Chicken coops plans

AREN’T CHICKENS LOUD?

Male chickens – roosters – are loud. They crow at all hours and will annoy the neighbors. They can be aggressive too. Raising roosters in an urban environment is not recommended. Many cities don’t allow it anyway. Female chickens, called hens, don’t make much noise. They squawk when they get excited but are quieter than most dogs. After a while you will get to know your hen’s verbalizing and be able to tell by her sounds if she is laying an egg, or is annoyed that her sister stole her juicy beetle.

DO I NEED A ROOSTER TO GET EGGS?

Hens lay eggs, whether or not there is a male around to fertilize the egg. Most of the eggs purchased at the store are unfertilized. Without a rooster, none of your eggs will develop into chicks.

IS IT LEGAL TO KEEP CHICKENS IN THE CITY?

It IS legal to keep chickens in many cities around the US and the number is growing by cheeps and squawks. The stipulation is often is that the coops may not be within a certain number of feet of the owner’s residence, the property line, or the neighbors dwellings. That may be impossible in some yards however. If this is the case see number 3 below. The City Chicken site (below) has a city-specific list of laws. If it’s not allowed in your hometown, there are three approaches to take:
1. Lobby for a change in the law
2. Attempt to acquire a personal zoning variance
3. Respectfully approach your neighbors with your intentions and if there are no objections, quietly go forward. A small flock of hens will probably go unnoticed.

WHAT ABOUT AVIAN FLU?

Do not be overly frightened by the Avian flu. The virus is thought to spread from wild fowl to domestic birds and then to humans through direct contact. There is growing evidence however that it actually originates in the factory farm system and spreads via commercial routes. Either way, it has not shown up in migratory birds or factory farm birds here in the US yet.

It can be easily avoided by not allowing your birds to come into contact with wild birds or factory farm birds. For most urban dwellers this is easy to do. Don’t buy your live birds from poultry markets, which usually raise them in factory conditions.

The best precaution is proper handling of your birds. Do not handle them too often, especially if they are sick. Separate sick birds from other hens. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after contact with healthy or sick birds. Most of what is seen in the mass media concerning Avian flu is fear mongering. There are some helpful links below. Be safe but don’t let anyone scare you.

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