New to raising chickens in Southern California

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liz9910 said:
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chickens need a commercial feed for most of their dietary needs. Garden scraps and insects are good but not enough. I would really recommend checking out the Learning Center, it covers everything that you need to know about raising chickens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
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Great advice. Welcome to BYC.
 
Welcome! That looks like a good amount of space for 4 hens. It is good that you have a roof, hawks and cats could get in otherwise. But the grass will be gone in a few weeks and growing grass in the run while the hens are inside is not a good idea. They will eat the seeds or scatter them or if the seeds do sprout they will eat the sprout. I hope you will have another source of water for the hens other than the pond because it will get muddy in a few days. Their beaks catch dirt and when they drink water that dirt goes into the water. Hens will require grit or crushed oyster shell in addition to the rocks they find in the dirt. That additional calcium is important for them to lay proper eggs even if you don't give them additional feed. Happy chicken keeping to ya!
 

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