Replies (41)

Would recommend a little flock, especially for you just to have them scratching around in the garden in the off season. Plus if you do deep litter that compost from the bedsing would help offset your fertility costs.
Well, typically a chicken coop and pen isn't penetratable by dogs if xlcoons can't get in. Also rabbits are raised off the ground.
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Virtus 9 months ago
Many districts in urban areas either make it illegal or provide limited licenses. Some towns only provide a handful of licenses for the entire town population. I agree with the overall principle, however. If you can, you should.
I have a dog and have to pay an extra $100 a month & pet friendly rents are usually <10% of the market. I could probably build a coop in the back, but inspections might not like it and i usually move leases every 1-2 years. I’ve been talking my wife into meat rabbits and egg chickens when we get a house though. I’m just not currently yoloing into a $3000+/month mortgage on a small starter home when rents are so much cheaper
I am not on site unfortunately, ducks and quail interest me the most. I am kinda hoping the kids will take a need for $ and we can do chickens. I am still trying to get irrigation in this year. Last year was eves and the walk in cooler
Yeah, definitely don't do that lol. Understandable. I am torn cuz on one hand I really want to be an activist trying to get more small stock rights in the neighboring counties because I think chicken farming for eggs should not exist and we simply should just empower the suburbanites to raise small flocks (also creates better communities because reliance on neighbors for vacations and such) But o n the other hand I also just want to say duck those counties/cities
4 is the minimum I would start with. If you're new, tractor supply, but there are people who ship them like cackle and McMurray that are reliable. Just watch a video on youtube. They just need food water and shelter like you. Only thing extra is nesting boxes and dust bath, which is really just sand or dirt mixing in some diatomaceous earth is helpful. Design for the winter tho.
Of course! Wall unit LG a/c unit paired with a “cool bot” their website tells you the types it works with. Took 3 minutes to setup. Our farm came with a meat cooler from the 60s I stripped out a layer of styrofoam & sealed out the mice. I used new building insulation 2 inch foil lined R~10 (it might be more or less R factor but aimed for as high as I could get) a few cans of spray foam & adhesive. Ended up being ~ 2K including a/c unit Our tulips sit at 34 F and the size 10x8x8 ft it costs 5-10 a month to run. My biggest issue last year was the cotton fluff clogging the condenser, so I am installing a bug guard this year. Once tulips are done it goes up to 38 I would say when we get into the 90s here it runs 75% of the time. View quoted note →
Awesome. I'm trying to build a walk in cooler and freezer in the shop in the next 5 years to prep for milks and cheeses and age some stuff and hopefully find someone entrepreneurial to do on farm butcher stuff. Its a big space with insulation and electric and I feel bad just using it for storage
Oh I had some all female growouts that would get pretty rowdy. Even at low stocking densities. But I was also running 500-1000 birds at any time in a full production setup so bound to get some mean ones in the bunch i guess.
I noticed that some males where hard to distinguish from females. It happens sometimes. It is with these that i had the problem. Maybe that's the case. But i never had so many birds as you
The hardest part for me was sledging out the cinder brick wall. I would recommend buying 2 a/c units just in case it otherwise its been a great experience, I even keep some beverages for myself in there.
I will become the neighborhood liquor store if I do that lol If you has to choose between a 2nd ac unit or a backup generator, what would you chose
I'm sorry what? Who said anything about ROI? Unless you're just in bitcoin for NGU, ROI ain't the consideration for raising some portion of your own calories, it's about sovereignty.
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twofish 9 months ago
I am because I am also planning on producing my own feed. I prefer not to mine at a loss.
If you're just getting started and want to skip the brooder/chick stage and get eggs faster look for chickens already laying eggs for sale in craigslist and in local livestock exchange groups on FB. Lay production starts to really drop after 2 years old so age is something to consider when going this route.
Damn landlord. But he dug us a garden a few years ago 👍 Kidding mostly. I've got a nice situation, considering how urban it is.
Food forest is good. But chickens don't take much time to maintain, I understand setup for the coop and run an such can be a lot. But chicken feed isn't very expensive and if you let them free range in the summer they don't need any. If you would have said you were trying to keep them outta your food forest until it's established then I'd get that more. But rabbits would complement your FF greatly. Both have valuable poop!
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Virtus 9 months ago
It is, but we are almost certain there are more households with chickens in the town than licenses available. It helps to have neighbors that won't snitch.