Tag:

backyard chickens

how we made our predator proof chicken coop

Predator Proof Chicken Coop Essentials You Need To Know

by From Scratch Farmstead February 11, 2023

The reality of backyard chicken keeping is that predators come with the territory. It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN. So, there are some must-do steps to make a predator proof chicken coop that every chicken keeper NEEDS to know and implement.

We had never lost a chicken, then…

We’re grateful in our 9+ years of keeping backyard chickens to have a pretty good track record.

This includes about 5 years of raising chickens in our suburban backyard where we never had a predator casualty! We started with free-ranging 6 hens out of a stationary coop and quickly learned two things:

1) Our chickens got more and more adventurous over time.
2) More and more predators took note of our chickens over time.

Hawks, raccoons, skunks, neighbor’s dogs, and even the family of foxes that moved in next door every winter. We ran up against all of it.

When foxes moved next door to our free ranging chickens

That’s when we discovered mobile coops and built an A-frame chicken tractor out of a used kids swing set. Moving them to fresh grass every day gave us many of the benefits of free-ranging while keeping them protected during the day and night. It worked great!

When we moved to our current 5-acre homestead, we expanded once again to 50+ chickens that roam free all day and sleep in our chicken coop inside our barn at night. That many chickens has come with its own learning curve. And because they free-range all day, predators have proven challenging to manage.

custom a frame chicken tractor in suburban backyard

After some close calls, we finally lost our first chicken to a predator—a hawk! Another hawk casualty followed. Then, a rooster mysteriously disappeared one day—likely picked off by a fox. But, we’ve taken some measures and not had any incidents since!

Whether you’re on an urban or suburban lot, or out in the country, we’ll share everything we’ve learned about keeping your feathery flock safe all day and all night!

Common Chicken Predators

When it comes to predators, chickens are unfortunately an easy prey.

By day, chickens can be oblivious and flighty. By night, they sleep hard and are entirely immobile and vulnerable. Therefore, the list of predators can be lengthy!

Chicken Predator List:

Coyotes
Foxes
Racoons
Skunks
Rats
Opossums
Weasels
Bobcats
Bears
Birds of prey
Neighbor’s (or stray) dogs & cats
Snakes

Each predator represents different threats and at different times.

Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, dogs, and birds of prey might result in missing chickens that are taken. Smaller chickens, chicks, or eggs can be taken by smaller predators such as opossums, skunks, rats, cats, and snakes (while still including coyotes, foxes, and birds of prey). Predators like birds of prey and raccoons can also result in missing heads or limbs from chickens.

chickens roosting on diy 2x4 ladder roost design

Many predators like foxes and coyotes represent a dual threat during the day and night. Hawks will typically strike during the day while owls might carry off chickens in the evening. Most rodents are on the prowl at night, but could still be active in the early morning or evening hours.

Yes, the threats are many. But keeping your chickens safe is not a lost cause! With some basic measures, you can keep your feathery friends safe and put your mind at ease! Let’s dig in.

Predator Proofing Basics

Any chicken coop is comprised of 6 sides. The four walls of the coop, the top, and the bottom. To keep your chickens safe, all 6 sides must be secure.

If you are thinking your chickens are safe if the coop sits tightly to the ground, you are mistaken. Most of the predators on the above list can easily dig under a coop, even in a single night, to gain access.

And on top, even with a coop and run wrapped tightly in chicken wire or latches on every door, you birds may still be at risk! The materials and methods you use to secure your coop could make all the difference.

So let’s dig deeper into the essentials of a predator safe chicken coop.

5 Predator Proof Chicken Coop Essentials

Long lists of ways to predator proof your chicken coop can get overwhelming. We’ll look at some alternative options later in this post. But for now, let’s look at the simple predator proofing methods that every chicken keeper should implement.

1. Prevent Predators from Digging Under

As discussed above, the bottom side of a chicken coop is often the most under-looked point of entry for predators. Here are some options to address it.

Fully Enclosed Bottom Side

The ideal solution is to fully enclose the bottom side. This option makes the most sense for small sized coops. We did this for our stationary coop when living in the suburbs. I dug out the footprint of the whole coop 8-12” down. Then I lined the underside of the coop with hardware clothe bending the sides up to meet the bottom of the coop to create a continuous bottom barrier. Then, I filled the base of the coop back in with soil on top of the hardware cloth. With this solution, as long as all the doors were securely shut on top, the coop was 100% predator proof from all 6 sides.

Buried Hardware Cloth

As your coop increases in size, digging out the entire base gets pretty challenging. In this case, you can dig a trench around the base of your coop, and bury hardware cloth vertically at least 12” down. Most predators will try digging down right at the base of your chicken coop and get discouraged by the buried hardware cloth.

Similarly, an alternative is burying a hardware cloth apron around your coop. This involves digging a few inches deep around your coop, burying a horizontal layer of hardware cloth at least 12” wide, and then replacing the soil on top of it. While not as effective as hardware cloth buried vertically, this can be an easier addition to a coop that’s already in place.

Concrete Blocks

Yet another solution is to swap the buried hardware cloth option with either concrete blocks or bricks. This is what we did on our chicken coop inside our barn. The benefit is that the blocks can act as a solid foundation for your coop, especially if it’s on the larger side. Just a note to make sure your blocks still go down at least 12”. Our only went down 8”, and after some rats learned they can dig underneath the blocks this past winter, I’ll be needing to go in and retrofit some hardware cloth in addition.

installing concrete block chicken coop foundation

2. Use Hardware Cloth (when necessary)

While chicken wire is most commonly associated with chicken coops, it’s easier for predators to penetrate than you may think. And the hole sizes are large enough for some predators to reach through.

freedom ranger chicken in chicken tractor

So, when able, use hardware cloth—chicken wires tougher, more robust cousin. Whereas some predators have been known to break through chicken wire, especially at ground level, hardware cloth will stand up to any common backyard chicken predator.

A few considerations:

1) Correct installation is important! Your hardware cloth is only as secure as the fastener holding it. Shallow staples may not hold tight enough to keep large predators out. When building our chicken coops and tractors, I bought 1/2” staples and used a pneumatic brad nailer to install them. Nothing is ripping those out!

2) Use 1/4” Hardware Cloth. Hardware cloth comes with many sizes of mesh openings. Sticking with 1/4” (1/2″ at most) is your best bet. Larger openings might allow predators to get a claw or mouth through it. And smaller predators, like rats or snakes, might be able to sneak through a larger opening. No predator should be able to do substantial harm through 1/4” hardware cloth.

3) Use it if it makes sense. Hardware cloth is expensive! Much more so than chicken wire. This is where the “when necessary” part comes into play. There are times where we’ve opted for chicken wire over hardware cloth and still feel our chickens are safe. For instance, predators are less likely to get through chicken wire when it’s raised off the ground. So, on our barn chicken coop, I built it with solid knee walls at the base, and then installed chicken wire above the walls.

chicken coop in barn with repurposed door

Also, when we built our mobile chicken tractor, I surrounded the run with chicken wire because the enclosed area that the chickens slept in at night was impenetrable. Nothing ever got to them at night and they were protected from aerial predators in the chicken wire run during the day.

3. Make Enclosed Coop Area Impenetrable

The enclosed area of your chicken coop should be able to be 100% sealed tight! This is where your chickens will sleep at night, roost, and lay eggs—the times they’re most vulnerable.

This means that:

Solid materials should be used (wood, metal, etc.)
No gaps, cracks, or openings should be greater than 1/4”
Doors should be able to be closed up completely and latched
Any air vents should be covered over with hardware cloth

stationary backyard chicken coop with hardware cloth

Chickens will begin to retreat to their roosting location as the daylight fades. This is also when predators become most active. Our strategy has always been to go out each evening and close the door of the enclosed area of the coop so the chickens are locked up safe. This way, even if something manages its way into the run, the chickens will still be protected within the coop.

4. Use Secure Door Latches

Going off of that, any time there is a door or access point in the coop, it’s important you install the right type of latch. Animals are smart—and motivated. Raccoons, for instance, have been known to open up simple hook, pin, or throw latches.

A 2-step lockable latch is most secure. This includes spring locks and barrel locks. These require more than just a simple and singular motion to unlock and will prove a bothersome task for any furry foe without opposable thumbs.

5. Be Observant and Vigilant Every Day

Perhaps the best defense of all is you! Your eyes and ears will help keep your flock protected when threats arise.

There have been numerous times we have heard a commotion in the yard and come bolting out the door only to narrowly interrupt a hungry hawk from dealing its deadly blow. Our takeaway has been, DON’T WAIT! When you hear something suspicious, run out there right away, or throw open the nearest window and yell with everything you got. Sometimes, each second matters!

feeder and waterer in a frame chicken tractor

Beyond the extremes of when predators do surface, your role as protector is also important in the mundane daily tasks and chores. Like checking, and then double-checking, that you’ve locked up the coop securely each night. When you’re lying in bed wondering, “Did I close up that latch I opened earlier in the day?”—ALWYAS go out there and check! It’s worth it every time. Even when we doubted, there have been countless times we did indeed leave something open.

And when you’re out doing chores and tending to your chickens each day, check for any signs of predators. Are there tracks around? Was something gnawing or digging? Is something moved or out of place? These things are sure signs predators are about and you should be extra vigilant. Or, you may need to reinforce an area of your coop.

Other Predator Safe Chicken Coop Ideas

Beyond the basics, these are other predator proof chicken coop ideas I have seen successfully implemented in backyard, homesteads, or farms.

Guardian Animals

Many animals or livestock can act as companion animals to help keep chickens safe. This is especially true when chickens are free-ranging and beyond the protection of the coop.

Here is a list of guardian animals that can protect your flock:

Roosters
Geese
Guineas
Livestock Guardian Dogs
Goats
Donkeys
Llamas
Cows
Pigs

While most urban or suburban settings won’t allow it, a rooster is a likely first candidate to guard your flock. Many roosters take their role of protecting the flock very seriously. Our roosters will accompany our hens when out foraging, keep a watchful eye, and alert them of any threats. Roosters will also stand their ground and may even give their life to protect the flock. We had a rooster mysteriously vanish without a trace, while no hens were harmed—likely from standing up to a predator.

free ranging chickens with roosters on guard

Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) will also ward off predators. Stella, our Maremma LGD on our homestead, takes her role protecting our cows and chickens very seriously. Since getting her, we have rarely seen hawks come anywhere near our chickens where they were under attack almost weekly prior.

Maremma livestock guardian dog on a homestead

Electric Poultry Netting

Electro-netting fencing is a simple way to eliminate ground predator threats for your chickens. Companies like Premier 1 Supplies makes poultry netting setups that can surround your coop and run while also providing boundaries for free ranging.

We use this system for rotationally grazing our cows. So if it can contain our cows, it can keep chickens in and predators out! We also use it as a perimeter around our meat chickens we raise in Suscovich Chicken Tractors. They even make solar fence energizers that don’t require an electrical connection and are easy to install, connect to your fencing, and move around.

Predator Detterents

There are many simple or low cost predator deterrents that can be setup in your yard. Perhaps the most simple is to install a bright light on a motion sensor. Predators don’t like surprise or when things shift and change. Along those lines, there are sprinklers on motion sensors that you can setup near your coop and turn on when they detect motion. I’ve even seen someone setup one of those inflatable floppy people you see at car dealerships to keep predators away. And supposedly it worked!

Removing Feed

Even if your chickens are snuggled away safely in their coop, predators might still be interested in the feed that is left behind. Taking your chickens feeder away at nighttime and replacing it in the morning may help reduce pesky predators.

Limit Free Ranging

One tactic we’ve used is to limit free ranging to only when we were at home or outside to keep close watch on things. This can get a little complex, especially if you’re regularly on the go. But we found it to be a happy middle ground for a time when predator pressure was high to still give our chickens the chance to roam free and forage.

Try a Chicken Tractor

As mentioned earlier, our mobile A-frame chicken tractor was the right solution for us to keep our chickens safely contained in the coop and run while still giving them regular access to fresh grass. Check out that post for how we were able to build a custom A-frame chicken tractor from a used kids swing set for hardly any cost!

When Predators Strike…

DON’T GIVE UP!

Losing a chicken is heartbreaking. And sets you back. We know.

So, let it be a learning opportunity for next time. Any time a predator breaches your coop they’re revealing areas that can be shored up and reinforced for next time.

What tips and tricks have you found helpful for protecting your feathery friends? Drop us a comment and let us know if you have questions!

Custom A-Frame Chicken Tractor For (Almost) Free
How To Care For Baby Chicks
Simple Outdoor Chicken Brooder Ideas
How To Care For Chickens In The Winter Basics
Chicken Roost Designs | Two Simple DIY Ladder Perch Ideas
Farm Fresh Eggs | What’s the Difference and How to Use Them Safely

February 11, 2023 8 comments

snow covered chicken tractor in suburban backyard

Chickens Homestead How-to's

How To Care For Chickens In The Winter Basics

by From Scratch Farmstead October 2, 2022

You have backyard chickens or are thinking about getting them but there’s one BIG question – How to care for chickens in the winter? Don’t fret! It’s much more simple than you may think. We’ll share our top tips for keeping your chickens safe and healthy during those frosty, snowy months.

From Our Suburban Backyard to Our Homestead

We’ve kept chickens for over 7 years now. It began with 6 backyard chickens on our 1/3 acre suburban lot. And now some 50 feathery friends free range about our 5 acre homestead property.

We’ve also had a variety of coop setups.

Our first coop was kit coop form Costco that we received as a gift. When we wanted to expand our suburban flock, we converted a wooden kids playset into an A-frame portable chicken coop.

backyard chicken tractor from repurposed materials

Instead of having a standalone coop currently at our homestead, we decided to build a coop inside our pole barn, which has worked out great!

In all these scenarios and in our northern Illinois winters (which can be harsh!) we’ve never lost a chicken due to winter conditions. That’s not because we never made mistakes or always knew exactly what we were doing. We’ve learned a lot as we went!

But we went for it, troubleshooted as needed, made adjustments, and tried to be more prepared the following year.

You can raise chickens in the wintertime too! Here’s what you need to know.

How To Care For Chickens In The Winter – Top 5 Tips!

Chickens really are hardy birds that are built for the winter. Their full feathery coats and higher than average body temps make them well suited to brave the cold. But there are some basic steps on your part as a chicken keeper to help them thrive.

1. Minimize Drafts In The Coop & Run

Exposure to frigid winds is one of the greatest threats to your chickens in the winter. We’ve all experienced the “feels like” temperatures that drop well below the actual temp due to windchill. Creating a windbreak or even insulating your chicken’s coop and run is a must.

Many coops are already sealed up pretty well. Be sure to close up any vents on the coop without cutting off ventilation completely. It’s important to not have your coop completely sealed off to avoid excess moisture build up, which can lead to frostbite.

Chicken runs, however, are usually open and exposed to wind. There are a couple options. One that we used is to staple thick plastic sheeting around the walls of your run. This is a quick and easy way to seal off your coop. We always used a 4-mil or 6-mil clear plastic sheeting that you can find at a hardware store.

chicken run covered in plastic during the winter — plastic sheeting around the chicken run to keep drafts out

Another alternative to plastic sheeting would either be screwing on plywood or metal panels. Whichever windbreak materials you choose, be sure to apply it to at least 2, if not 3, sides of your run to give your chickens good relief from the wind.

Another option is to stack straw bales around your chicken coop or run. Straw bales can act both as insulation and make an excellent windbreak.

2. Keep It Dry

When temps dip below freezing, a dry hen is much less susceptible to frostbite, disease, and any other wintertime woes that can pop up. Two options exist.

First, you can clean your coop regularly. This is best suited for smaller coops that can’t handle a lot of buildup of bedding and manure. With the kit coop we had that fit 6 chickens, I was able to add a few layers of fresh bedding like wood shavings, mulch, or straw to keep things fresh and dry. But at least once a month the moisture buildup got too intense for the small space and I needed to go in there and do a full clean out and start new.

Your other option is what’s called the Deep Bedding or Deep Litter method. This bedding method is where you continually add fresh layers of carbon on top of manure and leave the layers in place. Carbon can be straw, wood chips, wood shavings, or even leaves that will absorb moisture and give your birds a clean, dry bedding under their feet.

extra bedding in the chicken coop during winter

The key to this method is applying enough carbon. When applied at the right ratio, fresh bedding completely eliminate any odor from manure buildup. Another significant benefit is that the lower layers will eventually begin composting, which naturally produces heat in your coop.

The Deep Bedding or Deep Litter method is best suited for larger coops, runs, or chicken tractors that can handle a buildup of many bedding layers throughout the winter. We’ve had a lot of success applying this method to both our A-frame chicken tractor and barn coop over the years.

And as a bonus, come springtime you’ll have plenty of compost for your garden when you clean out your coop! Or better yet, put your coop on top of your garden and they’ll till, weed, and fertilize your garden so you’re all set for the spring.

3. Keep Water From Freezing

Chickens always need access to fresh, clean water. This can be a major challenge in the winter. The most common way to prevent water from freezing is to purchase or build a heated base for your chicken waterer.

You can purchase a heated chicken waterer base. This is a fine route to go, but just know that they typically only guarantee the heated bases to work if you pair it with the double-wall insulated metal waterer from the same manufacturer. If you are wanting to save money and go the DIY route, a couple options exist.

One common option is the cookie tin with a lightbulb. After trying this method, I don’t recommend it. A lightbulb trapped in a tight, high moisture area led to many frozen finger lightbulb changing adventures that winter.

Instead, I came up with an Easy DIY Heated Chicken Waterer base that has worked great. It’s a quick project, uses common parts you can find at any hardware store, and is an overall affordable option.

heated waterer keeping water from freezing in coop

Easy DIY Heated Chicken Waterer

January 2, 2022

4. Have Extra Food On Hand

Chickens, like most mammals, utilize digestion to maintain and control body heat. Making sure they have enough food and the right type of food on hand during the winter is essential.

You are likely already feeding them a layer crumble or pellet. This is fine to continue giving them during the winter. One consideration if you typically only give them a ration of feed in the morning is to also start giving them an extra ration of feed in the evening during the winter months. This will help them keep warm during those long, cold nights.

Adding extra protein or carbohydrates can also help keep your chickens hardier and more robust in the cold. Consider supplementing with extra food along the way like meal worms or cracked corn to help boost your chicken’s energy.

The bottom line is to plan to have extra food around during the winter and don’t skimp on the rations!

5. Prepare In Advance and Observe

As we’ve discovered, the hardest part of keeping any animals is having to troubleshoot and react once problems arise. This is especially true in the dead of winter! Preparing ahead of time and taking time to observe your chickens and react to problems quickly can save a lot of headaches down the road.

Go out and secure that plastic around your chicken run when weather is nice in the fall so you’re not caught off guard when that early winter storm rolls through.

Have electrical run to your coop well in advance so you’re not struggling with frozen fingers to unroll a stiff extension cord to your coop when their water starts freezing.

Stock up on some extra bags of feed or bedding so you don’t run out during that 3-day blizzard!

chicken tractor in suburban backyard during winter

And then spend time out with your chickens and pay attention to their cues. Are there signs of frostbite setting in? Do I need a better windbreak or is there too much moisture in the coop? Will they be happier if I give them more food than I have been?

Keep watch and act quickly when you notice that something seems off.

Winter Chicken Care – Frequently Asked Questions

Will chickens still lay eggs in the winter?

Yes! Chickens will continue to lay eggs all year. But the frequency that they lay is dependent on the amount of daylight. Chickens like at least 12 hours of daylight, and some breeds like closer to 14 or 16 hours. They will continue laying when daylight dips below these thresholds, but at a reduced rate.

Some chicken keepers leave a light on inside the coop to simulate extra daylight and keep egg production up. We’ve chosen not to do this to honor the chickens’ natural rhythms to slow down and rest during the winter months.

You’ll also want to collect eggs more frequently during the winter. The colder it is the quicker eggs can freeze and crack open. To avoid this check for eggs every few hours, especially when it’s well below freezing.

Should I be worried about frostbite for my chickens?

Frostbite is a concern and will most commonly target your chickens comb and wattle. These areas are vulnerable without feather cover. Keeping your coop dry and draft free is your best prevention against frostbite, which can be caused by excess moisture combined with frosty wind and freezing temps.

Another preventative measure chicken keepers have used is to spread Vaseline (or a natural alternative) on your chicken’s comb and wattle as an extra barrier against the cold.

You’ll want to be observant and try to avoid frostbite as it is rather uncomfortable for your chickens. But if minor frostbite does occur, it’s not the end of the world. Our rooster had some on his comb this past winter, and a month into spring you couldn’t even tell it was there.

Are heat lamps necessary in my chicken coop?

Nope. Chickens are built for winter. And if you take all the steps above to give them a dry, draft free coop with plenty of food and water they’ll be able to rely on their instincts to know what they need beyond that to handle the winter fine.

But it’s also not the end of the world to give them a source of heat. We did have a heat lamp in our coops while living in the suburbs. We mainly pointed it at the waterer to help keep it from freezing since we didn’t yet have our concrete block heated waterer base.

One thing you’ll want to consider is that heat lamps have a VERY high fire risk! So proceed at your own risk. Other safer options exist like this chicken coop heated pad.

Can my chickens free range in the snow?

You bet! They’ll have just as much fun getting out and scratching around in the snow and cold as they do on a nice spring day. Thick snow cover can limit of prevent their ability to free range.

Consider shoveling out an area or path for your chickens to give them room to roam. Chickens can get stressed and irritated with each other when cooped up. So giving your chickens the chance to roam, even throughout the winter, can help keep your flock happy and calm.

What are the most cold hardy chicken breeds?

Most heritage chicken breeds are well suited for winter conditions. We have had some 10-15 different breeds over the years, which have all done well over the winter. While this list is not exhaustive, some of the main cold hardy winter chicken breeds are:

Barred Rock
Rhode Island Red
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana
Easter Egger
Salmon Faverolle
Wyandotte
Delaware
Brahma
Australorp

These breeds tend to have thick coats of feathers and higher body masses. Some even have smaller combs and wattles or feathers on other vulnerable areas like their feet. Even less cold hardy breeds can do fine during the winter if you keep conditions favorable. We have a few White Leghorns that have weathered the winters just fine in our current barn coop setup.

You Can Raise Chickens in the Winter!

Just remember: block the wind, keep it dry, figure out a good wintertime water and food situation, and be proactive.

With just these few basic measures, your chickens will take it from there and handle the winter like they were made for it. Because they are!

So don’t let wintertime hold you back from getting that backyard flock you’ve always wanted. You and your gals got this!

October 2, 2022 0 comment

Chickens Homestead How-to's

Simple DIY Chicken Coop Inside Your Barn

by From Scratch Farmstead September 11, 2022

Already have an existing barn or pole barn on your property? Then you may just have the perfect spot to build your chicken coop! So don’t overthink it. We’ll break down what you need to know about building a chicken coop inside a barn along with the advantages and disadvantages.

Why We Built A Chicken Coop Inside Our Pole Barn

Our first spring on our homestead was ambitious. Starting entirely from scratch we built a brooder, filled it with both broiler and layer chicks, then needed to build both a chicken tractor for the meat chickens and a coop for the layers.

The John Suscovich chicken tractor worked out perfectly for our meat chickens.

sucovich chicken tractor with metal roof

But, when it came to a coop for our layers, there were almost too many options and I was getting overwhelmed. Meanwhile our chicks were getting big and we needed to build something!

I liked the portable egg-mobile concept. The only problems were, 1) we didn’t have a truck or tractor to move it, and 2) it would be a pretty significant project requiring both a trailer and lots of building materials.

Those cute, standalone coops would certainly be nice. But that too was a significant project and I wasn’t quite ready to commit to where would be best to build a permanent structure. And would the county require a permit or extra taxes?

Maybe a chicken tractor with laying boxes that we could pull around? But we had around 25 chickens with plans to expand in the future. We’d need a chicken tractor fleet!

Then I turned to our pole barn. Could I just build our coop inside it?

The barn is roughly 50’ x 25’. About 1/3 of it is used as a stall for animals. But there was ample space in the rest of the barn that I mainly used for storage.

So, we went for it and have been so happy with the decision!

Chicken Coop Inside Barn – What to Think Through Before Building

Before we get to the How To, it’s important to plan out your coop so your birds are safe and have everything they need, and you are happy long term with your coop.

Predator Proofing

Predator proofing your coop is always the first thing to think about with any coop design. All 6 sides should be secure: top, bottom, and the four sides. The top is the easiest. You can just use plywood, boards, or metal panels for a solid top.

The sides leave you with some options. On my coop, I built a 2’ or 4’ high partial wall covered with plywood and then used chicken wire to secure the walls the rest of the way up to the ceiling. Note that if you do plan to keep your walls open and bring the chicken wire all the way to the ground, you may want to consider hardware cloth in place of chicken wire – at least along the base. Some predators can tear through chicken wire when at ground level.

The base is the trickiest. Many predators can dig under the coop and get in. The ideal would be to dig out the entire footprint of the coop about a foot, line the underside with hardware cloth, then fill back in on top of it. But that’s a big undertaking! What I did was dug a trench where the walls of the coop would sit and lined the trench with concrete blocks. This both acted as a foundation for the coop and has kept predators out!

Location/Layout

Spend time in your barn thinking through and envisioning the best location for your coop and how it will effect the flow of traffic within your barn. How will the coop interact with other activities going on in the barn? What is the warmest spot of the barn? What will my chickens access to outside look like? Will they have sunlight and ventilation? Will I be able to bring materials in and out of the coop?

The inside layout of the coop with nesting boxes, roost, and room for food and water doesn’t need to be set in stone. But other features, like a door to your coop, will be permanent and require some forethought. What’s the best door location to make life simple with daily chores. And don’t forget to size your door wide enough to fit a wheel barrow in to clean out the coop!

Size

Knowing your desired laying flock size and how you will be raising them will determine a lot. Will your chickens free range? If not, do you also need to consider building a run for your chickens outside of the barn so they have access to outdoors and sunlight?

We knew we wanted to free range our chickens. So most of their time is spent outside foraging and dust bathing under bushes. Our 8’ x 16’ coop footprint feels like plenty of space for the 50 or so chickens we currently have considering they’re only in there to sleep, eat, drink, and lay.

But, if you don’t plan to give your chickens access to outdoors, that same space might feel tight for even 20 chickens. At a minimum, plan for 3-4 square feet per chicken in your coop. I realize we exceed that a bit with 50 chickens, but they have freedom to roam all throughout the property during the day. And if we ever do need to keep them indoors then we open up the full barn to them.

Design

Most pole barns have poles that make up the exterior walls every 8’ on center. I found it easiest to align the walls of my coop with these poles or posts and work off of those. With sticking to those 8’ dimensions both for the length and width of the coop that made buying materials easy and more affordable. Lumber in 8’ lengths is common to come by and 4’x8’ plywood sheets worked great for the walls and ceiling.

The height of your walls is also a consideration. It’s important 1) for ventilation, and 2) for visibility. I made the front wall of the coop only 2’ high with chicken wire the rest of the way up so kids would easily be able to see into the coop. The side walls I made 4’ high with chicken wire the rest of the way up. This allowed me to easily mount laying boxes onto that side wall.

I’d recommend against building solid walls all the way up. Walls that are 2’ or 4’ high with chicken wire or hardware cloth the rest of the way up provide much needed air flow to ventilate your coop. Barns can get warm in the summer months but we’ve found that with the barn doors open, the chickens get the cross ventilation they need with a more open coop design.

Storage

Depending on the size of your coop and how much room you have in the rest of your barn, you may not want to lose that much space in storage. This was true for us. So instead of building the coop the full height of our barn, I left a couple feet between the top of the coop and roof trusses. This allows me to store lots of supplies in the off season like electro netting fencing, hoses, drip irrigation, and spare lumber.

To do this, I built the ceiling of the coop strong enough to support some weight and lined it with 1/2” plywood on top. This both sealed it off on top form predators and makes for a nice sturdy storage surface.

Materials

Since this project uses really basic materials, I always recommend using repurposed materials whenever possible. Use an old door you already have lying around. Look on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for things like sheets of plywood, lumber, and the concrete blocks. This can be a very affordable coop if you can source most of the materials used. And it will probably add lots of character!

chicken tractor made with repurposed materials

I had the unfortunate timing of building our coop right in the middle of the 2020 lumber shortage. I searched for used lumber for months without any great options. So for this coop I had to buy most of the materials new. But when we lived in the suburbs, I was able to build a smaller portable A-frame coop that we built entirely out of an old wooden kids playset and used fencing.

How To Build a Chicken Coop in an Existing Barn

Every barn and coop design are going to be different. But I’ll walk you through the steps and techniques I used to build our 8’ x 16’ chicken coop inside our barn.

Step 1 – Install your foundation

Unless your barn already has a concrete floor, you’ll need to install a solid foundation to build on. This will also serve to predator proof the bottom side of your cop – see note above.

To start, layout where your walls will sit. Dig a trench in line with your walls deep enough for your concrete blocks to sit leaving 1-2” of the block exposed above ground level. Do this on all four sides.

Next, compact the base of the trench as much as possible using either a compaction tool, the head of a sledge hammer, or your foot.

Add about 1” of sand to the bottom of the trench. Install the concrete blocks, leveling them as you go using a 4’ level. In some instances you may want to use a very straight 2×4 vertically oriented with the level on top to span further distances. Add or subtract sand beneath the blocks as needed until your blocks are level throughout.

Note: I used 4”x8”x16” solid concrete blocks. I oriented them horizontally meaning they went down about 7”. We have not had issues with predators digging beneath them, but for additional predator proofing, you can orient the blocks vertically to go 16” down.

Step 2 – Build your walls

This coop uses basic wall construction with a bottom plate, vertical studs, and a top plate.

Our walls were 8’ high and I built them flat on the ground and then moved them into place. The bottom plate should be treated 2×4’s since it will sit directly on the concrete block and likely be exposed to moisture in the ground level of the coop. The rest of the coop can be built with standard construction lumber.

I spaced my studs 24” on center, which is plenty sturdy for a coop. Along the front wall I used 4×4” posts and spaced them 48” on center. This allowed for greater visibility inside the coop.

You will also need to frame out your door(s) at this point.

If you have a preference of fasteners to assemble the walls or own a nail gun, that is great! I use screws when assembling walls. But don’t use just any screws! Standard Philips head screws are outdated, will strip out, and leave you really frustrated. Spend a little extra and buy t-25 star head coated screws. They drive in so easily and the coating will stand up to the moisture of a coop and barn.

Step 3 – Install chicken wire

Yes, I’m recommending you install the chicken wire (or hardware cloth) on the walls before setting them in place! In my experience, getting a nice tight and secure install on chicken wire is so much easier when the walls are laying down versus trying to install it vertically. But, installing the chicken wire after the walls are in place is also an option. I did a mix of both.

I purchased 4’ wide chicken wire. Since each of the wall sections I built were 8’ wide, the 4’ chicken wire worked perfectly.

If you have an air compressor and a brad nailer that will accommodate staples, that will make this step SO much easier. Otherwise, you can also use a mechanical stapler, but your hand will be cramped and worn out by the end!

Staple a straight line of chicken wire on either the top or bottom of your wall panel. Continue stapling the chicken wire along the rest of the wall pulling it tight as you go. Having an extra person helping to keep the chicken wire tight and straight makes the job much easier!

Step 4 – Assemble your walls

Move your walls on top of your foundation. Use a level to make sure the walls are level vertically. Have a couple spare 2×4’s on hand to temporally brace the walls together so they stay level.

Screw the wall panels together every couple feet where they meet so they are secure.

assembling walls of chicken coop inside barn

This is optional, but I did drill a couple holes with a masonry bit through the bottom treated plate on each wall section into the concrete blocks and installed a Tapcon screw. These screws are specifically designed to work with masonry. They’ll help to make sure the walls stay in place on the foundation.

Step 5 – Build your ceiling

To build a ceiling to your coop sturdy enough to store materials on top, you’ll want a beam along the center of the coop. I used a double 2×6 beam.

I then hung 2×4 joist off the center beam every 24” on center. The joists spanned from the center beam to the side walls of the coop. On the center beam I supported the joists using a metal joist hanger. On the side walls, I installed a horizontal 2×4 ledger. This is basically a 2×4 that sat 3-1/2 below the height of the wall and was securely screwed to the vertical studs of the wall. The joist then rested on this ledger and were screwed in.

Finish the ceiling with 1/2” plywood sheets on top. Screw or nail the plywood to the joists and wall top plates. Remember to make sure it is secure so no predators can fit through gaps.

Step 6 – Add your finishes

Install the plywood or paneling to finish out the walls of your coop. I found that 4’x8’ sheets of plywood worked perfectly with this coop size since you just need to cut them in half for the 4’ walls and in quarters for the 2’ walls.

interior walls of chicken coop inside barn

For the exterior walls I used a 3/4” exterior grade plywood with a groove pattern in it. For the interior walls, I used 1/4” plywood with a beadboard pattern. And for the front I used tongue and groove boards I had leftover from a house project. All of these materials are pretty standard at hardware stores.

And finally you can install your door!

Step 7 – Make it chicken friendly!

You now have a coop! Now you just need some feathered flock furnishings to finish things off. This should include feeders, waterers, laying boxes, and a roost.

A basic feeder and waterer from your local farm supply store will do the trick. Depending on your flock size, you may consider more than one of each. If you’re concerned with your chickens water freezing during the winter, we came up with this Easy DIY Heated Chicken Waterer design after trying other methods that were either really expensive or didn’t work.

Laying boxes don’t need to be anything fancy. Ours are just constructed out of a sheet of 1/2” plywood. You can also repurpose old drawers from a desk or dresser that add a nice touch and charm!

There are a lot of roost designs and philosophies out there. I figure a bird would typically just roost on a tree branch so that’s the route I went. I collected up some tree branches from around our property, screwed them together to make a ladder and leaned it against the barn wall inside the coop. It’s worked out great!

The last thing you’ll need is to line the floor of your coop with straw, wood chips, or wood shavings as a bedding for your birds.

And you’re all set!

Chicken Coop Inside Barn – Advantages & Disadvantages

We have seen a bunch of advantages to having your chickens inside your barn, with just a couple disadvantages. Let’s look at those.

Advantages

Stays dry

Barns already have a solid roof overhead. And most have solid walls too. This allows the construction of your barn coop to stay pretty simple without needing to make it tight from the elements. With regular cleaning, your chickens will stay happy and dry in your barn coop!

Extra protection

Really having a coop within a barn is almost like having an extra layer of protection form predators getting to your chickens. If your barn is sealed up good and you build your coop to keep predators out, you can rest easy at night knowing your gals are safe and secure.

Water and supplies close by

Most barns are already equipped with a water supply, electrical supply, and you can easily add a place to store food. We just use an old refrigerator that stopped working to store bags of feed in! This makes doing chores a breeze instead of needing run hoses long distances or lug buckets of food and water to a coop.

Ventilation in summer

Most barns have large doors that can be opened up or have built in ventilation in the roof. Barns can warm up quickly in the summer heat. We have large doors we open up on both sides of the barn and this provides the perfect cross ventilation to keep the coop comfortable.

Warmth in winter

Barns can also be closed up tight to trap in heat during the cold winter months. I remember when we had smaller standalone coops doing things like running heat lamps and wrapping plastic around the coop to trap heat. That was expensive and just doesn’t look great. The barn has kept our chickens plenty warm without any extra measures needed.

I will note that part of the project I intended to get to but haven’t yet was to frame out the exterior barn wall inside the coop to add paneling and insulation to it. This is the one vulnerable area where cold air enters the coop. An extra wall layer and some insulation would really help keep the cold out.

Disadvantages

Lose barn space

Space in your barn can definitely be a premium. I get that. And you do lose space with a barn coop that you might have other uses for. But with still being able to store supplies on top of our coop, we found the lost space is not as big of an issue as we might have thought initially.

Dust

Chickens stir up dust. It’s what they do. Like, absurd amounts of it. You can clean your barn and come back two days later and find it just as dusty as before. If that’s a big concern for you or you use your barn for other activities that don’t mingle well with dust, then a coop in your barn might not be the right fit.

Poop

It’s definitely possible to add a door directly to the outside and keep the rest of your barn sealed off from chickens getting in. But doing so can be a challenge. Our chickens have free-reign of the whole barn and we all know what that means. Poop. Everywhere. Again, if you don’t have a good plan of how you’d chicken proof the rest of your barn, then you’d better let the poop reality settle in before building your coop.

Sunlight

Some barns are low on sunlight. Ours at least has some clear transom panels that let in light along the walls. Plus we keep the doors open during the day. But it’s still fairly dark in there. When I do frame out that exterior barn wall in the coop I plan to add some windows for extra light and ventilation.

Looking for more chicken raising tips and tricks? Check out these posts:

Simple Outdoor Chicken Brooder Ideas

How To Care For Baby Chicks

Easy DIY Heated Chicken Waterer

Chicken Tractor Plans for 25 Chickens

September 11, 2022 10 comments

Homestead How-to's Homestead Living

Urban Homesteading | 25 Ways To Begin Today

by From Scratch Farmstead August 28, 2022

Yes, we live on a small farm now. But our roots are actually in urban homesteading! Homesteading is not defined by your land or location! Urban, suburban, or rural – you can live a homesteading lifestyle wherever you’re at. Here are our 25 ways to begin a homestead lifestyle today!

Our Urban Homesteading Roots

For 5 years we lived in an adorable cape cod nestled on 1/3 acre in the suburbs. It was bare bones, but it proved to be the perfect spot to get connected in the local food and farming community and learn the ropes of homesteading.

Each year we tackled a new urban homesteading adventure.

First was backyard chickens. Then we expanded our gardening. Next, we ventured into beekeeping. Then we planted 8 fruit trees and other fruit bearing bushes. And our final hoorah was to move the gardening up front and turn our whole front lawn into a garden!

So many other skills followed suit. In the kitchen we tried canning and other food preservation techniques. Then came fermentation and things like cooking a whole chicken.

Around the house we tackled lots of DIY projects and figured out how to be resourceful with repurposed materials. We were able to redo our kitchen with nearly all used items and we even built a moveable chicken tractor out of an old wooden kid’s playset we came across for free.

We were doing it. We were homesteaders!

However, the doing had a progression to it. Some important steps preceded the doing. We’ll get to that.

But first…

What Is Urban Homesteading?

Urban homesteading is a beautiful thing because anyone, anywhere can be doing it. There is no list of things one must do to be labeled an urban, or even non-urban, homesteader.

We truly believe homesteading is more of a lifestyle, a mindset than anything. It involves a deep, intimate connection with one’s food from soil to plate. It’s the perfect marriage of simplicity and resourcefulness with a spirit to recapture skills of the past. And it’s a call to be a good steward of resources and adopt sustainable practices.

This requires two things: Self-sufficiency and community-sufficiency.

Self-Sufficiency

We as homesteaders feel a deep yearning to produce with our hands. To grow food and nourish our families. To not always settle for the storebought option but learn how to make it ourselves. To be less dependent on the systems in place around us. And to be more in tune with and dependent on the natural world. That’s self-sufficiency.

Community Sufficiency

Urban homesteading also means you can’t possibly do it all on your own. Land and resources are limited. You’ll need to simultaneously pour into and lean on the community that surrounds you. Finding other growers and producers who have what you don’t and purchasing or bartering for their products.

3 Steps to Urban Homesteading

If you’re like us and starting completely from scratch in your urban homesteading journey, just getting going can seem so so intimidating. But with taking small, achievable steps along the way, you can cover a lot of ground quickly. Here’s a breakdown of the steps we took that both allowed us to homestead in a suburban setting and also helped make our transition to 5 acres go so much smoother.

Step 1: Get Connected

Find like-minded people, groups, and organizations with shared values and goals. Believe me, we get it that trying to homestead in an urban setting can feel isolating. You’re always “those people” going against the grain and doing weird things like making kombucha and sewing your own clothes.

One of the most helpful ways we made connections was by visiting local farms and farmers and farmers markets. Seriously, every farm that looked even remotely interesting locally we’d try and visit to ask questions, observe what they’re doing, and usually come home with something awesome and delicious.

And trips to area farmers markets was just a regular part of our summertime weekend routine. We loved getting to know particular vendors, learning about the seasonality of food, and finding new and exciting fresh, locally grown foods to experiment with in the kitchen.

There can also be many groups or non-profits to explore where you can meet other urban homesteaders. We volunteered a bit with a local gardening non-profit that built raised bed gardens for food insecure families. We also attended some of their gardening workshops.

These connections are vital to meeting the right people, growing your community, and learning about what all the homesteading life entails.

Step 2: Learn Skills

After the first step of visiting, exploring, and getting connected, it only makes sense to begin learning the skills that most interest you.

Some skills like canning we were able to teach ourselves through books or online resources. Other skills, like beekeeping, we actually took a class for locally. This gave us the hands-on experience and confidence we needed to start beekeeping in our suburban backyard. It also gave us somewhat of a mentor to reach out to when questions came up since our instructor was a local beekeeper.

We even took a farm beginnings course that was hosted through a local non-profit farmer training program. While we ultimately decided that we more interested in homesteading than farming, it gave us such a great window into the business side of farming, taught us valuable skills, and connected us with so many local food producers in our area.

Another huge learning opportunity for us was that instead of just joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with a local farmer, we looked for work shares. Work shares are where you trade a few hours of labor each week on the farm in exchange for a CSA box. We volunteered weekly at a vegetable CSA and learned transplanting, weeding, harvesting, irrigation methods, and how to wash, pack, and store fresh produce.

These were the types of opportunities that gave us the confidence to go after things on our own land. Yes, some things you’ll just need to dive into head first and learn as you go. But if you’re able to seek out a mentor or teacher that can show you the basics and help you troubleshoot as you go, you’ll be so much better off!

Step 3: Start Doing!

We have this step intentionally last for a reason. From our experience, the doing part of urban homesteading goes smoothest when you’ve made the right connections to learn from along the way and picked up the skills and education you need to do things well.

Taking on too much or something you’re not prepared for can leave you discouraged or burnt out.

Below is a list of ways you can start doing on your homestead. It’s not exhaustive and you shouldn’t try to do all of them. But our hope is that it inspires you to see the possibilities to start urban homesteading right where you are at!

Our Top 25 Ways to Pursue an Urban Homesteading Lifestyle Today Regardless of Location

1. Grow vegetables

Vegetables are such a fun place to start and perfect for urban homesteading because you can grow a lot in small spaces! Our biggest tip when it comes to growing vegetables is grow what you like and will eat! There’s nothing like a garden fresh tomato and it’s so easy to preserve the easy growing kale to last you all winter long!

Whether you do raised beds, containers, or directly into the ground, figure what will work best for your space and get started!

2. Plant a three sisters garden

Three sisters gardening – corn, beans, and squash – is an incredible method of growing storage crops. This traditional companion planting method starts with mounds of corn, then beans trellis up the corn stalks, and squash grows between each mound acting as ground cover.

Yes, the squash can be sprawling and require some space. But it can also be done in small scales and still produce prolific amounts of food. Growing the three sisters has played a big role in being able to feed our family year-round off our homestead.

3. Grow potatoes

We love potatoes! They require very little attention after planting, make for a fun filled family treasure hunt to dig up in the fall, and store amazingly well to enjoy all through the winter.

Potatoes typically produce 8 times what you plant. This is incredible value! So, for every pound you plant you can expect around 8 lbs. produced. And if you don’t have land, you can easily plant them in containers or grow bags!

4. Reduce EMF’s

Not everything with homesteading revolves around food! There are many other ways to nourish your body and sometimes reducing environmental toxins can pay huge dividends. Frequent or concentrated exposure to EMF’s, or electromagnetic frequencies, have been tied to many negative health issues including poor sleep, foggy brain, fatigue, increased stress, and even greater risk of cancer.

You can find more ideas of ways to reduce EMF exposure in your life here. Ways that we have reduced EMFs in our home for years are turning off our wi-fi and cell phones at night, unplugging electronics when not in use, using an EMF proof cellphone case, or using our cell phone on speakerphone whenever possible.

5. From scratch cooking

Learning to cook from scratch can be so empowering! Less dependency on the grocery store, being able to make foods with better and fewer ingredients, and it tastes great.

We understand that from scratch cooking can be intimidating to start. But overtime, you’ll be making things that you never knew were possible. Looking for a place to start? Check out our post How to Slow Cook a Whole Chicken in the Oven. Learning to cook a whole chicken will save you money, give you meals worth of meat, and leave you with nutrient rich bone broth!

6. Canning & preserving

A great way to put away the abundance of what you grow or be able to eat the bounty of what you purchase from a local farm or farmer’s market year-round is to can or preserve it. Canning is actually a super simple process. I was able to teach myself simply by reading the instructions on the pressure canner we purchased.

Freezing and dehydrating are great ways to preserve the harvest as well! In fact, we only can a few things but most of the produce we preserve is done by freezing or preserving!

7. Make sourdough

After a period of eating grain free in our health journey, sourdough was one of the first things we wanted to try after reintroducing grains. I have fond memories of the first sourdough starter we created from spores collected out the back window of our suburban cape cod. We still use it today! The fermentation process sourdough bread goes through makes the gluten and nutrients within sourdough more digestible. Overall, it’s just healthier than highly processed storebought bread options!

sourdough starter pancake stack with butter

There are SO many yummy creations when it comes to sourdough. Some of our favorites are our sourdough deep dish pizza, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough scones! And if you’re not into having to constantly feed and use your sourdough starter, like us, we share our once-a-month batch sourdough routine where we keep the starter in the fridge and reactivate it as needed.

8. Mill your own flours

Ground flours go rancid quickly and the industrial milling process most storebought options go through remove nearly all the nutrients. But grains in their whole form, like the wheat berries that are ground into flour, have a long shelf life and can maintain their nutritional value when properly stored for years.

We bought a hand grain mill years ago and have been sourcing our grains from a local organic mill. The freshness and taste of hand milled grains can’t be beat! Our post, How To Make Flour – Using a Hand Grain Mill at Home, takes you through different grain mill options and the many benefits of milling your own flour at home.

9. Beekeeping

Keeping bees is such a versatile activity. Obviously, harvesting honey from the hive comes to mind. But you can also get beeswax for things like home skin care and candle making, propolis which is an extremely effective immune booster, and you’ll simultaneously be pollinating your gardens along with your neighbors’.

Beekeeping can be done on a rooftop in an urban setting just as easily as it can be done in a backyard. You’ll want to check your local ordinances, but many areas are friendly and encouraging toward beekeepers. We kept one hive in the backyard of our suburban home. Not only are bees docile and safe to keep around, but the innerworkings of the hive are remarkable to observe!

10. Composting

It boggles my mind that some towns and HOA’s don’t allow composting! To me, it should be illegal NOT to compost! Composting is collecting food scraps, leaves, grass, and other yard clippings in a heap. This pile heats up breaking down the compost materials over time and turning them back into organic matter, or compost.

You can go the route of buying a compost tumbler that keeps your compost contained and makes turning it over easy. Or, you can build a really basic container system in your yard. We built 2 large compost bins out of pallets that can fit all of our food scraps and yard waste for the year. Then, after routinely turning the piles over, you have nutrient rich compost to add to your garden the next year!

11. Backyard laying hens

One of our first entry points into urban homesteading was backyard chickens. How cool is it that you can have a constant supply of protein rich eggs right in your backyard! We started with 6 layers in a prefabricated kit coop that we received as a gift. Then we eventually built a moveable chicken tractor that housed 8 more chickens bringing our total to 14.

Several chickens can provide more than enough eggs for your family. And we find having them around to be both entertaining and therapeutic! Again, you’ll want to check what’s allowable in your area. But there are strong pushes in many areas to begin allowing backyard chickens. If towns are really serious about increasing their sustainability, allowing and encouraging backyard chickens is the first step I’d take!

backyard laying hens in moveable chicken tractor

12. Milking Goats or Sheep

Hey, you never know! This may be a stretch, but don’t discount what’s possible until you explore it. We have friends in Chicago that have a small herd of milking goats that they rotate from vacant lot to vacant lot for grazing. Through this they provide goat milk to many families in a very urban setting. Even when we lived in the suburbs, someone in our neighborhood had sheep and they passed them off as therapy sheep!

Small ruminants that can be milked, like sheep or goats, can provide prolific amounts of food and nutrition. Butter, cheese, yogurt, kefir, ice cream!… all things you’d have access to making with a dairy animal.

13. Foraging

Growing food in a garden is great. But what if there was an option to just go out and harvest super nutrient dense foods with no work and weeding attached to it? Hence foraging! Getting started in foraging can make your head spin. There are so many different plants to learn to identify. But we’ve found it most helpful to learn one plant at a time to not get overwhelmed.

Nettle was one of the first plants we foraged for. Our post, How to Preserve Nettle, explains our nettle harvesting and eating process. This tasty and nutritious green can be cooked and eaten fresh or dried and preserved for later. Dandelion, wild mint, and elderberries are also common edible plants you can forage for. Check out our recipes for Gluten Free Dandelion Cake, Fresh Mint Brownies, and Elderberry Gummies for a sweet treat the whole family will love!

14. Grow Mushrooms

That magical world of mycelium under our feet is fascinating. And mushrooms can have so many health benefits! There are lots of ways to start growing mushrooms in small spaces.

Mushroom logs are most common. We recently inoculated logs with plugs, or little wooden dowels that contain mushroom spores. It was a fun project the whole family can participate in, the logs take up hardly any space, and we look forward to harvesting our own mushrooms. There are also ways to inoculate mulch piles with mushroom spores or even home grow kits that can sit right in your kitchen!

15. Raise chickens/poultry/other animals for meat

Believe me, if we suburban raised kids can butcher our own chickens, so can you! We actually walk you through all you need to know in our post Beginners Guide to Processing Chickens at Home. But there are so many other options besides chickens: turkeys, geese, rabbits, quail.

Some friends of ours living in a normal suburban neighborhood recently raised a batch of quails that they raised for meat and butchered. And rabbits are becoming hugely popular in homesteading circles. You can raise them without much space, they reproduce prolifically, and they taste great!

freedom ranger chickens in suscovich tractor

16. Fruit trees/bushes

If you’re going to plant a tree, why not make it a productive one?! Maybe you can put some blueberry bushes in your landscaping instead of that boxwood. Or form a hedge with some raspberry shoots. When it comes to fruit trees and bushes the possibilities are endless, and they don’t need to take up much space.

We planted 8 fruit trees on our 1/3 acre. Plus, there were already several mature and producing mulberry trees lining the back and side of the property that we (and our chickens!) loved getting fresh berries from. Some smaller fruit trees or shrubs can even be potted when land is not available. Our post, Beginners Guide to Homestead Fruit Trees, give tips on selecting and adding fruit trees to your property.

17. Support local farms

Urban homesteading and a strong and vibrant local food system go hand in hand. Small to mid-scale farmers have it tough; constantly at the mercy of weather, hard non-mechanized work, cheap grocery store competition, slim margins, and the ever-increasing cost and diminishing availability of farmland. Those called to cultivating the soil and growing or raising food deserve our full support.

We believe in the notion that you vote with your dollars. Without consistent support, local food farmers will lose out every time to cheap industrialized food. We’ve seen it with dear farmer friends who just couldn’t stay in business. Join a farm CSA (community supported agriculture). Pick up what you need each week at the farmers market. Visit farms and come home with a haul. Shop local!

18. Learn cheesemaking

It may not be practical in an urban setting to have a milk cow or other milking animal. We get that. But, one day you might just have one, as we came to find out! And even if you don’t, cheesemaking is such an amazing and fun process to learn!

When we lived in the suburbs, we started buying raw milk from a local dairy farm with a nearby pickup spot. It wasn’t long before we ventured into cheesemaking and discovered how easy and delicious it was to make our own Mozzarella! From there, we eventually tried a hard cheese and came up with this really simple Farmhouse Cheddar recipe.

19. Edible landscaping

Landscaping doesn’t need to be dull and nonproductive. Many food producing plants offer beauty and vibrancy along with the ability to harvest and be added to a meal.

Plant some asparagus that will pop up delicious shoots year after year. Kale and swiss chard can bring a blast of color and texture to any space. Garlic or chives can be used similar to an ornamental grass. And culinary and medicinal herbs can fit any landscaping, whether potted or in ground.

20. Collect rainwater

With more and more urban land being developed or paved, so much rainwater just runs off to the local storm sewer. But retaining that water helps you not rely entirely on municipal water supplies and instead utilize the abundant resources nature gives you.

Connecting rain barrels to downspouts is a common way to do this. These 50+ gallon drums can hold a lot of water that you can have on hand to keep your gardens lush and green in dry times. There are also more elaborate rainwater collection systems that utilize larger storage tanks.

21. DIY skin care

Did you know your skin is your body’s largest organ? It’s true! And so many commercial skin care products are chemically based causing your body to constantly absorb toxins. Try nourishing your body instead with homemade skin care products using ingredients you can actually pronounce!

And it’s really not that hard! We have found that tallow-based skin care products are our favorite because of how nourishing it is for our skin and we can source grass fed suet locally to render into tallow. Some of our favorite DIY skin care products are our tallow magnesium lotion, deodorant, and sunscreen.

22. Eat seasonally

The more you connect to your food and how it’s grown, the more seasonal eating just makes sense. Grocery stores solved some food problems, but they created a long list of others. Does it make sense to be eating tomatoes year-round when ¾ of the year they’re flown in from halfway around the world using incredible amounts of energy and resources? Or can we be ok eating fresh tomatoes from our garden during the summer months and then can tomato sauce or make sundried tomatoes that we can use the rest of the year?

We have found eating seasonally to not only be healthier, but to be so freeing. It has allowed us to cut ties with an industrial food system that tells us we should have the right to any food at any time of the year, whatever the cost. It takes a bit of planning, but moving toward seasonal rhythms to your food consumption can pay so many dividends. We share some tips of how we do this in our post, 7 Tips to Save Money on Organic Groceries.

23. Following circadian rhythms

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of our modern conveniences is that it has completely removed our dependence on natural circadian rhythms. With bright lights and screens on late into the night, why go to bed when it’s dark? When black out curtains cover the early morning’s suns first rays, why wake up with the sun?

These habits that were so natural for our ancestors are actually some of the most health promoting choices we can make. It may take some retraining and new habits, but we have found living in these natural patterns to make such a positive impact on our sleep and overall demeanor.

24. Shopping second hand

Being resourceful and homesteading are a match made in heaven! When we need something, the first place we look is the second-hand market. Now with resources like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and a growing number of second-hand stores, it’s much easier to actually find some really great second-hand purchases. In fact, the vast majority of our favorite items in our home and wardrobe are items that we purchased second hand.

When we recently purchased our foreclosed 5-acre homestead, the whole house needed some updating. We set out looking for second hand items: kitchen cabinets, light fixtures, refrigerators, our AGA stove. We wound up with a space that had tons of character while paying a fraction of the cost if everything were new.

underside of farmhouse shelf hanging cast irons

25. Eat Nose to Tail

When we lived in an urban setting, we always purchased a ¼ cow or a ½ pig from a local farm and made sure to get every single cut we could. This is a great way to not only support local farms but to eat every part of the animal, even rendering down the fat and finding a use for all of the organ meats (like these beef heart burgers).

Not only is eating nose to tail less wasteful, it also provides you with more nutrient dense foods. If you just stick with eating the popular muscle meats, you miss out on the most nutrient dense parts of the animals like the organs and collagen rich parts. In fact, incorporating regular organ meats into our diet had a huge impact on our health journey, which we share all about in our article on how liver changed my life. Eating nose to tail is also a great way to save money – buying an animal in bulk provides more bang for your buck!

Take Urban Homesteading In Stride!

Just remember – DON’T TRY IT ALL AT ONCE!

Follow the steps of connecting, learning, and then doing. Tackle one new project at a time. Once you feel comfortable with that and you have developed your systems, then start thinking about the next project around the corner.

Happy homesteading friends!

Looking to spend less money while homesteading? Check out our post, 14 Frugal Homestead Ideas.

August 28, 2022 0 comment