What the Cluck! Raise Backyard Chickens

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Nicki Trench raises fluffy Buff Orpington hens. Photo Courtesy Nicki Trench

Nicki Trench loves her backyard chickens because of the fresh eggs they provide, but also because they’re fun. “There is such a difference between eating a freshly laid egg and a storebought egg,” she says. “Fresh eggs taste better.” Author of Creating Your Backyard Farm, Trench loves to watch her Buff Orpington chickens running and wobbling from one end of her garden to the other searching for food or jumping in the air to chase a fly. “They make me smile each day,” she says. “Chickens are definitely great mood enhancers.”

Tom Potisk has been raising chickens in his Milwaukee backyard since 1995. “I’ve always enjoyed natural and organic food,” he says. “Fresh eggs have nutrients, such as omega-3s, from the chickens eating grass and bugs.” For Potisk, the author of Whole Health Healing, raising Araucana chickens is a family affair.  His three children, ages 10, 12 and 14, help care for the chickens and collect their eggs. “Araucanas are non-aggressive and easy to work with,” he says.

If you’ve been dreaming of fresh eggs but think you can’t have your own chickens because you live in the city or suburbs, think again.  Less than a century ago, when more people raised their own food, keeping a few chickens in the yard was common in cities, and plenty of city ordinances still allow the practice. Raising chickens ensures you know where your eggs come from, and collecting eggs fulfills an instinct to provide our own food, Trench says. “It beats going to the supermarket any day,” she says.

Chickens also make great garden and recycling assistants. They provide fertilizer, eat pests, and help dig over your vegetable patch at the end of the season. Chickens eat biodegradable kitchen garbage like rusted lettuce, tomato tops and corn husks. Trench says her chickens love pasta and rice. “You’ll get to know their favorite items,” she says. “You’ll find your garbage will be less than half the size once you start keeping chickens.”

Build Your Brood 

Hobbyists, foodies and families across the country are raising chickens in their city, suburban and farmhouse backyards. With some basic research, you can jump on the chicken bandwagon.

Research breeds. Some breeds are better equipped to lay eggs, while others are raised for meat. Different breeds have different laying schedules. For example, most heritage breeds lay more eggs in spring and summer, whereas hybrids (a combination of two or more breeds) can lay year-round. You don’t need a rooster unless you want to hatch chicks.

Consider your surroundings. Choose less aggressive breeds if you have children. Consider a less-vocal breed if you have nearby neighbors. See “Pick Up Chicks” below for a quick breed guide, or visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for extensive breed information. Our sister publication Grit magazine offers a “Pickin’ Chicken” iPhone app.