which is written specifically for a keeper of a small flock of laying hens like me. The other two books are more like general reference books, but should be very handy. Those two are Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens,
given to me by Chad, and The Chicken Health Handbook,
which Autumn gave me.I managed to find one good LA-area article on backyard chicken keeping in the LA Weekly. Most of the other news stories and blogs I've found are about New York, Seattle or Portland urban chickens. Portland in particular seems to be a hotbed of city chickens. I did find one very nice blog of a chicken owner in Northern California, called Urban Chickens. It's nice because it's about a family that had never kept chickens before--like us--and details how they've been figuring it all out in an enthusiastic, personal style. Oddly, I have been unable to find a blog about raising chickens in Los Angeles. So, perhaps this blog will help other LA chicken novices in the future.
Another excellent site I've found is BackyardChickens.com. They have a TON of information and even a message board. So, they seem like a great ongoing online resource.
Speaking of resources, I was very excited to discover that a local pet store very near our house carries chicks. Their first shipment comes in this week, and the guy at the store said they would likely be Rhode Island Reds, which is the breed I am primarily interested in. So, that's exciting. I am going to see if they are open today so I can check if they have chick feeders and water containers and chick feed, which we'll need when we get our babies.
Next step, putting together the brooder for our chicks!
Brooder? Are you getting moody teenage chickens?
There will be pictures, na?
So glad you are on your way to chickeness!
Make sure you join the BYC forum, we've got about 6,000 members who'd love to help you with your soon to be addiction!
www.BackyardChickens.com/forum