Info 101:Interested in raising chickens in the city

July 10, 9:09 AMSeattle Healthy Food ExaminerKristen Rezabek, MS, RD, CD, CDE

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Photo by Jon Anstey

Are you interested in rasing chickens in the city, but not sure what it takes to keep a brood of hens? Urban chickens are a growing phenomenon across the country. Perhaps some of us may look back nostalgically at visiting neighbors on the farm and gathering eggs, but the reality is you don’t need a large space to raise chickens. One can actually have a small flock of hens in their own back yard. Many cities, including Seattle allow 3 chickens per lot. Hens only, roosters with their raucous calls might easily get you written up for violating noise ordinances and have you in hot water with your neighbors. Plus you don’t need a rooster to get eggs.

Some friends of ours have built a luxurious chicken coop in their back yard and are raising chickens. They have two laying hens Ms. Red, a Rhode Island Red and Ms Black, a Black Sex Link (a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Rock - the males and females are different colors at birth, which makes differentiating them much easier). The ordered their chicks from DeYoungs Farm and Garden Store last Spring and it takes about 6 months for them to mature to laying eggs. The amount of eggs one hen lays per day varies with the age, breed, diet, and season - with two hens plan on about a dozen eggs a week for the first year or two. After the second year their egg production declines.

Seattle Tilth offers classes on City Chickens - As part of the class you learn how to care for your chickens, including chicken physiology 101 as well as city regulations for keeping chickens. It’s a good idea to build a chicken coop with nesting boxes for them to lay eggs and a fenced run to keep them safe from predators. Chickens can wander around a fenced yard eating slugs, bugs, and worms (a definite plus to get rid of some of those pests) or you can buy a moveable wire cage to transport them from place to place. The chicken manure also makes great compost for the garden. Check out the City Chickens Coop Tour  held annually in Seattle and get inspired designing your own coop.