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A Home Chicken Flock

Those of us who have small home poultry flocks love to share stories about our chickens.

Virginia Beach City Code, Sec. 5-6.  Where fowl may be kept.

Fowl may be kept in the city only within areas zoned for agricultural uses.
(Code 1965, § 5-3)  Cross references:  Zoning ordinance, App. A.

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The Backyard Poultry Report

The Adopt-a-Chicken Site from Heifer International - http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/03/25/2008-03-25_dont_be_a_chicken__adopt_one-1.html  Apparently Heifer International has begun supplying inner-city neighborhoods with chickens via the Just Foods City Chicken Project.  Community Gardens and neighborhoods with an eight foot area for the hens can apply at the website.  No word in the article on how Heifer is getting around the standard city ordinances against keeping poultry (like the ones in Virginia Beach). Update.... turns out that there is NO ordinance against keeping hens in NYC.  Go figure! You can't have them in the "city" part of VB but you can in NYC.  Amazing!

The Backyard Chicken Chronicles:

March 20 - All chickens seem delighted with the warm spring weather and we are now getting an egg a day from each hen. That's a dozen eggs every two days - more than enough for a two person family.  We're once again able to share fresh farm eggs with family and friends. The small black banty hens, our most broody hens, have taken to over-nighting OUT of the coop if the gang is allowed to free range during the day.  This means they considering a hidden nest somewhere so Sybil can't "steal" their eggs.  Unbeknownst to them, we'd be happy to have them set some fertile eggs for new chicks.  Alas, if they decide to hide out to nest, the odds are that we won't see the hens or any chicks again - our racoons and foxes are too efficient.

November 2009 - February 2010:  Nothing much happening in the hen house. The back area of the farm has been covered with water weekly as the cold rains continue.  The chickens have a run that stays mostly dry and they forage out into it during the warmest part of the day but retreat back inside the coop when the cold winds and rains return.  A few random eggs, enough to keep us in fresh breakfasts, but not much more.  Everyone seems to be on hold, waiting for spring.

Great Chicken Websites

If you have, want or just love backyard chickens, you will enjoy these websites:

www.backyardchickens.com/  A terrific group of chicken raisers and the #1 site for backyard chicken farmers.

www.backyardchickens.org  Another general organization of chicken farmers.

http://www.successwithpoultry.blogspot.com/  Check out all the members chicken coop designs!

www.urbanchickens.org/   An informal forum of chicken owners

www.urbanchickens.net/ (yep, it's a different site)

www.wikihow.com/Keep-Chickens-in-a-City  A truly comprehense Wiki-How article.  Good reference.

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I recommend BackyardChickens.com - the best hobby chicken site on the web!

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Dottie - Silver-Spangled Hamburg

Please Note: Before planning any backyard farming, check your zoning regulations. If you are in a development, there may also be specific homeowner covenants that restrict what animals you may own - even what kinds of plants you are allowed to grow, especially in "publicly viewed" areas of your property.

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The Chez Mays - The photo shows the little backyard chicken ranch at Sybil & Rob Mays' home in Blackwater.  Coop was built with a garden shed kit from Home Depot that allowed Rob to use 2x4 lumber with no angle cuts - it doesn't get easier than this.  The chicken run (outdoor area) is actually two chain-link dog runs (four 6'x10' panels each) that clamp together. They are easy to reconfigure when new space is needed.

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Mr. Chicken

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Holly's Grey Goose

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Banty Buff Rock Cross

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Barred Rock Hen



Have a chicken raising tip you'd like to share? Email it to the address below and I'll post it on our Tips page!

usefulgardener@gmail.com