Particularly if your delivery date is later when it gets really hot. For my most recent order it was 4 chicks that won't arrive until April.

The upside is you can order almost anything you want. They have filters that will help you to order by egg color, hatch dates, heat resistance* and who knows what else. They are incredibly responsive. I haven't gotten anything from them that wasn't a personal response specific to the question or concern or instruction I gave. And when my female turned out to be a male, they refunded my purchase price and offered to put me in touch with resources that would help me rehome him (not necessary; I've grown very fond of him).

* So about that heat thing. Take it VERY seriously in Riverside. There are breeds that can adapt to it better than others. There are breeds that will simply die when the temps hit triple digits and stay there.

Here in the San Fernando Valley, I have to run several large box fans, make copious use of shade cloth, occasionally bring in 10# blocks of ice for the fans to blow over and, still, last year I lost one of my hens.

And you'd be smart to take Riverside heat into consideration when building your coop as well. You want LOTS of ventilation in the enclosed coop -- probably twice what you think is good. Maybe one of those onion-shaped attic fans that operate on hot air drafts. If possible you want an electric supply -- so you can run those fans. You want as much overhang on your roof as possible for shade and then shade cloth out beyond that. I use a light colored high density shade cloth and then I double it. I think I get about 20˚ of cooling from that and that can make the difference between life and death. I'd also increase the space you allot for each hen in the run so they don't have any additional stressors when you can't do anything about 100˚ temps.
 
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IamRainey said:
With Newcastle a concern in many areas -- including, I think, your own -- this is VERY important advice.

I'm in LA -- out in the Valley near the Ventura County line. We're not affected yet, happily.

I get my chicks from My Pet Chicken and my experiences with them have been excellent. The downside is you have to wait until they've decided it's safe to ship and you have to order a minimum number of chicks. And when they're due -- they'll advise you when they ship -- someone will have to be available to go right to the post office. Particularly if your delivery date is later when it gets really hot. For my most recent order it was 4 chicks that won't arrive until April.

The upside is you can order almost anything you want. They have filters that will help you to order by egg color, hatch dates, heat resistance* and who knows what else. They are incredibly responsive. I haven't gotten anything from them that wasn't a personal response specific to the question or concern or instruction I gave. And when my female turned out to be a male, they refunded my purchase price and offered to put me in touch with resources that would help me rehome him (not necessary; I've grown very fond of him).

* So about that heat thing. Take it VERY seriously in Riverside. There are breeds that can adapt to it better than others. There are breeds that will simply die when the temps hit triple digits and stay there.

Here in the San Fernando Valley, I have to run several large box fans, make copious use of shade cloth, occasionally bring in 10# blocks of ice for the fans to blow over and, still, last year I lost one of my hens.

And you'd be smart to take Riverside heat into consideration when building your coop as well. You want LOTS of ventilation in the enclosed coop -- probably twice what you think is good. Maybe one of those onion-shaped attic fans that operate on hot air drafts. If possible you want an electric supply -- so you can run those fans. You want as much overhang on your roof as possible for shade and then shade cloth out beyond that. I use a light colored high density shade cloth and then I double it. I think I get about 20˚ of cooling from that and that can make the difference between life and death. I'd also increase the space you allot for each hen in the run so they don't have any additional stressors when you can't do anything about 100˚ temps.
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thanks for the information on Newcastle, i had no idea about it. I really dont have any measn of running power out to the coop now either for fans so i would have to buy a breed that can handle heat. Sounds like i wont even be able to get ahold of any Chickens if Newcastle is this serious out here now. wonder if they would even sell to me now
 
A hatchery will certainly sell to you. And you can trust that their chicks won't be diseased. I can't imagine why a local breeder wouldn't sell to you either but there it's not so completely clear that their chicks would be virus-free.

The tricky business is on your end ensuring that you get healthy birds and keeping your environment isolated from the virus. Here is some info about the disease. Here is a current assessment of its distribution in CA. And here are tips for avoiding it:

Quick tips for flock owners
  • When you get new birds, isolate them away from the others for 30 days to cut the risk of introducing the disease to your flock.
  • Don’t let your birds have contact with wild birds, rodents or insects, which carry disease organisms. Keep your outdoor birds in a screened-in area.
  • Get your new birds from reputable, disease-free sources that use follow biosecurity.
  • Get feed from clean and dependable suppliers and store it in pest-proof containers. Provide clean and fresh water to your birds at all times.
  • Restrict access by visitors where your birds live; don’t allow other people who own birds to come in contact with yours.
  • Consult a veterinarian for more useful tips.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but it's best to go into this with open eyes before you spend a lot of money, have a lot of hopes and fall in love with your flock. Follow good precautions and you'll be OK.
 

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