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No yard, no problem! Homesteading's latest trend: Bathtub chickens
Nancy Dobrinski via MyPetChicken
As urban homesteading gains in popularity, more and more people are taking part and innovating. Not all of us urbanites have the luxury of outdoor space, but we can grow window and container gardens, and even compost. Though homegrown living favors those with yards, apartment dwellers can now experience the joy of keeping chickens. Even if you don't have Bob Craft's yard, you can roost your own hens in a 5th floor apartment, as long as you have a bathtub.
Keeping chickens in bathtubs started in Brooklyn around 2009, and is slowly growing in popularity across the country's dense urban areas. When graphic designer Jesika Turner laid down a tarp to paint her bathroom, she realized she could use it to keep chickens in her tub and still get her security deposit back. Turner quickly ordered her first three hens that week and hasn't looked back.
Bathtub chicken keepers recommend quiet, gentle breeds like Bantam-Cochin or Red Star. As for the set up, all you need is a tarp to cover your tub that will need to be changed every few days, and that's the only difference from keeping a coop.
What do you do about actually using the shower? Turner says she mainly showers at her yoga studio anyway, so it's not an inconvenience for her. Others recommend coinciding tarp changing day with shower day for maximum efficiency.
"It's all worth it for their happy clucks and delicious eggs," she says.
Do you keep bathtub chickens? Comment or tweet us your April Fools at @DIYBoston!
~Tara
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About the Authors
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Melissa Massello is a newspaper journalist turned startup junkie and lifelong Bostonian who prides herself on her do-it-yourself attitude. From making her prom dress out
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Tara Bellucci is a Boston-based writer that lives for fonts, food, and flea market finds. Whether decorating jars of her homemade jam for The Boston More » |
