How to Get Started Raising Urban Chickens in Seattle
Urban chickens have become extremely popular over the past few years as Seattle locals have realized the value of farm fresh, organic eggs that come straight from their backyard. And chickens are fun! They make excellent pets and they’re relatively easy to care for. To get started raising chickens for a small urban farm, follow the steps below:
- Learn the laws and ordinances about keeping domestic fowl on an urban lot in Seattle.
Currently, in Seattle, up to 8 chickens can be kept on a lot that’s less than 10,000 square feet. On lots greater than 10,000 square feet, 1 additional chicken is allowed for every 1,000 square feet of space over 10,000 square feet. Roosters are not allowed on urban lots at all.
- Build or buy a chicken coop and a brooder.
Your baby chicks will spend the first six weeks of their lives in the brooder, but then after that, you’ll need a chicken coop as a permanent place for your chickens to live. Make sure the coop is at least 10 feet away from residential structures on adjacent lots.
- Pick a breed of chicken and get some chicks from Greenwood Hardware!
Different chicken breeds have different characteristics, so you’ll want to read up on the various breeds of chickens and find a breed that suits your situation. For example, if your primary goal is to raise chickens for eggs, you’ll want to choose a breed that produces a lot of eggs. Be sure to get “sexed” or “pullet” chicks (as opposed to “straight run” chicks) and avoid roosters since they’re illegal on urban Seattle chicken farms.
- Get 2 to 3 chicks initially for your urban chicken farm.
Get only a few baby chicks when you first start your urban chicken farm so that you can give them a lot of attention and make sure they grow up healthy. Then, after you get the hang of raising chickens, you can add more chicks to your brood.
- Care for the chicks.
Caring for chicks is relatively straightforward. They need clean water and high-quality chick starter food. If you’d like for your chickens to be tame, be sure to spend time holding the chicks and playing with them gently each day.
- Move chicks to the coop when they’re ready to lay eggs.
Most chicks are ready to move to the coop at 5 to 6 weeks of age when they’ve lost all their fluff and they have their grown-up feathers. Keep them locked in the coop for about a week after they first move in so that the young chickens will learn that the coop is their home. You can put “dummy” eggs in nesting boxes to help them understand where to lay their eggs.
- Enjoy!
You’ll need to keep the coop clean and make sure your chickens have fresh water and food each day, but otherwise, there’s nothing left to do except enjoy these fun animals and the fresh eggs they produce!
Greenwood Hardware can manage all your urban chicken needs. Come on in, or contact us today for help with your urban farm and to see how we can help you get started raising your own chickens!