Chook Me!

Most of our yard is paved; Can we still keep chickens?

We live in an urban downtown area on 1/10th of an acre; obviously, our house takes up most of that, and our fenced in yard is paved over for a car pad. The area is about 30 ft x 30 ft; I would love to have a small chicken coop (we also plan to build raised vegetable gardens on the car pad), but I am not sure if the chickens will be okay on concrete. There is a small grass area on the other side of the house, within the fencing, and we have a grassy front lawn (unfenced) about the same size as the car pad area.

Public Comments

1. well i'll let other people answer if the pavement, but i would recommend fencing the front (if you can) and putting them there.
2. Well, i have chickens too,, but there area is not fenced in becasue we live away from the high way and there is not that much people to be bothered by them, and my sister lives right acros the street, Haha, but you could probably keep chickens in the unfenced front lawn, but if there are people that will complain, i would fence it in, especially if there are alot of cars, but chickens can fly over a low fence when they get older so just watch out. also they need places to graze and walk around as they get older too, so during they day they can come out of there pin, but be sure to put them back in! Ha (:
3. I'd first of all check your local ordinances and laws to see if owning chickens in your area is even legal. Some urban areas ban the ownership of "livestock animals" and can come with some hefty fines if you ignore them and neighbors complain. Concrete is great for the floor of a hen house because it's easy to clean and sanitize. But chickens have a natural urge to scratch and dust bathe. If this urge is denied the birds can develope some neurotic tendencies such as feather pulling and even egg-eating and canibalism in severe cases. Depending on how many birds you are planning to get space may also be an issue. And I'm just going to say it right now, if you want a nice pretty green lawn don't get chickens. Their scratching and digging to dustbathe will kill your grass and can be distructive in gardens. If you are willing to fence off part(or all) of your grassy area that you dont mind eventually turning into a dirt patch then thats fine. Chickens are a fun hobby and pet to have (coming from a current chicken owner) but take a lot of work and money to have.