One Year Later - City Doing Great With Chickens

"So Antoinette, I just read a followup article about a city that created a backyard chicken ordinance a year ago. Apparently everything has worked out fine for them. WE should be so lucky! Are you nervous about the meeting tonight???" Yes, it's true. Just under a year ago, the city of South Portland, Maine created an ordinance allowing 6 hens per residence on relatively small lots and they have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS as a result. http://www.theforecaster.net/story.php?storyid=15608

14 permits have been issued. I believe this is a good illustration of the fact that just because it's recognized as legal, doesn't mean everyone will do it.

Sewanee's Community Council meeting is in an hour. I hope that we too will serve as a great example of a community who, like South Portland, "think for themselves" and "most certainly live their values".

Noise

Baby tree frog sitting on a zinnia leaf will grow to be about 2 inches, yet produce an enormous cry http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/anurans/hylchr.htm - WAY louder than any hen or even rooster dare hope for. Baby tree frog in center towards the left. I did not ask permission to have these frogs, they found their way to my garden on their own and no longer reside here - these pictures are several years old. A large stand of bamboo bordering my yard was planted in the 1940s, is evergreen and provides privacy as well as a sound barrier for my neighbors.

Seriously - what about the noise?

Chickens, like most animals, produce sounds. As with other animals, different breeds make different sounds and some are quieter than others. Also, like a typical animal, they talk more when they have something to say.

I have three different breeds and they make distinctly different sounds. One can expect gentle clucking from time to time which is often not noticeable from yard to yard or from inside a house.

Some hens cluck after laying an egg. Antoinette will cluck before laying.

Some birds get excited when they find a particularly tasty bug or weed and do a "peep, peep, peep" thing which attracts other hens to share.

They can make a racket when they are scared - when chased for example.

They can be fussy and cluck more when their living situation has changed (see "emergency" post) - moving to a new house, introducing a new hen or taking one away.

Extremely rarely will hens make enough noise to be intrusive.

Hens go to bed at dusk and stay very quiet at night.

Hens are considerably quieter than dogs, crows, blue jays, tree frogs, nocturnal summer bugs, children, students and alumni.

They do make more noise than deer, but are way less destructive.

Backyard Chickens for Commercial Use

Antoinette considers modeling as a full time career. In the Lease Committee meeting a couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would ever consider using my birds for profit - a very reasonable question - as were the other questions which I've been addressing.

A good laying hen will produce an egg roughly every 26 hours during her most productive years (about three), during the warm months, if she is not broody or molting. See "Radio interview and egg laying info" post from July 10. A dozen fresh eggs costs approximately $4.00 - so in order to make $4/day on a consistent basis until the days get noticeably shorter and the hens stop laying, one would have to have at least 14 chickens. Therefore, it is not economically feasible to make a profit from having a small backyard flock.

However, it is certainly possible to end up with more eggs than necessary and to give them to friends, family and kind neighbors. Unfortunately for those around me, this doesn't happen much in our yard. I am lucky if I get two eggs a day, I have two hungry children and we do a decent amount of baking.

How To Get The Chickens Back In Their House

A chicken's house is their home. They love it. They feel safe there because chickens by nature, are, well, chicken. When you let them out they'll wander around and do all the good stuff they like to do: eat bugs & weeds - fertilizing as they go, follow you around because you're the greatest thing in the world to them, take dust baths, run around stretching their wings and legs. They tend to have silly personalities and are great fun to watch. Hanging out with them is very relaxing. Generally they won't go far from their house, because again, it's a safety thing.

As soon as it dusk, they'll instinctively go back into their home. Hens are not party animals. Somehow they know that the bad guys come out at night. They like to roost. The higher the better. So, it's a nightly ritual - the chickens go home to roost. It's essential to close them up securely for the night because they are very vulnerable to predators. A chicken has no defense and will freak out when scared and do the very most impractical thing - like run to a corner rather than get up high.

If it's not bedtime it's usually pretty easy to bribe them back into their house with food. Even if it's the same food that they already have in their house. Mine will usually come when I call and follow me to the house because they're confident that something wonderful happens whenever I summon them.

Silly chickens!

More Chicken Info

Silly bird
Chloe poised for flight
Do chickens fly?
Well, it depends. Some do, some don't, none do very well. It depends on their body and feathers. "Meat birds" are bred to have large breasts, are heavy and can't do much in the way of getting off the ground. Birds with weird feathers like frizzles and silkies do well to hop up and down steps. Many leaner chickens can fly enough to get over a fence and some into trees to roost. Some owners clip the wings of their chickens to prevent them from getting out of their enclosure. It doesn't hurt the birds, it's like cutting fingernails.
Do chickens attract predators?
Chickens are quite tasty to many animals: raccoons, possums, dogs, foxes and hawks. However, chickens do not attract predators. I've seen no more of these creatures that are common to Sewanee in the 2 years I've had chickens than before. I lost my Silkie, Natasha, to a hawk this past spring, but it's not like I have hawks circling above my yard now. There is a fox that lives in my neighborhood. My daughter saw it at the foot of the front porch steps the other night. I have seen no evidence of it or anything else near the chickens. I was working in the garden late in the evening last week close to dark. A possum walked by not noticing me. It was up by the house, not near the chicken house.
What about rats and snakes?
Rats are attracted to chicken feed not chickens. It's important to keep chicken feed in a tightly closed container - tight enough to keep out raccoons and strong enough to keep squirrels from chewing through. I keep mine indoors.
Black snakes are harmless "good" snakes that like to eat eggs (as well as rodents). You'll see them in trees on their way to a bird nest, but they won't break into or hang around a chicken coop. It is important to keep the chicken house secure from all predators including snakes.
An animal is only going to try so hard to get at a meal before it looks elsewhere.

Chicken Personalitites and Advantages

Antoinette - poking around by her old house Chickens can be quite eccentric. When I upgraded my hens from their white trash house to the cute cottage where they now reside, they were not at all appreciative - even though construction only went a week over and came in a mere 10% over budget...

I built them a nesting box in which to lay their eggs, but they flat out refused. They would sit in that house all day crossing their legs and when I came home to let them out - run to the garden and lay under the lillies.

I'm smarter than a chicken.

One day I took an egg from under the lillies and put it in the nesting box in their house hoping to encourage them to lay where they're supposed to. The next morning I found Antoinette and Elisa rolling the egg out of the nesting box with their beaks.

So I put 2 eggs in there and the next day they were repositioned also.

The girls still won't lay in the box, but at least now they keep the eggs in the house to humor me.

Advantages to raising Chickens

Chickens have individual personalities just like dogs and cats. They can be very loyal and are more often than not - VERY amusing. I've heard many, many stories in the past couple of weeks, ranging from a chicken in Charlotte who goes to visit nursing homes, to chickens that go on outings with their owners just like dogs. (Imagine the Sewanee bank giving out corn kernels at the drive through in addition to lollipops and dog biscuits!)

Unlike typical pets, chickens have three distinct advantages :

eggs - I covered the benefits of fresh pastured chicken eggs in previous posts.

fertilizer - there appear to be many uses, "Man builds giant chicken manure catapult to battle vandals" http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/19/man-builds-giant-chi.html.

A more conventional application - according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension,
"Animal manures have been used effectively as fertilizers for centuries. Poultry manure has long been recognized as perhaps the most desirable of these natural fertilizers because of its high nitrogen content." http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AA205. Chickens wandering around your yard will fertilize as they go. Their coop will also be a wealth of fertilizer once composted. Some people house their birds in a chicken "tractor" which can be moved around the yard to fertilize different areas.

pest control - chickens love to eat bugs - ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, grubs, aphids, slugs, snails, grasshoppers.... in all stages - eggs, larvae, adults.

An unexpected advantage for me - I've cut back considerably on the use of nonorganic products in my yard because I don't want to harm the chickens.

The honey bees said, "thank you!".

Bird Flu

Casey and baby bird Baby bird perching on chicken house door

Casey and her new best friend
My daughter has a very petite "faux Siamese" cat named Casey. Casey likes to think she's the great hunter, but she rarely harms butterflies (when she's able to catch them). This spring Casey came trotting around the corner with a baby bird in her mouth. I was quite impressed with her stealthy skills, although sorry it was a baby bird and not a MOLE (or a deer, for that matter). Still, it's the "circle of life" or whatever and she was doing what cats are supposed to be programmed to do.

A while later I noticed Casey coming out of the chicken house. When I peeked in, I found the baby bird laying there unharmed. Casey had put the bird in the bird house where she thought it belonged! Good Kitty.

More Chicken Facts - Bird Flu

According to the TN Department of Agriculture, "Since 1924, there have been three incidences of highly pathogenic bird flu in the United States in domestic poultry. There were no human illnesses reported in connection with these outbreaks, the most recent outbreak in 2004 was confined to one flock and quickly eradicated. " http://tennessee.gov/agriculture/regulate/animals/birdflu.html

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

"We have a small flock of chickens. Is it safe to keep them?
Answer
Yes. In the United States there is no need at present to remove a flock of chickens because of concerns regarding avian influenza. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitors potential infection of poultry and poultry products by avian influenza viruses and other infectious disease agents." http://www.pandemicflu.gov/faq/bird/1098.html

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus.
Does the virus spread easily from birds to humans?
No. Though more than 100 human cases have occurred in the *current outbreak, this is a small number compared with the huge number of birds affected and the numerous associated opportunities for human exposure, especially in areas where backyard flocks are common. It is not presently understood why some people, and not others, become infected following similar exposures."

* Current outbreak refers to Asia, there is no evidence of Avian Influenza in the U.S. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/index.html#consequences

While there is no need for concern over bird flu in backyard chickens in the United States, there is cause for awareness, common sense and taking precautions. As with any animal, sanitary practices are imperative for many reasons (common sense). Knowing your animals and noticing of signs of illness - again, common sense. Bottom line - if you are sensible, you should be allowed to have backyard chickens.

Radio Interview and Hen Laying Info

Interview with Nashville Public Radio from my parent's house

I had a very nice phone interview with Blake Farmer from Nashville Public Radio this morning. WPLN-FM 90.3 will broadcast the interview on Monday morning, July 14 during their newscast. http://wpln.org/home.php .

I just came from the home of an established Sewanee family who, once again, suggested there be a pro-chicken group outside the Lease Committee meeting next Wednesday at 3:30. The meeting takes place in Regent's Room. I don't know... what do you think?

Answers to more questions - Chicken Facts - laying eggs:

• Chickens lay eggs for about 3 years - more if they're pets - but they'll slow down as time goes on


• They usually won't lay until they're at least 6 months old
  
• During their most productive years, often they'll lay one egg per day in warm months
  
• A rooster is not necessary for a hen to lay an egg


• An egg can not hatch into a chicken without being fertilized by a rooster
  
• Some, but not all, breeds of chickens will go "broody" even without a rooster or eggs to sit on
  
• "Broody" means that a hen will "sit" for 21 days - ideally she is hatching eggs, but in the absence of fertilized eggs (or any eggs at all, for that matter) she will sit anyway - it's a hormonal thing
  
• A hen will not lay eggs while she is broody
  
• Many hens will not lay many eggs in the cold months when there is little daylight
  
• Some people install lights on timers to go on in the early morning to encourage egg production during the short days of winter


• Many hens molt, primarily in the fall, and will not lay eggs while they're molting
  
• "Molting" means losing older feathers and growing new ones. Different breeds molt at different rates.
  
• Different breeds of chickens produce eggs at different rates. Some will lay an egg a day - some not so much. Some chickens are bred to lay, lay, lay


• Depending on the breed of chicken, eggs come in many sizes and colors - pretty darn small to awfully big - white, brown, green, blue, teal - and I've even heard - pink!


• Fresh eggs are good at room temperature for several weeks (they cook better at room temp) and several months in the fridge.

My special breeds

I began talking to friends about having to get rid of "the girls". It turns out that you can't mix crested ornamentals in with regular chickens. Other birds will pluck at their crests and harm them. My birds are small also, and can not be mixed with average size chickens. They have been hand raised and treated as pets so it's not unlikely that they would not survive in a farm setting. While my birds do lay eggs which I gladly eat, the breeds are not raised for their eggs and meat so they're a hard sell to anyone who wants them for anything but pets.

Antoinette, who I've had for the longest, is a Frizzle. http://www.thefrizzlesocietyofgreatbritain.co.uk/index.php. She is all black and has a crest (feathers that stand up on her head). A frizzle's feathers start growing normally and then bend up and back making her look like a boa. I named her shortly after seeing the movie Marie Antoinette because she is VERY fancy and clearly the queen. She LOVES me. She makes a gentle, soulful moaning sound - nothing like you'd imagine would come from a chicken. If I were going to rename her, I'd look towards Billy Holiday as an influence.

Antoinette goes broody about every 3 weeks in warm months. That means she spends 21 days in her house sitting on a "nest" and trying to hatch imaginary eggs. Imaginary, because she doesn't lay while she's broody and I collect any eggs she lays prior to it. If she were to sit on actual eggs, they wouldn't hatch because there is no rooster fertilizing them.

Chloe is a Bearded Buff Laced Polish. http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-2/Terry_Beebe.hml She's only about 10 weeks old. I bought her and her 2 "sisters" when they were 3 weeks old and had to keep them indoors under a light for several weeks because a Polish chicken is the ULTIMATE ornamental in my book and it was worth the effort! I believe her "sisters" are roosters, although they have not crowed yet, and they now belong to the only other person I know who raises pet chickens. They are visiting until improvements are made to their home. It is very difficult to sex chicks so it's hard to know what you'll get. It was certainly worth raising 3 to get one hen. They are too young to utter more than gentle "peeps".

Chloe is yellowish/tanish and will have a very large crest on her head. I affectionately refer to her as my "dumb blond" because it's hard for her to see so she's rather skittish and often goes in the opposite direction of the others. I trimmed her "hair" yesterday, so that has helped. I took her name from Greek Mythology. She was so sweet and loving and always fell asleep on me as soon as I picked her up when she was new. Chloe means "green shoot" in Greek and it just seemed to suit her.

Elisa is a Blue Bantam Cochin. She is short & stocky and has furry feet. She lays little eggs. She's fussier than the other two, waddling around like you'd image a busy body hen in a cartoon. She cracks me up. She cackles a bit, but again, only one neighbor has told me they've heard her and she's much more quiet than a dog. She also purrs - seriously, like a happy cat. None of the chickens make any noise at night. My daughter Lauren named Elisa - she's her favorite.