does anyone know anything about urban chicken-keeping?
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14 commentsReplies
noooners said, (167 days ago)
well, i have a pretty small yard, in the city center. it's big enough that i could have a small coop i guess, and i would only want two hens, but i just don't really know where to start. i have been looking a lot on websites and stuff but they don't really tell me anything. help!
JasAsian v2.0 said, (167 days ago)
It will likely need to be enclosed or cats/stray dogs will eat them.
Centropotamus said, (167 days ago)
Which also means you need to let them out on a regular basis, while you're around to protect them.
benbrown said, (167 days ago)
And they will stink.
My parents raise chickens in their yard in Maryland. They definitely need space to scratch around in.
noooners said, (167 days ago)
ok, duh they have to be enclosed. not even country folk go without a pen.
noooners said, (167 days ago)
@centro: i don't know if you do have to "let them out" as long as the pen is an alright size. right?
noooners said, (167 days ago)
@benbrown: they will stink? fo sho fo sho? or like maybe fo sho? i heard they don't smell too bad as long as you keep things clean.
om nom nom said, (167 days ago)
my former neighbors in sf had a chicken coup in their backyard. it was the size of about 2 loveseats. every morning a cock woke me up.
benbrown said, (167 days ago)
Keeping it clean is from my understanding a pretty regular and laborious task. Depends on how big and what kind of coop you have.
They will love you though. My dad had a chicken that would sit in his lap to be pet and eat grapes out of his hand. Of course, eventually it tried to eat his eye, but only out of love! Or because she thought his eyeball was a grape...
L said, (167 days ago)
coop should be built so you can shut them in at night and so that it's up off the ground. make it so you can easily open it all the way up and hose it out. make them a moveable pen out of fencing that you can put on different places around the yard so that they can scratch around in a different spot everyday, so they don't tear up the whole yard. they don't need *too* much space. they need fresh water all the time, and they need some shade.
jill said, (167 days ago)
you'll need to check with city/county ordinances too, if you haven't already, to make sure it's legal to keep fowl within the city limits. There may be official space requirements.
I've got a friend who used to do this. I'll inquire. What do you want to know?