Our First Coop Raising Success

Featured Chicken Enthusiasts:  Pearl and her son Rishi, Diamond Bar

We held our first coop raising earlier in the month for Rishi and Pearl's girls.  They have created a home  for learning called the Growing Home.  It's a great location for learning about growing your own food so what a great location for our coop raising.  We had a pretty good turn out for a pretty chilly morning.  Rishi had already started some the frame and we all chipped in to help to build a lot of the hen house and some of the run.  Some of us were still learning how to use the power tools but that's really what this meetup was about.  Learning to do it so people could make their own coops and see what might or might not work for them.

Rishi had to do a lot of work on his own after we left but he got it done and sent us a great video of the final product.  See the video here.

Christmas Coop and Chicks Surprise

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:  Janet, Palos Verdes

We got an email from Janet just before Christmas:  

I grew up with chickens and loved it! My duaghter has been asking me for a couple years to get chickens. So for christmas (and as a surprise to her!) we are getting them. I just ordered a chicken coop. Now I am looking for baby chicks. I'm going to start with 2. Do you know where I can go to get them???  Thanks so much,  Janet

We exchanged information on email and this is what I sent:

I personally love chicks but it’s harder to figure out their personality.  I’ve gotten more than 30 that I’ve raised from day old chicks to hatching them and they still aren’t people friendly.  I mean they will all run to you but there are only a few that will really want to be hugged all the time but they are out there.  It’s all dependent on their personalities.  The chicks from our super friendly rooster are very friendly.  It’s hard to find chicks right now because it’s so cold so they can’t be shipped but there are some places to get them though I’ve had the best luck raising super friendly chicks by hatching them myself.

It is a lot of work though to hatch and raise chicks.  It’s a very good learning experience.  There is heart ache if you get a rooster that you can’t keep but people in PV keep roosters.  They can be the sweetest.  Ours would sleep in the bed with us.  We also have chicken diapers. 

Do you know which types you would like?  Dare 2 dreams might have chicks but that will be a bit of a drive.  Most places aren’t shipping to feed stores because of the cold right now.

We can talk some more if you have trouble figuring out what to do.  Seeing what’s available will make it easier.  I don’t know of the places in PV but there is a place that if there are chicks available, they would have some.  It’s in Bellflower.  You can call to see if they have them.  The ones I got from them were a little older and skittish so they don’t like to be held but maybe I just had too many chicks at that point!

http://www.blacksmithscorner.com/Blacksmithscorner/Welcome.html

Give me a call if you need help figuring out what to do.  - roberta

Janet thought through the options and decided on a cute little barred rock and golden sex link.  I would vote for the coop and chicks as the best Christmas present ever!