The Joys of Raising Backyard Chickens

My name is Laura McLean and I’m a crazy chicken lady. I said it and I don’t regret it. 

I spent years convincing my husband we needed to add chickens to our wannabe urban farm, slowly chopping away at his resistance until the price of eggs skyrocketed and he gave in. Really, he gave in to our daughter and my constant pleads, texts, and not-so-subtle hints. It also worked in my favor that I helped the kindergarten class at my daughter’s school incubate and hatch baby chicks and ended up bringing home the lone survivor (our hatch rate improved the following year, and we hatched 100%). 

Obviously you can’t just have one chicken, so Brenda (aka Shannen Doherty) was quickly joined by Buffy (aka Sarah Michelle Gellar). For those who don’t know about chicken math, it’s real, and two chickens quickly became 12, despite me insisting to my husband I would stop at four. A year and a half later, we have a beautiful coop, daily fresh eggs (most of the year), and a ton of laughs and love for these crazy birds!

My daughter is convinced that every yard in our neighborhood needs a chicken coop. On walks, she will point out exactly where it could fit in each yard. In order to help her achieve her chicken goals, let me share what we have learned and the truth about the workload, the smell, and the pros/cons of backyard chicken keeping.

Before We Took the Leap, We Did Our Research.

I read books (I highly recommend the book Chicken Keeping: Pure and Simple by Nikki Husted), increased my chicken content on Instagram, and talked to others who had backyard chickens. We learned how much space we needed, coop considerations, proper care, and our city’s ordinances. I scoured Pinterest for coop designs, because my chickens need to live in style. Ultimately, living on a sloped canyon, we opted to build our coop. 

There are some fantastic premade coop options on the market now, but I would stay away from inexpensive wood ones you can buy from big box companies; they simply won’t last and are not predator proof. Number one tip for building your coop: Go as big as your space will allow. The more space, the happier the chicken and chicken math — you will always end up with more! Things always take longer than expected, so be mindful of your time and stress level. Wait to bring chicks home until your coop is done.

Your Coop Is Ready, and Now It’s Time for Chickens!

There are endless breeds of chickens, each with their unique characteristics. Make sure to choose breeds that are suitable for backyard chicken keeping and your weather. Things to consider are temperament, egg color, production, and longevity. Since my children were going to be actively involved in their care, we chose breeds that were friendly, docile, and laid different color eggs. 

You can purchase chicks online, but most cities will have local nurseries that have chicks in the spring, and there are always your local Craig’s List chicken dealers. If chicks feel like too much work or you desire to give a retired chicken a happy life, you can adopt from a local rescue or look on social media for people trying to rehome.

I highly recommend getting chicks. This allows for a strong bond, which in turn creates chickens you can easily hold for snuggling or to monitor and treat any health concerns. And seriously there is nothing cuter than a baby chick! Depending on your weather, baby chicks will need to live inside in a heated brooder for six to eight weeks. Ours lived in our converted garage and laundry room when they weren’t mysteriously ending up in my daughter’s bedroom. Once you have a little experience and the ability to rehome roosters if necessary, incubating eggs is a magical experience. Between school and home, we have done it three times and they will forever be core memories for us.

Time for Eggspectations!

Once you can move them outside, expect most chickens to start laying between 20 to 25 weeks. Ours came of age at the beginning of winter, so they didn’t start laying until spring. With six girls in our flock, we get two to six eggs a day, which naturally decreases or stops during the molting season and winter. We recently added six more Silkies (chosen simply because they are cute). Keep in mind that eventually your girls will stop laying as they enter their golden years. Slowly growing and adding to your flock every year or two will help ensure you always have someone paying egg rent.

So how much work is it, really? This is a difficult question to answer, because it depends. I love my chickens and I happily spend my time cleaning their coop, feeding them, and letting them range free with supervision (thanks, coyotes). That being said, I keep a clean coop and spend roughly 10 to 30 minutes daily doing a morning poop scoop (keeps the smell to almost non-detectable levels), saying good morning or yelling at Brenda to be nice to her sisters, and filling food, water, and treat dispensers. Every three weeks, I sprinkle a product called Roost Refresh, which helps keep odor down and prevents mites and lice, and then I do a deep clean and change out all bedding every three to four months. After trying four food dispensers, I found the best and the most rodent-proof one to be a DIY two-gallon plastic bucket (find instructions here). The same goes for our DIY five-gallon water bucket. I can easily set the flock up now with enough food and water for four to six days, making leaving them fairly easy on our pet sitter.

Now, on to the Benefits of Backyard Chicken Keeping:

• Fresh eggs! They are simply better than anything you will get at the store.
• Joy and laughter. These girls truly bring me joy and are creating lifelong memories for my kids.
• Sharing. I love gifting our fresh eggs to neighbors and friends, and they love it too!
• They are therapeutic. I am on a quest to make one of my chickens a “therapy chicken.” Connecting with nature is healing.
• Composting and reducing food waste. With the right skills, you can home compost chicken manure. Since our city does green waste recycling, I opt to compost it that way and leave my home composting for our food waste. I also share a large portion of my garden scraps and food waste directly with the chickens. They love all the fresh treats.
• Adorable photoshoots.
• Farming legitimacy. You can pretend to be a farmer in the city.
• Something to talk about at parties. Seriously, I bring up the chickens daily to anyone that will listen.

A Vegan’s Take on Pet Chickens

“Chickens are pets that gift you with edible treats, and they deserve the same affection that other pets are showered with.” – Felicia Morgenstern

Originally vegetarian, Felicia Morgenstern and her husband, Arjan, adopted chickens and their personal journey led them to veganism — with the one exception being the eggs their chickens laid. Knowing their chickens were showered with love, enjoyed all the healthy treats, and called a safe coup home, they made this personal decision. It was never about the eggs for these chicken parents, but an opportunity to enhance the joy on their micro backyard farm in San Diego. 

After more than a decade with chicken pets, they have seen firsthand how affectionate, cuddly, and therapeutic their chickens have been for themselves, friends, and neighbors. They routinely hosted open-house petting-zoo parties to share the joy. If Felicia could give a piece of advice to new chicken owners, it would be to remember they don’t lay forever. Eventually your coop will turn into a “post-menopausal hen sanctuary,” and you need to be prepared to care and love for them their entire lives.