Betsy and I visited a friend of hers in England earlier this year who was raising 3 chickens in her back yard. We were completely blown away by how great the fresh eggs were, and she had a pretty neat "move the cage a few feet every week" method that fertilized the lawn and kept the maintenance down. Oh, and they're hilarious.
I'm considering it. Anyone tried? Advice?
Err, wouldn't the chickens be kinda noisy and smelly? I doubt the neighbors would love that.
Plus, I wonder if there are zoning issues for this kind of thing.
Also, seems like a fair bit of work and money for something you can buy a near equivalent of at the store for a dollar or two once every couple weeks. (Says the guy who spent probably around $150 and a fair bit of sweat last year putting in my garden from which we've harvested perhaps $30 of produce so far).
I used to see this in the South Bronx all the time. They would just let the chickens wander around on the sidewalk in front of the bodega, occasionally tossing out some feed for them to peck. Surprisingly the birds didn't wander into the busy street (or if they did, I guess it was chicken for dinner!).
My wife has talked about doing this, but I don't want the coons (and god knows what else) raiding the coop. I'm in a pretty suburban area, but neighbors walking their dog still site the occasional coyote. I don't think you need special zoning for hens. If you were to get a rooster, there could be problems with neighbors, but you don't want a rooster.
One of the people my wife works with had chickens. One night their coop got raided and one of the hens was severely wounded. The husband had to kill it, so he rushed his kids back in the house. As he was lowering the hatchet for the death blow, Dad looked over his shoulder and saw his little daughter peeking out the window. Now there is a future bill with the psychologist.
I loved Good Neighbors.
Yes, which is why the millions of children growing up seeing their parents kill chickens in the lawn just a couple generations ago are all so crazy now.Originally Posted by Bullhajj
Most cities forbid keeping of farm animals in residential areas, so make sure your area allows it first. The odors and noise are likely to piss off your neighbors, unless you have a very large lot.
I dont give a fuck how large your lot is if you have chickens and you live in the city there is a special place in hell reserved just for you.
I fucking hate chickens and the god damn noises they make at fucking 5 am when I am trying to sleep.
So in other words fuck chickens and the assholes who raise them.
PS If you want eggs that would be pretty close to what you would raise your self go to your farmers market. That way you wont go to hell and you still get the eggs you want.
In seattle you can keep three in the yard.
I can't imagine two hens would make a noticeable amount of noise or smell. The england friend's didn't.
Those kids probably understood that the chickens were for eating. These kids played with them like pets.
Yeah, you boys must be thinking rooster. We're talking hens.
They all make noise.
Farmers market dude. Farmers market.
I want you to think about this post the next time you have some chicken nuggets or eggs for breakfast.
Thats cool as long as they are not raised next to my fucking house.
Where do you live?
Says next to my name. Needless to say chickens have no place in an urban environment.
I have a friend who is working on the logistics stage of this at the moment. He has taken a couple been to a couple of places in the neighborhood and the neighbors say that its pretty straightforward.
FWIR, you can expect about 6 eggs/hen a week. They can eat most things you can with the exception of meat. If properly fed and watered you won't need to check up on them for about 3 days. They need little space something like ~10 yards square for 3 hens. They need a shelter or coop so you will need to buy or make one yourself. Chickens handle NW winters without a fuss. And there is some sort of Portland urban poultry raising association that was the source for all of this. I can't imagine that their isn't a similar organization in the Seattle area.
Let us know how it works out for you if you commit to it.
But raising of fowl is part of the rural nature of Chino Hills, it's specifically allowed in residential areas by Municipal Code section 6.12.060.
However, people don't get to have roosters, that's forbidden by section 6.16.010.C. Call Code Enforcement.
That's cool I don't have any with in a mile of me so its all good.But raising of fowl is part of the rural nature of Chino Hills, it's specifically allowed in residential areas by Municipal Code section 6.12.060.
Thing is, there used to be several...DUNT DUNT DUNNN.
Uh, if you don't have roosters...how do you get eggs?
You show them a rooster once, and they think they should lay eggs after that. Chickens aren't very smart.
You serious? Whoa, didn't know chickens were virgin births!
The eggs they lay aren't fertilized. :P
Some Chowhound you are.
Chowhound fails Farming 101.
Edit: This is the kind of thing that becomes important when 99.9% of the world is wiped out by a virus.
He says whipping out a picture of a rooster from his wallet. "Just in case."
Do not feel bad chowhound. You are not the first city slicker that didn't know this!
Thanks!
I eats the fud. I don't really know the process by which it comes from. :D
When I see this thread title, I think of the old movie "Urban Cowboy".
Perhaps Gary Whitta should shoot a proposal to Travolta's agent suggesting "Urban Chicken Farmer" as the sequel.
They eat meat as well.
Which always made me nervous when feeding my fathers and they were nowhere in sight... I imagined them ready to jump me once they got a taste for meat.
My father had 10-15 in a small town. No problem - just don't get a rooster. This means you won't save the money by making your own chickens, but they're pretty cheap. The noise from three hens is nothing. By the chickens small if you have smal kids - they love it... and eating them when they get older is a life lesson all kids should have (mine were three when she saw me boil a live lobster!).
Go for it. The eggs are better.
I agree, more kids (and people) should understand where their food comes from, that it comes from live animals and not from plastic wrapped lumps of anonymous nothingness you see in the grocery store.
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