Considering adding chickens to the family? Before you get taken in by their feathery good looks and promise of omelets a-plenty, you should know hens come with some downsides—from cost to waste and everything in between.
To determine whether a hen house is in your future, Christine Heinrichs, author of How To Raise Chickens
(Voyageur Press, 2007) and How to Raise Poultry
(Voyageur Press, 2007), suggests familiarizing yourself with local laws on raising livestock, which typically includes neighbor approval. As long as your city allows chickens and the neighbors don’t complain, it’s time to make the big investment: the chicken coop.
“A coop doesn’t have to be expensive to be attractive and useful,” Heinrichs says. The most important thing to consider is whether the coop can keep out predators, such as foxes and raccoons. Heinrichs recommends everything from the Eglu for over $600 (not including shipping) to buying plans to build your own and finding used materials on Craigslist. “Think $50 and up,” she says.
In addition, the coop needs to be lined with some kind of litter—straw or some other absorbent material that will need to be changed and replenished. “Compostable litter combined with chicken manure equals rich fertilizer,” she says. “With chickens, nothing is wasted.”
Speaking of waste, Heinrichs warns against letting chickens roam the backyard if that is also where other family pets and young children play. Instead, plan to fence off an area where the chickens can leave their coop to wander. And don't forget to pick up their waste, or you'll be left with an unpleasant-smelling yard. “Cleaning up after the chickens has to be part of your plan,” she says. “Like with a dog, you carry a plastic bag around.” Anyone handling the chickens—especially young children—should always wash their hands before and after touching them.
And if all goes well, these same kids will be handling their pet chickens into their teenage years. Heinrichs says that by about age 4, a chicken’s egg laying begins to decline, but that birds can live for another 10 years or so. In their productive years chickens typically lay one egg per day (with one day off per week), but by age 10 it might be one egg per month or none. “It’s an event at that point,” she says with a laugh.
And of course they still need to be fed even after they are not feeding you and your family. Heinrichs estimates a cost of $10-$20 per month to feed half a dozen hens. She recommends commercially prepared feed, though chickens also eat bugs, greens, and fruit. Note that they will destroy a vegetable garden! “You either fence them in or fence the garden in,” she says.
For more information on chicken raising, go to Heinrichs’s site.
Mindy Sink is a coauthor of Colorado Organic: Cooking Seasonally, Eating Locally and author of Moon Denver
.