The Benefits Of Urban Backyard Chickens
By Tom Seest
Can Urban Living Accommodate Backyard Chickens?
At BackyardChickenNews, we help people who want to raise backyard chickens by collating information and news blended with our own personal experiences.
If you want to start a backyard flock in an urban setting, you will need to consider the size of the flock. A flock of urban chickens should have at least two chickens. The breed you choose should be friendly, as chickens are social animals. Choosing the right breed for your urban flock will help you start off on the right foot.
Can Urban Living Accommodate Backyard Chickens?
Table Of Contents
- Can Salmon Faverolles Thrive in Urban Living?
- Why the Barred Rock is Perfect for Urban Living
- What Makes Easter Egger Chickens Unique?
- A Feathery Gem: The Belgian Bearded D’uccle?
- What Bantam Breeds are Perfect for Urban Living?
- Can Urban Chickens Bring Unwanted Diseases?
- What Are the Financial Implications of Keeping Chickens in an Urban Setting?
Can Salmon Faverolles Thrive in Urban Living?
Salmon Faverolles is a fun, gentle breed of chicken that is perfect for backyard chickens. They’re large and robust but have a very gentle temperament. They’re also great pets for kids, and they tolerate confinement well. Because they’re gentler than other breeds, they don’t get aggressive with other chickens, and they are protective of their hens.
Salmon Faverolles are a hardy breed of chicken with a life expectancy of six to 11 years. However, they can be vulnerable to mites and lice, so it’s important to check them for signs of infestation. Once you’ve identified any infestation, you can treat the problem quickly.
The feathered legs and beard of Salmon Faverolle chickens make them susceptible to leg mites and lice. Always make sure not to dust Faverolles around their eyes and beak, and regularly check their legs for mites. These chickens can survive the harsh winters, and they are a great dual-purpose breed.
Can Salmon Faverolles Thrive in Urban Living?
Why the Barred Rock is Perfect for Urban Living
Barred Rock backyard chickens are a wonderful choice if you want a large, docile chicken that will produce plenty of eggs. They are hardy and able to withstand cold weather. They also like to be handled and like being around children. In addition, these chickens are good egg producers and a great choice for families with children.
Barred Rock chickens are an excellent choice for urban backyards. They are quiet and dependable egg layers and are easy to raise, even if you have little or no space. You can choose to keep a rooster if you want to have alerts for danger. Barred Rock chickens are also friendly and enjoy human interaction.
These chickens can live for four to eight years. Their eggs are smaller than the eggs of the standard-size chicken. Nevertheless, they will produce enough for a family of four. These chickens are also known for being hardy and tolerant of confinement, which makes them a solid choice for urban backyard chickens.
Why the Barred Rock is Perfect for Urban Living
What Makes Easter Egger Chickens Unique?
The Easter Egger is one of the most popular breeds of backyard chickens. They are gentle, friendly, and easy to handle. They are perfect for beginners and families with children. This breed also lays prolifically and produces large, quality eggs throughout the year. Here’s more about this versatile breed.
Easter Eggers are docile birds who enjoy being around children. They don’t like squabbles or pecking fights and are very quiet. However, their gentle natures can make them vulnerable to being picked on by other birds. As such, you may want to provide some chicken toys to keep them busy.
The Easter Egger is one of the most popular types of backyard chickens because of their bright-colored eggs. The breed was first discovered by the Araucana Indians in Chile. The true Araucana chicken has a rump and curling feathers near the ear. This breed also has a full beard.
What Makes Easter Egger Chickens Unique?
A Feathery Gem: The Belgian Bearded D’uccle?
The Belgian Bearded D’Uckle is a bantam breed of chicken that is known for its unique beard. The name ‘Bearded d’Uccle’ comes from its origins in Uccle, Belgium, an area in Central Belgium. They are known for their full beard, wide back, low posture, and well-furnished tails. They are small and suitable for a small family.
The Belgian Bearded d’Uccle is closely related to the Booted Bantam breed. Their beards grow under their beak and eyes, and their feet and legs are feathered. They are also known for their small size, weighing less than two pounds. The d’Uccle breed is renowned for its unique appearance, which is due in part to its small size. Their distinctive features include a “V”-shaped back and a rounded “V”-shaped chest.
The Belgian Bearded d’Uccle breed is a great choice for backyard chickens. They can rid your garden of pests while producing a high-quality fertilizer. Originally developed in Uccle, Belgium, the Belgian Bearded d’Uccle breed, also known as the Mille Fleur variety, was accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1914.
A Feathery Gem: The Belgian Bearded D’uccle?
What Bantam Breeds are Perfect for Urban Living?
Bantam breeds are small and easy to raise. These chickens are known for producing blue eggs. They’re also easy to keep, and they can lay up to 150 eggs per year. Some bantam breeds are also meat birds. A few popular breeds to consider are the Ameraucana, Easter Egger, Plymouth Rock, and Sussex bantams.
The Ameraucana chicken weighs about five pounds, and its hens weigh around half a pound. The breed has a distinctive appearance, with muffs on their ears instead of ear tufts. It also tends to lay large, tan eggs. These chickens can be raised in coops, but they do need a lot of space to move around.
Cochin bantam hens are extremely broody and require extra care because of their long leg feathers. They may require additional grooming, and dirty leg feathers can cause foot rot. These chickens were developed in the 1800s by Sir John Sebright. They have short backs and large breasts and are good mothers.
What Bantam Breeds are Perfect for Urban Living?
Can Urban Chickens Bring Unwanted Diseases?
A recent survey of backyard chicken owners found that many are unaware of the diseases and parasites that may affect their chickens. The survey also revealed that many backyard flock owners were not knowledgeable about the importance of vaccination for detecting and treating avian influenza, Marek’s disease, and other common maladies.
The majority of fatalities in backyard chickens were caused by viruses or bacterial agents. While most of these diseases are a result of a transmissible infection, many are also caused by poor air quality, exposure to extreme heat or cold, and wet litter. In addition to these infectious diseases, the poultry also commonly died from starvation, a secondary disease that usually affects newly hatched poultry.
The CDC recommends washing hands thoroughly after touching chickens or eggs. Likewise, chicken owners should be careful not to wear their shoes near the coop because they can harbor salmonella. The CDC estimates that there are more than 1 million cases of salmonella infection each year, with over 300 deaths in the U.S. Salmonella contamination of eggs is one of the leading causes of food-borne illnesses.
Can Urban Chickens Bring Unwanted Diseases?
What Are the Financial Implications of Keeping Chickens in an Urban Setting?
If you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to raising meat, then keeping chickens in an urban setting is an excellent option. However, keeping chickens in an urban setting requires a bit of maintenance. In addition to feeding them right and keeping them healthy, keeping chickens in an urban setting requires daily care. You can hire pet sitters, but finding someone with experience with chickens is not always easy. Hens have a life expectancy of around seven years, but it is rare for them to produce eggs reliably for more than a few years.
Aside from the financial commitment, raising chickens in an urban setting has several other advantages. For starters, raising chickens in an urban setting can help you connect with your community and teach others about the importance of local food production. Keeping chickens in an urban environment is also fun.
What Are the Financial Implications of Keeping Chickens in an Urban Setting?
Be sure to read our other related stories at BackyardChickenNews to learn more about raising chickens in your backyard.