Monday, April 18, 2011
Backyard Poultry
I received this in the mail the other day. And invitation for a free issue of Backyard Poultry. We really want to raise chickens in our backyard, but we are a bit worried what the neighbors will think. We have 4 neighbors who have property that are adjacent to ours. Why 4? Well, next door to our property they built townhouses. Primarily, I am worried with how noisy chickens are. I've never raised chickens so I don't know if hens make a lot of noise. As well, somehow I feel like the neighbors might think that having chickens will attract "critters" to our yard. For example, we already have a raccoon problem. There is one that roams the neighborhood. I saw the raccoon on my front steps this week. I can't imagine what the neighbors will think if we build a chicken coop. I know it's "our" yard and we can do whatever we want, but since we have many neighbors and they live so close to us, we don't want to make any of them angry at us. Do you raise chickens in an urban environment? Do you have any advice? Any advice is welcomed.
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All I know is that I want chickens but the city will not allow it. At one time, I thought it was a battle I wanted to fight but if I can get fresh eggs a mile away from my house, it's kind of hard to justify the work.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about the same things... I don't know if we'll be allowed to do chickens anyway because of our county's laws about livestock., but I'd be more concerned about the neighbors, because the county can be lobbied. :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't have chickens here because they aren't allowed by city code. They used to be allowed during WWII, but not now. I really think that if they are allowed and you only have a few they shouldn't bother your neighbors. A rooster can be noisey. With regard to the raccoon, if you saw it during the day it probably has rabies. If that was the case you should call animal control to trap it.
ReplyDeleteMy friend just moved into her house last fall, and decided that she wanted to raise chickens. I really wish I would have taken a photo of her coop - you can actually make it look pretty decent. I would LOVE to raise chickens, but the hubs is afraid of what people will think. When I go there next, I will have to send you a photo. It actually looks pretty nice, and you can hide the chickens fairly well. It will look like a cute shed :)
ReplyDeleteOnly one of my neighbors had a problem with the chickens we had when we were in the city. They were very mean people though.
ReplyDeleteSome breeds of chickens are a bit quieter than others. Delaware is a good city chicken, but still cackles when they lay eggs.
I don't have chickens because they are not allowed in Montreal, but they are not noisy animals. Unless you have a rooster. Chickens are lovely, clean, intelligent animals, and make quite affectionate pets.
ReplyDeleteIf you do decide to keep chickens, you do need to have a proper coop (info can be found on the web, I think I even have a few links on my blog), and good protection from predators.
Should your neighbours voice any complaints, they can usually be won over with a few fresh-picked eggs. If you are really worried, you can always go around and talk to your neighbours about your intentions.
They are live animals, so you have to think if you are ready for the commitment, and what you plan to do when the birds come to the end of their (useful) life.
All I have to say is: I am so jealous that you are allowed to keep chickens in New York!
Yes, hens can be very noisy. They make a horrible racket if scared and right after laying eggs.
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