I was able to find the City of Santa Rosa's zoning codes here: http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/departments/communitydev/zoning/Pages/ZoningCode.aspx You want section 4, page 17. It basically states that you can have up to 25 chickens on a certain sized lot, and does not specifically exclude roosters--but that online code is dated 2004-2005, so it may have changed--call the City's zoning department and check for sure. Usually chickens/roosters are a noise nuisance and that's what they fall under for most cities' zoning codes. As has been said, FENCE AND COOP your birds very securely. Loose dogs WILL kill your birds rather sooner than later. Do not EVER use chicken wire/poultry netting, it's way too flimsy. I use welded wire hardware cloth and have never lost a bird or had to repair the wire in the 13 years here. With roosters, the big issue is not daytime noise, but that 4:30AM crowing that is the deal killer for the neighbors. If you do keep a roo, make sure he is securely cooped at night in an enclosed area that deadens the sound, you and your neighbors will be happier. Hens are quiet at night, but do cackle when laying an egg. You MUST keep your birds in a secure coop at night, one that has a floor. The tractor is great for daytime, but predators can and will dig under wire at night. There's nothing more heartbreaking than coming out to a massacre in the morning and knowing you could have prevented it--we've read numerous stories to that effect here. You'll become very attached to your birds. :) Especially Silkies! Silkies are small, docile, calm and sweet. I currently have two Silkies hens in my flock. But be aware that your terriers may not be able to overcome instinct (you know your dogs better than anyone) and Silkies tend to not see too well because of their crests, and can be easy prey. I'd keep chickens and dogs separated to eliminate any possible problems. We have possums here, and they are nasty nighttime predators. They killed one of my hens one night when we got home a bit late and hadn't closed the coop door before dusk. :( Our birds free range in the backyard during the day, and are cooped at night. Our yard is surrounded by a cinderblock fence. You're going to love keeping chickens. :) It's a blast, very entertaining. Plus nothing beats spending time petting a chicken, it's an instant stress reducer. Chickens have loads of personality and make great pets, which comes as a big surprise to most people who tend to think of them as dumb animals. I have a chicken info site here that might help: http://jackshenhouse.com/ I'm in the suburban Los Angeles area and also rent, the neighbor kids call our house a 'farm' just because we have chickens! Velvet ~:>

What is a water sprout? Do you have a septic system in the yard? You could have a leak in a water line, a high water table or it could just be an area that doesn't drain well. How much rain did you have the day before? I would leave the hole open for a few days and see if the water continues to collect. If it starts drying up, then I would suggest using plants in that area that like wet feet. If it continues to collect water you need to identify where it's coming from. A water line, or sprinkler line, may have been damaged during the patio build.

In general, the ground will be wettest in the Spring. Preferably, look at it after a rain. If wet soil is a serious problem, the ground will probably show it. Figure out what kind of soil is in the neighborhood. If you have clay, it's possible it will be slow to dry after a soaking. If you have fairly sandy soil, the water will drain right away.

I have a garden corner next to a wall which gets no direct sunlight and very little reflected light. The plants there have languished in the shade even while other plants in the sun a few feet away flourish. I've ordered an outdoor convex mirror to direct light into the dark corner, but I want to avoid birds injuring or killing themselves by crashing into it under the allusion that the image they see is an avian trespasser instead of themselves. I'm thinking of covering the mirror with hardware cloth that has 1-inch square holes to avoid this. My suspicion is that hardware cloth with smaller holes (1/2-inch) would block off too much sunlight, defeating the purpose of the mirror. So my question is: can hummingbirds squeeze through 1-inch square holes?