Your Own Backyard Urban Chicken Farm

Backyard chicken farms seem to be on the rise. Could it be that more people are beginning to see the benefits of a few chickens in their backyard? Yes, the urban farm offers benefits that go beyond just providing fresh eggs.

Many who have started their own backyard chicken farm have seen a new dimension to modern living. Moreover, the benefits cannot be understated. They, the chickens, will eat your vegetable scraps and in return, they will give you high protein eggs, eat bugs, work the soil, provide fertilizer for your garden, and offer you an interesting form of entertainment.

Does Your City Allow Chickens?

As more urban homeowners learn about the benefits of having chickens, more towns are beginning to accommodate the wishes of their citizens by allowing chickens to be raised in the city limits. However, before you proceed with your own backyard chicken farm, you will need these questions answered.

1. What ordinances apply in your town?

2. If your town allows chickens, you will need to find out how many hens are allowed at a single residence. Yes, in most cases only hens are allowed in an urban setting. The typical follow-up question that may be on your mind is, “Don’t you need a rooster for a hen to produce an egg?” The answer is no. A rooster is only needed if you want a fertilized egg, which will produce a chick. Since you are only looking for an egg for eating, you do not need a rooster.

3. Does your city require you to complete an approved class on raising chickens?

4. Does your city require you to apply for an annual permit? The permit can range from $25 and up, depending upon the town or city in which you live. (When you apply for a permit, they may be required to inform your neighbors bordering your residence of your plan to add chickens to your property.)

5. Is there a distance requirement for the coop placement, to keep the smell from bothering your neighbors?

The Internet, as well as, Amazon offers a number of plans and or portable chicken coops. The price will vary. For instance, Amazon offers a portable chicken coop for 3 to 5 chickens at a price for around, $599.

Whatever type of chicken coop you buy or build, it should provide a place for hens to roost at night, ventilation in the summer, and nesting boxes. In most cases, the enclosures need to have a minimum of 4 square feet per bird. Moreover, the hens will need to be enclosed in a fenced area at all times. Finally, your coop should offer protection against predators. Most predators attack at night. Their predators include both animals and fowl, such as foxes, possums, and owls.

To keep the chicken coop clean you can buy pine shavings or hay for bedding. You can usually purchase a bale of hay from a farmer and the pine shavings can be bought at any farm supply store. This will help keep the odor from the chickens themselves or chicken manure down to acceptable levels so as not to cause trouble with the neighbors. If the odor is too much, expect the neighbors to complain, and thus, you possibly losing your chickens.

Since you live in the city limits, you will have to comply with the noise ordinance. Most noise ordinances state that chickens will be prohibited if they disturb “persons of reasonable sensitivity.” I truly cannot see the noise ordinance of any city to be a problem, because the noise level of trains, cars and birds are louder than chickens.

You will have to decide if you want to begin with chicks or pullets. Pullets are young hens that are less than one year old.

If you decide on chicks, you will need a brooder. A brooder is a box that has a heating source to keep the young chicks warm. It can be as simple as a cardboard box, with a 40-60 watt bulb in a metal-hooded incandescent shade. Temperatures need to start at 95 degrees and decrease weekly by 5 degrees until the chicks are fully feathered (which is about 6 weeks).

Though you may think chicken feed is a simple concept, if you have never been around a chicken, it can be a problem. Thus, the type of feed you give chicken is called layer feed. You can get it premixed, or if you are ambitious, you can mix it yourself. Whichever avenue you choose, your layered mesh feed must contain ingredients for grinding (to break the feed down) and protein for creating a strong egg. I'll explain.

Grinding Feed

Obviously, chickens do not have teeth. Like all birds, food is “ground” in the inner pouch at the base of their neck, commonly referred to as the crop. The crop holds small pebbles that are picked up by the chicken, to help grind their food. This is grit food. It is used to help with the chicken’s digestion. Most grit food usually contains something like charcoal to help with the digestion and oyster shell for calcium, which helps to create a strong eggshell.

Protein

Chickens need a balanced protein diet to produce an egg a day. The layer protein mesh should have at least 15.5 percent of protein. You can also, supply your chickens with protein by feeding them vegetable scraps, worms, and garden trimmings. (These scraps are a treat for chickens. My neighbor uses the layered feed, and gives their chickens scraps when available).

Getting started with your own backyard chicken farm may take a little work and time. However, many people have found that this added dimension to living does not only provide fresh eggs, and fresh compost for their gardens, but also a renewed interest in urban-comfort living that may help them to stay a little bit healthier.