When we saw Jora and Bryan's immaculate San Diego home in a recent house tour at Apartment Therapy, we honestly didn't think it looked like the sort of place that would have an organic garden and some feathered friends. It was so clean, so modern, so sleek — the very picture of Southern Californian perfection! But it turns out that you can have a modern masterpiece of a home and keep chickens: these home-owners should be on a poster for urban farming!
Look! Chickens in San Diego Back Yard
We talked a lot about chickens last week, but only in the context of meat. How about chickens for eggs? You know that I sighed a bit over this house tour; I am quite envious of this big back yard and snug little chicken coop. Think of all the eggs Jora and Bryan must be getting from their chicken flock.
Jora says that the vegetable garden and this chicken coop are their proudest DIYs in their beautiful home. We just love that this lovely, quite stunning home has a chicken coop out back!
• See the full tour: Jora and Bryan's MidCentury Organic Remodel at Apartment Therapy
Do you have chickens? Check out some guides and ideas for urban chicken-raising below:
More Urban Chickens:
• Urban Agriculture: Raising Chickens in New York City - A Q&A with Owen Taylor, livestock coordinator at Just Food. This is a great primer on raising chickens in the city.
• Good Food with Evan Kleiman: Raising Chickens in Your Backyard - A few more tips and some good comments from our readers, too.
• Chickens in the City - A link via Re-Nest to a slideshow of urban chicken coops.
(Images: Jora and Bryan)
Comments (8)
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Cleveland, OH just passed an ordinance allowing residents to raise farm animals and bees within city limits. You can read more here:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/02/down_on_farm_in_cleveland.html
view sprinklewithsalt's profile
what about tips on raising chickens on a roof? backyards are hard to come by!
view pedalpowered's profile
Thanks, Faith! I don't have any tips per se, I would just point out that we didn't really know anything about gardening or keeping chickens until about a year ago. If we can do it (no green thumbs or backgrounds in 4H to speak of over here) then anyone can!
view jora's profile
I have chicken envy. I live in a semi rural upstate ny community and don't have enough acreage for chickens but I do for horses - go figure - I can have 2 horses on 2 acres but I have to have 5 acres to have 1 chicken.
view NYKate's profile
Wow Kate, that bites. I live in Scriba (just outside of Oswego) and we can have birdies and bees and etc. I live on rental property and even have permission to have as many birds as I like as long as I don't let them have the run of the place.
view Jaie's profile
beautiful birds...
view sierracreek's profile
Check out http://urbanchickens.org/. Great resource for those thinking about raising chickens.
view green_chile_barber's profile
we raised about 20 hen's and 2 roster in our back yard in Concord Ca. My husband made planter boxes 20x4 ft the chicken coop and yard for them were portable they sat on one bed a year and mixed up the dirt with poop... Fresh eggs nothing like them except fresh corn!!!... I don't think the manager will let me have chicken on my patio here lol Maj
view majeral512's profile