- Sep 29, 2010
- 21
- 3
- 84
I joined years ago hoping to work out having chickens in our suburban backyard, and at that time circumstances did not work out in my favor. The ordinances and enforcement officers were unfriendly and we were were about to share a property line with a high-end apartment complex, so the odds of someone being unhappy and complaining were pretty high. Of course, now the same city is offering incentives to people who will keep backyard chickens... go figure. Our next house was outside city limits, but our HOA prohibited chickens. 
I was considering trying meat rabbits on a very small scale, then an unexpected opportunity came up and we moved again. This time we finally got it right -- we're on almost 14 acres well outside of any cities or HOAs. Freeeeedom! 
The goal now is one or two dozen chickens, and possibly other poultry down the line (guineas, geese and turkeys are on my possibilities list). Since we're no longer exactly a backyard setup, my ideas are changing... initial thinking was a stationary coop and run, but now I think I'd like to have the chickens and other poultry fairly mobile and essentially following the larger animals (cows and goats) around on pasture. We'd use movable electric poultry netting to create a run, and a few small mobile coops for shelter and overnight protection from predators (theory being that multiple small coops are easier to move frequently, and also give us the option of splitting the flock).
On a personal level, I'm a homeschooling mom of three (5, 7 and 9) and we share the property with my parents, so we've got three generations here. We started some beehives this spring, and we're working on goats and chickens in the next month or so. Cattle (not many, and possibly not year-round) will come soon, and probably rabbits and other poultry. We'll be starting a garden in the fall, and my dad wants to try aquaponics. Beyond that, we'll see what happens but we're loving the adventure!
I was considering trying meat rabbits on a very small scale, then an unexpected opportunity came up and we moved again. This time we finally got it right -- we're on almost 14 acres well outside of any cities or HOAs. Freeeeedom! The goal now is one or two dozen chickens, and possibly other poultry down the line (guineas, geese and turkeys are on my possibilities list). Since we're no longer exactly a backyard setup, my ideas are changing... initial thinking was a stationary coop and run, but now I think I'd like to have the chickens and other poultry fairly mobile and essentially following the larger animals (cows and goats) around on pasture. We'd use movable electric poultry netting to create a run, and a few small mobile coops for shelter and overnight protection from predators (theory being that multiple small coops are easier to move frequently, and also give us the option of splitting the flock).
On a personal level, I'm a homeschooling mom of three (5, 7 and 9) and we share the property with my parents, so we've got three generations here. We started some beehives this spring, and we're working on goats and chickens in the next month or so. Cattle (not many, and possibly not year-round) will come soon, and probably rabbits and other poultry. We'll be starting a garden in the fall, and my dad wants to try aquaponics. Beyond that, we'll see what happens but we're loving the adventure!
