Chicken eggs come in many different, vibrant colors! -photo by Tammy Riojas, Elgin, TX

Chickens are the new 'black.'  Have you noticed the massive trend? Cities all over the country are allowing urban and suburban chickens. Are you wondering why?

The explosion of interest in urban homesteading has something to do with it. All over the country you'll see huge backyard gardens that hearken back to the days of Victory Gardens.

Animal husbandry seems like the obvious next step in being a part of one's own food production after planting a food garden. A common news story these days is that this community or that is either modifying its current ordinance regarding chickens to allow them, or that contraband coop-owners are challenging the status quo to become legal. Community members feel it is important to produce on their own plot- however urban or small it may be.

Why is this happening? What does a homeowner want a bunch of chickens for? One can get eggs for a couple of dollars in any old store, right? Here are answers from some urban or suburban chicken owners across the country:

Q. Why do you have backyard chickens?

A. We initially started our chicken habit for healthy eggs and they quickly became pets with benefits!  They have such fun personalities!

A. I keep chickens for eggs from hens that are having happy lives, as opposed to being crammed in a tiny cage inhumanely. Plus, I just have a fondness for their behavior- very fun to watch!

A. My chickens are pets. Yes, the eggs are great, but so are the hens that laid them. I love watching the behavior of my chickens, and getting  to know their personalities.

A. At first we got them for the eggs, now they are pets. I love Chicken TV (watching them interact). Even the non-laying older hens serve a purpose here: in bug control, mulching leaves, etc.

A. They're great for bug eating, fertilizing, leaf sifting, soil enriching, territorial varmint chasing, clucking and eggs- and they sure are fun as pets!

A. Eggs mainly. Loving the added benefits of Chicken antics and garden fertilizer. Always considered doing some birds for meat, but haven't gone there yet.

A. My gals started off as "something to do." Now they are my pets; most days I like them better than my children (chickens don't talk back). Eggs are a bonus...

A. Because dogs and cats don't lay eggs.

There seems to be a trend in the enjoyment factor!  When asked more specifically, all agreed that the eggs fresh from hens with healthy diets and happy environments are substantially better tasting than hen-fruit sold at the grocery store. The cost of a dozen eggs from a local Farmers' Market or natural foods store can feed a yard-ranged bird for more than a month, yet the hen will lay 50-60 eggs in that time, depending on age and breed. What's more, a backyard flock can be completely varied in the color of eggs which are produced, as there are many colors other than white or brown in the poultry spectrum.

A Mother Earth News study found that free-ranged chickens' eggs were significantly healthier than those from the market. Add to this the knowledge that your food was produced in a manner consistent with your ethical beliefs.

Is this trend more common among specific demographics? Apparently not! BackyardChickens, an online forum for urban chicken-keepers has quadrupled its base to over 41,000 users in the last year. Those members are from diverse income levels, ages, backgrounds and have careers as diverse as soldiers, home makers and doctors. The forum's members are worldwide, but the majority are from the US, where hatcheries are having trouble meeting chick demand, even as the season moves toward cold months. Small town dwellers to half-million dollar lots, it all just seems like an enjoyable, productive pastime. My own hometown, Lawrence, Kansas has embraced hens as pets and will allow as many as 20 chickens or ducks, so long as they are kept according to all of the normal standards of petcare. Local keepers are very diverse, while chicken-keeper wannabes regret buying in a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association- city ordinances are trumped by neighborhood bylaws.

Now that you know why many people keep chickens in their yards, you may be considering keeping your own. The next in this series will explore the ways to go about getting started in your quest for Poultry Therapy. Learn what you need to do before you get you first flock, how to raise your chicks, and how you can have an easy time of establishing your own Chicken TV Channel.

• Newsclip about World's Best Eggs
• The Chicken & Egg Page
• Seattle Tilth
• The City Chicken
• How to Keep Chickens in the City
• Mad City Chickens