New Member

[Ranger56]

Hi everyone. I have been around chickens off-and-on for a good part of my life, but raising chickens in the city is a new experience. I introduced my partner to the joys of better tasting eggs from your own chickens a few years ago and we raised chickens and guinea fowl for several years when we lived outside the city. We recently sold our house in the "country" and moved back into the city. We have a double lot with plenty of space for our aquaponic and raised bed gardens and we have decided to keep a small flock (6 to 8) of hens for eggs and enjoyment as well. Now I need to build a completely contained chicken coop and yard to keep our birds safe and healthy.

I am interested in any suggestions for city-dwelling chicken habitats that have worked well. I am older and can't do a lot of stooping and bending so I am looking at building something I can access at waist height and a yard that I can stand up in. I'm also interested in any suggestions or tips that will help me provide the best environment for my chickens in the city.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC!

Urban chicken keeping is becoming very popular - which means there are many resources out there to get some ideas on what might work for you as you venture back into chickens. Here on BYC one place to start is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops -- you can get a look at all the different coops folks have built and take pieces from those you like to combine into the perfect coop & run for you and your new birds. Pinterest is another place you can find TONS of great urban coop ideas.

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to BYC!!! Glad you joined our flock!

 

[redsoxs]

Hello from Kansas, Ranger56, and

! Great to have you in our community! Best of luck with your build and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Ranger56

Welcome!

What is your climate like?

Being in Aus, we have a hot climate and opted for an elevated coop with a slide out floor for easy cleaning. We are in the process of moving a mere 1,300kms [807 miles] up the road [lol] and like this design so much we are building the new coop along the same lines. We also love our chickens so much, we are flying them up to their new home

Anyways ….

The coop here:



Slide out floor which is slatted for extra ventilation in our climate:



The coop under construction at our new home:




We live smack bang in the middle of suburbia, neighbours on all sides. The girls free range in the garden all day and I have found that they spend most of their time relaxing in this area where they have shade, lots of things to sit on, their own garden bed [dust bath] etc.



Early morning and afternoon they like to have a wander on the lawn .. as you can see, the back fence is very low and in 4 years, I have not had one chicken try and hop over it; they seem pretty happy at home

I hope that kinda helps and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

 

[drumstick diva]