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You are here: Home / Topics / Urban Homesteading / Urban Chickens / My Backyard Urban Chickens For Eggs and Meat

Urban Chickens

My Backyard Urban Chickens For Eggs and Meat

All of my meat birds are heritage breed, Buff Orpingtons.
The males get to be about 10 – 11 pounds.

Urban chickens.  They have become such a part of our lives that I really can’t imagine not having them or their fresh eggs right in my backyard.  I’m going into my second year of keeping 7 hens for eggs and this is my first year raising 15 birds for meat right in my backyard.  My meat birds are about 6 weeks old now and much bigger than what I have pictured above.  My husband built me a chicken tractor for the meat birds which I move from one spot of my yard to another every day. 

Backyard Chicken Tractor

I could go into detail but I thought it would be easier to show you my backyard setup and birds with a video update.  My son Nehemiah helped me film.  Let me know what you think and if you have any questions at all about raising backyard urban chickens feel free to comment below 🙂

(Note: My dog Boaz may look a bit strange right now.  He’s a long haired German Shepherd and absolutely beautiful.  Unfortunately, his hair got so mangled this year after the winter and rain, we found it way easier to give him a buzz and let it grow back in.  Poor baby!)
 This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday and Two for Tuesdays.


21 Comments

About Diana Bauman

Diana is a mother of three, proud wife, and humbled daughter of God. She finds the most joy meeting with Jesus in her organic gardens. She is completely blessed to be able to call herself a stay at home mom where she home educates her children, joyfully serves her husband, and cooks nourishing, real food, for her family. She loves connecting with people on facebook, google+, pinterest, and instagram.

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Comments

  1. Belinda @zomppa says

    July 29, 2010 at 7:25 am

    I am so impressed that you are doing this. The mobile tractor is awesome. Do you process your own chickens? I just went to observe it being done at a farm that takes similar care for the birds.

    Reply
  2. Diana Bauman says

    July 29, 2010 at 7:33 am

    Hi Belinda 😀 Yes, I will be processing the birds in about another 6 weeks. Since they are a heritage breed, they do take a bit longer to develop. I will also be documenting and sharing the process when that day comes. Thanks for stopping by!!

    Reply
  3. Miranda says

    July 29, 2010 at 7:39 am

    I envy this!!!! I wish I could have my own chickens and fresh eggs in the morning. I do not think I could keep the chickens in our backyard in FL. It is so hot. What do you think?

    Reply
  4. Diana Bauman says

    July 29, 2010 at 7:47 am

    Oh sure you can Miranda 😀 I tend to think about all of those old Mexico western movies where there were always chickens running around, lol!! It may be humid but you can find a breed suitable for your climate. Mine would be way too heavy of a breed for your hot weather. Mine are bigger birds and winter hardy. A great place to start is http://www.mypetchicken.com. They have a great listing of birds suitable for each climate. They are way to fun and the kids love em! Starting with 2 or 3 birds would be a cinch! Thanks for watching Miranda 😀

    Reply
  5. girlichef says

    July 29, 2010 at 8:03 am

    You are such an inspiration to me, Diana. I've long wanted to raise chickens…for eggs and meat…but really I'm very nervous…not sure where to begin. You make it look (fairly) simple. I beg I could get Mexi out there to build me a mobile coop and a roost if I showed him your video. I'm so excited that you shared this, it's definitely making me feel a little more confident in my ability to raise them myself =)

    Reply
  6. ~Sara says

    July 29, 2010 at 9:56 am

    Great video Diana. I love my backyard flock! They are almost 18 weeks old so my children and I eagerly check each morning to see if "today is the day!"

    We also just processed meat birds for the first time this year as well. It is quite the experience! Good luck!

    Reply
  7. sarah says

    July 29, 2010 at 11:13 am

    http://boulevardfarm.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/urban-chicken-video/

    Also, Abby and I will have a chicken plucker by the time our own meat birds are ready for harvest and are planning to de-feather birds for several other chicken keepers in the area – just let one of us know if you're interested!

    Reply
  8. Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says

    July 29, 2010 at 11:14 am

    Dear Diana, please collect an award from my blog.

    Reply
  9. Bethany says

    July 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    So cool, Diana! Makes me want chickens of my own too. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Sustainable Eats says

    July 29, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Diana how fun to virtually meet you! It makes such a difference seeing someone speak or hearing their voice when you read the blog. I love that the tractor was built using recycled materials and good on you for not raising Cornish Cross X.

    Heart you more than ever!

    Reply
  11. Christy says

    July 31, 2010 at 10:54 pm

    I just loved this! Your son is adorable. I really need a chicken tractor. What kind of chicken was the one laying the egg?? When we got our last 10 it was a motley crew and we got 3 that look like yours.
    I especially liked "meeting you" through the vlog!

    Reply
  12. ejm says

    August 3, 2010 at 10:50 am

    Lucky you that you can legally do this! I'd LOVE to be able to waltz out to the back yard to collect my own eggs.

    -Elizabeth

    Reply
  13. Butterpoweredbike says

    August 3, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    So sad I'm not zoned for chickens right now. To my tastes, there are few things better than fresh eggs, really really fresh.

    Reply
  14. the clark clan says

    August 4, 2010 at 12:09 am

    Diana! I loved the video! LOL on the dog! We used to shave our cat in the summer and called it a lion cut! I really want to have chickens..maybe i can convince everyone here for next summer! Thanks for hosting and posting on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! 🙂 [email protected]

    Reply
  15. Kitvy says

    August 4, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    I'm impressed. 🙂
    Wonderful.

    Reply
  16. Bethany says

    August 5, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    Diana, this is so great! I'm super jealous of your chickens and your yard! We are in a small apartment in the middle of a big city and both my husband and I are chomping at the bit to get out and have even a little bit of space for chickens. It was so fun to see you and your son – thanks for sharing a little piece of your life with us at Two for Tuesdays!

    Reply
  17. Leesie a/k/a SeasLife says

    August 6, 2010 at 7:17 am

    Great video, Diana! Thanks for sharing. You have a beautiful boys and it was so fun to get to see you for the first time – you are gorgeous! ;0) I am so looking forward to the continuing series on processing. My dad used to raise meat chickens and rabbits and harvest/process them so I am familiar with that. It will surely be interesting to see how you do it and will hopefully make me want to start up my own back yard chickens some day.

    I love your blog and enjoy it immensely.

    Reply
  18. audbeej says

    October 10, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    I really like this. This is what farming should be.

    Audrey

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Diana’s Blood Orange Cake says:
    January 23, 2011 at 9:24 am

    […] even make your own corn masa.  Additionally, the eggs and poultry her family consumes come from chickens that they raise in their own back yard.  This graphic web designer was a contestant in Project Food Blog and  her […]

    Reply
  2. Garden Update, 5-20-2011 - A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa says:
    May 20, 2011 at 9:53 am

    […] also been working on our backyard.  Remember my chicken tractor experience from last year?  Well, we won’t be using a tractor this year as it did kill off the grass in my backyard.  […]

    Reply
  3. Eating Chicken Intentionally - Why My Family Doesn't Eat A Lot of Chicken Breasts - My Humble Kitchen says:
    April 1, 2013 at 8:54 am

    […] people that have been following my website for awhile, know that I raise my own chickens for eggs and meat. I started raising my own chickens because it was a cheaper alternative than buying locally raised […]

    Reply

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I’m Diana – mother of three, proud wife, and daughter to an amazing God. Here you’ll find an encouraging community seeking to nourish our families both physically and spiritually. You’ll find us in our kitchens, gardens, and homeschool rooms pursuing a simple life in food, faith, and family.

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