Raising Backyard Chickens In The City
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I hope you enjoy my story and are inspired in raising your own backyard chickens.
Every Spring, around April, your local farm store carries baby chicks, ducks and game fowl for you to adopt and raise.
My Story On Raising Backyard Chickens
In the Spring of 2012 we spontaneously picked up three baby chicks. We didn’t know the first thing about baby chicks let alone raising chickens.
When it came time to pick out the ones we wanted to adopt we just pointed to the farm trough and said, “We will take three of those”.
The farm store personnel carefully picked out three baby chicks, placed them in a cute little cardboard box.
We grabbed a bag of chick feed, feed tray, a water bottle and away we went.
We were now the proud owners of three of the cutest baby chicks.
Mind you, we didn’t have a clue as to what we were doing but we did know these three baby chicks couldn’t live in that little cardboard box forever so, we headed to our local store.
We picked up a medium-sized clear plastic tote, a utility lamp with a clamp, and a huge bag of pine shavings. We made this their home for the time being. In our bathroom no doubt.
In the meantime, we were in the process of building a chicken coop to house these little chicks.
By the time they were eight weeks old they outgrew the plastic tote and we moved them into their new permanent home, in our fenced in backyard.
I wish you could see the chicken shirt I’m wearing! It’s similar to this one here.
Surprise
When the chickens reached sixteen weeks old we surprisingly discovered one of the chicks that we adopted was a rooster.
We live in a residential neighborhood and having a rooster really was not part of the equation. It was NOT going to work. I seriously don’t think our neighbors would appreciate being woke up every morning by the sound of Mr. Rooster and his “cock-a-doodle-do” so, we found that little guy a nice foster home.
Something we learned, if you plan on raising your own chickens and don’t want a rooster, be sure to purchase pullets. A pullet is a young hen under 1-year-old. Lesson learned!
Chicken Eggs
Chickens don’t start laying eggs until they are around six months old.
We eagerly waited and counted the days for the “now” ladies to lay their first egg which we finally got that year in September!
We were so excited yet disappointed at the same time. The first egg produced was very small which much to our surprise is not uncommon. But, overall we were very pleased.
Nearly every spring we head to our local farm store to see the new arrival of baby chicks. Sometimes we adopt at least two to add to our flock and start the process all over.
Bringing the ladies into our life has been so therapeutic and rewarding. We supply them with food, shelter and love and they supply us with the most delicious organic eggs.
The Chicken Coop
Raising chickens is fairly an easy task. We are very committed to our ladies.
Since we built our own chicken coop it seems every year we make some kind of upgrade. If I had the chance to do it all over I would prefer to get a coop like one of these. The only reason I say that is because when gathering eggs we have to bend over. With these coops you don’t have to do that.
This year we remodeled the inside and added a new roof. I really think the ladies like it as we can often find them roosting in the rafters.
Winter Coop
In the fall we prepare the coop for the winter months. As crazy as it may sound we like to decorate the coop. We recently added Christmas lights and check out that rooster picture! I suppose all of this home decorating is for us but the ladies don’t seem to mind. I think they even like it.
Check out that rooster picture! If you look real close you can see a present on the wall. It is covering up where we have a fan during the summer months. Oh, yeah…a xylophone! We really don’t know if the ladies have been making music yet or not. LOL
And every woman needs a mirror! Yes, this cute little mirror gets used all the time.
Free Range Chickens
We tend to our chickens every day by letting them free range in the back yard and put them to bed every night.
When we are out-of-town we make arrangements for a sitter to help with these tasks while we are away.
We are very protective of our chickens and try our best to make a safe environment for them.
Nutrition For Chickens
By allowing chickens to free range in the backyard during the warm seasons they will add to their diet by finding insects, grubs and greens.
We also provide our ladies Layer Pellets feed, oyster shell and their favorite treat, dried mealworms. During the hot summers we provide them with a nice cold watermelon. They really love that!
Free range chickens egg yolks are a much deeper yellow to orange in color.
Chicken Hygiene
Chickens take dust baths instead of water baths. This keeps them clean and free of parasites.
Therefore, we provide a dirt box for the ladies as they like to dust themselves on hot days.
Chicken Proofing The Garden
Since having chickens we have learned to “chicken proof” our vegetable garden because if we don’t….then we won’t have a garden. They will eat everything! And I mean Everything!
We put chicken wire around our entire raised garden with entry access on both ends. This system has worked very well.
In the spring after we plant our garden we keep the access doors closed and when the season is over we will open the doors and allow the chickens to forage in the garden.
Finally, we have won the battle with the chickens. Our garden is now a success! Want to know a little secret? Chicken poop makes excellent fertilizer. Just saying.
Winter Time
In the winter months when the ladies don’t have access to bugs and greens you will find us making special treats for them like nice warm oatmeal with cinnamon and cranberries.
They also enjoy mealworms or the pulp from when I juice fruits, vegetables and nuts.
They are the most spoiled Ladies. And Why Not! We love our backyard chickens! They are pets to us!
THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR CHICKEN STORY.
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35 Comments
Lisa
Loved the snow picture! Never really thought about how they manage in the winter.
Pam
I’ve considered getting some chickens. Love fresh eggs!
gail
Your yard is amazing!!
Carissa A Davis
OOh I used to have backyard chickens… what fun that was ! Lol, thanks for sharing and loved the pics:)
Maggie | TotallyTeenTravel.com
You’ve got yourself some happy chickens!
Candi Randolph
I had so much fun reading about your backyard chickens! The ‘ladies’ are lovely and the eggs look amazing.
Laura Belle
I love your yard. It looks perfect.
Jennifer
This brings back so many memories of chickens that we used to have. I loved that when I would gently say, “Hey ladies, how is your day”?, they would all run over and chat with me. LOL Thanks for sharing the info as it has been a while, but it makes sense to jump in again.
Heidi
Backyard chickens can be so fun! Love the pictures. 🙂
Kristi Ann
Aw, these chickens look so happy!! Love seeing chickens in these types of living environments as it should be.
Susan Tulu Bounds
I’ve always wanted to raise chickens! Thanks for sharing your story 🙂
Stephanie Christmas
Loved our backyard chickens..until we found out we had a rooster in the mix 😉
Alexis
I love eggs like that! Fresh eggs taste way better than store bought! My grandma had chickens when I was younger. I enjoyed playing with them!
Verla
I wish I could have backyard chickens. But I know I would be feeding the foxes, owls, hawks, and maybe wolves. I am in Northern Manitoba, Canada next to the forest. Enjoyed your post.
Nicolette
This is really interesting! We aren’t “zoned” for being able to have chickens where we live. And, by the way, lovely garden!
Jessica
I love your little coop! We also have problems with our chickens eating EVERYTHING and kicking out the mulch in our flower beds. Our compromise is to only let them out in the evening during the summer so they don’t make too much mess but they still do find things to get into ;).
admin
Hi Jessica: Those ladies have me wrapped around their talens. Just this year I planted marigolds for them to nibble on. Marigolds are supposed to help produce golden yolks and also ward off insects. The funny thing is I planted them in several different locations around the yard and even in front of their coop. They did not touch one marigold around their coop but nibbled the others in the yard to the ground within a few days of planting. Go figure! They are still a joy!
Jennifer
Raising chickens has been on my “wishlist” for a few years now, but I just haven’t had the bandwidth to pursue it. Now we live on 16 acres and predators are an added concern. I will stay tuned. I hope to see more posts about your chicken raising adventures!
admin
Hi Jennifer: Although we live in the city we too worry about predators. Unfortunately, we have been stricken with a couple attacks over the years. We assume it was Ricky the Raccoon. We try to keep a close eye on the ladies and even have a sitter when we are out of town. Hopefully one of these days you will be able to fulfill your wish list!
Mary
Wow, this is so outside of my world. i love it! So interesting!! Great pictures, too!
admin
Thank you Mary! Yes, it was once outside of my world too. I’m glad we took the plunge!
Bonnie
I got chickens for the first time this year and I am in love. I have two Golden Comets and they are so much fun. It’s nice to see others with the same passion for animals. Not to mention the fresh eggs!
admin
Bonnie: I can’t imagine life without chickens!
Emma
I’d love having some chickens! I’m so scared of them getting sick and being successful keeping them alive through the winter though.
admin
You know Emma, I had the same fears but everything seemed to work out. None of our chickens have ever gotten ill (knock on wood) and we have our coop pretty well winterized as it keeps dry and the inside temperature is about 15 degrees warmer than outside.
Allison
Oh my goodness those chickens are spoiled! They look so happy in their yard/coop! Love the lights inside.
admin
Yes, indeed! The Ladies are definitely spoiled!
Cheryl Bippus
My friends have chickens and although I have to admit I love the idea of fresh organic eggs readily available, I don’t like the idea of the upkeep. We tried three chicks once. They outgrew our bathroom and garage and we ended up giving them to a farmer. We didn’t have a coop though or know what to do with them. However, you make it look fun and do it with style. I love the decor in the chicken coop and your garden is beautiful. I’m sure it was a learning process. Thank you for sharing how it can be done with excellence!
admin
Oh Cheryl, we were green behind the ears when we started. Yes, a learning process indeed! I would do it all over again too!
Suzan
Love this! Reminded me of when we got our first ladies (we are kindred spirits and call ours that as well) and surprised to find out that one of our ladies was not so much a lady, LOL. Thanks so much for sharing!
admin
Suzan: Much to our surprise one of our ladies after two years grew a cone and turned into a rooster! She quit laying eggs and started crowing very loud (just like a rooster). It happens 1 in 10,000. Amazing experience for us. Needless to say, she was sent away to our local preacher. He said her anatomy was a little out of wack.
Pauline
I’m a chicken mama too. I had been asking my husband for years for chickens and he gave in when his buddy moved and couldn’t take his chickens with him. I started with 10 and right now including the babies I just got, have about 50. I lose a few each year to predators. I also collect chickens that people can’t keep.
admin
Wow! 50 chickens! You must have eggs coming out your ears. I feel pretty fortunate as over the years we have only lost two chickens. One to a raccoon and one to an owl. We try our darndest to keep the ladies safe.
Kristin McConnell
I love raising chickens! We currently have 11 chickens and 2 ducks. I love how you decorated the coop! =)
admin
Thanks Kristin! We really have a blast with the ladies!