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Posted: Monday, 15 December 2008 7:51AM

Urban Chicken Movement Gains Momentum

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CHICAGO (WBBM) - We all have heard of eggs "fresh from the farm". How about fresh from the back yard?

It's legal to keep chickens in Chicago.

One East Garfield Park resident who keeps five hens in a coop outside her home tells the Chicago Tribune the birds are "like pets with eggs."

Slaughtering the birds is prohibited in the city.

Evidence of the urban chicken movement includes the magazine Backyard Poultry and the Web sites BackyardChickens.com and urbanchickens.net.

Tara Keating and her husband keep four hens in a coop installed inside their condominium's garden.

She estimates the coop, chicken wire and feeders cost $500. "You are not going to make money," she told the Tribune.

But not everyone is a fan of urban chickens. There's the noise the birds make, and the smell.

12/15/2008 7:56AM

Comment on this story.

Share your thoughts.

12/15/2008 2:18PM

not smelly

Chickens do not smell if the coop is kept clean. Trash cans and too much perfume smell much worse. They are a lot quieter than most children in the neighborhood. I'd much prefer chickens next door to a lot of people I know!

12/15/2008 3:17PM

urban chicken delight

I have three backyard chickens and there is no smell i clean out their bedding once a week and depending on the breed you own there is little noise. My neighbors didn't even knew i had then till i said where i got the eggs for my deviled eggs at this last summer block party. It is a nice way to get back to knowing where your food comes from free bug and weed control and great for my compost

12/15/2008 4:04PM

High Flyin Bryan

Try given em some Old Milwaulkee Unemployedchickenfarmer they love the stuff, it sure doesn't get any better than this

12/15/2008 4:07PM

MPC

Chickens make very good pets, i have 6 no make that 5 in my condo, downhere in Texas.

12/15/2008 4:12PM

Chicken Man

bawk bawk, bawk bawk

12/15/2008 4:19PM

Edna

I've been feeding mine whole grains and oats, what do you guys reccomend?

12/15/2008 4:22PM

Chicken Man

bawk bawk, bawk bawk, bawk bawk

12/15/2008 4:38PM

Comment on this story.

Share your thoughts, chicken.

12/15/2008 4:46PM

Comment on this story.

I said to share your thoughts. What are you? Chicken?

12/15/2008 4:47PM

Comment on this story.

Yeah you! I'm talking to you!

12/15/2008 8:53PM

Chicks r Us. Inc.

Its a gosh darn shame when we finally find a placelike this to share our ideas, our hopes and dreams, only to have a few chuckles heads come in and spew a bunch of cockamamie nonsense about something we hold dear to our hearts, my partner said i shouldn't say anything, because we are well known in the gay community, but i say so what? I guess you people are called trolls whatever that means, go troll somewhere else

12/16/2008 9:31AM

Please dont change my text message this time.

I have three chickens for for organic egg production. I like them. What about the noise from lawn mowers and the smell of garbage cans. Isn't that worse than a few FRIENDLY HENS.

12/16/2008 9:35AM

hens not roosters

Obviously roosters would be to noisy and they don't produce eggs anyway. I don't think anybody would notice a few hens clucking.

12/16/2008 11:11AM

Rural Chicken Owner

I have 4 hens, live on just shy of 2 acres. My neighbors don't like them, and have talked about turning us in because out here in CO one must have 2 acres for animals. SOld my two goats to keep my chickens! Love those fresh eggs!SO far neighbor to the south of us have quieted down.

12/16/2008 11:13AM

Rural Chickens post 2

DO chickens lay eggs in the winter? Should I put a light in the coop to keep them warm? Their water is heated. Thanks for the imput. Merry Christmas!

12/16/2008 12:29PM

BYC

http://www.backyardchickens.com/

12/16/2008 5:37PM

I'm a kid and 4-her

I'm in 4-H and raise chickens (14) in a small coop in my backyard! They are a 4-H project! They smell sometimes..but that's what pine shavings are for! I feed mine Cracked Corn, hormone free chicken Layer food, oyster shells, and grit. It depends on the kind of chicken breeds you have..I have two winter breeds and they lay eggs..but I do have 14 so I get about a dozen every other day or so! :D YAY! Oh and I'm 16..I think everyone should have one chicken..really a more of green movement, I say!

12/17/2008 3:42PM

Catching up to the past

I live in rural residential community. I think we should be able to have any barn yard animal we want considering urban residentials can have chickens. Madison, Boston and now Chicago! This is a great movement and needs to catch more momentum. I liketo know where my food comes from and what it was fed. We are what we eat is a reality, not just a cliche! European peasants had more rights that us rural residential folks!

10/02/2009 4:07PM

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