Well, I finally got both husband and landlord approval for chickens!
The landlord was much easier- he actually laughed at me for bothering to ask. So I decided to keep a thread going with each stage of getting ready for the chickens!
First and foremost, I had to clean up the yard area they're going to be in. Our yard is pretty small and doesn't have much of a view, so the dogs are the only ones to use it. And they just use it to potty. So all we've really ever done with the yard is pick up the dog poop, we never much bother with the dead leaves and pine needles. The patio set was bought when we first moved in and basically never used because all you can see out there is walls.
Today I raked up all the leaves and needles and sawed down a bunch of the little offshoots of that tree thing. Doesn't look like much now but when the leaves come in it's a jungle in there, and I wanted the chickens to be able to move around in between the two main parts of it.
Before:
And now!
The lawn chair is going to stay in the yard for something for the chickens to play on. I'm keeping the table too, I figure it will keep a nice dry area when it snows for the chickens to go out in or shelter if it happens to rain.
Still have to build fencing, build a coop, rake the other half of the yard, and so many other things. But it's a start!
First and foremost, I had to clean up the yard area they're going to be in. Our yard is pretty small and doesn't have much of a view, so the dogs are the only ones to use it. And they just use it to potty. So all we've really ever done with the yard is pick up the dog poop, we never much bother with the dead leaves and pine needles. The patio set was bought when we first moved in and basically never used because all you can see out there is walls.
Today I raked up all the leaves and needles and sawed down a bunch of the little offshoots of that tree thing. Doesn't look like much now but when the leaves come in it's a jungle in there, and I wanted the chickens to be able to move around in between the two main parts of it.
Before:
And now!
The lawn chair is going to stay in the yard for something for the chickens to play on. I'm keeping the table too, I figure it will keep a nice dry area when it snows for the chickens to go out in or shelter if it happens to rain.
Still have to build fencing, build a coop, rake the other half of the yard, and so many other things. But it's a start!
now that we've moved, we're getting our first chicks and will be clearing out a spot and building or own coop too! Good luck! I'm anxious to see how it turns out (for ourselves too lol)
I would love a bunch of pine needles for my runs, I would just go out towards Sisters and fill my truck bed from BLM land but not sure if that is legal (suspect it's not). So for now I just get the occassional bale of alfalfa, gives them something to dig in and extra greens in the winter. And they free range daily...
I hope you don't mind me bothering you with questions about chickens in small yards - we'll be doing the same in a few months, haha. How high is the fencing around your property? Any urban pests?
