The City Chicken

* * * Look at this space first for news and current events! Updated July 2010 * * * What to do for your chickens in July: By this time, if you have a garden, it's probably getting pretty big and so if you let your chickens out to roam in the yard a little, they probably won't be able to scratch up seedlings because plants are well established by this time of year. For instance, my entire garden is in raised beds. The beds are so crowded by July with flowers and veggies that the chickens can hardly get into them. Instead, they scratch all around the outside perimeter of the beds. I don’t really know why they do this; perhaps there are bugs there. It does have the effect of scratching out the weeds and grass that are encroaching on the raised beds, so that’s nice. . . . . . .The soil also gets drier in July. This will create more dry patches of dirt which chickens gravitate towards and will love to take dust baths in. If you’ve never seen a chicken take a dustbath, it can be disconcerting at first because they flop around a lot. But then you can see that they are really enjoying themselves. . . . . . . . Be sure to check your chicken's water daily in hotter weather. Make sure that your chickens have access to shade at all times of the day in the summer. Usually a chicken coop will provide some shade. . . . . . . As you mow the lawn this summer, be sure to throw some grass clippings in to your coop. The chickens will eat the grass, and it also makes good litter at the floor of your chicken tractor to absorb poop and standing water. Later on in the summer as you harvest your produce, throw the trimmings and spent plants into your chicken pen, too. Enjoy July! Chicken Coop Tour 2010: Chicken lovers of Oregon and SW Washington! The yearly 'Tour De Coops' is coming up. 2010 Tour de Coops . . . . . July 24th, 2010 - 11am-3pm See here for details: http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php Chicken coop tours have become popular in a number of cities; check to see if one is happening in your town! The Mad City Chickens documentary is coming to Portland, Oregon on July 25th, 2009. The public screening will follow the annual ‘Tour de Coops’ presented by Growing Gardens. Show starts at 8:00pm at a venue called “:vendetta” . . . 4306 N. Williams St., Portland Oregon. . . . for more info contact: Judy Collinstef, Publicist, Tarazod Films . . . . www.tarazod.com TheCityChicken.com now has a related Yahoo Group. Find it here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecitychicken/ Join up! Guess what else is new? Are you on FaceBook? If so, join the group: "Fans Of TheCityChicken.com!" Some of the publications TheCityChicken.com has been mentioned in: USA Today June 21, 2007 http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-21-chicken-coops_N.htm Newsweek Nov 17, 2008 http://www.newsweek.com/id/168740 The New York Times April 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/nyregion/30towns.html?_r=3 The New York Times September 19, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/dining/19yard.html?_r=5&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin Slate.com June 4, 2008 http://www.slate.com/id/2192934/?GT1=38001 The Toronto Star newspaper Toronto, Canada May 4, 2008 http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/421205 CNN Money.com http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/23/smallbusiness/urban_chickens/


We recently moved to a small (pop. 1500) town in Washington. The chicken rules are more strict here than they were in Portland, Oregon! I had to submit a proposal to the Town Council and request that I might keep some hens. They don't really approve of chicken tractors, because they can be moved around, and one has to keep ones chickens 50 feet away from all neighbors at all times. So, even though chicken tractors are so practical, they are met with resistance in some towns, even rural ones like mine! I'm certain people don't have to submit proposals when they want to keep cats or dogs. That's nearly considered a right in America. Dogs are allowed to go right up to their fence line and bark at any time they want. Dogs and cats don't have to be kept 50 feet from all neighbors at all times; why chickens? Dogs are much noisier. Dogs bark at night way after dark at times, yet hens don't make a peep after the sun goes down. And don't get me started on how many pet cats poop in your and my yards. It's thinking like this that many people right now are trying to overcome. You might start by getting one of these bumper stickers.


Is keeping chickens in your city or suburban backyard legal? The odds are on your side. TheCityChicken.com has a new page in progress: ChickenLaws.html. Check it out! Every city is different. Try looking up your city codes on-line. Most cities have their codes on-line these days. If you can't find a clear answer, try emailing various people at your cities' agency websites. The rules on keeping chickens might be handled by your cities' Animal Control, or maybe it is covered by your County. Don't take the first person's reply as gospel. Every city has different rules, and it might take some research to find out what those rules and laws are. For example, in Portland, Oregon, the rules can be found here: http://www.mchealth.org/vector/nuisance.htm#specanimals . In Portland you can keep up to three hens without a permit. Roosters are prohibited, and if you want to keep more than three hens, you need a permit.


Some videos I’ve taken of my chickens: hens scratching compost: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFfUcRHhOhQ a broody hen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoLgpRnsO7Y chickens chase the food bucket: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihh6jQFZDMk chickens in hot weather: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUaGx9_kD-M a white hen walking into the house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjodPExokQs pullets pecking on a bucket: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8aFVB_8VzY three week old chicks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3feGKYMOgk three hens being hand-fed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL4YJMPnf_I

What should you do if you have an extra rooster you want to get rid of, or too many hens, or you want to sell your chickens before you move, or you're just plain tired of chickens for some reason? Don't feel bad about it; it happens all the time. I would use and have used CraigsList.com to post a free ad giving away or sometimes selling your chickens. It can't be guaranteed they won't become dinner for someone, but more often that not they won't be. However, I personally believe a chicken dinner is a noble end for a chicken! Also try giving away your extra chickens at FreeCycle.org.


Have you heard of “compost tea?” It’s adding water to compost and using the resulting water as liquid fertilizer for your garden. You can do it with chicken poop, too! One way is to put a shovel-full of your chicken’s manure into a burlap bag, essentially making a giant manure tea bag of sorts. Put that bag into a five gallon bucket. Let it steep for a week. (Keep any 5 gallon buckets with any kind of liquid in them away from children and pets.) Some people say it should be one part “tea” to nine parts water, to be on the safe side. Then water your plants with it. Don’t add raw or uncomposted chicken manure right on top of your garden or flower beds. I know; I’ve done it. It kills (“burns”) emerging plants. I’ve also killed a plant or two by using undiluted chicken manure “tea.” So learn from my mistakes! Before you try any of the above, read this short article on making and using chicken manure "tea."

Very nice comments from readers of TheCityChicken.com:

"Katy, Your website is wonderful. We are not 'house pet' people, but have been looking for some kind of pet or animal to keep as a family activity. After speaking with quite a few people, and getting the approval of my wife, it looks like a couple of hens may be just what we're looking for. Your pictures are very helpful; Thanks again for your great website." ---- P.W., Portland, Oregon

"Katy, Thanks for your chicken ark pictures. We didn't know there was such a thing. We think the whole thing is so fun! A mobile chicken house; who ever heard of such a thing? We are going to set ours by the fence and then plant tomatoes when we move it. Thanks again for the inspiration!" --R.H., Lakeland, Florida

“Hi there! Thank you so much for the work you have done to your website. I wanted to start keeping some banty hens and a book I bought and read almost had me give up the idea. That is, until I found your site! The book made it sound like a terribly difficult thing, to keep a chicken. I live in the city and my Home Owners Association doesn't allow anything other than dogs and cats, so I had to build the coop and run small and neat…Thanks again and keep up the good work!” ---M.O.

"Dear Katy...You BY FAR - have one of the VERY BEST sites I have found. The pictures are great and have given me all sorts of ideas for a chicken tractor and you have such wonderful information included in your site. Thank you so much!!! ---Cheryl O., Monroe, NC

"Dear Katy...I just wanted to write and say thank you for such a wonderful, informative, and inspiring website. I am a newbie at raising chickens, and I have to say that I love it. I really never expected that chickens have so much personality and that they could be so addicting to own!" - - - T.S., Sherwood, Oregon

"Dear Katy...Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoying coming back to your site and this time you've have added a lot of new stuff that you're up to. You were the website that gave me the courage to buy chickens and keep them in our dog kennel. We are still loving the chickens, getting 5 eggs a day (soon to be six), and proud to be chicken owners. I'm getting ready to email your site to a friend who's buying her first chickens this weekend. Thanks again." -----Beth, VA

* * * * Beautiful chickens gallery ! * * * *


TheCityChicken.com stickers are $1. . . . . . . .The stickers are weather-proof, high quality, adhesive-backed vinyl so you can stick them on things like your car bumper, bike or even chicken coop. . . . . . . . . The sticker measures 5.5 inches by 1.42 inches. . . . . . . . . . The color is white with black printing . . . . . .Send a dollar bill to: Katy Skinner, 506 E. Twin Falls St., Yacolt WA 98675. . . . . . . . Canadian and other country customers, please affix .75 cents worth of USA postage stamps on your S.A.S.E. -or- add an extra $1 bill . . . . . . . .Please, send dollar bills only; no checks. . . . . . . . Please include a S.A.S.E. (self-addressed, stamped envelope.) . . . don't forget the stamp . . . . . . . Don't forget the S.A.S.E.! . . . . . . Thank you!


TheCityChicken.com table of contents: MAIN PAGE (chickens.html) CHICKEN TRACTOR GALLERY (tractors.html) PICTORIAL HISTORY (pictorialhistory.html) F.A.Q. (frequentlyasked.html) ARTICLES (articles.html) CHICKEN LAWS (chickenlaws.html) BROODING CHICKS (broodchicks.html) HEN HOUSE of the MONTH (hhotm.html)