Seniors, would it be worth it to have backyard chickens if it were allowed in the city?
Image by Steven-L-Johnson
My backyard urban chicken of the day picture on August 5, 2011
Question by Patti: Seniors, would it be worth it to have backyard chickens if it were allowed in the city?
I live in the suburbs and my city is considering allowing people to raise them in their backyards. Organic eggs with nice orange yolks sound great to me.
Eggs do taste different, the yolks are orange instead of pale yellow and higher in Vitamin A. My coconut cream pies were bright yellow from the naturally colored yolks.
Mike, I have to smell dog crap when the breeze is just right and listen to barking from my neighbor’s dogs, what’s the difference?
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28 Responses to Seniors, would it be worth it to have backyard chickens if it were allowed in the city?
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unless you have large area of land and a chicken house, no. There going to make so much noise a 5:30am, your going to have to constantly take care of them, feed them, etc. So unless you don’t mind for those things, then go for it.
and btw, eggs from the market, are 99.9% the same, you won’t taste or feel any difference.
Kasp
October 21, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Absolutely actually…especially if you allow them free rein of your backyard! They would get rid of all insects, keeping your vegetable and flower gardens free of deprivation. AND they would reward you with a really great fertilizer as a by-product of that!
Just remember to wash all fruits and vegetables well before using!
rita
October 21, 2011 at 3:00 pm
they say..chicken poop is good fertilizer..i lived in miami and remember homes having one or two chickens enclosed in there yard..i think it was the crowing and cluck cluck that attracted them..it was like the sound of the farm in cuba..when people drive one block to buy something-i don’t think its a good idea..most americans are too lazy or busy to have a few chickens..
304980
October 21, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Neighbors will complaint of smells and feathers flying around in their yard.not a good idea at all!!☺
Mike
October 21, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I live in downtown Atlanta and “urban chickens” are the latest craze.My friend who owns a pet store stocks organic chicken food.She is a vegan and loves the taste of fresh eggs.
Please feel to contact me and I’ll give you her website.
john
October 21, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Hi Patti,
It is worth it. We had chickens on the farm. They take little care, and will eat most anything, so table scraps can be better recycled than thrown away. I remember as a child that my grandmother’s neighbors had chickens in the early ’60’s (in town). They would be quieter than dogs, and not make as much mess. Yes, the eggs would be better!
RB
October 21, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Where I just moved they do not allow chickens unless they are dead and in the fridge. I would love to be able to have them. When I was in the country we had a dozen chickens and gathered about 6 eggs a day. It got to where the eggs piled up as I did not use eggs everyday. It was so much fun being a city girl all my life and never having done this. Poppy
Poppy
October 21, 2011 at 5:02 pm
During WWII people in cities, even London, kept chickens in tiny backyards. So it is possible, though for animal welfare reasons they should have a certain amount of room to scratch around. The yolks of organic eggs in the UK are usually very pale, this is because chickens that are not organic are fed on a substance that is banned in most countries (except the UK) which makes the yolks a deeper shade of yellow.
There’s more work than you might think with keeping the chicks too. Rounding them up at the end of the day. Taking them for their injections (plus the cost). My friend has kept chickens in her garden for a year and keeps moaning about how much time they take up. Also, when you go away you’ll have to find someone to look after them, which isn’t easy.
Apart from that they are fun and it would be good to have fresh eggs.
sara d
October 21, 2011 at 5:52 pm
I collected a purchase from Ebay and the person had just had a Fox eat one of her Chickens and now the other won’t lay.
No problem with keeping Chickens in Blighty, unless it is an ex Council property there are usually no restrictions on keeping most poultry unless it is for Commercial purposes.
In fact it is quite popular in some areas along with -Allotments- which is the public ground used for gardening.
Leeds and Wakefield West Yorkshire.
Ashcan
October 21, 2011 at 6:02 pm
My Chinese neighbor raises chickens but not well, The shoddy fence doesn’t keep the hens from escaping several times a week into our suburban American cul de sac.
birdie
October 21, 2011 at 6:06 pm
I agree with all your reasons. For me it would be more work than it would be worth. I cook only for myself.
Chances are your right to have them would depend on city code and ordinances. There are still some small country towns where the houses sit on larger lots, much more casual with landscaping, etc. In a metropolitan area where lots are smaller, HOA’s rule with an iron fist, I don’t think you could have them.
June smiles
October 21, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I think it is a great idea. I wish one of my neighbors had chickens because I would buy eggs from them. There is a huge difference in the taste of a freshly laid egg and one that is in the supermarket. Just like there is a huge difference in the taste of an organic egg and the cheaper eggs. I always try to buy free range or organic. A good friend of mine has chickens. She lives far away from me but when we go there to visit or she comes to visit she will bring fresh eggs and they are wonderful. I would get chickens myself but I already have to many things to care for. I would love to buy eggs from a neighbor though. Two of our neighbors have dogs that are out in the yard barking all the time so to hear a few hens clucking in the morning would not bother me at all. My friend who raises chickens won’t keep a rooster. If one of the chicks turns out to be a rooster she gives it to a farm. If it ever gets to the point where we need to start growing our own food I will raise chickens.
marcia f
October 21, 2011 at 7:16 pm
I loved having chickens in my yard. I would recommend you have a coupe built for them as I had hawks scoop down and kill them and grab them in my yard until I penned them in an enclosure with a top on it to keep them safe. I lived in the city too and never thought birds of prey would ever come into my yard as I had never seen them until I had the chickens. I so enjoyed the baby chicks and I had several roosters and I must tell you I never had any problems with the roosters fighting or anything like that. They all had their pecking order and managed to get along fine. If you don’t put straw or hay down specifically for the hens they will find their own nesting areas for laying their eggs. The eggs don’t taste any different or look any different altho the sizes and color of the shells varied with the type of chickens that were laying. I never ate the eggs myself, but gave them away and did cook them for my dogs. I didn’t like the idea of eating fertilized eggs, but that is just me. If you don’t have any roosters you don’t need to be concerned with that. I loved the sound of the chickens and esp. the crowing of the roosters. I really miss having chickens as they were very entertaining and calming to watch. Good Luck
SlyKitty
October 21, 2011 at 7:38 pm
I’ve heard talk of a world-wide food shortage in the near future. All the floods, fires, tornadoes. Fewer young people wanting to become a farmer to replace the aging farmers. So having your own chickens would be a great help. And you’re right. They don’t make as much noise and smell as dogs might.
deekayowe
October 21, 2011 at 7:48 pm
It takes a little more than a chicken coop and good intentions. There is work connected with raising chickens and there are many predators that would enjoy them as a snack if they aren’t cooped-up every night. For most, it would be a lot cheaper just to buy organic and leave the actual process to those who are doing it for a living.
I live in the country and the hens do keep down the bug population, but the coop does need cleaning every few days-and I have a place for the manure, but I’d never try it if I were in the city.
hollyann52
October 21, 2011 at 8:04 pm
My DIL has 6 chickens & a rooster IMO what a noisy mess I’m sorry it’s just my opinion. She keeps them in her back yard where they roam & poop free. Chickens carry many diseases & you have to wear boots if you go back there No way not for me. They also draw a ton of flies
irishlady
October 21, 2011 at 8:20 pm
I lived in a nice suburb of Denver CO. We had chickens both for the fresh eggs, and for a 4H project for the kids. The chickens kept the area clear of bugs in summer, and the grass was green without having to “feed” it. They didn’t smell, and the rooster only crowed if something that didn’t belong, encroached on his space. The neighbors complained, and the city made us get rid of the chickens. The neighbors had barking dogs that often attacked our chickens, they had stinking, snorting, stomping horses. That was OK and socially acceptable in upscale neighborhoods. Not chickens!!!
Charles B
October 21, 2011 at 8:48 pm
We had chickens on the farm but not in the city. I remember one of neighbors moved in two doors down from us and kept them in his back yard. I thought my Dad was going to wind up committing murder because the rooster crowed every morning just before dawn and woke up every one in the neighborhood. My Dad & I worked 2nd shift at Ford Motor Company and had just gotten to bed and sleep when the rooster started doing his thing. Every one in the hood was very happy to see those people move out.
Tom
October 21, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Cheaper to buy organic eggs than to raise chickens. Chickens are filthy(they carry all kinds of diseases), noisy, smelly. Also, “city chickens” are becoming a fad in many places. When people get tired of them they will be neglected and abandoned. Remember the crazes for dalmatiaons and chihuahuas that a movie and a TV commercial started? Most of those pets just got dumped. The same will happen to chickens.
Autumn Leaves
October 21, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Two of our neighbors have chickens and we live in the city. Personally, I would not, due to health reasons with chicken droppings which can cause Histoplasmosis. More people are raising chickens, rather than paying the high prices in the stores. I remember as a kid, my aunt and uncle had chickens, and brought us eggs all the time. You are right, they are rich in color. We always like the brown chicken eggs too, which were more rich than the white ones.
♪Jackie Blue ♪
October 21, 2011 at 10:11 pm
It would be worth it if it was worth it to you.
In our little city we are allowed any thing that fits on our property. The only restrictions we have animal wise is the licensing of dogs.
Down the street is a family with about 6 chickens and one rooster.
I was asked if he bothered me….
No and I like to hear him in the day time ( or any time) while I work in my yard.
Go for it!
Lona
October 21, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Do your homework first and cost it all out. The rewards could be great and they could be poor. Ask others who have done this if it is all worthwhile.
John, I have never known a vegan who eats eggs. Vegetarians do but vegans do not eat any product from an animal – no eggs, milk, cheese etc.
Mags D
October 21, 2011 at 11:50 pm
When my cousin was alive and lived in Pennsylvania, he had chickens in the year, but I sometimes wonder if it was really worth it. He bought them to feed the family and to make some extra cash, but rarely made any money and just had added work.
I wouldn’t do it here in the city where I live, but if it was in the country, maybe.
Watchdog
October 22, 2011 at 12:38 am
every spring back in the day wife and i would buy day old chicks 100 cornish cross and 50 Rhode island reds , well in 6x weeks the cornish were big enough to eat about 4 to 6 lbs , by then they were eating a 50 lb bag of feed every two days plus i let them outside in a airy pen where they ate bugs seed sprouts etc. threw from the garden any veggies i didn’t about the time the reds were big enough to start laying i butchered all the males except 1 or 2 , so raising you own eggs to try saving money not worth it but flavor wise boy were they good the yolks were reddish orange and so flavorful the white of the eggs was thick and stayed around the yolk not like these pale yellow eggs with thin runny whites so if you had room for 3 chickens you could get 2 to 3 eggs a day
dannysleft
October 22, 2011 at 12:39 am
My friends raise lovebirds & finches in flights in their backyard and they have 6 laying chickens. This is inside the city liimits. None of their neighbors complain since there is no rooster and no odors. Occasionally I receive a dozen of their eggs – blue, green & brown shells. I think its a great idea to have 2 – 6 layers if you have the space & the time.
CO the Old Dog
October 22, 2011 at 1:12 am
I think in time with the economy taking away everybody’s hard earned money, legislation would be passed to legitimize the raising of chickens and hens, especially on property that has or can have a vegetable garden.
If you have aldermen meetings in your town get some friends together and attend one or two of the meetings and talk about it.
Be careful about eating too much chicken. You might lose your courage.
John and Lois Fun
October 22, 2011 at 1:32 am
If you do – don’t bother with a rooster and plan on some cackle & droppings.
Dave M
October 22, 2011 at 2:27 am
i sure do like the idea of chickens around love to hear them in the morning, when i was in Big Pine key fla they were all over the parking lot,and in Key West too,they hired a man from San Antonio texas to come get “em 20$ a chicken they said they were paying him, i have a feeling the chickens are still there, there are now chickens on the library lawn in yuma,arizona, but chickens have always been in the back yards around here, i lived in new york city, not manhattan, the bronx,and occassionally ,very rarely were there chickens around, chickens sound great, as long as they do not smell like cats and dogs, there is a wicked smell cats
Mark
October 22, 2011 at 3:00 am