we live on a small city lot.....i can cut my front yard in less than 10 minutes & i love it.....we lived for over 10 years in the country on 6 acres....i kinda miss the privacy, but definitely do not miss the long commute back and forth to work.......i'm a city girl at heart & love the conveniences of shopping & dining out within mintues of my home.........

Next week I will be living on 152 acres and sadly I'm down to 4 indoor cats.
Foxy.

Forgot to mention my babies, i have 4 indoor cats and 2 small dogs......mimi

I live on less than a half acre..three city lots.It was originally over 6 till they subdivided it in the 20's. I have eight indoor cats and two ponds containing three koi who are almost three feet long, a smaller koi and their 28 babies and seven large fantails...divided up into the 2 ponds. We had to build the one this year to accomodate the monster fish...

We live on a typical sized big old house lot. Front and back yard with driveway running up the side. We would have loved to live on a farm and have animals but have to settle for four indoor cats. We have a lot of crazy squirrels in this area of various types. Some are brown and fluffy tailed, some are all grey and a few are black with wispy tails.

We have 210 acres, with about 30 acres in hay fields. We have three gorgeous gordon setters, and we raise and release pheasants into the wild.

We don't have any farm animals yet, but will in the future.

1/4 acre in town; 38 acres in country. Husband

Just the usual 1/4 acre. We have 3 cats. No farm animals allowed in Baltimore County, but somebody in the neighborhood has a flock of beautiful brown and gold chickens that were "grandfathered" in. It's really neat to hear the rooster crow every morning.

Will have to check on the paperwork, but I'm thinking we have about .75 acre. Our front yard has two clusters of magnolia trees. On the right side is a line of enormous old crepe myrtles. On the left is the driveway. Behind our property are friendly-looking woods.

We have two very spoiled indoor cats, Alistair and Henry. As for outdoors, we have lots of bluejays, and I've seen bunnies, chipmunks, raccoons and squirrels. We're right smack in the city, but it's such a tiny city that in the backyard you FEEL like you're in the country. Lots of stars at night!

1.5 acres here. Back in 1912 this old farm house had 80 areas of land with it but has since been broken down into 1 area lots for most of the neighborhood.
1 old cat here who won't allow any other pets around except for me & VgQn (her 2 pets and loyal servants). Once this old cat is gone we plan to get one puppy and 2 kittens all at the same time so they'll grow up together as friends. vgkg

10.7 acres. 2 outside mutts, one inside Pug, three outside cats (who are terrific mousers, one even caught a squirrel!) and two bunnies. I plan on getting at least two calves and maybe a few goats next Spring.

5000 sq. ft. city lot. I don't own any animals, but share my territory with 4 stray cats, two squirrels, a family of 5 racoons, a possum, a family of hummingbirds, and a few mice I and the cats haven't caught yet.

5 acres at home. 45 acres in southern Ohio. 7 dogs (St Bernard, Dobe, 3 Pugs, 2 Pit Bulls), one cat, one horse.

11+ acres. We current;y have 1 dog (dalmation), 1 geriatric house cats, one barn cat 9who wants to be a house cat and is trying to prepay her rent with a dead mole every morning).

The other animals on our land include at least one family of woodchucks that we feed (not sure how many there are in total, but we know there are 3), lots of deer, a few foxes, hawks, 32464 rabbits, awild cat (we call him Chop Saw) who stops by once in awhile, and a few wild dogs who terrorize our animals and trash occasionally.

Well, as long as we're talking animals other than the farm kind: I have three dogs (inside) and one cat (inside/outside)

We have 40 or so acres surrounded by very old family farms,15 is still cropped thanks to a neighbor who has the equipment, 16 pasture that is considered highly erodable because we have several underground springs on the property, and the rest is part yard with barn and fenced for our two mules. They are hayburners but we love them anyway. We have one dog, wolf-shepard hybrid (he really hates deer season with all the shooting , and five cats of which all but one adopted us. The chickens were wiped out by foxes this year. Foxes are sneaky little cusses. We like to let the chickens run the property for bugging purposes and I guess we lost this year. I actually had to buy eggs at the grocery store this year and that hurt. When I get really old, I may be willing to move to town, but for the time being this is paradise!

We have 31 acres. When my equestrienne daughter was living and my husband was well we had as many as 11 horses, mostly Morgans plus a Hanoverian, Paso Fino, Quarter Horse, and a Shetland Pony. We also had up to five dogs and 12 cats at a time. No horses now, and 2004 was a bad year for animal losses. Several got old at once, and my youngest dog was killed by a bear. So I'm down to two dogs, two house cats, three indoor barn cats, and two ferals that I feed.

The property is on both sides of a dirt road, with most of the acreage across the road on the barn side. I think there's more than 800' of road frontage.

Susan

Our property has 50 feet of frontage and is 225 feet deep - just over a quarter acre. The front 75 feet has what passes for a lawn and some landscaping. The rear 150 feet, starting at the back wall of the house, is semi wooded. The only maintenance it receives is an occasional mowing of the open areas and an biennial visit by the local tree man to deal with any trees that threaten the neighbors' property or my little 12' by 16' shed. Our two housecats, Francis and Agatha, are the only livestock.

Doug

Our old house sits right in the middle of a whole city block -- so I feel like we have 4 front yards. It's alot to keep mowed in the summer, and the circular driveway is a bit much to keep plowed in the winter time. Two very spoiled pekingese have a grand time romping in the big yard. Thank goodness for our invisible fence which keeps them home.

.18 acre in town. Largest lot for some blocks. Equal to 4 lots across the alley and 2 lots on our street. 5 cats, random mice - sneaky, 1 dog and lots of doggie visitors. Want a bunny again - maybe this Spring.

We are right in town with a 40'x240' lot with a house at the front and a barn at the back. We have an unclaimed 10' grass alley adjoining the 240' side which the town has abandoned so I guess I have 5' more in width which I have gardened and mowed. Three corgis patrol the grounds keeping them free of squirrels and the neighbor's cats. I'd love for a tough old barn cat to adopt us. We also have a 2 room chicken house in the middle of the yard.

My daughter owns 8 inches outside her foundation plus enough space to park 2 cars. She has a 1870's stone row house at the edge of a small university town which was originally settled by scots, including their stonemasons. They built our farmhouse in the 1850's.

I was doing a search on Gardenweb and came across this thread by accident. I don't "belong" on this forum, as I live in a 12-year-old contemporary townhome in Chicago--but I couldn't resist posting a response. I am literally a 20-minute drive from the Sears Tower. Yet I am amazed at the wildlife I can see through my rear windows which look out on my postage-stamp "yard", along with the shared land of the townhome development. We have an unusual amount of trees for a city location. There are rabbits, raccoons, possums, chipmunks, and the usual squirrels, sparrows, starlings, and lots of cardinals. And butterflies, lightning bugs and fat furry bumble bees. For two weeks in October there are several birds I can't identify, and then they're gone. I also think I may have seen a hawk, but I'm not sure. Oh, and unfortunately, rats.

I guess there is so much food to be found for all these animals in a teeming city, that they flourish.

We live on 2 1/2 acres which is what was left of 10 acres the house originally sat on before the PO subdivided the property and sold off four lots on which were built 4 McMansions. Our beautiful old house which owned all the property at one time is situated on a hill in the center of the 4 McMansions and our house set far back from the road on a flag lot. We have 2 cats (Hunter and Pierre), and numerous deer that live on our property and other assorted wildlife. Some sounds at night I can't identify.

We have 1.36 acres on the edge of town right in the middle of the Historic District.

Our house sits close to the street so we have a huge back yard that goes way back.

I have a 3,000 square foot garden where I raise a wide variety of veggies as well as some flowers thrown in for color and fragrance.

We currently have two cats and one dog (a black lab who loves our children).

We are going to add three or four goats in the Spring to help get some of the weedy undergrowth out back under control.

I am going to rebuild the chicken coop in the Spring as well so that we can add some chickens. My wife is not happy about that, but when she is able to enjoy those fresh eggs I think that she will change her mind.

Aubrey

"We are going to add three or four goats in the Spring to help get some of the weedy undergrowth out back under control."
Mstrgrdnr, I don't know if you've raised goats before but most of them are far to picky to eat the undergrowth you want to get rid of. Find out what their diet is now. Unless they've been raised on that kind of vegetation nothing less then starvation will get them to change. I can almost guarantee they will take a liking to your garden over the undergrowth. They are not the garbage disposal alot of people think they are.

I usually post some on the kitchen site (we are thru with that now) and have been visiting other sites. I enjoy reading where all of you live. We live on 75 acres that my grandparents owned in 1900. Have 3 indoor cats that "adopted" us--down from 10 at one time. HD grows lots of vegetables that I freeze/can/ pickle. Part of the land is leased out for corn/peanuts. We have 2 big "Grand Canyon" type fishing/swinmming holes where lime rock was mined in the '40s and '50s. Also there are mountain bikers here a couple of times a year. Great rural area to live. Major university is only 30 minutes away.

We have many birds, squirrels, armadillas (I even saved one from our pool by scooping him up with the net) deer (in our front yard last year), wild turkeys that HD feeds and fox.

2.5 acres, well not quite anymore, sold 3/4 acre to sister and family, but still get to cut everyone's grass come spring!
I am sadly and recently down to 4 dogs from 6.

Horses next to me, breeds for racetrack and I enjoy the
benefits of them without the expense and work!

Cows on the other side.

Lots of wild life, one of my dogs had a new years eve run in with a skunk. (BTW 1 qt. hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid, smell
goes away as mixture is applied...good for cats dogs humans and clothing)
Happy New Year.

1/3 acre. About seven koi, maybe 50 goldfish, two cats, two parakeets. That plus the possums and/or raccoons that take up residence in the lean-to behind the workshop.

When I bought, there were no trees on the property, just low shrubs and weeds. I planted about 13 fruit trees in the weed patch, as well as roses, grapes, etc. Now it's more like a forest back there and not enough light to grow all the veggies I'd like, but I do get nice avocados, limes, oranges, persimmons, pears, apples, figs, etc. The squirrels get all the almonds, though. I have had to remove a couple of the trees I planted (a combo cherry and an avocado) because they were just taking up too much room.

I'd love to have more acreage, but I'd do things a little differently, as taking care of trees, fish, roses, etc can be time consuming. Although I do enjoy it.

I think it's ok to have chickens as long as there are no crowing roosters. I have thought of building a small coop for eggs but perhaps that will have to wait until I retire.

800 s.f. backyard,
100 s.f. front garden;
500 acre park

The park is only a few yards up the street. I have a 4-story 1890's brownstone in the Park Slope area of NYC. No domestic animals, a few squirrels & birds in the backyard, the occaissional city rat on garbage collection nights.

I am just off of Prospect Park (same designers as Central Park) and it is a huge playground full of nature, trails, lakes, streams, ball fields, tennis courts, outdoor concerts, hills, open meadows, etc. A huge swath of nature in the midst of the city.

All this land is mine, as far as you can see - 40 feet to the north and 40 feet to the south. ha ha
We live in a city of nearly 200,000, the third largest city in Los Angeles County in CA and I have seen these animals in the neighborhood: coyotes, squirrels, opposums (in the garage), hawks, and raccoons (under the house). In Griffith Park nearby in L.A. have also seen deer and rattlesnakes. In the houses near the park in the equestrian area have seen in people's backyards goats, horses, sheep, pigs. There is also at least one mountain lion loose in Griffith Park.

City center, so...

.08 acre which, according to the amusing tax assessment, is valued vastly more than the structure filled with original woodwork and art glass.

2 indoor cats, one 20/21 yrs, the other 10 mos. The last of one generation of furry family and no doubt the beginning of the next.

Gardening I find snakes, mice, skunks, quail, and once trapped in my tiny screened back porch I enjoyed a raccoon. At night in snow we are visited by deer and on rare frightening occasions for the moose, moose.

wellim, you are living large indeed! Used to live in Manhattan and I know your wonderful neighborhood. Lucky, lucky you to have the park, the city, and a spot of earth for a bulb.

1 acre, 2 dogs, 3 cats and 2 teenage boys, who should definitely be counted among the animals.

I have 10 acres w/ a huge barn and a couple of storage buildings. I used to have cashmere goats, horses, Emus & cattle (free range here so I can have all the cattle I want). I sold all the stock animals a couple years ago. I currently have 5 Great Pyrenees guard dogs, and 2 barn cats that keep the mice cleared out. I have 1 Emu left that is kind of a pet.

About 1 acre with a three story barn. In back of me horses are raised and beside and around me are about 100 acres of woods owned by a friend of mine. I have several very large maples more than 4 feet around(thankyou PO's!!)Hmm maple syrup maybe? They keep the house cool in the summer.
Visits by deer and woodchucks once in a while.

Currently .8acre and 2 cats in suburbia, but dreaming of 5acres+ w a couple of horses in a remote area we likely will be relocating to in 6 months.

Can't make up my mind whether to have a large property and keep our own horses, or have them boarded near by and get a much smaller but beautiful waterfront property (lake) instead.

Any suggestions on fun and easy (and somewhat useful) animals to keep that basically take care of themselves so I can leave for 4-5 days without worry?

Hi, and seems I have told of my home before, but not on this thread.

My home, probably 75 years old, is on 5/8 of an acre. In my part of So. CA, some 10 miles north of Disneyland, and near the Nixon Library, 5/8 of an acre is considered having "extenive grounds," by many. And is "horse property."

And yes, I do have 2 horses, one dog (need to get him a bud, as we recently lost our older dog), and one inside kitty.

Have lived here for well over 30 years, and love it. The real advantage to this property, as the area continues to be built up with house after house, is that I am about a city block away from the trail that goes into a huge park that has developed horse trails, as well as another adjacent park that is more "wilderness type," I'd say. Can go the other direction, perhaps 2 blocks, and access my town's extensive horse trail system that goes for miles and miles. So, in spite of continued building in the area, my home remains as great horse property, IMHO.

My home is a ranch style and about 3 years ago I had the barn of my dreams built. Guess when you "plan in your head for 30 years" as to what you want, well, the finished product meets all your expectations. I love my barn, my home, my land!!!! The trees on the property are full grown so enjoy their beauty.

Because we are a little rural area within a town, all sorts of critters flock to the area. Right now, my back yard is full of a family of bunnies, and fortunately the good old dog seems willing to share his space with them. Have had our share of possums, skunks, raccoons, a coyote now and again, and some years back, saw a deer down the street. With nearby developement going on, get our share of the undesirable varmits that are being chased out of their homes---the rats, the mice, and the snakes.

I love my lifestyle, am close to everything. I enjoy my home.

Cow

We have just under 8 acres. We have an aging corgi, a daily parade of a dozen deer and 30-40 wild turkeys, and an assorted variety of other wildlife (raccoons, snakes, skunks, hawks, coyotes, pileated woodpecker, etc.)
Jennifer

35 acres for us in Northern WI. I love it! We have a nature trail running through about 20 acres and am working on a food plot and apple orchard in the back to attract deer. Have a sledding hill and have a small creek in the back corner. We (I should say "I") raised meat chickens a few summers til I got tired of doing all the work. Otherwise we just have a dog that lives the life of riley treeing squirrels, sleeping, eating, and claiming a spot on the rug whenever he wants. We have 5 kids that love the space as well.

56 acres in Northern Wisconsin.
About 16 is mixed pasture and marsh and the remaining 40 is mostly forest with a few small ponds, one seasonal creek and a bit of lowland mixed in.
We currently have six dogs (two large, four small) and a horse, along with assorted wildlife.

4+ acres in the Sierras at the southern end of Sequoia National Monument. We've got chickens and may add goats some years down the road. We've got extensive garden areas and a large family orchard.

I have 2 city lots, extra deep (no alley) I have 4 cats, and the lack of alley draws racoons, opposums,even a woodchuck ..they can browse around without worring about cars. I am about 10-15 minutes from either downtown Chicago and O'Hare, but would gladly exchange it one day for peaceful acres.

Just a bit under 7 acres in Dutchess County, NY. We have 1 pug, 2 cats and our outdoor friends are turkeys (there are now around 30-40 that make their home pretty close to the house), deer, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, squirrels, chipmunks, a wonderful selection of birds. Love this country living.

I live in a 800 square foot apartment with an Old Man. LOL! But, we will retire to my Mom's house on 2 acres with one 10 year old Peekapoo.

We have 12.5 acres of land in Central Texas. Our land consists of a 1932 farmhouse, 3 barns, a bunkhouse, rabbit hutch, 2 stock ponds and a riding pasture. We have 3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 roosters and 12 chickens. Hope to add some cattle and a couple of horses.

a 40X100 lot most of it covered with concrete or the house and garage, still more grass than i want. and 1 4.5 pnd. chahuahua.

I have a half acre, all that's left of the original 300 acre farm. I'm surrounded by 1950's raised ranches. We have 2 indoor cats, 9 of 10 koi, and a German Shepherd that thinks the cats are rabbits in the house. Poor kitties live in fear, but he's such a great dog otherwise, I just work around it. We have a few rabbits and squirrels outside, and I've seen an occasional possom and raccoon. The dog tends to keep them all at a distance.

Ideally, we'd have at least 2 acres, maybe up to 10 or 20, and I'd get the dog a playmate. My daughter would love to have horses, but she really doesn't understand the work they require. Two acres would give us room for the dog to run, more room for a pool and a basketball court and gardens.

Always ;-)
Hunzi

We live on 12,000 sq ft lot in a wooded part of Fresno. One indoor asthmatic cat, but considering a sweet, small dog, too. Yes, like others who have responded I, at times, consider my fiance an animal. We also have 40 acres of grapes in the country, the "family ranch." The lot is enough to keep us busy.

We live on in a town of 80,000 on one high elevation acre with a great view, originally part of farmland with large mature trees.
Two indoor cats allow us to share their space. Outside we have deer aplenty (with ticks that carry Lyme's disease unfortunately), squirrels, too many woodchucks, chipmonks, moles, the very occasional skunk or red fox, and a variety of birds.

We have 30 acres. We hope to buy 50 acres from our neighbor who is selling his home. The previous owners sold the 50 acres to him, and we'd like to have it.

We have a 21 year old indoor cat and 4 tetras and a plecostoumus. Outdoors, we have 2 cats and our 2 dogs. We plan on getting a few chickens and a couple horses someday when the kids are older and the work on the house and outbuilding is much less than what it is now! lol