BOOOO!

Jan
(Actually good, but I had to Boo.)

I should put a disclaimer I'm not urban. I'm way out in the boonies.

I'm raising Rhode Island Reds. I got 9 layers for a family of four and have more than enough eggs for our needs and give some to close elderly people around us. I have an additional 19 for meat. I let my layers roam after done laying (free range city terms). I tried free range for meat birds once (never do that again) way too tough too eat. Made a portable coop for them to move around to get the flavor of free range. The meat and eggs produced is far superior the any at the store and what a cost savings.

We don't have any right now, but we have had them in the past. If you can stand the noise, guinea fowl are very low maintenance, except that they are noisy and stupid. They will stand in the road and get hit by cars. They also lay eggs everywhere, rather than in nests. But they do get rid of ticks and chiggers.

We liked the Ameraucana because of the egg color, and found Dominique to be hardy. The Rhode Island Reds were too aggressive for our modest abilities in avoiding conflict.

Never be tempted to get pheasants. They are a mistake unless you are certain they are what you want. They will kill each other, given half a chance.

We got our birds by mail order, 25 in a box, from Murray McMurray, in business now for nearly a century. They took the forefront against the aminal rgihts people who tried to get the Feds to outlaw postal shipment of live chicks a few years back. The people complaining about shipment of live chicks said they were "transported without food and water" and "should be kept at cool temperatures," thus showing complete ignorance of poultry.

You can fence your poultry "in" or "out" or you can do as a friend of ours does, and have them out during the day and in a henhouse at night. Some people report success with a "chicken tractor" (q.v.).

We have Araucanas/Ameraucanas mixes (from McMurray Hatchery) too - they are neat chickens and they do have unique eggs. We sell eggs, and you'd be surprised how many people don't want them because they're convinced that they "aren't right". But others like them and request them too :)

Yeah there are cities that allow them, but some that don't. I have ran into more than a few people who found out after they got theirs and were turned in by neighbors and were facing fines and having to get ride of them. It's kind of ridiculous really. Even in the rural area where I live, some of the nearby towns (with less than a thousand people) have outright bans on chickens. We'd think being so close to rural areas they would be more open to the idea.

Roosters with only a few hens can also be hard on the hens - if he has too few girls to focus his attention on - he can remove feathers from the backs of their necks and the tops of their wings down to bare skin and even causing cuts and scrapes - due to "too much attentiveness" if you know what I mean ;) This is more of an issue with heavier breeds - banty are better about not being so heavy that they cause these kinds on injuries. Another advantage of banty chickens is that although their eggs are smaller, you can have more of them in the same space.

LOL! Awesome comment. Nomination for Best of... ;)

I have a brother-in-law who grew up on one of the largest chicken farms in Wisconsin. His family ran it for decades. What most people don't know is that the price of eggs has largely been static for more than 40 years - it hasn't adjusted for inflation like everything else.

What also should be noted is that the poultry industry has been hit hard both by avian flu and by sabotage, constricting supply and raising prices accordingly. Although it means a correction in price which is inconvenient, I wouldn't read too much into the rise itself.

Nice article on the various breeds, however!

I just had a humorous thought about an actual Gulch with a lot of chickens in it.
Imagine this sight: Squawking chickens part for a pair of Gulchers, who are taking a walk while discussing Ayn Rand's philosophy.

I like the Amerncunas because of the color of the eggs, but it really doesn't matter. I couldn't tell one chicken's eggs from another. What matters the most is what you feed them. Make sure they get plenty of feed as well as access to bugs and things. They also like scraps; mine loved pizza crusts.

Many cities let you have like three hens.

Agreed, you don't need a rooster for eggs (and I always laugh at the people who don't know this), but if you're allowed to have one, I'd suggest getting one, because he takes care of his girls.

I guess if you bought those, it would mean you'd gotten the Pullet Surprise.

I think it's a good term. It's about people trying to be more self-sufficient but in an urban or suburban environment. It can include the lawn to garden movement, guerrilla gardening, bee keeping, small livestock.

There is a family in AZ (phoenix I think) that has their whole backyard and what used to be their pool set up to produce food. Including tilapia in the deep end.

Here is a book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Homestead-Ex...

Here is the videos from that family:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMkmgolA...

Farming is coming back because if you don't have a farm to feed yourself in a few years you may very well starve. Just heard on the ag channel that eggs are$1.23 a dozen at dealer cost, highest it has ever been. probably will not go down until most stop buying eggs. that is called supply and demand. so get a few birds and get your own.

I have had several of the varieties that are mentioned in the article, but my favorites so far are the black sex-linked and the amricanus. The former are good because the hens are calm and friendly...and because you can tell that they are hens.

Story: I went by a feed store (which is where you get your chicks if you do not want to order them) and I saw a crate full of little chicks with a little blond topnot on the top of each tiny head. The create was labeled "pullets" (female chicks) but the white topnot signified that they were all males. So, since one of the problems if you are buying chicks is to make sure you get all pullets, buy black sex-linked and make sure you get the ones with the all-black heads.

The other breed that I like are the americanus - because they have beautiful green or blue eggs. The hens are also nice colors of bronze and gold (though with an occasional albino). I just like the color of the eggs.

Jan, has 5 hens and one big rooster

Have you found any varieties that you are leaning towards so far?
We have a batch of chickens - I think the current count is 57. But we have a lot of types. Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Black Australorps, Red Stars, Black Stars, Rhode Island Reds, Speckled Sussex, Black Laced Wyandotte, Silkies, I think Polish (the ones with the top hats), etc... My daughter deals with them more than I do and has picked most of the breeds we have.
They're neat critters. Our oldest one right now is a Barred Rock that we call Grandma Greybar - she is 8 years old now. She has a unique character - she's showing some signs of arthritis maybe - walking is getting slower and more difficult for her - so she meets us at the front door every day when we get home from work to get a ride to her chicken house. She just comes trekking right up to us, stands in front of us and starts stretching upwards and waits for us to grab her and take her home. She's probably not laying eggs anymore, but she's a pet (as they really all are). They will lay for a few years pretty well. Our chickens run around on our property pretty much where ever they want to (other than our fenced garden) so they get a lot of their own food. So if they are not laying anymore, then they get to run around retired ;) We still get plenty of eggs and they nearly break even on their overhead, so we see no need to cull them after a year or two like many people do.

Thanks for the expertise, AM! Many local ordinances allow hens, but no roosters due to noise. Definitely check local ordinances first.

First, make sure you are allowed to have chickens. There are a lot of local ordinances against having chickens.

Second, there is a bit to consider. They are very good at eating plants (and bugs, frogs, salamanders, pretty much anything they can swallow) - they will eat leaves, grass, garden vegies, berries, fruits, etc.. So if you have things you don't want them to eat - you'll have to setup fences or enclosures to keep them put or out of your stuff.
I don't think there is a breed that you can safely say are quiet. The roosters will crow from before daylight throughout the day. The hens will sing their "I laid an egg" song just about every time they lay an egg. But they will get vocal about things that scare them - sometimes loud noises, an animal harassing them, etc... But, they are quieter than the roosters. You do not need a rooster BTW, the hens will still lay eggs - they're just unfertilized. You will get - generally an egg per day per chicken.
One of my personal favorites is the medium/heavy breed chicken called Buff Orpington. They are pretty mellow chickens and can be like a friendly pet if you work with them (although I think that is the case with most breeds really). Here's a good site on chickens specifically about these chickens:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/buff-o...
You need to make sure they have around 4sq ft of chicken house space per chicken (of this breed). Smaller breeds like banty varieties can deal with less.
If you set them up in an enclosed run off of their chicken house, unless you move it around frequently, they will bring the area down to dirt. They love taking dust baths and will wallow in the dirt and then shake it off when they get up - sometimes making a rather large dust cloud.
If you get chicks, keep in mind that they need to be heated when they are little - requiring heat lamps, and such. Getting a small quantity in a suburban area may be more difficult. Most companies ship them to you, but require 15-25 chicks to be order so they have a better chance in shipping. If you have any Tractor Supply or other companies around you, they may order chicks to come in during early spring, but may not get your particular varietal interest. Finding a feed source will be needed too. Again Tractor Supply, or other.
Anyway, I'll stop for now - you can ask more if you need more. Check out the Backyard chicken site I posted - they are a valuable source of information on everything chicken!

Hope that helps!
:)

I raised a 50 x 50 foot vegetable garden during the second half of my childhood. That was labor intensive enough that I am willing to pay someone else to do that for me in the future.

Well, here is the place I think of when I hear the term:
http://urbanhomestead.org/

I have not heard the expression "urban homesteaders" before. It reminds me of when Neal Boortz, the former Atlanta radio talk show host, referred to as "urban outdoorsmen" instead of homeless people.