Hello all,I would like to ask your input on helping me figure out how to design my backyard for chickens. I've attached a few pictures and as you can see I have a long 'side' yard on the east side of the house where I've put a raised bed for vegetables. I am thinking of a chicken coop where the composter is but am having difficulty figuring out what I need to keep my dogs, Tank and Rocky from getting to the chickens and the chickens from getting to the vegetables. I was thinking about building a 4ft fence across the middle of the yard but that would not solve everything. I am trying to avoid having a fence within a fence within a fence and think the house will provide shade in late summer afternoons.I live in Tempe and can't find anything on how many chickens I can have. I think my property is a little over a third acre. Does anyone have any ideas or know where I can find out how many chickens are allowed in Tempe? My kids swear they've seen a bald eagle flying around the neighborhood lately. I'm thinking it's a hawk as we live very near horse property. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I can't wait to get chicks but want them to have a nice place to live! =0)
Have you seen what Patti Moreno did with her raised garden beds and micro-livestock? It is a great system that might be adaptable to a linear layout like yours. I just posted a video showing her beds and layout. ~Liz
Great suggestion Liz. I want to second that idea. I have a kind of variation going on that system in part of my backyard and it's worth doing, especially in a situation like this. (Susan-- if you don't know Patti Moreno, you can google her and garden girl stuff will pop up all over) I will comment that IMHO she crams too many animals into those, but I think 3 chickens would be perfectly happy in a 4 by 8.
I know it's off subject, but is that a silver labrador next to your chocolate lab? They are both beautiful. I have a yellow lab, she unfortunately has a taste for chickens. :-(
Ok, totally off subject here...take a look at the attached pic. This is my husbands paw against Tank's (he's the chocolate). Rocky is a silver and wired tight. He's good natured but has alpha issues and is always patroling that east side yard because it borders a street. I don't have to worry about anyone hopping the fence, that's for sure! Rocky will be 3 in April and Tank 3 in November. Tank is a big teddy bear and would most likley let the chickens run all over him. Rocky is another story....we'll just have to wait and see?! Was it your story I read about losing the hens to your dog? =0(
Yes, it was my post about our dog killing our hen. Only one hen thank God but it had to be my 5 yr son's hen unfortunately. She was a Rhode Island red and he carried her around everywhere and she let him! She was so docile. Even the look on her face, you could tell how sweet she was. That might sound crazy to someone who doesn't have chickens, but once you get yours you'll know. They are such a joy to watch and it really relaxes me, like watching fish in an aquarium.
Your silver lab is absolutely gorgeous! Do you ever plan to breed him? We are going to breed our lab in her next heat, I would love to breed her to your dog if you were up for it. She's been doing better around the chickens, and the bunny we have, but I keep a sharp eye on her. I'll post a video of our bunny & chickens, the bunny thinks she's a chicken and follows the hens everywhere and even eats their food.
I would love to have little Rockys but unfortunately both labs neutered. Here's another pic of the labs about a year ago.
Sounds like you have a petting zoo too! I have a 10 and 8 year old so we also have lots of little things running around in cages. We have a 55 gallon tank with African ciclids that someone gave us. Watching the fish is relaxing!
I can't wait to see the critter video!
I'm in Mesa and we have about the same code as Tempe. I wanted to place my coop on the north side, as it would get the most shade in summer, but it would be too close to my neighbors bedrooms. We opted to place our coop/run against our back wall (east side) where at least they get afternoon shade. We don't have any noise issues inside at all.
Chickens can fly higher than 4' so I'd suggest something higher. If you have hawks you'll need a roof or fencing over the top. My neighbors have a chain link run and it works great for them. We used 1/2" hardware cloth.
I can't trust my shepherd around my chickens in the least. When I let mine range in the backyard she's fine if I'm outside but has to be in the house or on the fenced side yard if I'm inside. They'd be dinner otherwise.
We haven't been through a summer yet so hopefully they'll be OK. I'm planning on using frozen water in 2 ltr. pop bottles in the run to keep them cooler. I wasn't quite clear before - it's on the back wall of our house, not the block wall. It measures about 3 1/2' x 14', not as big as I would have liked but there were already other permanent structures in the backyard. I think it's pretty similar to Ben's.
Wow!
You should post that out on your page so people can see how it just blends in with the house!
What a great coop! Thanks for sharing. I'll post pics when I get something worth shooting. For now I'm stuck doing irrigation to the veggies!
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Paw to Hand.JPG
Your silver lab is absolutely gorgeous! Do you ever plan to breed him? We are going to breed our lab in her next heat, I would love to breed her to your dog if you were up for it. She's been doing better around the chickens, and the bunny we have, but I keep a sharp eye on her. I'll post a video of our bunny & chickens, the bunny thinks she's a chicken and follows the hens everywhere and even eats their food.
Sounds like you have a petting zoo too! I have a 10 and 8 year old so we also have lots of little things running around in cages. We have a 55 gallon tank with African ciclids that someone gave us. Watching the fish is relaxing!
I can't wait to see the critter video!
20080926 Patio Dogs kids 071.jpg
Chickens can fly higher than 4' so I'd suggest something higher. If you have hawks you'll need a roof or fencing over the top. My neighbors have a chain link run and it works great for them. We used 1/2" hardware cloth.
I can't trust my shepherd around my chickens in the least. When I let mine range in the backyard she's fine if I'm outside but has to be in the house or on the fenced side yard if I'm inside. They'd be dinner otherwise.
Copy of coop 9 - 2008.JPG
You should post that out on your page so people can see how it just blends in with the house!
What a great coop! Thanks for sharing. I'll post pics when I get something worth shooting. For now I'm stuck doing irrigation to the veggies!
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