This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
Contrary to popular belief, you can have chickens in most places. Even if you live in the city and don’t think you can accommodate them. Chickens are one of the few types of livestock that take up very little space and still give you so many benefits. Laying hens will provide eggs for your family, plus make great disposals for kitchen and garden scraps. If you want to raise meat birds, it’s possible in most places too! Some cities may have limits as to how many and what kinds (no roosters) but they usually allow some type of chicken keeping. Check with your local ordinance for specifics. Let’s explore more about urban chicken keeping!
Knowing Your City Ordinances
Before you even think about getting chickens, check with your city ordinances. Some cities/towns may have limits or restrictions as to how many chickens you can have or whether or not you can have roosters on the property. This is especially important if there are neighborhood associations that could potentially cite you if they find out about your chickens before you get it approved by the local government. Make sure to check those first!
Space Considerations
Chickens don’t need much space; however, there are some things that should be taken into consideration such as the size of their coop and run area, plus having enough space for a place where they can scratch and dust bathe. Having at least 4 square feet per bird inside their coop is recommended, plus 10-15 square feet per bird in their run area outside. To little space and they become stressed which means less eggs for you.
They also need a secure place where they can get away from predators like raccoons, possums, hawks, and cats. A small backyard is usually sufficient to accommodate three or four hens; however, if you're raising meat birds that require more space than laying hens then your backyard needs will increase accordingly. If possible, try to keep this area away from any windy areas which could make them cold and uncomfortable during winter months.
Feed & Water Considerations
Chickens need a specific type of food that's formulated specifically for their nutritional needs — while they might enjoy eating leftovers from the table every once in a while, those foods should not make up the majority of their diet. Additionally, depending on where you live, there may be some restrictions for storing large amounts of feed due to vermin control laws or zoning regulations; again, this is something you should check into before committing to owning chickens. Even if you don’t have a large space to buy bulk ingredients, you can find preformulated bagged food at local farm stores.
A feeder and water station should also be taken into consideration when planning out your urban chicken keeping set up. You would need one feeder per 6-10 birds plus a water station big enough for all of them to drink from without overcrowding each other while they do so. The type of water or feeder is not important, you can find or reuse old stuff too, just make sure that these containers have lids so that food doesn’t get wet due to rain or rodents trying to get into it during nighttime hours when the chickens aren’t around (they usually go back inside at dusk).
Urban chicken keeping is becoming more popular due to its low-cost investment yet high return benefits of fresh eggs daily along with having an easy disposal system for kitchen scraps & garden waste. However, knowing local ordinances is always important before investing too much into any type of livestock keeping project; after all nobody wants fines added onto already expensive projects! But once everything gets approved by the local government then it's time to start thinking about ways we can make our future chicken flock comfortable while still having plenty of room left over in our yards for other activities like gardening or playing sports with friends & family members alike! All in all, urban chicken keeping is definitely something worth exploring further - go ahead & see what options might be available near where YOU live today!
As I've grown in my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life.
I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
Join the Community
Join the Community
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
0 Comments