Coop de Ville

Published on Tuesday, August 8, 2006, by Alex Lash / Edit Post

Chickens are so common in cities now that one British company even sells designer coops. “It’s becoming quite the chi-chi thing,” says Alicia Rheal, founder of Mad City Chickens, a Wisconsin group that lobbied the city of Madison to become more hen-friendly. Chickens may be no harder to care for than dogs or cats, but that doesn’t make them easy. Here’s some advice:

  1. Secure your coops. Raccoons, coyotes, possums, and birds of prey now thrive in urban parks and green belts, and you’d be surprised how easily raccoons can open doors. Best idea is to critter-proof the entire backyard. To protect from hawks and owls, chickens should have a sheltered daytime area. A raised coop gives the hens shade and more earth to peck.
  2. Feed your chickens. Chickens eat constantly. They’ll keep your back yard nearly bug free, but they’ll also scarf your beloved begonias and almost everything else unless you supplement their diet with store-bought feed.
  3. Check local regulations. It’s a rare city that prohibits chickens, though many have limits. Roosters are another matter. Often raised for cockfighting, they’re loud, aggressive, and, in many cities, illegal.
  4. Share the eggs. If your neighbors are wary, a gift of fresh-laid eggs may change their minds. The difference in taste between fresh and store-bought eggs is like the gap between tomatoes off the vine and ones from a supermarket in January.

Photograph by Tom Sicurella

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  • I had a little laying flock at my last house in Tucson. Loved those girls, and their eggs. I had three green-egg layers, aracauna crosses, that laid the best eggs I have ever eaten- and the biggest eggs, too. The Polish Crested girls laid smaller, off-white eggs, more regularly, but they weren't quite as tasty as the green eggers' for some reason. They had lots of access to my herb garden and the...+READ

    I had a little laying flock at my last house in Tucson. Loved those girls, and their eggs. I had three green-egg layers, aracauna crosses, that laid the best eggs I have ever eaten- and the biggest eggs, too. The Polish Crested girls laid smaller, off-white eggs, more regularly, but they weren't quite as tasty as the green eggers' for some reason. They had lots of access to my herb garden and the lawn and bugs. They're messy, no question, but my DH didn't want to mess with compost so disposing of the litter was an issue, plus were were in midtown, near Speedway and Wilmot. If you're a tidy yardkeeper you may want to try a few hens, as long as you can provide a safe, secure shelter for them. Check out some of the online poultry forums for more information.
    Never name an animal you're going to butcher- it just ain't right!-COLLAPSE

  • The company that makes the designer coops does have a US site too... www.omlet.us

  • Chickens are certainly a fixture in East L.A.

  • Chickens are lovely creatures, but they need room to roam and peck.
    Basically, they need a space that's protected from above (hawks) and below (foxes). This is hard to do in the average backyard. But if you're willing to devote the effort, chickens are charming companions, very social, and fun to have around.

  • why did the city chicken cross the road?

    to get to the sale at barney's

  • So are these chickens pets or grocery?

  • I've always wanted a chicken in our city yard.