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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1110/p17s01-lign.html
Whole lotta clucking going on in cities
More Americans raise chickens in their backyards

By Maryann Mott | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
from the November 10, 2008 edition
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When Meg Taylor and her husband went house hunting last fall in  
Northampton, Mass., the couple passed on several properties that  
weren't set up just right for their "girls."

Those girls are hens: Alice, Ester, Penelope, Petunia, Sophie, and  
Winifred. So the couple wanted a yard with an ample mix of sun and  
shade so the flock could soak in the rays, take dust baths, and nap  
under leafy trees.

After several weeks, they found the perfect place.

"Once you have chickens, it's really hard to live without them," says  
Ms. Taylor, a former biology teacher who's now a stay-at-home mom.

She and her husband, Andrew Gould, aren't the only ones who've  
discovered this. They're part of a growing nationwide trend – city  
dwellers raising poultry in backyards, mostly out of concern for where  
their food is coming from.

"You hear all these horror stories about factory farms, and you want a  
higher ethical standard for the food that you have," said Angelina  
Shell of the Seattle Tilth Association, a group that offers  
sustainable-living classes. Most chickens are kept for their eggs, she  
adds.

The communities of Fort Collins, Colo.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Wake  
Forest, N.C.; have passed laws allowing residents to keep a limited  
number of backyard birds. Other chicken-friendly cities include New  
York; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; and Salt Lake City.

Fresh eggs for breakfast aren't the only benefit of raising chickens,  
say hobbyists. The birds provide organic fertilizer, and their  
appetite for pesky weeds and bugs helps gardens thrive.

"If our economy continues on the downward spiral," says Ms. Shell, a  
third-generation poultry hobbyist, "you're going to see a lot more  
people raising their own chickens in their backyards and starting up  
vegetable gardens."

Still, chickens aren't always popular with neighbors in city and  
suburban neighborhoods.

Chicago Alderman Lona Lane proposed a citywide chicken ban late last  
year after constituents bombarded her office with complaints about  
noise, odor, and rodents. But chicken enthusiasts from other parts of  
the Windy City cried fowl, stalling a final decision. After the  
holidays, Ms. Lane plans on introducing a new bill to ban chickens in  
just the neighborhood she represents.

In cities where chickens are legal, regulations usually limit the  
number of hens to three or four. Most prohibit roosters because of  
early-morning crowing, and slaughtering is strictly forbidden.

Some critics, in an effort to keep birds out of urban areas, raise  
concerns about avian influenza. But Michael Martin, a poultry  
veterinarian at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, doesn't  
believe there's any cause for concern.

"The risk of a human becoming exposed before we knew anything about  
any kind of poultry disease is pretty much nonexistent," he says.

In today's computer age, starting a flock is as simple as the click of  
a mouse. Chicks can be ordered online and delivered right to your door.

Annual "coop tours" in some cities educate chicken enthusiasts about  
enclosures (a necessity for keeping flocks safe from predators) by  
showcasing structures ranging from the fanciful to the practical.

Classes such as Seattle Tilth's "City Chickens 101" generally sell out  
months in advance. Interest has been so great this year that the group  
has offered nine classes, each with 35 to 45 people in attendance.  
Normally, only two or three classes are held each year.

An online plethora of poultry websites, blogs, and chat rooms exist,  
too.

Taylor, the house hunter, started a Yahoo group earlier this year as a  
way for chicken owners in western Massachusetts to share information.  
So far, about 70 people are members of the Pioneer Valley Backyard  
Chicken Association (http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/pvbca).

Taylor says that she's often surprised by how many people own chickens  
but keep it hush-hush because they're afraid the birds might not be  
legal where they live.

At a recent community fair that she attended with her pet chickens,  
dozens of people secretly confided in her that they also owned  
backyard poultry.

"They came up to me, kind of looked on either side of them, and said  
in a quiet voice: 'I've got a flock, too,' " she recalls with a laugh.

Many people are surprised to learn that not all chickens are plain  
white like the ones found on commercial farms. Hundreds of breeds  
exist in a dizzying array of sizes, shapes, colors, and patterns.

Some even lay light blue, olive green, or chocolate brown eggs.

In the 1800s, when what are called fancy poultry breeds were first  
introduced into the United States, people got so excited about raising  
them, they were said to have "hen fever."

Today we're starting to see that again, notes Francine Bradley, a  
poultry extension specialist at the University of California, Davis.

As part of her job, Dr. Bradley frequently gives advice to backyard  
hobbyists and parents whose kids bring home chicks hatched during  
school science projects.

"Owning a chicken is no different than owning a dog or cat," says  
Bradley. "If you're going to be the steward of an animal, you should  
know how to take care of it before you purchase one."

Cooperative Extension offices, located in every county nationwide, can  
provide novice chicken fanciers with reliable information on raising  
backyard flocks, she adds.

The biggest mistake Bradley sees first-time owners make is not feeding  
their pets properly.

"I often get people calling who can't figure out why their chicks look  
a little funny and aren't growing well, or why their hens haven't been  
laying eggs," she says. "Then I find out that they're feeding them  
only one thing: organic polenta. Organic or otherwise, cornmeal is not  
a balanced diet for a chicken."

Bradley recommends buying food especially formulated for chickens at a  
feed supply store. "We know more about the nutrition for chickens than  
any other living animal, including humans," she says, "so there's no  
excuse for not feeding a bird well."

Although keeping chickens in urban settings is gaining in popularity,  
a surprising number of people have done it for years.

In the 1970s, California officials attempted to figure out how many  
people owned backyard flocks. They decided to use feed sales at local  
stores as a gauge since commercial ranchers buy directly from feed  
mills.

"They were amazed at the amount of chicken feed sold within the city  
of San Francisco," recalls Bradley. "And if you go at the right time  
of day into any neighborhood in San Francisco [today], you can hear  
cocks crowing, so there are backyard chickens everywhere."