The big question for many potential urban farmers is, how much is this poultry adventure going to set me back?

Your friendly neighborhood chicken expert, Ron Welker has that answer. Welker manages the Aslin-Finch in the Spokane Valley. He says that in the long run chicks will cost less than a dog.“You’re going to spend the same on housing the chicks as you would a dog. Your overall expense for the chicks is going to be less,” said Welker. “If you want to get a good coop that’s going to hold 2, 3 or 4 birds, you’re going to spend on a good one, probably right around $400-$500. That’s going to be your number one expense.”

There are several resources out there if you would like to build your own coop. The creative urban farmer might convert an old camper top into a hen house or build a pint-sized Victorian mansion for their girls. Once you have a coop, the residual costs are reasonable compared to other pets.

One of the biggest expenses Mojo, the dog, racks up is at the vet’s office getting vaccinated.

The sun rises on a warm spring morning. You wake up from that sweet slumber to the sound of a rooster crowing. The smell of coffee is wafting through the house as you greet the new day with a smile. That’s until you hear the neighbor firing up his truck through your bedroom wall and you remember that the Spokane Police Department arrested a guy in your front yard last night (true story).

Living in the city has its pros and cons. One of the pros is that you too can be an urban farmer waking up to that rooster crowing in the morning. Or to chickens cackling as they lay the farm fresh egg you’ll be eating for breakfast.

My husband and I became urban farmers last spring. We brought home four two-day old baby chicks and watched them grow up in the blink of an eye. We don’t have these particular chicks anymore but we’d like to share their journey and ours for those of you thinking about raising chickens. This is the first post of a continuous series.

Can you even have chickens?

Check the ordinances and municipal codes for your area. Sometimes those websites can be a career project to navigate, so calling is always an option. However, it is important that you print or obtain a copy of the chicken raising related laws.

In the City of Spokane you are allowed to have up to four chickens, including one rooster. The chickens are included in the small domestic animal definition. 

That means your cat, Buckwheat, and dog, Mojo, count toward that four total, leaving you with only two chickens roaming around the backyard. Half the fun of raising chickens is the variety of colors and personalities they come with. The more the merrier.

Has the Spokane real estate market finally bottomed out?  Hard to say just yet, but the latest statistics indicate that we might be close.  Here are the highlights from realtor.com

• The median list price for a home on the market in January was $179,950.  That's virtually the same as it was one month ago ($179,000), and one year ago ($180,000.)  Staying flat is nothing to get excited about, but it sure beats the steadily falling prices we've seen over the past few years.
• Another positive sign - the median number of days on the market has dropped from from 116 to 110 over the past year.  
• Also, the number of homes for sale has dropped 15% since January, 2011, to 2,534.  Now, that could be because some frustrated home sellers have given up and pulled their house off the market.  But let's be optimists, right?  It's because homes are finally selling again!  The tide is turning!

Click here to see all the details, and how Spokane stacks up against other cities.