I've gone around the bend. (New member intro)

Hello BYC! I'm not technically new, but new enough. I grew up with chickens, my parents still have some, but now I live on a small lot with billions of neighbors.

I've gotten really OCD in a short about of time about chickens. I can't even get any until Feb-March, as that's when my local feed shop gets them. All I seem to do with my free time is look at chicken breeds, houses, and runs. Oh, and read BYC of course! I even made a list of all the things I need to buy before I get them.

My problem is that I hate going out into my backyard! I feel like a fish in a fish bowl. And there's not much to do. It's so boring, just grass. Growing up, we had a garden, swamp, chicken run, and beautiful view, all within walking distance. But I'm making myself go out there, and the neighbor's in his yard with his two dogs. Or course they bark and bark until I leave. Now I'm worried about getting chickens. The dogs will never stop barking! I'm even going to put a solid wood or vinyl fence up to block them from view. We already have a privacy fence, but their property slopes higher than mine, so in essence, they look down on me.

I'm going to try for smallish tame chickens. I need them to stay near me when I let them "free range" around the yard. They will be in a secure run when I'm not with them. These are ones I'm thinking of.

Easter Egger- Small, lays green or blue eggs.
Barnvelder- Small, lays dark brown eggs
Orpington- Mostly docile, light brown eggs. I worry because they supposedly go broody often.
Wyandottes- Generally docile, but occasionally aggressive.

Oh, this is my spoiled cat. He stalks me.

 

It occures to me that I only seem to post crazy-kitty pictures, so here.