Start with chickens
Chickens are the gateway animal for good reason: they're cheap, small, and turn kitchen scraps and bugs into eggs and fertilizer.
- Eggs: a good laying hen gives about 4–6 eggs a week in her first two years, less in winter (they slow down with short days) and as she ages. Three or four hens keep a family in eggs.
- Space: about 4 square feet per bird inside the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run.
- The coop needs: roosting bars, one nest box for every 3–4 hens, ventilation up high (moisture, not cold, causes frostbite), and predator-proof walls with hardware cloth — not chicken wire, which raccoons tear through.
- Food and water: layer feed, oyster shell for calcium, grit, and fresh water every day. A hen drinks about a pint a day.
- Winter: chickens handle Northwest cold well if they're dry and out of the wind. The big problem is frozen water — a heated waterer base (or two waterers you swap) solves it. Cold-hardy breeds: Buff Orpington, Australorp, Wyandotte, Plymouth Rock, Brahma.
- Predators here: raccoons, coyotes, hawks, owls, bobcats, dogs — and occasionally bears. Lock the coop every night.
Check the rules first
Many cities in the area, including Spokane, allow a small number of backyard hens, usually with rules about coop placement — and roosters are often banned in town. Rules differ by city and change over time, so check your city or county code and any HOA rules before you buy chicks.
Rabbits
Rabbits produce more meat per pound of feed than almost any other livestock, are quiet, and need little space. A doe can raise several litters a year. Their manure goes straight onto the garden without composting. They need shade and cool air in summer — heat is a bigger risk than cold.
Goats
Dairy goats (like Nigerian Dwarf or Nubian) give milk, cheese and butter, and clear brush. They need:
- at least two goats (they're herd animals)
- strong fencing — goats are escape artists
- shelter from rain and wind, hay all winter, minerals, hoof trimming, and a vet who knows goats
- milking twice a day, every day while in milk — a real commitment
Keeping animals through an emergency
Sources: WSU Extension — Small farms & livestock · Ready.gov — Pets & animals · University of Idaho Extension