Raising Your Own Animals
Raising Chickens in the Suburbs
Chickens are a popular animal to start out with. You can always just use the eggs and not actually eat the chickens. I've just started having chickens in my own side yard so will share more as I learn more.
- Plans for a mobile backyard mini hen house, The City Biddy Hen House, from UBuilder Plans
- Gateway to Vermont on chickens
- Institute for Appropriate Technology on chickens
- City Chicken - more great ideas for hen houses
- FeatherSite on chickens
- BackyardChickens.com - very active forum, lots of good info
Other Small Animals
Other popular animals on smaller homesteads include goat, sheep, and rabbits. Check with your local codes to see what's allowed in your area. Alternately, some suburban homesteaders find a like-minded partner with more land and work out an exchange where they can raise the animals on someone else's farm in exchange for sharing the resultant meat, milk, wool, etc.
- Wool and Feathers on sheep
- The University of California at Irvine on sheep, swine and goats
- Homestead.org on rabbits
The 4-H program is a great way to get your kids involved and learning about raising animals and other great skills.
If you Don't Want to Raise your Own
If you don't want to raise your own animals or are limited by local ordinances, you probably are interested in purchasing meat and animal products that have been raised and butchered humanely. Here's one resource I know of to help you find local sources:
- Animal Welfare Approved - search by zip code for family farms raising their animals humanely, outdoors on pasture or range. Also includes stores and farmer's markets that carry approved products.
Learning about Animals In Your Yard
For many people, as they begin growing some food, paying attention to the land, and donning a "simpler" lifestyle, they also begin to take an interest in new things, like birding. Here's a short article on attracting birds into your yard.