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.

Kait's Ladies Are Laying!

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:   Kait, Los Angeles

We get great posts each day on our LA Urban Chicken Enthusiast message board and today I saw Kait's post "Our Chickens Started Laying".  I love these posts.

Kait posted:

Hi Everyone! 

I joined the group when we got our buff orpingtons last September, but haven't been very active. I'm proud to say that they started laying about 2 weeks ago (at about 32 weeks) and we've been getting 2 eggs a day 5 days a week! It's such an amazing feeling to be able to pick up fresh eggs every day. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience on the board, it's helped us a lot!

Pete replied:

Yep, every egg is a little miracle to me. And they taste so great! I often find myself thanking my hens when I collect their eggs.

I asked to see these girls and eggs and in no time here's what Kait sent to inspire new chicken enthusiasts.  I know I'm inspired.

One of Kait's Buff Orpingtons

Pretty Eggs from Kait's Buff Orpingtons

Bev's Chicken Heaven

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:  Bev

Here are pictures of  my other polish...I have two standard buff laced ...they are called thing 1 and thing 2 both only have eyes for each other both hens. I have phyllis diller she is a partridge polish crested and she cannot be without barney rooster. a bantam partridge rooster. I have to give all my polish hens head feather cuts otherwise the would not be able to see I love my hens, they all spend a lot of time with me while I garden so each and every-one of them gets a name and at least 50 % of them come when I call them by their names. My friends are always floored by how friendly they are and how much personality a chicken can have. Most people dont think of them as being able to be pets like a dog or cat. If I leave my backdoor open for a second or window I have a chicken wanting to come inside the house. 


Andy Warhol has an amazing personality.  the moment I walk into the garden she runs up to me , pecks my leg to be picked up and offered a treat . Here is a picture of her with Bandit her husband a bantam cochin rooster . and a picture with my husband, andy warhol and bandit,  these where taken when she was around three months she currently is two now..  

Cute Egg Holder

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:  Roberta, Long Beach

I found this cute egg holder in the thrift store for just $1.99 and it makes getting eggs in the morning even more special.

The girls are starting to really pick up their egg laying and I'm getting 6-12 a day now.  I'll need to find a way to give them away.  I've only got so many people interested in them.  I'll probably give Eggzy a try.  Anyone using it?

Backyard Egg Variety Pack

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:  Roberta, Long Beach

I love seeing the variety of eggs that our girls lay.  Small to big, light blue to dark brown.  Some are pink and each is very special just the like the girls.  I'm not 100% sure but I bet some of our bantam cochins are laying the little pink ones, our cuckoo maran and black copper maran are laying the darker brown ones, and maybe our rhode island reds are laying the bigger pinkish ones.  I'm bringing the eggs to friends and they are always surprised by the beauty of how different each one is.    Lots of people at work are saving their egg cartons so I never have a shortage.  Thank-you to everyone who supports our little backyard flock.

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!

Chick Flight School

Featured Chicken Enthusiast:  Roberta and Joachin, Long Beach

We love our new little chicks.  They are currently too small to be introduced to the big girls so they are living in our courtyard in an exercise pen.  When we open the door we run and they chase us and starting flapping their wings to catch-up.  Pip gets the most air.  They are really silly.  You can see the video on youtube here.