Tuesday May 26 2009
Backyard chickens seem to be popular now, and we’ve been getting quite a few calls and emails at Cooperative Extension about raising chickens. We don’t have anyone here in the LA office with poultry expertise, so I checked in with our UC Extension poultry specialist at UC Davis, Dr. Francine Bradley. She gave me the scoop and some helpful resources for folks who want to raise backyard chickens.
Dr. Bradley has also noticed the increased interest in backyard chicken-keeping throughout the state. She said that people who contact her tend to fall into four distinct groups of backyard chicken enthusiasts.
1. Fanciers, who raise chickens competitively
2. 4-H members
3. People who want to save money through backyard egg production
4. A growing number of people who keep a few hens as pets. They often don’t care whether their hens lay eggs or not. (Dr. Bradley noted that this group often refers to their hens as “the girls.”)
For anyone who wants to try backyard chickens, or currently has some, here are helpful pointers from Dr. Bradley.
Potential chicken owners should check their city’s zoning laws for livestock, specifically chickens. This information can be found on city planning department web sites or by calling the zoning department. (Laws vary by municipality but many cities in Los Angeles County allow residents to keep a small number of hens, and require that they be kept a minimum of 20 feet from the owner’s residence and 35 from any neighboring residences. Laws around keeping roosters tend to be more restrictive.)
Dr. Bradley remarked that even more important than checking the zoning laws is talking with your neighbors. “Be respectful of your neighbors. Talk to them first before getting the chickens,” she said. “If neighbors feel like they’ve bought into the idea, they will be much more supportive and less likely to call the city with complaints”. She suggested that chicken owners be careful about when they let the chickens out in the morning, so that their clucking does not annoy the neighbors, and also share some eggs to build goodwill. (I would also suggest that urban residents forgo owning roosters if they want to maintain good relationships with neighbors, because roosters are truly noisy, and may crow day and night).
New chicken owners tend to make three critical mistakes, according to Dr. Bradley, in the areas of housing, nutrition and veterinary care. But these mistakes are easy to avoid.
First, “People often have the misconception that it’s best for the chickens to run around the yard,” said Dr. Bradley. However, due to urban predators, including coyotes, feral cats, raptors and other wildlife, chickens should be kept in a coop with wire sides, and a solid top which keeps out droppings from wild birds, whose droppings can spread diseases to domestic birds. If chicken owners want to take a few members of the flock out to run around the yard for a while, they should stay outside with their chickens to keep an eye on them.
Second, she hears of people feeding their chickens all kinds of odd things, from cat food to organic polenta. Owners should purchase chicken feed, which is made specifically for chickens, at a feed store. Also, don’t bother buying chicken scratch. It’s the equivalent of chicken junk food.
Third, plan to provide appropriate veterinary care for chickens. “Many people tell me “Oh, it’s just a chicken, I’m not going to take it to the vet”,” said Dr. Bradley. “I take exception to that. If you are going to own an animal, you need to accept the responsibility of providing care if it is sick.” Unfortunately, according to Dr. Bradley, there is only one vet in the greater Los Angeles area who regularly treats backyard chickens. His name is Dr. Marion Hammarlund. He is located in Riverside and can be reached at 951-687-2373. In addition to in-office visits, he will provide telephone consultations for a reasonable fee.
There is another option if a chicken dies. Its owner can then take it to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory in San Bernardino. The lab will do a free postmortem analysis on a chicken carcass, and send the owner a report. This information can then help to save the rest of the flock. If a chicken dies, the owner should double-bag the carcass in plastic and keep it cool, but not frozen. The San Bernardino lab is open Monday-Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, and an appointment not necessary. A courier service is available, for a fee, if it is too far or inconvenient to drive to San Bernardino. The lab’s phone number is 909-383-4287. More information about the lab and location are available at
http://cahfs.ucdavis.edu/show.php?id=104#sb . Dr. Bradley suggests that chicken owners could have the lab fax their report to Dr. Hammarlund, who can then help them to interpret the report.
Best of luck with “the girls”!
Tuesday May 19 2009
Not so long ago, as recently as the 1950’s, Los Angeles County was the number one agricultural county in the United States. While urban sprawl has long since consumed much of the county’s farmland, many Angelenos are surprised to learn that we still have significant commercial agriculture in Los Angeles County. We tend to think of our county of 10 million-plus residents in urban terms, but in fact, a large population can co-exist with significant agricultural production, as recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) census data makes clear.
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a nation-wide agricultural census every five years, and results of the 2007 census recently became available. I was interested to see the comparisons between the 2002 and 2007 reports for Los Angeles County. The number of farms has actually increased 12% from 1,543 farms in 2002 to 1,734 farms in 2007. Farms became a bit smaller, declining 13% from an average 72 acres to an average 63 acres. What constitutes a farm? According to the USDA, “for the purpose of the Census of Agriculture, a farm is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. The $1,000 value is not adjusted for inflation”.
Where do we stand in terms of California agricultural production? Los Angeles County is ranked 28th out of the 57 California counties in terms of the gross value of agricultural products, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) California Agricultural Resource Directory for 2008-2009. The CDFA directory lists LA County’s top five crops as:
- Ornamental trees and shrubs
- Bedding plants
- Root vegetables
- Orchard fruit
- Hay, alfalfa
And, we are the #4 onion producer in California, the #5 nectarine producer and the #5 raspberry producer among California counties. The raspberries surprised me!
Both data sources are attached if you’d like to learn more.
Thursday February 26 2009
A resident of Pasadena recently contacted me with a “sticky” problem. Bees had created a colony inside the walls of her condo and she wondered what to do. I don’t have any expertise in entomology beyond a few college classes, but I made a few phone calls to see what I could find out.
My first stop was the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. My organization, UC Cooperative Extension, dispenses gardening advice and information on integrated pest management for gardens and farms, but we don’t have a lot available on structural pests. The Agricultural Commissioner’s office regulates pest control and monitors insect populations, especially invasive insects. It turns out they have two inspectors on staff who field the bee-related questions that arise around the county. I spoke with Inspector Erineo Ada, who can be reached at 626-459-8895. The other inspector is at 626-459-8894. Inspector Ada says they get many calls about bee swarms, both outdoors and within structures.
Inspector Ada told me that once bees get into a structure, there are basically two options for removal. The first option for homeowners is to hire a licensed pest control operator who is registered to do structural work. The alternative is to hire a beekeeper who will remove the bees and find them another home. I did a quick web search and was able to find at least three companies in the Los Angeles area who do live bee removal.
He also suggested that homeowners with a bee problem contact their local vector control agency. Sometimes these agencies can actually come remove a swarm if it is outside of a structure, for example, in a tree. There are two major vector control districts in Los Angeles County. The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District is on the web at
http://www.sgvmosquito.org/ and the Los Angeles County West Vector Control District can be accessed on line at
http://www.lawestvector.org/ .
It’s much easier to keep bees from getting into a structure than it is to get them out once they’re established. The Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner’s website has a great on-line guide on how to bee-proof your home at
http://acwm.co.la.ca.us/scripts/proofing.htm .
Bee Swarm
Photo by Kathy Garvey, UC Davis Dept. of Entomology
Thursday February 19 2009
I’m a week behind schedule in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, but in the spirit of “better late than never” I decided to write a Lincoln-themed post anyway. As former Presidents go, Lincoln’s been getting more than his share of attention since the recent election of another Senator from Illinois. Among his many enduring legacies, Lincoln helped to create the national extension movement that continues to serve our country to this day. By signing the 1862 Morrill Act into law, he made it possible for states to open public universities that would provide education for the average person, focused on agriculture and other practical subjects.
The Morrill Act offered states a grant of federal land to finance a new university. These new institutions of higher learning became known as land-grant universities, and were charged with helping the nation improve its agricultural production to feed a rapidly growing population. Over time it was clear that the new land-grant campuses needed to take their information out into communities where it could help people most directly. By 1914, each state's land-grant university had county-based extension offices in place to share research-based knowledge at the local level.
Here in California, our land-grant institution is the University of California. There is a University of California Cooperative Extension office in most counties in California, funded in partnership with the local county and the US Department of Agriculture. UC Cooperative Extension takes information developed at the UC campuses and makes it available to local communities. We also conduct applied research to address local problems. We focus our efforts on the themes of good nutrition, a healthy environment, gardening, agriculture, and positive youth development.
When Lincoln signed the Morrill Act 147 years ago, the US was a nation of farmers. Today, less than two percent of the population engages in farming. Yet the issues we address are highly relevant to a more urban population. Cooperative Extension continues to work with farmers. Urban residents value having farms nearby so that they can have farmers markets and some measure of regional food security. Cooperative Extension’s expertise in nutrition helps communities struggling to overcome challenges like childhood obesity and diabetes. We continue to tailor our 4-H Youth Development Program to new audiences of youth, who learn leadership, citizenship and life skills through more than 80 projects ranging from photography to marine biology. Our expertise in natural resources has allowed us to help find solutions to critical environmental issues such as management of wildfire and water pollution.
More details about UC Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County are available at our website at
http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/. Although the world has changed so much, I like to think Abe Lincoln would approve of the continuing influence of his Morrill Act and its land-grant legacy on communities like Los Angeles.
Saturday February 14 2009
In dense urban communities it can be a challenge for gardeners to find a plot to call their own. Community gardens are one strategy to create garden space for people without backyards. Another possibility is to look at rooftops for garden space. Today’s LA Times Home and Garden Section features a local chef who has developed a garden on a rooftop in Beverly Hills which supplies some of the herbs and vegetables he uses at his restaurant. Photos and the article are available at http://tinyurl.com/ct2wje .
Another more extensive rooftop garden was recently created on a mid-rise residential building in downtown Los Angeles. This project, entitled SYNTHe, will include fruit trees and vines along with vegetables. Take a look at the photos and description at http://tinyurl.com/c3qfbh.
While food production is one focus of rooftop gardening, it's not the only reason to plant on roofs. There is a strong international “green roof” movement that promotes greening rooftops to help cool and insulate buildings and reduce storm water runoff. Several metropolitan areas have recently promoted green roofs. For example, starting this year New York City building owners can receive substantial property tax credits for installing green roofs.
Anyone interested in creating a rooftop garden or green roof will need to do some research, since structural and safety issues are involved. The weight of soil, plants and water and the weight capacity of the roof need to be carefully assessed. I found two especially helpful resources as I looked for information on rooftop gardening. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle provided an overview of rooftop gardening around the United States, at http://tinyurl.com/crl673. Here in Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department has published an outstanding and extensive guide to green roofs, available at tinyurl.com/atqf7l
As Los Angeles residents continue to seek ways to improve their urban environment, rooftop gardening merits further exploration and expansion.
