San Jose, Ca newbie peep

[tedschickens]

Hi!!! I’m in San Jose too and started out on BYC and have/had silkies, Seramas, Easter eggers and a buff Orpington. We ended up having to give away our EE and Buff Orpington due to size and flying on neighbors houses. We now only keep Bantams because they are small and ours (silkies) can’t fly and seramas mostly just roost. But they are so fun and in the summer you can literally sit out all day watching them!
We love silkies! They are very friendly and sweet and the bonus of not flying around.
If you happen to come across any silkies for sale in our area will you let me know?
An Jaan is good for supplies but Sams Downtown feed is great. Almost everyone there has chickens.
Have fun with your new babies.
Oh and there’s a yearly tour de coup in SJ that displays others coups and chickens. We haven’t gone but heard it’s really fun.
Let me know if you need anything! Chicken neighbors yey!!!!

 

[tedschickens]

We moved to Redding from Livermore four years ago.

Since you can't have a rooster, do you have options available to you to re-home one in case one of your darling pullets turns out to be a boy? It's a heart breaking but common experience.

One option is to choose a breed that can be sexed as soon as the chicks are hatched. It's not 100% accurate by any means and often depends on how well the hatchery maintains the breeding stock. Sex links and Welsummers could work well for you.

The sad part is what happens to the ones that are hatched as roosters. So perhaps raising a boy for a while and then re-homing him would be something to consider. They usually don't start crowing until they're four months old.

Of course, my boy was an advanced learner and did his first crow when he was two months old.

Are Serama/silkie Roos Crowed very early too! I want to say right before three months. And there was about five of them and my neighbors complained so we had to find a sanctuary because I could not find a place to take them. All my friends with farms had gotten rid of the roosters because of the aggressive mating crowed very early too! I want to say right before three months. There was about five of them and my neighbors complained so we had to find a sanctuary because I could not find a place to take them. All my friends with farms had gotten rid of the roosters because of the aggressive mating so that wasn’t an option.
I do wish more people selling birds that are hard to sex would just do the genetic testing and pass the cost onto the buyer because these poor roosters get in situations where they have to be rehomed, some are culled or it’s just a stressful situation for them. I just don’t think roosters should be sold to people who don’t want them, It’s so unfair to the forward. I would gladly pay for the genetic testing do you know that I’m not gonna have to worry about my birds that I’m going to fall in love with this as soon as I see and having to get rid of them

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Are Serama/silkie Roos Crowed very early too! I want to say right before three months. And there was about five of them and my neighbors complained so we had to find a sanctuary because I could not find a place to take them. All my friends with farms had gotten rid of the roosters because of the aggressive mating crowed very early too! I want to say right before three months. There was about five of them and my neighbors complained so we had to find a sanctuary because I could not find a place to take them. All my friends with farms had gotten rid of the roosters because of the aggressive mating so that wasn’t an option.
I do wish more people selling birds that are hard to sex would just do the genetic testing and pass the cost onto the buyer because these poor roosters get in situations where they have to be rehomed, some are culled or it’s just a stressful situation for them. I just don’t think roosters should be sold to people who don’t want them, It’s so unfair to the forward. I would gladly pay for the genetic testing do you know that I’m not gonna have to worry about my birds that I’m going to fall in love with this as soon as I see and having to get rid of them

I'm actually wrestling quite a bit with my future with chickens, because to own chickens is to have roosters, and if you're culling them yourself, the hatchery and breeders certainly are, and in great numbers. It's very sad and I don't see a way around this, aside from keeping a rooster flock as pets, if I find I'm unable to cull for meat.

 

[Curious About Chickens]

If you happen to come across any silkies for sale in our area will you let me know?

Back in December I saw silkies on Craigs List. When I went back to find a link I couldn't find them. As I recall it seemed the same person as another post about sex link rhode island reds or comets. Now that I'm looking again all three posts of 6 month pullet possibilities in the south bay area seem to be gone at present. Still I think Craigs List is worth an occasional look.
And hi San Jose chicken neighbor!

 

[Curious About Chickens]

Looking for info on getting chickens, I dropped by Sam's Downtown Feed yesterday. The counter lady said typically the local 4H (Sereno?) does a fundraiser about March 1, April 1 and May 1 selling 10 day old chicks at Sam's and I-forget-which hardware store in Los Gatos. Watch their door for this year's information and it is best to preorder. I'll likely drop by Sam's again next month.

 

[rjohns39]

You might be able to get a head of the curve if you find the group nearest to you. Here's a good starting point http://cesantaclara.ucanr.edu/Youth_Development/How_to_Join/Clubs/

 

[tedschickens]

Back in December I saw silkies on Craigs List. When I went back to find a link I couldn't find them. As I recall it seemed the same person as another post about sex link rhode island reds or comets. Now that I'm looking again all three posts of 6 month pullet possibilities in the south bay area seem to be gone at present. Still I think Craigs List is worth an occasional look.
And hi San Jose chicken neighbor!

I’d bet that’s the woman from Lincoln Ca, she post adds all the time. She has tons of sickie babies right now and is very personable. She has a website and Facebook, I’m sorry I don’t have it off hand but if you google the city and Breeder it will come up for California something farm.

 

[tedschickens]

I'm actually wrestling quite a bit with my future with chickens, because to own chickens is to have roosters, and if you're culling them yourself, the hatchery and breeders certainly are, and in great numbers. It's very sad and I don't see a way around this, aside from keeping a rooster flock as pets, if I find I'm unable to cull for meat.

It’s a hard situation. For me it’s harder because I get attached but I don’t cull. I have sent some to a sanctuary and it was heart breaking. You can contact your local animal shelter to ask for rescue groups. Or google around.
But I decided moving forward to not get any that are not genetically tested so I know what I’m getting. And anyone not willing to work with me to do that is probably just in it for the money and I don’t want to give them business anyway. But I found a breeder who said I could pick several and she will tag them and I pay for the testing and keep what I want which was fair to me. But I ended up finding someone else who is just chicken owner who hatched and tested hers that I’m buying from.