Getting started in a city?

[tortoise]

Any tips for getting started living in a city? No "livestock" are allowed here. I'm thinking of smuggling a goat or chickens in anyway.

I have angora rabbits for meat and fur. I free-range all except my most valuable stock and have a "livestock protection" dog to keep predators away.

I dug out my stash of previous year's seeds and am finding out what will germinate and maybe get some produce under grow lights this winter?

I am playing with the idea of aquaculture in my basement. Trout like 45 - 50 degree water, so I could do that without heating it. Seems like it would work well?

Does anyone live in a city? What do you do?

Or how did you get started?

 

[Beekissed]

Welcome to the forum! Don't know much about city life but I once had a flock of chickens in town and I had a rabbitry also. We didn't have any restrictions, so I was able to get by with plenty.

How big is your yard and what are your current city ordinances about livestock?

 

[tortoise]

I have 2 lots - so 120 by 120 feet, plus some neighboring city and state land. I only have 3 neighbors.

My property has mature trees, including a few black walnut trees (what can I do with black walnuts??). And it borders a creek.

The land was riverbed at one time. The soil is patchy (clay, sand, and/or loam), but I found a spot that I grew 6 foot tall tomato plants one year!

There is absolutely no livestock allowed in the city. The question of chickens came up to city council and they decided there wasn't enough interest to even talk about it. There are some homes that have "underground" coops.

Basically, if your neighbors don't complain and a city employee can't see it, you won't get caught.

 

[patandchickens]

It depends what you want to get started *on*, I guess If you want to raise livestock, then yes, it is more challenging in a city with restrictive bylaws; there is going to be a real limit to what you can do and you'd have to decide whether it's worth it.

The amount of trout you could grow in your basement without a) investing huge amounts of money and/or b) creating severe humidity problems that affect the structure of your house [although if your basement has been at, like, 100% humidity for years and years and nothing too awful has happened, I can't see that fish would make it any worse] is very limited. You can try, it but really it would be a hobby thing, not a real useful food-farming venture.

You can grow a LOT of food in a very limited space, so as long as you have some outdoor space, even just a balcony, you can make considerable progress that way, in the correct seasons of course. (And you can probably grow *something* outdoors most of the year, unless you live waaaaay far north)

The big thing, to me, about living in a city is that you have access to so many more different, and in a way MORE, resources than those of us elsewhere. The amount of stuff you can scavenge is staggering, and your opportunity for barter and stuff like that is vastly greater. It seems to me that if your goal is self-sufficiency in general (as opposed to raising livestock specifically), an urban setting is a GREAT place to be. Especially for developing self-sufficient skills in repairing and constructing items, as the raw materials for almost anything you could possibly want are likely to be found sitting on the curb or behind a dumpster somewhere

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Dace]

If your goal is to provide food for your family then I agree with Pat that focusing on a garden is a good place to start. Chickens for eggs if you can hide them, but don't get roosters! That will get you into hot water! Not sure if you have room to raise meat birds, I have not done it so I can't speak to that.

 

[TanksHill]

Welcome!!

Livestock Is bit above me as well. There are many other things you can do when trying to be independent and frugal.

Home made laundry soap, line drying your clothes, recycling and reusing anything and everything. After your garden starts to produce, learning to can and freeze the things your family likes. Do you have an extra freezer? I think at some point we all wish we had another. Start saving or put the word out to friends and family. Maybe someone has one they will give you. Same with canning jars. You can never have enough canning jars.

There are lots of little things you can do. I guess it depends on your goals.

gina

 

[Wifezilla]

Well, since your land borders a creek, if a flock of mallards HAPPENED to really like your yard and not fly away (cause they are giant mallards aka rouens and don't fly) and you just happen to feed them because they are cute....and they just happen to like the hay bales you have stacked as a place to sleep at night....

Just sayin'


Hee hee hee

 

[modern_pioneer]

I'd get at least one chicken for a pet, I don't know of to many pets that can make you breakfast.

 

[big brown horse]

If you get the rouens you wont have to pay for entertainment. Chubby clowns they are! And NOT as loud as a chicken who just laid an egg either! Man, can they squawk about an egg!

Duck eggs are also better for baking I've heard...richer. (I can't wait for my rouen to begin laying!)

Then make yourself a beautiful garden!! You have the land, and free running water too! Lucky dog! You might need to do some soil building etc. Start small and add a square foot around your garden every year, that is my plan.

By the way,

 

[tortoise]

I love the Rouen idea! I think it should wait until spring. If I just had 2 at first, the neighbors would think it was neat that some "mallards" stuck around. But that would take some careful planning since we have fox and feral cats and I would want them to have protection.

I have been doing anaerobic composting with rabbit poop (mixed with hay, wood chips and dog poop) and hope to have a significant amount of finished compost in spring. Daydreaming...

I do have an extra freezer. I have a couple rabbits in there, and store bought items, but not much else.

I'm pretty handy and frugal, so home-grown food is my #1 priority. Reducing energy use is up there too.