Guest Post ~ Can I keep Chickens in My Backyard?

by Nate Smith

If you have made the decision that you would like to try your hand at keeping some chickens in your backyard, there are a few considerations that you might want to make first, and although you have probably thought of some of these, there just might be a few that might come as a surprise.

Legality of Raising Backyard Chickens


Probably the very first question you should ask yourself about raising chickens is, can I raise chickens in my backyard?’ You know, legally. I know, I know. If you are slightly stubborn like I tend to be you are probably saying to yourself, ‘this is my property, so surely I can do whatever I want on it’! Am I right? If that thought crossed your mind, or anything at all along those lines, trust me, I know where you’re coming from. Here’s the deal.

If you live within the boundaries of a city as most (but not all) of us do, you will want to start out by getting info on whether or not you can even keep chickens in your backyard while staying within the confines of the law. The last thing you want to do is to build or buy a chicken coop, purchase a few starter hens, buy some food, get the entire family excited about the adventure that lies ahead, only to have a bureaucrat pay you a visit and let you know (kindly or otherwise), that what you are doing against a city ordinance and that not only will you have to get rid of your new chicks, you will also have to pony up for a fine they’ve decided to hand you. What a slap in the face!

Basic Types of Zoning and Chickens


There are a few different types of zoning that exist, each one having different laws and regulations on what you will and what you will not be able to do. If your property happens to be zoned as agricultural, then you probably won’t have any problem raising chickens or constructing any type of chicken coop you might want to have. Most people reading this article will not fit that description however, and will live on property that is probably zoned as residential. Don’t let that discourage you in regards to chicken-raising, as many, many residential areas will allow people to raise a few chickens on their property. The best thing that you can do to make sure is to contact your city offices and simply ask them if there are any ordinances on raising chickens in your backyard, and what they are. You will find typically that there are two different areas of laws that will affect what you are able to do. First, there are often laws specific to the actual birds. How many birds you are able to have on your property (it might depend on the size of your property), what sex they can be (roosters, anyone?), and in some cases, although not extremely common, you might even have to get written permission from your neighbors! I know, that last one sounds a bit strange. You haven’t burned any bridges there, have you? The second set of laws have to do with the type of housing you use for your chickens. How large can your chicken coop be? Do you have to get a permit to build or even own a chicken coop in your backyard? Will this chicken coop need to be inspected?

I hope I haven’t scared you away from the idea of even wanting to start raising chickens in your backyard, and honestly I believe I have found some of the more extreme laws that you might want to, as your own city ordinance might include anything from having nearly no regulations at all, to maybe just one or two of these issues, which might not seem like much of a problem at all. Remember, as you are going into this and inquiring about the local laws of your city just remember that joy of fresh eggs, chickens and the family experience is all very much worth it in the end!

A Personal Example on Chicken Keeping Laws


It has been a number years now that raising chickens in your backyard has been allowed here in my city. In regards to how many chickens can be kept here, a person can keep up to 12 chickens, depending on the size of your property. Anywhere from house lots as small as 5,000 square feet keeping just two chickens, up to larger lots being allowed 12. There was a small public hearing where people were able to voice their opinions on the matter. For the most part it was thought that people being able to raise chickens in their backyard was fine, and that there wasn’t really any detriment at all.

Even public officials mentioned that when it came to complaints about chickens from neighbors (which were extremely rare as it is), the complaints were never about noise, and never about a smell (neither of those things seemed to be any problem at all). The only complaints on file were for the occasional chicken getting loose, which was always promptly gathered and put back in its place. I’m sure we can all point to that neighbor of ours that would be the first to complain about the slightest inconvenience, or really anything at all.
Whatever the case may be where you live, make sure you have it on good authority that you are able to keep chickens before going out and finding chicks and a chicken coop. Don’t take the advice of a friend or a neighbor or a real estate agent even someone near you that might be raising chickens. Sometimes when laws are passed that ban certain things, those who were practicing before the law came into effect are exempt from the new law; they are grandfathered in.

What if My City Does Not Allow Backyard Chickens?


If you find that your municipality does not allow raising chickens, don’t panic just yet. All might not be lost. The process of getting a simple law like this changed is often times much more simple than you might think. You might be asked to attend a city council meeting to state your case, and often times that will be enough for the city to take a vote on the issue, and I think often times you will find that no one wants to be the lone councilman putting their foot down on people wanting to become more self-sustaining. Be patient on the matter as this process doesn’t usually happen overnight. It can takes months for the ball to get rolling, but you can be a part of making great changes in your area if you stick with it. If you can find others in your area that back you on this issue and will be willing to work with you, even better.

Nate Smith has been homesteading and dealing with backyard chickens for a number of years. He encourages people who are looking to begin raising chickens to gather information first on the best breeds of chickens, types of chicken coops and requirements that go into raising backyard chickens.

Can you tell the difference?

Are both these cows healthy?

I have a woman in the neighborhood that would tell you that the bottom cow is being starved to death, and we must intervene. I would say that both these cows are indeed healthy.

Dairy cattle, like the Brown Swiss above, are slimmer than beef cattle, like the Angusrind at top.  

My darling Murrial has become a point of debate.

The woman has decided to take it upon herself to tell my neighbors that she is going to confront me about starving my cows. Now how did this come about?

She was visiting the bad dog neighbors, and has awesome eyesight, as she relaid to good neighbor's mother, that she was concerned that my cows were not being fed. She said she could see large bales, but the cows had no access to them, and that they looked skinny to her.

Only ones that would look skinny are Murrial and Courage. (And Courage is going through a lanky growth stage right now). The Kerries are as fat as a cow (haha).  After I received several calls from neighbors about this woman, not about my cows and their worry (interesting) but about this woman, I waited for her to show up and confront me. The longer I waited, the angrier I became.  As you all know I have sacrificed a lot to make sure they had food. We did get some light stuff, however they have never gone without food. Ever.

The house where she spied on us from, doesn't have a full view of my fields, she spread the rumor that there was no feed out there. My house and barn block the view to where the hay ring is at this moment. 

I got the calls on Sunday. No one has said anything to me about the condition of my cattle, as they can all see the feed, and know this woman is off her rocker. She still has yet to come over. And I have a feeling that even though my neighbors told her that they were milking cows, she will be calling Animal control on me.  I am tempted that if she does, to pass the information on to them, that she has too many horses allowed by law on her property. But I probably won't. I have done nothing wrong, and county is more than welcome to look. 

The lesson I guess, make sure you know your breeds of cattle before you spread accusations. Because it makes you look bad in people's eyes.

Maybe even, if you are concerned, offer some friendly help. Find out what is happening.  It's better than spreading rumors.

I told him to stop playing with his food

He says it's hand rubbed meat

She even lays on her side, and will stick a leg up for her belly rubbed, just like a dog.  But because he does this, she runs, screaming at me as soon as I walk into the pen. She thinks I will scratch her, I think she is going to push me down and eat me.

I am still on hiatus, I just needed a break from the drama going on, and I know you guys talk to me still. ~haha~

On Hiatus

Will be back in 2 months

Good luck!

Please stop dumping them on me

I really wish people would stop dumping their dogs in the country. I realize that many think that us country folk will take them in, and yes, once in a great while we do. However the shear amount of dogs that get dumped, there is no feasible way to care for them all.

For those that dump their dogs, here's what happens to your pooch.

1. they get hit by a car
2. the get torn apart by coyotes
3. The get bit or scratched and die from an infection
4. they starve to death

Now if they managed to escape the above, they get hungry

5. farmer shoots them for attacking livestock.


However if they are very lucky


6. Animal control is called to pick them up


But even Animal control has told me to set out poison for the dumped pets. I won't do that, but some will.

If they manage to find other dumped dogs, they form a motley pack. And begin killing anything or anyone. They attack children and adults alike. I know you are looking at your pooch thinking but Sparky wouldn't hurt a fly. Think again. Try not feeding them for a week and see if they don't turn on you. You know they will. They become crazed by hunger. Dogs are not vegans. If all they can get is grass and plant life, they will eventually find a farm, they will kill the chickens or rabbits. And then they themselves will be killed.

Some feel that their dogs have a better chance at life in the country, rather then placing them in the care of the Humane Society. They are wrong. It is needlessly cruel to dump your dogs in the country.

I have shot many myself, ever since the city put in a measure that restricts what they consider dangerous dogs.  I am tired of it. I am tired of your dogs desperate for food. We have to be careful with our children as well because of it. However lately the packs have slowed down because of the drought, they are starving to death and the coyotes have been eating them.

Show that dog a bit of kindness and take them to the pound. And it isn't just dogs, cats are a big problem as well. 

Blog Listings confusion

Someone, pointed out that I am listed under gardening, and here I am talking about violence.

I am actually listed in all sorts of places, gardening, construction management, cooking, do-it-yourself, frugal, farming, alternative, survival, crafts etc. . .

Here's the rub, I didn't list myself in them. I listed myself in only two places, under homesteading and personal journal, and I have only received a couple of hits from those places. Wonderful readers list me in other places, like stumbleupon, pintrest,  and blog rank are the most popular. Many of these places do not list homesteading or farming as a general listing, so many blogs like mine end up under gardening. Some times when a person asks to list a blog, the listing employees look at that blog, and if you have been talking about gardening for that week, the employees label the blog as such. (and I have looked at the blog rank listings, they have my numbers way lower then they truly are)

The most hits I see in a day are about butchering, as several e-how posts link to them.

So, now you know.

This is a personal journal that talks about everything. If you want gardening come back in mid march.

Candles and guns

Apparently those of us that decided to put up photos of our guns with a lit candle upset a good many people. I have been reading about it on and off for the last few days over on Weer'd World. Then I read an open letter by Sarah on Cranky Chicks with Guns. 

I guess I could always put my two cents in.

Once upon a time I was a young girl, and a victim of a violent crime. Not many in my life know about this. Because I survived it and no longer consider myself a victim. I was, yes. And I don't bring it up, and talk about it in conversations.  It was 20 years ago, and now I have no qualms about pulling a gun out on a man that just walks into my house, because he knows Husband is away. I don't know what that man's intentions were, but I am guessing that it was more than just to take a house tour. I had young children in the house as well. He heard my dogs, and saw my rifle, he ran. And I was safe.

But  about  20 years ago (I was 14 he was twice my age) it was a different story. Candles lit in honor of my victimage is not appreciated. Candle light vigils have their place, just not in mine.

 I thought I was in a safe place, I thought him sweet and kind. He lit candles to be romantic and we talked. He wasn't a stranger.

The lit candles in the room didn't save me from his savage beating when I didn't want to give him head.  The lit candles didn't rescue me when I screamed for help as he used his knife to cut and shred my clothing. The candles didn't comfort me when I gave up fighting and merely cried through the pain. The candles flickered and died as the scene repeated itself.


 I loathe this story. I hate remembering it. Even so I will not cower and play victim. 

The variousness of it

How many of you live in a mobile home, manufactured home, or trailer?

Most of them are pretty much set up the same, unless you get a custom set-up. Ours is 30 some odd years old. And it has a time keeping itself warm.  Every year I tell Husband that this is the last year I will suffer a winter in this thing. However things creep up, and we have to put off building something new. Our biggest obstacle is that we live in one of the few counties that actually have building codes other than, if I push on it and it doesn't fall, it's all good.  (that and money of course, but that goes with the building code problem)

So what we are doing in the interim  is "customizing" the home. Things like putting in a real floor is quite normal for a trailer house, especially when one falls through it. I've done that, what. . . twice now? But the biggest problem is pipes freezing.

I have something that I think was once suppose to be a dinning room. Or at least a space to but a desk size table into for people to eat on with a cheap lamp type chandelier hanging above it.  A silly little table isn't big enough for the 5 of us, we have tried. And it has the washer and dryer in a closet type thing in the same area.  We have taken the fridge out of it's cubby hole and put it in the dinning area, along with the 2 upright freezers. But the washer is on the north side of the house. Bad Bad Bad. The lines to it freeze every year.

We moved the laundry area to the master bath. Our master bath has been all kinds of things over the years, ever since we removed the brittle plastic garden tub because of a leak and mold. I think creating a laundry room will be the last step. It is 12F now, and the lines didn't freeze! With as much laundry as I have to do between the 5 of us and our various chores resulting in much dirt, dust and oil, this is great! Plus the first time in 10 years that I could do laundry on such a cold day.

But now we have an empty hole in this dinning area. Husband will be putting in a new pantry in it. This helps out greatly, and I will have a place to put all those canning jars!

We have several winter projects we are working on. Maybe with the customization of our own trailer will help give some of you, that are tired too of living in one of these things, a few ideas of your own.

And I would love to hear about your own tailored trailer.

Rabbit mistake

Long story short

Took a doe to a buck

doe was larger than buck

doe killed buck

I Bought a Book

Huzzah!!!

Thank you thank you I am proud of myself.

On the recommendation of a couple of people, I purchased Five Acres and Independence by MG Kains. Trying to find it through a place that accepts paypal was difficult. I bought it online through Ready Made Resources. giving them a shout-out because they had the book, and it arrived quickly.


Glancing through it, I must say that it seems to be right up my alley. I will let you know soon.

Also, Fox Chapel Publishing sent me two new books to look over before it's release date.