I wanted my next blog post to compare the cost of raising a flock of chickens for eggs, compost and food with raising rabbits for compost and food. Somewhere along the way I got side tracked with a September 28 issue of New Yorker article on keeping chickens. Apparently there is a huge upsurge in urban chicken keeping…hmmm.

The author, Susan Orlean, writes that others in the business of chickens think the next urge will be in ducks and goats. I think there may be more exploration of poultry before the jump to goats. I’ve tried turkeys and ducks because it was an easy way to still use the same equipment and concepts as chicken keeping to raise them. For me the step into the mammalian world will be with rabbits. They are less maintenance have have fewer needs than goats. Dairy goats are a big commitment that require careful time managemen; bigger shelter and like to be in a herd- so space for two to three goats. With the construction around the house this is not an option right now but I hope will be in the near future. Though I don’t think cows will ever make it as an urban livestock, the Guinea Hog may.

One really cool resource in the article was website called IKEA Hacker, where IKEA furniture is recycled into new practical creations, including a chicken coop.

The  New Yorker article is not online but a video of the author with her chickens is:

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