Illicit urban chicken movement growing in US

[depakid]

The Worldwatch Institute reports that a growing number of US city-dwellers are raising their own chickens, often in defiance of local ordinances.

Citing unsanctioned henhouses in Denver, Boston, and other cities, Worldwatch’s Ben Block notes that an “underground ‘urban chicken’ movement has swept across the United States in recent years,” flouting authorities’ concerns about noise, odors, and public health.

But in some cities, such as Ann Arbor, Mich., Ft. Collins, Colo., South Portland, Maine, and Madison, Wisc., owners of these clandestine coops have successfully changed the laws to allow them to keep a limited number of hens. (Roosters, whose characteristic crowing can disturb neighbors, are usually more restricted, but they’re not needed for hens to lay unfertilized eggs.)

Many large US cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Seattle apparently never thought to ban the domesticated fowl within city limits. These cities have served as an incubator of sorts for the emerging movement, in which urban henkeepers post online tips on building coops, caring for the birds, and fending off raccoons and other predators.

Laws vary from city to city. The City Chicken, a popular urban chicken website, maintains a list of local laws, but it is far from comprehensive. Municode.com also keeps a list of ordinances for selected cities. In many cities, would-be chicken owners need to obtain a permit from local health or animal-welfare authorities.

The benefits of keeping hens are myriad, say proponents. According to the website BackyardChickens, considered authoritative in the online urban-chicken-enthusiast pecking order, three hens will net you, on average, two eggs a day. And the eggs are said to be tastier and more nutritious than the ones you can get at a supermarket. Hens also perform some gardening work by eating weeds and pests and depositing a high-quality fertilizer. Many also claim that the birds make great pets, but this is debatable.

Urban chicken buffs also claim that, once you’re all set up, the birds are relatively low-maintenance. The UK-based company Omlet sells popular ready-made coops starting at about $500. Their “Eglu,” which looks like a late-90s Macintosh computer, comes with a chicken run and a feeder. Chickens can be purchased separately from the company for $15 each.

Some, but not many, urban henkeepers opt to raise their chickens indoors. The birds cannot be toilet trained, but at least one company sells chicken diapers.

More, including extensive links: http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/10/08/report-illicit-urban-chicken-movement-growing-in-us/

[billyoc]

1. You should see the Bronx, it's like freakin' Hee Haw.

[lamp_shade]

2. Small town south of Tampa here. They're all over the place.

On many older sidestreets, each yard is wire-fenced in to contain the chickens. I just moved here and had never seen anything like it. I can hear roosters in the morning, but they're way off in the distance.

[Silver Gaia]

3. Interesting... I'm in an urban area in Northern CA and

I've been hearing a chicken... a laying hen... in one of my neighbors' back yard the past couple of weeks. I have no idea what the city ordinances are regarding it. I was surprised to hear it, though!

[Delphinus]

4. Hmm ...

interesting. Do chickens and a dog get along?

[Daemonaquila]

5. Minneapolis, too

When I still lived in inner-city Minneapolis a few years ago, there were chickens everywhere. I could hear roosters from several places in the neighborhood, and our neighbors had chickens living in their basements and wandering out in the back yard on and off. Our cats would follow them around, totally fascinated but not really interested in pouncing a bird their own size.

[conscious evolution]

6. Lots of chickens in Atlanta also.

Goats also.
There is something really cool about grabbing a couple of eggs out of the coops and some peppers and tomatoes from the garden and whipping up an omelette.

[Javaman]

7. Two of my neighbors here in North Austin have them and I will be raising some this spring. nt

[Greyskye]

8. Just checked out the Omlet web site

If the economy keeps tanking, I'm getting some chickens. We've got about 1/3 of an acre, and a perfect unused spot to put the chicken run in.

Never ever thought I'd be contemplating getting some damn chickens to help feed my family. Sheesh...

[XemaSab]

9. I would LOVE to have chickens but I'm scared the dogs will kill them

It doesn't seem fair to the chickens to keep them in a coop all day when we have a big backyard, but I don't see how else it could work. :(

[Delphinus]

10. That was what I was wondering -

if my dog would go after them.

[NMDemDist2]

12. check out the rural/farm forum

lots of good ideas for 'chicken tractors' that you roll to different spots to protect the chickens but allow them to move around the yard

[bananas]

13. Hamster balls?

[TechBear_Seattle]

19. Coops don't necessarily have to keep them cooped up

Here are some coops worth crowing about

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/hhotm.html

I like the one with the wheeled henhouse, which can be moved to different parts of the yard. A friend of mine had a rabbit run like that.

The website menioned in the article can be found at http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/

[juno jones]

11. Been happening for awhile.

My husband has a funny/sick story about how back in the '90's his wolf hybrid got loose and killed a chicken in downtown San Jose, CA.

If this gets much worse I'll be asking my landlord if I can have a couple of hens. We live in 'the county' tho.

[Fledermaus]

14. I don't know about recent trend, but people in Houston and San Antonio

have always have chickens. Some people just like fresh eggs.

They will eat anything. You can feed them any sort of table scraps.

[LiberalEsto]

15. chicken diapers! LOL

And how often do they get changed?

Seriously speaking, our neighbors across the street have been keeping chickens for the past couple of years. They get loose once or twice a year and they are gorgeous birds. I hope the neighbors don't get caught, because I'm sure Montgomery County, MD has some kind of law against chicken-keeping.

[htuttle]

16. We LOVE our neighborhood chickens here in Mad City!

The more chickens here on the isthmus, the better stocked the farmer's market will be after Western Civ collapses...

;-)

[Bigmack]

17. We live in a "covenanted" community....

that says specifically "NO" to chickens and rabbits and like that. Not supposed to let any animals... cats & dogs... roam. They have to be on your own place or on a leash.

But I've told my neighbors and a couple of members of the board that if things get tight I will not only raise chickens, I will eat a few of the many cats that roam all over the area and eat my wild birds.

I don't even know if I'm kidding about that last part.

[Nihil]

18. Meat is meat.

:evilgrin:

There are two benefits with most of the cats around my house because they
are well fed: they are too slow for any but the dumbest pigeon and there
will be plenty of stews available if TSHTF ...

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