Tips for starting a small laying flock?

[dawg53]

I would like to recommend that your preexisiting coop be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized as well as any used chicken house you get to prevent bugs,germs etc...being transmitted to your new chickens. Also since you live in LA, and a rooster is out of the question,you were choosing some noisy squawking chickens from Meyer Hatchery ie...Spitzhauben,Exchequer Leghorn for example. If I lived in the city, I'd want a calm/ kinda quiet chicken like a Black Sex Link, Barred Rock or Salmon Faverolle. The Black Sex Link is a superb layer and the Barred Rock is a very reliable layer also. The Barred Rocks and Faverolles are very friendly and make excellent pets. I've always bought my chicks from Meyer Hatchery (the last 4.5 years) with no issues and will continue to do so. The only problem I see that you will be having is the same problem that the rest of us have already had: Chickens are addicting and you just cant have a few,you're always wanting to get more!!

 

[tinyscrafts]

Hi,

I live in Lakewood

I have 5 girls. I wish I'd gotten them earlier. They are so fun! I ordered mine from a local feed store that added my requests to their special order from a hatchery in Fresno. They shipped them down and I picked them up the next day. I planned to get one extra, and just my luck one was a rooster. I knew it in 5 weeks. he started squak/crowing. The deal I made with the feed store was that I could bring it back for a refund, which i did.

Lets see pics of the coop! What luck to have a coop already in the yard!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Hi Bridget!

I wanted to second the suggestions to get a few chicks from the feed store. The first time i got chicks, my husband told them how many and what breed, and we didn't have to pay shipping costs and all that, and all of ours were pullets as we wanted.

Also, this chart is a nice simple overview to help you see many attributes of the different breeds at a glance - sort of. I reference it all the time.

Also, i have never ordered from them, personally, but i have heard good reports about MyPetChicken, who will ship as little as (i think) 3 chickens at a time - and reportedly has great customer service.

If you decide to get chickens who are already laying, you'll want to get them all from the same place to help eliminate the risk of one giving some unknown disease to another. And you'll want to read up on chicken biosecurity (check out SpeckledHen's flock management sticky) and some of the things to look for when you check out potential new residents at your home.

I can't wait to see what you end up with. Chickens are a great adventure. Now, i can't imagine not having them. And the eggs are pretty great too!

 

[gsim]

I ordered mine from Meyers and got 25 pullets that are all pullets. 7 are sex links. You stand the best chance of getting all pullets if buying gold, red, or black sex-links. They are fool-proof as the cockerels are different colors than the pullets. Lots of the feed store chicks are not sexed and some people do not seem to know that.

I went for standards that were all rated high production large brown egg layers. You will find that you will get more eggs for the least feed from Leghorns. They are standards of hi production large white eggs.

Black aussies are hi productio and good in cold weather and very shy and sweet and quiet.

Buff orps are also very sweet and quiet, but not as good for production as the black aussies.

All sex links are great layers and start earlier. Likely not as friendly or quiet, but not mean either.

Barred Rocks were friendliest of all mine in beginning and still are very friendly. Good producers.

Rhodies are good producers and and some are quite friendly and a couple are more skittish as are some of the gold sex links I have.

Hope all goes well for you. Do feed them live greens from the first day you get them. I have had such good fortune with my flock regarding production and health and wintertime laying and I never did feed them store-bought feed only. I still pick mine clover and other wild stuff that I know they like and will toss 3 or 4 gallons in to their run 2 or 3 times a week in addition to cabbage and all our veggie leftovers. Warm weather is when they get tons of varieties of produce and waste from our garden.

 

[12GAGirl]

I got my flock from mypetchicken.com back in August. You can order day old chicks and don't have to order 25 at one time. I ordered 10 and paid a little extra to have them sexed beforre shipping so I could have a RIR rooster and my hens. Sadly, one wyandotte did no make the trip but mpc credited my card with no problems. I think they are a good site for beginners.

 

[matthewschickens]

Quote:
Where do you live Bridget?

Matthew

 

[BridgetC]

Hey all,

Thanks for the responses.

That is a really good idea about finding a feedstore who will take small orders to go along with their own orders for chicks. I think I will make some calls to feedstores this weekend.

As for the coop, I have now done enough research (I am a little embarrassed now, so bear with me) to realize that what is currently in my backyard is a run, not a coop. Believe it or not, I couldn't figure out the difference at first because they are so often built into the same module.

Further than that, the run has not been used for a while and has just been used to store junk. The roof is also pretty bad, as some sort of vine has grown over it and is weighing it down. All and all, I don't really even trust it. I think that I might embark on a salvage mission and re-do the whole thing.

I live in Los Angeles... in the Silverlake neighborhood. We have a lot of rats, possums, racoons, and see coyotes frequently - despite being in the middle of one of the largest cities.

I do have a really nifty dog run that my ungrateful (but much beloved and spoiled) little chihuahua mix thinks is some sort of prison cell. It is from costco:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC14360-Cat48086&topnav

Some of my housemates and I were musing about how secure of a structure this is. It has a tarp roof that can be removed. I was thinking of applying chicken wire over the roof brakets so that our girls would be securely enclosed, and then hiding it with the tarp. It is 8 by 8', so 64sq'... I think that would be about the right size for starting small. Would I need to put chicken wire on the sides too? The current wire mesh is 2 by 2"... so big enough for rats to easily get in...

Still need to figure out something for the coop. I will have to talk to the other chicken enthusiast at work about the extra coop he mentioned...

Here is a pic of the dog run where it currently sits in my front yard. The chickens have to be in the backyard due to proximity to dwelling requirements in the city, so they would be in a bit sunnier spot.

What do you all think about using a modified dog run? I can easily get in to clean, and I can nearly stand up in the center (I'm 5'8")... Monty is 12lbs - about the size of a Jack Russel. I am really new here... so please don't laugh!

Thanks!!

-Bridget

 

[BridgetC]

Oh, and Tinyscrafts... which feedstore did you go to? Did they order them from the Belt Hatchery in Fresno?

 

[BridgetC]

Shameless bump... Tinyscrafts, I tried to message you, but I'm not sure it went through...

*****EDITED***just saw that bumping isn't allowed****** sorry! won't happen again!

 

[Spinster_Sister]

Hi Bridget! Nice to see a fellow or fella Angeleno on the board! I live in Los Angeles too, (San Pedro Harbor) and love my two pullets! I hatched one Jersey Giant and had to find her a little friend to ease her lonliness. I visited Midway City Feed in Midway City and found a beautiful Barred Rock day old pullet for just a few dollars! My Barred Rock pullet is a very healthy and hardy bird and has been a blessing for my JG and for me!

You may want to call Midway City Feed and verify what day they sell their pullets. I purchased my BR on a Wednesday as she hatched on the day before. They have a nice selection from a Southern California hatchery *Redwing Hatchery in Lancaster*...they had Leghorns (noisy) Barred Rocks (love mine) Aseel (?) and Amercuana (Easter Eggers)...it's only a few bucks, you get to choose (you catch or have them catch her) but bring a box with some old clothing or some sort of bedding that you wouldn't mind washing or throwing out.

Midway City Feed (714) 893-2613

Good Luck!

~Vickie