Very small yard! Anyone else make it work?

[Angeljim95]

Quote:
Great advice, I would totally agree with you. Also you might want to stick to silkies, they lay medium size eggs and they're small and gourgeous-your neighbors would not be bothered by the presence of such beautiful babies

Good luck and have fun!

 

[CautiousVenturer]

Those are some really cute coops! I was thinking building one in the garage with a doggy door to a run would be a good idea for warmth, availability of electricity, space saving, etc, but my husband won't let me have a corner. Next best spot would be along the side of the garage, but that would mean transplanting a bunch of blueberries I just planted.... I wish I had planned better!

Now I'm wondering what to get again.... I had been thinking of a dominique, americauna, and something else, but if the silkies are cute and lay well too.... decisions, decisions!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Muggsmagee]

How many chickens are you after? What about making a chicken tractor and moving them around the yard every day? We do this in the summer time...8-10 chickens in a 7 x 12 pvc tractor. They get fresh grass and grubs every day, and our lawn gets fertilized. Win/Win! We just rake it up and add the access poo around our trees or put it in the compost.

Silkies are notorious for going broody, so don't expect an abundance of eggs. They are so awesome to have in the flock, though, as their antics are hilarious to watch. And, you can NEVER go wrong with Ameraucanas, but Easter Eggers might be a better choice for a small flock...depending on the mix EE's will lay bigger eggs, more frequently. Also, Orpingtons are a wonderful asset to any flock...I think of mine as the labradors of my chicken flock...just happy to be here, and go with the flow.

I have seen coops in backyards no bigger than a postage stamp. Go through the pics on the Coop section to see if there is something that inspires you. Be sure to post pics back here so we can see what you've come up with! Good luck!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
Silkies aren't going to be as reliable a layer as something like a barred rock or americauna.. And they go broody, which might mean they will give you no eggs for a few weeks if they refuse to change their minds. If you are set on having chickens because you want EGGS.. then I'd definitely go with a larger breed known for having good production. I have silkies- so I'm not trying to turn you off them, but I wouldn't get them for eggs. I have what I call my "layers" .. and then I have silkies. (which are cute, adorable, docile, and fun!) ha!

 

[ECBW]

Silkies are also not mobile, so everything needs to be low. Mine can but does not like to jump up to a 16" high perch, which is the lowest I can go with out being in the way of the regulars.

Silkies are not reliable layers, so beware.

 

[franklinstreetwest]

Hi there, WELCOME!

I feel ya completly with your space constraints!! I have a 42X140 lot...there is 4 feet of yard on one side of the house, and 8feet on the other; then behind that is another little house on the same lot and a two car attached garage with rear drive. I have privacy fences all around, but I'm not keeping any secrets. My neighbors can see everything I do from their upstairs windows, or their back porch.....just the way it is. But you know, you're a city dweller too!

I keep silkies and showgirls in my garage. They don't fly, which is great. Other birds can get right over a privacy fence if they want to. Mine are notoriously bad layers!! GREAT broodies, they'll sit on unfertile eggs for months!!!!! I am hatching some bantam Aracauna right now....you might message "Little Ameraucana Mom" on here and ask her how well they lay, and if they go broody as frequently as silkies. The eggs are a pretty sea green, and they are mediumish.

They don't have an outdoor run... I have a ton of big dogs in the neighborhood and half the time they're loose... I lost my entire flock (even being in the garage) earlier this spring. The three neighbors dogs came right through the window to get to them. Curious darned Huskies....Instead, when I go out to garden, I let the girls out and they do their picking and dust bathing. When I go inside, they go in the garage. I'm usually out gardening for hours....they seem happy.

Maybe you could post some pictures of they layout of your property, and we could help brainstorm ideas with you?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There are lots of small city yards in our chicken meetup group.
Here are pics
http://www.meetup.com/stlouischickens/photos/

My yard is bigger but mostly big trees and very little sun. It took me about a year tracking the path of the sun to optimize it for gardening.
I recommend picking the sunniest spot for your garden. The chickens if full size can handle anyplace. Be more cautious of heat in the summer than cold.

 

[franklinstreetwest]

Great link, thanks for sharing! I love St. Louis, such a great city!

 

[CautiousVenturer]

Great link! Some of those spaces are definitely smaller than mine... very creative materials reuse, too.

I think my problem is going to be worrying too much about cold weather and thinking they need fort knox to live in and keep warm!

 

[Skiptonius]

In the small city where I live they recently started allowing chickens

but you are only allowed 3 and I think they need to be 25 feet away from your neighbors. They made it very difficult for people to actually follow the ordinance, therefore not too many people have them. I am going to be living in a township soon

and I think chickens are allowed, and although I would like to allow free-ranging I don't think that will work unless I put up a fence of some sort to keep them in our own yard. The neighbors are close, but our yard is deep so part of it could be reserved for chickens. I don't want to take up too much space, as we have 4 kids and a doggie that will want to run and play outside. I love the idea of the tractor coop - depending on the kids activities we can move the coop around and out of the way. I love all the ideas and designs for the smaller coops/runs. Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas. I have the winter to plan and build to prepare for a small flock in spring