Starting my backyard chicken venture

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Penny on November 24, 2015 at 6:09am

I would suggest contacting Homesteader's Emporium or Duncan Martin. http://www.dailyeggs.com/

Duncan builds chicken coops and Homesteader's has him in for talks about chickens so either way you can get lots of information from both of them. http://www.homesteadjunction.ca/

Just make sure whatever you do that your chicken system is predator proof. Coyotes, raccoons, skunks, hawks, eagles, dogs (especially) are all predators in the city and are all capable of doing harms to your hens so take care, make sure your coop can withstand all of these.

Food can be purchased at either Mark's Pet Stop on Commercial Drive or at Homestead's Emporium, or in the Valley if you have a car.

A good website for all chicken information is http://www.backyardchickens.com/

Good luck with everything.

Penny

Permalink Reply by Dane Chauvel on November 24, 2015 at 9:40am

To buy chickens (or just for the adventure of it), go out to Fraser Valley Auctions (www.fraservalleyauction.com/) in Langley for their Saturday morning poultry sale. You'll need to register in the office to bid on and buy chickens there and you may even be able to buy something to house them in. For urban farming, I'd recommend you at least consider bantams (there are many, many different breeds and colours) as they have a small footprint and are typically prolific layers. If you are going out to Langley, go a little further to the Otter Co-op (ottercoop.com) where you'll be able to buy just about anything that you need for your backyard chickens (wire, waterers, feeders, feed, bedding, etc.). There's also a Co-op in Pitt Meadows and two good feed and supply stores in Ladner (Roddick and Westway). Buying feed in a 20 kg bag will save you money but you should probably store it in a sturdy garbage can for obvious reasons.
Good luck!

Permalink Reply by Annie Cooper on November 24, 2015 at 11:44am

Thank you for the information Penny and Dane. I will check it out.

I was looking at the store bought ones and found a couple styles that would fit with our home. Does anyone have any experience with store bought ones? The reviews are so mixed, from loving them to junk. Are there brands to stay clear of? What do you look for in a good coop?

Permalink Reply by Annie Cooper on November 24, 2015 at 11:47am

I just read that you have to teach the chicken to lay eggs in the nest. Is this true?

Permalink Reply by Dane Chauvel on November 24, 2015 at 2:03pm

Typically if you have a nest box (a little wooden box lined with hay or straw), the hens are smart enough to figure out that that is where they should lay their eggs. If you want to make it real easy for them, put a fake egg (http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=49834) or even a golf ball in the nest.

Permalink Reply by Penny on November 24, 2015 at 3:26pm

Annie:
Our chickens just went to the nest. If you buy pullets it will take them a while to mature. We bought ours in April and they started laying in October. Their prime laying years are for two years after that things diminish. So ours had lots of time to know where their nests were inside their secured night time coop.

Dane's suggestion for putting fake eggs in their nests is certainly recommended and works but we did not have to do it.

We built our coop and the surrounding area around to withstand creatures, wind, rain, snow, and to give them shade. It is probably larger than most coops. I think the city has underestimated how much room they really want but it certainly depends on how much space you have. Our lot is a standard city lot and we have them located right at the back of the yard partly covered by an old cherry tree.

We do not give them free range of the whole yard as they tend to destroy everything in their path. They have an enclosed area which is quite large for them to run around, scratch and do other chicken things. We eventually ended up putting netting over the top as well because we kept getting hawks sitting in the cherry tree and they can certainly take down a chicken. Also we've had many eagles fly through the yard to see what was going on as well. Plus as I said coyotes, etc.

Look at the backyard chicken website. There are lots of pictures of coops, some very, very elaborate but it's fun to see what people come up with. Again just make sure that it is weather proof, remember they are out there in everything, and strong enough to withstand creatures. Their area should also not be too muddy as they can get foot problems if they spend too much time in damp muddy ground.

You'll have lots of fun and learn a lot but the websites I told you about answer many questions as you go along. It can be a learning curve despite all the reading but again rewarding.

Have fun and enjoy the eggs, we and our neighbours certainly did.

Penny

Permalink Reply by Jill Whitebear on November 26, 2015 at 10:27am

what neighbourhood are you in?