Chook Me!

I'm interested in raising/keeping chickens?

Hello everyone! My question is one that has multiple parts. First a bit of background. I have always loved the Harvest Moon games, and similar games. I know it's not like the real thing, but the idea of keeping animals and having a farm has always been one I've enjoyed. Part of the reason I love minecraft right now so much is that it allows you to make a farm (I'm in the processes of making one right now... will need to find mods to reach its full potential, though... sorry if you have no idea what I'm talking about). Anyways, I was playing minecraft (a sandbox game...google/wiki it :D) and I was having trouble keeping my chickens in my yard. They kept jumping out of my fence, not exactly sure how, though. So, I decided to design and build a chicken coop in the game to keep them in, so there would be no chance of them getting out. As I was finishing up the chicken coop, it hit me. I really want to give this a try in real life. And searching around and such, I found out that a lot of people wanted to try it too. Anyways, I live in a neighborhood and have neighbors in all directions, close to my home. Would it be possible for me to raise/keep chickens in my backyard? Would there be laws that could keep me from doing it? What kind of chickens should I keep if I do decide to? Any suggestions on where to buy a chicken coop, or chicken coop design? What are the prices of feed? What stuff do they eat? Any links or general tips on how to go about everything? I'll be searching for this info myself after posting this, but I feel like I'm getting a more... "personalized" answer to all my questions if I ask directly like this.

Public Comments

1. http://www.meyerhatchery.com/ Order that catalog! It's excellent and there is no minimum order for chicks, plus, their animals are pure bred and it has info about how loud they are and what climates they'd be best in. Also, they have a lot of pretty breeds, since it seems you are interested in the novelty of it. Chickens are very easy animals to have, there maybe be laws against chickens or a limit to how many you may have. You should contact your government office and ask about the zoning, or, if possible, google it. Coops are very, very easy and inexpensive to build. Depending on your climate, you may be able to just build a thin structure. I say, go to your local library and get out as many livestock books you can that have information on chickens, because different books have different advice and I find livestock VERY interesting. I've often taken out the same books again and again. I do hope you decided to get them. ~Aki
2. check the laws and look up info on raising chickens.