So first of all we love having chickens. I'm sure all of the farmers are laughing at us urban chicken people because they are literally our 'outdoor pets.' They actually come running to us and 'talk to us' and let us pet them! We started with 3 but unfortunately, Mr. Mochi had a 'gift from God' experience and one of chicks (when she was pullet size) and new to being outside, decided to jump out of her coop when I opened the lid and right onto Mochi's head. The story ends pretty much right there. However, after 1 1/2 years of not allowing him to be outside at the same time as them, he is now their body guard and is actually somewhat intimidated by them. But lately, he will lay down peacefully in the sun while they dig around for grubs in the garden.
I assume you might have already looked up the City of Portland ordinance for Specific Animal Regulations. Look at ordinance #13.05.010, (E) and that will give you pretty much what we follow.
http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=28228 Next, check out :
http://www.backyardchickens.com/http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/the forum is supposed to be a goldmine of info but you may find yourself receiving a million emails so I never signed up. I am literally 'winging' it! ha, ha!
A fun one is :
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/index.htmlThey are located in Iowa and specialize in heirloom poultry and seeds. I seem to remember that they require large orders though but you could always share with friends!
Also we rely on our local Urban Farm store :
http://www.urbanfarmstore.com/The owners started this store (very modestly) approx. 2 years ago selling chicks, chicken and dog supplies and small organic garden plants and they are a hoppin' now. They probably cannot believe it. If you sign up to get their email they send monthly tips on the garden in the NW and raising your chickens.
Last, a fun event in pdx is Tour de Coops. Here are a couple of YouTube videos as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzQUDIrxjaAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC0yB3LjM0E As I said, I am not heavily researched on the law because it is so easy here. But we do love having our girls. However, here is what we've learned and will need to make adjustments for if we want to continue to have them.
1. Our yard is too small- you know how beyond tiny it is. We let them roam the backyard as do most of our chicken owning friends and they do produce a lot of poop. They also have scratched up entire backyards. We consider ourselves lucky because they have not done that to our yard and I have built my garden beds 30" above the ground hoping to prevent them from hopping in and eating our seedlings...which they will do. However, they found out that over the winter it is easy to jump up 30" and dig for amazing worms in the garden beds. Thus we had to build 3' high netting barrier around the beds this summer. So, if you get them I HIGHLY recommend containing them in a liberal amount of space, but containing them so they are not in your outdoor living room...
2. Yes, they can be loud. But really, no worse than a neighbor having a dog. That said, they are usually not loud MOST of the time. Unfortunately, our are loudest when the sun begins to come up and they know that we are awake. They are so funny as they see our lights go on or hear the toilet flush/vent and then they start to cluck to tell us that they want out of the coop for the day.
3. You will need babysitters like other pets do when you are out of town.
4. You will get mice if you do not keep the coop tidy. We got a rat as well last summer, but we cautiously used very toxic substances and got rid of it and the mice as well. However, the mice came back when we got lax for a little bit. So keeping your coop clean and the yard tidy is essential.
5. Your coop will not emit much (if any smell) if you keep it clean and tidy.
6. Be sure you get breeds that actually are bred to lay eggs. One of ours we found out is an 'ornamental breed and only lays 2 months out of the year then becomes terribly broody for the next 3 months, then sheds her feathers. But she is a beauty and she has...get ready for it...a hilarious personality! The other hen we got we thought we an 'Easter Egger' meaning that her eggs would be a light green color, but we got the one in 20 something that lays brown. And she only lays for approx. 6 months out of the year. So here we have these great chickens but still have to buy eggs at least 6 months out of the year.
So the only other advice I can think of at the moment is read, read, read about other people's experiences with owning chickens.
