Anyone raise their own chickens in the city?

J

johnny chimpo

500+ Posts
Hearing about all the GMO foods got me thinking about building a garden in the backyard. Now the wife and I are considering raising a couple of hens for eggs. Sounds like it would be a fun hobby in addition to healthier food. Anyone do this? Thoughts? I found some coops on the internet:
Chicken coop
 
To each their own, I guess, but why? Have you ever done this, or been around chickens before?

Imo, and that's all it is, it's not worth it unless you're hell-bent on "saving the planet" or you have a religious zeal about "purity", food, and how animals are treated.

They are messy, can be noisy, need feed, water, medicine at times. Just go to HEB and buy your eggs. Or Whole Foods and buy "free range" eggs if that assuages your conscience.

But that's just my view. I grew up on a farm with chickens and don't know why any city dweller would put themselves through this.
 
I live out in the country and have some chickens. They can be a pain in the butt.

If you do it in the city, you'll have to get hens only, and keep them in an enclosure.

Go to this site for advice:
The Link
 
This is an increasingly popular endeavor, I read an article about it in the AAS not too long ago. I think it is legal, although roosters that crow may violate some city regulations. Of course, an HOA may prohibit it.
Otherwise, don't worry about ruffling your neighbors feathers, even though they may get their collective tongues clucking. Go for it.
 
The local TV news got a hold of this re: local, small-scale vendors & their restaurant clients.

Apparently hens either stop laying altogether in this extreme heat, or cut back severely. I don't recall.

One thing for sure, they have to a have water, and will die quick if water is neglected - just under normal summer conditions (If we ever get a normal summer again!). This info. is from experience, not the news.
 
I'm talking about 2 or 3 hens, no roosters. They will be as much pets as food producers. Have a very large shaded run in my backyard that would be perfect, and my dirty hippie neighbors wouldn't mind in the least. What kind of egg prodcution can you typically expect from a hen?
 
"And by that I mean taking care of an animal is not a hobby. It's a duty, it's a responsibility, it can be a pain in the neck."

When he tires of his hobby, he can eat it.
 
Hens lay eggs, but they aren't fertilized eggs without benefit of a rooster. Kind of like people, dogs, fish- maybe you should ask your mom and dad to have a chat with you about this subject.
 
I know that it is très chic, right now, but I would wait for a year or so and swoop in on Craigslist to bail out someone who buys today and gets bored.

I also wonder about rats, which are already enough of a concern in my neighborhood. Can any of you farmers confirm that rats like the food and poop?
 
My grandmother has kept chickens out in oak hill for probably close to 20 years now. She has a 'chicken yard' where they live with a storage shed they sleep in at night (so they dont get eaten). She also has some boxes with a ladder that they climb up and lay eggs in.

The chickens lay green, blue, brown and white eggs which is pretty neat and they are more pets than a food source. However, they get more eggs than they could ever eat from 10 or fewer chickens.

She enjoys taking care of them as she was a farm girl growing up but they dont seem like too much trouble. She keeps some chicken feed and water out and then throws them some food scraps to eat. Other than that, all she has to do is collect the eggs and close the shed door at night. Its a pain if you travel a lot but other than that, it seems pretty easy.
 
Recognizing you're looking for a hobby, if the GMO is a driving issue for you like it is for our family then you may want to consider joining a coop. We belong to a coop that supplies our dairy/eggs, fruit and vegetables. With a short 20-30 minute drive out of the city the kids can get an appreciation for where and how the food is grown. They even get to pick some of it. During busier time we have the food delivered locally where we can pick it up at a neighbors house nearby.

I can't imagine actually raising the chickens myself although my boys love to visit the farm and feed the chickens and pigs.
 
You can also enjoy the hobby of raising rats at the same time!

Though it"s fun for the kiddos. I have to admit I completely cracked up at the cost of the hen houses. Probably better to buy a COSTCO membership and just buy the 18 per carton Grade A extra large Eggs for less than $2 a pop. If you ate 6 eggs each and every day without EVER taking a day off, your break even point for just the $600 coop would be about two and a half years....

If you really want to do it watch Craig's list for somebody else's coop they just want you to get the hell out of their back yard.
 
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