Backyard Chicken Movement is growing fast and coming home to roost

How many chickens are there in the world?

More than there are people. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations there are 7.2 billion chickens in the world. Almost every place you find people, you will find chickens. They have been a food source for humans since the beginning of civilization. They are the primary source of animal protein for the majority of people on the planet. Their waste makes some of the best organic fertilizer that can be found. They are docile and easy to take care of and yet in many communities including Evanston and Madison Wisconsin, they are illegal.

They are not illegal however in the city of Chicago. This comes as a surprise to many people who have come to assume that you simply cannot keep chickens in the city. Historically speaking chickens have always been a part of daily life in Chicago. In the 19th and early 20th century they were kept by people throughout the city. In backyards, rooftops and even in doors; Chicagoans of yesteryear kept chickens as a way to feed themselves.

It was not really until the advent of the automobile, the super market and ultimately fast food that the keeping of chickens started becoming less common. It never fully went away. If you visited the Pilsen neighborhood in the morning in the 1990’s you had a good chance of hearing several roosters. There are still several places in the city where you can buy live poultry and if the dietary rules of your religion require it, slaughter the chickens yourself. There places like John’s Live Poultry on Austin and Fullerton that have been in business for decades and have many customer that come seeking poultry that is prepared in accordance with Halal or Kosher rules or just simply want to by a laying hen.

With the renewed interest in this very local food source there are a couple of common misunderstandings and false assumptions.

1. Eggs need to be refrigerated. NO. They can and do keep without refrigeration for 30 days.
2. Hens need roosters to make eggs. NO. They lay eggs with or without a rooster
3. They can’t take the cold. NO. They can Take temperatures down to below zero Fahrenheit. They actually are more stressed by heat.
4. They are dumb. MAYBE. Admittedly there is not a lot going on up there, but they do have a language of 10 different sounds they use to communicate with each other.
5. They are illegal where you live. NOT NECESSARILY In many cities they were never made illegal they just grew out of favor and the laws never changed. In Chicago you can have as many chickens as you and (your neighbors) like but you cannot have a rooster and you cannot run a slaughter operation.
    

There are many resources on the web and in print to educate yourself about raising chickens. A good place to start on the web is McMurray Hatchery. They have a great catalog and excellent customer service on the phone. If you want to talk to someone live you can visit the Feed Store on south Harlem Avenue in Summit.

Here is a video a about the adventure of building a chicken coop on the Westside of Chicago.