Chickens in a neighborhood!!!

[HouseSilkies]

Hi everyone!!! I've ALWAYS wanted Silkie chickens,and I have a TINY feeling of hope that this is the year I'll be allowed! Probably not,but no harm in dreaming about it since I do constantly anyway! So I have some questions... How many Silkies should i get? I was thinking 3-4 of them! What size coop would I need for 4? Do I need to heat the coop in any way? Or will they be fine in Wisconsin year round? Silkies are a smaller breed,correct? Do they lay eggs often? Will they smell if the coop has pine chips and is cleaned weekly? How big of a run do I need? How long do I need to keep the chicks in the house before they go out? Thx!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

depends on your city ordinances, some say you can only have 4 and a coop x size - sometimes it is a pain!!

 

[HouseSilkies]

Yea,we only moved to a neighborhood a few months ago,before we lived in the middle of nowhere where it was more common to see a bear with 3-4 cubs than a person! I would DEFINITELY check the rules before getting any! Definitely annoying! My cousin and best friend both have Silkies! They now live 4 hours away from me,but I was always slightly jealous of their silkies!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

that is cool, did the bears bother you? did you have chickens or other animals where you were? If you haven't had any before starting with 4 is a good idea, you can easily keep an eye on things like health and how much they eat etc and give each lots of attention. Good luck!!

 

[HouseSilkies]

No,I've never had chickens,but always wanted some! No,the bears didn't bother me at all while we had our Newfoundland around and everyone would run to the Windows to see the occasional bear! Then our Newfoundland died... And bears got WAY more common! They still didn't bother me,but I did worry about my dog,who is a Boston Terrier\jack russel mix! My mom was pulling into the driveway one day,and a bear LEAPED out of the dumpster and started lunging at the car!(just bluffing,tho) Then in the woods a few feet behind her,3 cubs! We also had a German Shepherd \Great Pyrenees mix named Zoe,and she was trying to get a mama bear with 4 cubs to leave the driveway! Zoe and the bear were circling each other,growling with the occasional lunge,while 3 of the cubs where a little ways into the woods up a tree,1 of them was up a tree right by the dumpster! My mom actually had to drive up to the dumpster in the van while this was happening to get Zoe! Then mama bear coaxed the one baby down,and they took off to get the other three from other tree! Bears are so cute!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

yikes!! cute, but scary!!

 

[HouseSilkies]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DLE5HJU/?tag=backy-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWJIDHS/?tag=backy-20 I was looking at these two. Are they too small? Any other recommendation s off amazon? Thanks!​

 

[HouseSilkies]

I checked the ordinances online,and I'm allowed to have chickens in my city! No roosters,no slaughtering,coop 25ft from any residential structures,and up to four hens! It also said,Ducks ok. Does that mean I can have ducks? Or no? Does the city ordinances mean I can keep them in my neighborhood,which is IN the city? Not very good at this!

 

[WindingRoad]

I checked the ordinances online,and I'm allowed to have chickens in my city! No roosters,no slaughtering,coop 25ft from any residential structures,and up to four hens! It also said,Ducks ok. Does that mean I can have ducks? Or no? Does the city ordinances mean I can keep them in my neighborhood,which is IN the city? Not very good at this!

Go to city hall where the officials are and ask what you can do. There should be an animal control officier there. Good luck. Remember ducks and chickens required care and sometimes when you least want to take care of them.

 

[HouseSilkies]

My parents have the ordinance papers from moving here,I'll have them dig them out! Their is NEVER a bad time to take care of your pets!