Saying Howdy

alcmaeon

In the Brooder
12 Years
Mar 14, 2007
11
1
24
Hey Folks

I'm new to this board and to backyard chickens. What I would like to do is learn enough from this board and the others sites I am finding to raise some meat and egg chickens in my backyard. My first question for you is the viability of combining a coop or hutch with more than just chickens. My thoughts were pheasant, grouse or quail and/or rabbits. I have very limited space, but would like to add some variety to the mix. I don't eat commercial meat so if I want a rabbit I have to hunt it or raise it and thus far I have only hunted. My wife wants the eggs so the chickens have the priority.
I'm thinking like 2-3 chickens and maybe 1-2 other birds or a breeding pair of rabbits whose offspring would be raised to a weight worth slaughtering.
Can I do this in one coop or am I better off sticking to just chickens?

My second question is about heat protection, I am in the SF Bay Area in California, and our summer is hot and dry- averaging in the 80's with spikes to 100, but with cool nights often in the 50 and 60s. What precautions in coop design do I need to look at? Would I need a swamp cooler?

Thanks for letting me ask such basic questions!

Rich
 
Usually you shouldn't mix species of birds together in a coop. Maybe if you were free ranging they could spread out and not bother each other, but in a coop there isn't much room. I have kept rabbits with chickens while they were free ranging, but never in a coop, so I can't help with that.
 

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