Abandoned Urban Chickens

[Cottie]

That's why God moved this gal from the suburbs of DC (Manassas) to the rural southeast NC! According to the lady at the county, and I quote, "Honey, you can have anything smaller than a cow!" So, I ask if there is a limit to how many. Her response, "Oh, no girl, you can have as many as you want...just so they are smaller than a cow. You don't live in one of them communities do you?" I assure her, I most assuredly do NOT. "That's good, you are fine! Just so long as you don't have anything as big as a cow."

And, no, I did not ask her what size cow....

But why, pray tell, can't you have a cow?

 

[Frecs]

That's why God moved this gal from the suburbs of DC (Manassas) to the rural southeast NC! According to the lady at the county, and I quote, "Honey, you can have anything smaller than a cow!" So, I ask if there is a limit to how many. Her response, "Oh, no girl, you can have as many as you want...just so they are smaller than a cow. You don't live in one of them communities do you?" I assure her, I most assuredly do NOT. "That's good, you are fine! Just so long as you don't have anything as big as a cow."

And, no, I did not ask her what size cow....

But why, pray tell, can't you have a cow?

Because we are not zoned "agricultural"...I think. She didn't ask me how much land I had so it isn't about space (I don't have enough for a cow anyway...only .6 acres) so the only thing I can figure is I'm not officially a "farm"...so no cows.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Frecs that makes me want to move there and buy a miniature cow. There are a couple of neat mini cows out there these days! :twisted:

 

[Frecs]

Frecs that makes me want to move there and buy a miniature cow. There are a couple of neat mini cows out there these days! :twisted:

Gggirrlll...don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind and caused a battle between "Good Tina" :angel: and "Evil Tina" :twisted: !!

I mean...even a cow can be smaller than a cow!

 

[Cottie]

I mean...even a cow can be smaller than a cow!

ZOMGZ

I looked up mini Holsteins and Jerseys...they're so tiny! Less than 42"!

 

[LilacGal]

Some day I'll have cows, probably after DH retires and we quit moving every three years. Easy to move rabbits and dogs, I'm not sure about cows or horses.....

 

[skysthelimit]

That's easily enough land for sheep. If you buy a shetland or two, I promise to buy the wool from you

 

[Frecs]

That's easily enough land for sheep. If you buy a shetland or two, I promise to buy the wool from you

Would shetlands make as good of weedeaters/lawn mowers as goats? :mrgreen:

 

[skysthelimit]

That's easily enough land for sheep. If you buy a shetland or two, I promise to buy the wool from you

Would shetlands make as good of weedeaters/lawn mowers as goats? :mrgreen:

Well yard eaters, but I don't think sheep eat down shrubs and poison ivy like goats do. There is a lady who lends her flock to the city, and they move from place to place, keeping the grass down. There is a flock right next to Clevelands Aquarium, right on I90.

 

[LilacGal]

so two sheep and a goat? Or one sheep and one goat. Then the lawn will be shorn of everything.

 

[skysthelimit]

Sheep need friends. Goats being goats, I'd do two sheep and a goat. I wish I could have some sheep. Maybe one day, if I'm not too old. But shetlands are not really much bigger than my Shepherds, so I guess there is always hope.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

You need 2 goats. Goats eat too much copper - if the sheep got the goats minerals, they'd die. If the goat didnt get goat minerals, then it'd slowly become anemic and die.


Goats CAN live alone, but they need some sort of friend. A horse is common, or a donkey. But they do best in pairs and such.

 

[skysthelimit]

You need 2 goats. Goats eat too much copper - if the sheep got the goats minerals, they'd die. If the goat didnt get goat minerals, then it'd slowly become anemic and die.

You are missing the point. She needs sheep so I can buy the fiber. I don't spin goat fiber, don't like it. The goat is for her, the sheep are for me... :twisted:

My sheep herding instructor had sheep and goats for years, it's a doable situation.

 

[Frecs]

Well, I'm afraid that if I had shetlands (or babydoll) sheep, I'd be greedy and keep the wool for my own spinning purposes.

I need two little goats, whethers named Troy and Bilt, to keep the brush in the ditches and a few other hard to maintain areas under control. A tiny sheep or two would be good for keeping the lawn manicured (geez, that actually sounds like I have a pristine lawn instead of a weed field!! hehehehe).

sigh...I need fencing...

 

[annie]

I live in Hawaii near Dayna, people here have one acre lots mostly, and you can have anything you want, some people here have horses and cows. Along with the giant cockfighting breeding operations. I have some chickens, 2 guinea fowl, 3 Muscovy ducks, a dog, 3 cats, and a lot of rabbits, I've lost count. I love being able to do pretty much whatever I want, people here would laugh at anyone who suggested not being able to slaughter your own animals!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Well, I'm afraid that if I had shetlands (or babydoll) sheep, I'd be greedy and keep the wool for my own spinning purposes.

I need two little goats, whethers named Troy and Bilt, to keep the brush in the ditches and a few other hard to maintain areas under control. A tiny sheep or two would be good for keeping the lawn manicured (geez, that actually sounds like I have a pristine lawn instead of a weed field!! hehehehe).

sigh...I need fencing...

Don't bother with Wethers. You can SAY you won't be breeding, a SAY you don't want kids. But that's SAYING. Starting with does will save you a huge headache

Angora goats I think are adorable and wonderful. Had some for a while. Never spun, but wonderful little goatees. But I'm partial to Nigerian dwarves...

 

[Frecs]

Don't bother with Wethers. You can SAY you won't be breeding, a SAY you don't want kids. But that's SAYING. Starting with does will save you a huge headache

Angora goats I think are adorable and wonderful. Had some for a while. Never spun, but wonderful little goatees. But I'm partial to Nigerian dwarves...

I'm rather attracted to nigerian dwarves as well. BUT, after thinking of having them for milking -- and a little income from the kids -- I had to realize a couple of things:

1. I don't have the time to milk a goat or goats even just once a day.
2. If the does had trouble birthing (and I've heard that this is a not uncommon problem), the vet expenses would be outrageous. I just don't need a high maintenance animal.
3. The kids are too darn cute...Mother would never be able to sell them...she would say she would...but she wouldn't...and we'd end up with a huge herd of goats on a half acre property...

 

[skysthelimit]

3. The kids are too darn cute...Mother would never be able to sell them...she would say she would...but she wouldn't...and we'd end up with a huge herd of goats on a half acre property...

LOL.

I think we've come full circle in the conversation. One problem with raising animals is not being able to dispense them properly once they fill up the space. Or they are so cute no one wants to dispatch them.

Reminds me of the couple who bought rabbit meat from me, to see if they liked it before buying a few rabbits for breeding. A couple months later, they called me and asked if I wanted some rabbits, they decided it wasn't for them, and wanted to sell the breeding pair and the babies. I'm glad they didn't abandon them or drop them off at a shelter. I did take the rabbits, but I'm pretty sure they knew what I was going to do with them.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Frecs :
Well, I suppose if you don't have time....

I started with a beginner ND, never bred, I even bred her a month early... 3 little kids came a few months later! No issues, she had them at 6am. I was having a sleep over. I usually wake up at 7, so waking up at 5-6am is kinda like 'whaaaa??'. 1 of the kids didnt make it and we had to bottle feed the other.
Honestly, had she been having problems we either would've taken care of it by ourselves, or put her down. I loved her , though I don't think there's any farm vets here.
So if you can't make a decision to put down a goat, then you probably shouldn't be owning them unless you have lots of vet money.


And selling baby NDs is easy. They're like trampolines on coffee mixed with red bull - NOTHING contains them. And they like to jump on vehicles.
They were sold pretty fast. And I dont miss them all that much, either. Lol.

 

[Frecs]

Frecs :
Well, I suppose if you don't have time....

I started with a beginner ND, never bred, I even bred her a month early... 3 little kids came a few months later! No issues, she had them at 6am. I was having a sleep over. I usually wake up at 7, so waking up at 5-6am is kinda like 'whaaaa??'. 1 of the kids didnt make it and we had to bottle feed the other.
Honestly, had she been having problems we either would've taken care of it by ourselves, or put her down. I loved her , though I don't think there's any farm vets here.
So if you can't make a decision to put down a goat, then you probably shouldn't be owning them unless you have lots of vet money.


And selling baby NDs is easy. They're like trampolines on coffee mixed with red bull - NOTHING contains them. And they like to jump on vehicles.
They were sold pretty fast. And I dont miss them all that much, either. Lol.

The only "farm vet" we have in this county, so I've been told, is a terrible excuse of a vet -- so I've been told. The type of vet, per reports, who will not come save a horse's life unless the owner has cash to pay her in full. To me, that kind of vet shouldn't be practicing...and won't be caring for my animals!

Anyway...honestly, I'm not sure I could put down a goat. But, I have a couple of gentlemen that I could call to do the task for me if I found myself unable to do it.

The guy at the feed store has two nigerian dwarf wethers behind the store as weedeaters. He didn't know what he had at the time or, as he says, he never would have castrated them. He was just wanting weedeaters or the local term is "yard goat". After the fact, he discovered how much NDs were selling for and could have kicked himself.

I keep telling myself that once I have all my "systems" and "structures" in place, it won't be such a mental and time management problem. At that point, I can revisit the goat issue. Right now...no.