Hi, my name is jillian. i live just outside of fort worth with my husband, two boys, 3 indoor-only cats, a feral cat colony, and fish. so far i have resisted the urge to grab a bunch of chicks from the feed store and then figure out what to do with them after the fact, but baby (chick) rabies is hitting me hard! im probably going to lurk here for a while until i can get my act together. I have a few questions.
currently my city ordinance says you need 20,000sqft for 10 chickens. probably 15+ years ago some moron split my lot and so im only sitting on 10,000sqft! the upside is my lot has a commercial space of the southside and the eastside, a residential property in the corner with the house far from the property line, a vacant lot bordering the north back yard and a far-spaced residence bordering the front north side. i just emailed someone from city zoning and hopefully i can get a variance.
i would take getting fewer birds if it means i can still get them. i would love to be able to raise meat and egg birds (i personally dont eat meat, but the other creatures in my house do and i would rather get local/healthy/humane meat. blahblahblah) but oh well. i like that i live in an old neighbourhood which, for better or for worse, allows people to do just about whatever they please, so here's hoping.
also, i wanted to get guineas as i heard they are the best pest controllers and we've got plenty of those in the backyard. i hope is that with their help i could keep the blooming squash bugs at bay! i've read they like woody areas and the spot i would put the coop is all under trees and i bit overgrown. because of the wandering ferals and big hawks they would definately need a completely enclosed safe place but i would let all the birds out with supervision.
assuming i get a variance, would, for example, 3 chickens, and two guineas work for egg production? put bluntly, they would need to earn their keep!
once i cross that hurdle, ive got two big issues that affect feasibility.
1) texas weather. this year has been a doozy. we got record amounts of snow this winter and winters consistantly get below freezing and then we have months on end of 100 degree weather in the summer (im not originally from here and this fact still blows my mind 5 years later). coop design is going to be crucial, me thinks. there is a large hobby farm down the street (i told you, old neighbourhood, hands-off neighbours) and they dont seem to do anything special during the extreme weather so maybe im over thinking. ive had no luck trying to talk shop with the folks who own it otherwise i would ask them. any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
2) i currently stay home but a number of factors are showing im going to have to get some sort of regular employment. about how many hours a day do chickens take up with chores and whatnot? my kids arent old enough yet to be "in charge of the chickens" and i dont want to overburden myself with additional work, and the chickens dont deserve that either.
thanks all!
currently my city ordinance says you need 20,000sqft for 10 chickens. probably 15+ years ago some moron split my lot and so im only sitting on 10,000sqft! the upside is my lot has a commercial space of the southside and the eastside, a residential property in the corner with the house far from the property line, a vacant lot bordering the north back yard and a far-spaced residence bordering the front north side. i just emailed someone from city zoning and hopefully i can get a variance.
also, i wanted to get guineas as i heard they are the best pest controllers and we've got plenty of those in the backyard. i hope is that with their help i could keep the blooming squash bugs at bay! i've read they like woody areas and the spot i would put the coop is all under trees and i bit overgrown. because of the wandering ferals and big hawks they would definately need a completely enclosed safe place but i would let all the birds out with supervision.
assuming i get a variance, would, for example, 3 chickens, and two guineas work for egg production? put bluntly, they would need to earn their keep!
once i cross that hurdle, ive got two big issues that affect feasibility.
1) texas weather. this year has been a doozy. we got record amounts of snow this winter and winters consistantly get below freezing and then we have months on end of 100 degree weather in the summer (im not originally from here and this fact still blows my mind 5 years later). coop design is going to be crucial, me thinks. there is a large hobby farm down the street (i told you, old neighbourhood, hands-off neighbours) and they dont seem to do anything special during the extreme weather so maybe im over thinking. ive had no luck trying to talk shop with the folks who own it otherwise i would ask them. any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
2) i currently stay home but a number of factors are showing im going to have to get some sort of regular employment. about how many hours a day do chickens take up with chores and whatnot? my kids arent old enough yet to be "in charge of the chickens" and i dont want to overburden myself with additional work, and the chickens dont deserve that either.
thanks all!
