Housing, purchasing the birds themselves, and feed will cost money. Understand that chickens come with expenses. Many of these predatory animals are just as common within city limits as they are in the countryside. Many critters enjoy chicken dinners just as much as we do, including raccoons, opossums, skunks, snakes, hawks, owls, dogs, and cats. Penning them will keep them at home, lessen disease threats, and protect them from predators. It’s best to pen your flock rather than letting the chickens run free. You may want to expand in the future-always be thinking ahead. Have a specific number in mind but consider building your house and pen for more than that number. You can’t have chickens without a place to put them. If it’s legal to have chickens, visit with your neighbors beforehand so they aren’t blindsided when chickens suddenly appear in your backyard.ĭecide how many chickens you will have and then consider housing and pen space. Roosters crow and make lots of noise, which may not please the city council or county board of supervisors. Some locations that allow hens do not allow roosters. If you can have chickens, check specifically about roosters. You don’t want to spend money on fencing, housing, and chickens just to learn later that you can’t have chickens at your location. First, check city/county ordinances to make sure you can have backyard chickens where you live. Start planning several months before the first chicken shows up on your property. And always remember that Extension is here to help you! Where to Beginĭon’t call up the mail-order hatchery and order chicks tomorrow. But if you are determined to start a backyard flock, it is important that you start planning early, do some homework, and make informed decisions. It is probably cheaper (and less work) to buy it from the store than to produce it yourself at home. While raising your own meat and eggs may seem like a good idea, understand that there are stones in the road. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous additional people, both urban and rural, ventured into the backyard chicken world-so much so that mail-order hatcheries could not keep up with orders during the spring of 2020 (Tabler et al., 2020). For years, many folks have found maintaining a small flock of backyard chickens a very rewarding experience and an excellent venture for the small or part-time farmer.
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