All my chickens are wooden ones, at the moment
I was reading a blog post the other day at Owl's Farm (Putting the Recess Back in Recession) about the opportunities for simplicity in these tricky economic times, when I came across a mention of "city chickens." That led me to a wonderful website called TheCityChicken.com.
There is a great gallery of little backyard chicken houses combined with small chicken runs. Believe me, you have to check it out. These houses are so cleverly designed--you might find that you covet the house first and add the chickens later as an afterthought!
There is also a page that pictorially explains the concept of a chicken tractor, a phrase that had not been included in my past agricultural education. I recently saw an ad--which I hadn't understood--somewhere on Craigslist for a chicken tractor that was going for $800. I had no idea what that might be, but thanks to TheCityChicken.com I now understand it to be a bottomless cage or pen that is moved from one spot to another. It's a familiar idea from my old Tiny Farm days, although it wasn't called a chicken tractor back then.
If you've ever visited the Laughing Orca Ranch blog, you'll see some wonderful chicken photos of a flock that anyone would be glad to know. The post, Encouraging Chickens, is as good a place to start as any. I love the fact that there is a chicken chair for human observers of poultry behavior.
I've had chickens on my mind a lot, because the Pecos property that we covet has a fixable chicken house out back that has made me think that chicken ownership just might possibly be in my future. In the meantime, I'll just have to make do with chicken dreams.
3 comments:
Who needs google when I've got you? Chickens are in my future, once I figure out how to keep them safe here. I'l bet that citychicken site will be just the ticket to show me how.
I love chickens but they are not practical in my life at the moment. I cover them and love looking at small chicken house plans. When we lived in a suburb of Portland, we built one of those little chicken houses and raised the chicks, eventually even butchered the male chickens to eat (except one feisty rooster we called Mr. President). I enjoy the sound of a rooster and love the sounds of chickens around the house but you have to be there or have someone who will be regularly and that doesn't fit my current lifestyle. Someday though maybe again. I hope so.
Awww, thanks for the chicken kudos. I hope your dream to own chickens come true soon, as do your Pecos property, too.
You'll laugh when I tell you that I wanted chickens so badly that a friend and I ordered them BEFORE we even closed on this little ranch we're in now. lol! They arrived only 2 weeks after we moved in.
And then we had to move fast and furious to build them a coop and house before winter set in. But we were still out there in the bitter wind and cold every weekend until Christmas Day building that coop. lol!
It was wonderful to finally get the chickens out of our garage and into their new house (and Christmas present), though.
I think everyone that can should have chickens. Besides the calming and enjoyment aspects, they do provide food (either meat or eggs) and insect control....and a place to recycle your food scraps.
Thanks for the fun chicken post. Looks like I have some new websites to visit :)
~Lisa
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