Resources/info for the Redlands, CA area? (near San Bernadino)

[cscigu]

My daughter/son-in-law now live in Redlands, CA. I was naturally scared by a move so far away (from Oklahoma), but found Redlands to be a nice place. Great relief. They are buying a house with a decent little yard. My daughter likes the home eggs much better than store eggs, so I suggested maybe they should get 2-3 hens. She was very open to the idea.

I haven't got around to checking to see if chickens are allowed in the town, but imagine hens are OK. My bigger questions are how to outfit them out there. I have the typical run-down farm-style coops with loose chickens running amok. They'd need something nicer. My knee jerk reaction is to see if Home Depot, etc will have some type of back-yard coop/run affair. I see those things advertised lots of places. Are there farm stores out there like Tractor Supply that sell chicks, and the like?

Basically, I'm asking you folks to do this work for me, I guess. I mail order chicks every year, but don't think she'd want enough to justify that. I'll have to check out the coop ads available here; they also have no truck to haul things.

Thanks.

 

[Oddballmomof6]

Hello, I live about an hour away from Redlands and I've been there several times. It is a nice place I don't know it well enough to know local laws regarding chicken ownership, but as far as a coop goes my husband bought a little 7' x7' Rubbermaid shed for my hens. It looks great in the yard and from the road, you can't tell that it's a coop. The only modifications that we made were to cut a pop door on the side that lets them into their enclosed yard, and for ventilation, I used chicken wire for the windows instead of the plexiglass the kit came with. I was worried that it would be too hot but it's always about the same temp. as outside.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

I'm a few hours away from there, but typically if you live in town and dont live in an HOA zone your allowed a certain amount of Hens only no roosters. We have a ton of Tractor supplys around! They can get chicks from them or check craigslist for local breeders. Which is what I choose to do since I get to pick from more breeds.
If they arent to handy with tools to make one themselves, I would say go with a prefab coop. But I would buy it online. Alot more options and typically a cheaper price than in store!
Hope that helps!!! Good luck to them!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Always safer and less heartbreaking to not assume anything. It's completely unfair to the animals to "guess" it's ok, then find out it's not and "have" to get rid of them. You'll want to check if there's an association in the neighborhood, as well as what the city ordinances are (if they are within the city) as well as county ordinances say. Generally there will be guidelines as far as how many birds and how far back from property lines the birds must be kept.

You can try posting in the state thread under "Social" and see if someone is from the area to give you a general idea, but you really do need to find out if there's an HOA as those can be extremely restrictive and it only takes one busybody neighbor to report you and get you fined.

As far as coops, you can order prefab coops online and have them shipped. The prefabs usually can't hold more than 2 or 3 birds and I know they're not the most popular option on these forums but for just a few birds, starting out, that's probably all she'd need for her own egg supply.

 

[cscigu]

Always safer and less heartbreaking to not assume anything. It's completely unfair to the animals to "guess" it's ok, then find out it's not and "have" to get rid of them. You'll want to check if there's an association in the neighborhood, as well as what the city ordinances are (if they are within the city) as well as county ordinances say.

To be clear, this was going to be established before we moved ahead with the idea.

A quick google search has revealed hens are allowed in town, but I have to confirm with their zoning map.

I found a guy nearby on Craigslist that builds decent little pens, might see if he could deliver one. She'd probably let them out during the day once they are bigger and imprinted. Her dog has been chicken tested out here, and should keep away varmints.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I am an hour away, Idyllwild Ca its in the mountains. I would buy a pre fab SHED from home depot or lowes. Check Craigslist for local breeders, there are a bunch in Norco not too far away. Meyers hatchery will ship as few as 3 strating in April. Good luck

Gary

 

[cscigu]

I am an hour away, Idyllwild Ca its in the mountains. I would buy a pre fab SHED from home depot or lowes. Check Craigslist for local breeders, there are a bunch in Norco not too far away. Meyers hatchery will ship as few as 3 strating in April. Good luck

Gary

Thanks for the tip on Meyer, I'd heard of them, but forgot. Didn't realize any would ship that few. The shed idea is probably the easy, rational way, alright.

One thing I'm curious about with chickens that spend lots of time in a pen is whether they are able to dust themselves effectively, I know you can supply diatomaceous earth, etc, but that starts getting involved. The yard has citrus trees, and obviously that area of CA should provide some dry, sandy earth if she cuts them loose some.

I'm probably getting the cart before the horse. She hasn't moved in and made up her mind yet. Just a dad with not enough outlet for the old provider instinct. Fortunately, I still have to provide for about 95% of all my wife's comfort and care.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

She can always buy some sand from home depot and make a bathing area in the run! Easy and cheap. I mean 1000lbs of sand is $25. if she has old tires around she can use that to place the sand in for bathes and she can paint the tires, if she is into colorful yard art!
Speaking as a daddys girl, we cant help but love you guys for all the help and thought you guys put in!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Making a dust bath for a run is a pretty easy thing. The most informal method is to simply dump whatever materials you're providing on a spot and the chickens will roll around in it (I just empty a bag of peat moss on the ground as needed). A step up is using something like an old tire or maybe a low planter and putting the material in there. If nothing's provided, the chickens will eventually make their own bath area by digging up the dirt that's already there or by invading your garden beds.

A shed is a good way to get a general structure for a coop (and they look nice in most yards), but they usually need some alterations to make them chicken appropriate. Then again prefab coops rarely come assembled, so that might not be any better in terms of time saving.

 

[sr90andgirls]

Hi, I live in Redlands and just joined BYC. I was wondering how things have gone since you posted on 2/13/17?