Have chicken ~ do you agree with this ```

[ducks4you]

My 6 young hens laid all winter. Urbana, IL and Champaign, IL allow up to 5 hens, NO roosters. Still, my property is AG2, 5 acres, same county, and my 12 chickens make Loads more noise than my 3 horses do. Btw, roosters will grow anytime of the day or night, as they see fit.

 

[digitS']

There are feral chickens in some communities. Of course, Hawaii's flocks are well known - the U.S. military (us) recently paid for "hundreds" to be caught and relocated (?) at Schofield Barracks. LINK

It doesn't take much searching to find them elsewhere. Lakeland Florida had a population estimated at 600 (!) when the city contracted to have them removed.

Fair Oaks California celebrates their wild flock of about 200, descended from a small flock let loose 30 years ago.

Tampa has more than 150 and after being in residence for over 100 years, these feral chickens are the subject of genetic testing to find out where the heck they came from!

Perhaps "most people" but certainly not all will provide reasonable care. I have a city dwelling friend who has a next door neighbor with a flock including a rooster. The rooster never goes in the coop and has been running free for several years. Friend just looks at it from his backdoor garden and shakes his head.

Steve

 

[aftermidnight]

The smallish city in my area recently passed a chicken keeping ordinance, with, in my opinion, some good rules for town life: no roosters, limit on the number of chickens, the coops have to be a certain distance from neighboring property, and no butchering or processing on the property. I don't know if free ranging was addressed, but, like ducks4you stated, that is a problem that takes care of itself.
I don't agree that keeping 3 to 5 chickens is a waste of time. Being able to have fresh eggs has a lot of value to some of us. And we can always use the poo.

Same here, our city now allows the keeping of 3 or 4 four hens, no roosters. It's hard for me to fathom how much poverty there is here and I don't mean street people, addicts etc. Honest decent people just trying to make ends meet, thanks to the food banks they get some relief.
My daughter belonged to a PTA group when her kids were in elementary school and they made sure there was a fruit basket in every room and kept full, bread and jam too so they could make a sandwich.
My granddaughter was instructed to go up and help herself to a piece of fruit or.... so others wouldn't be shy about helping themselves, so many came to school without having breakfast or a lunch.
I grew up during the war years, somethings were rationed like coffee, tea, meat, butter, sugar but at the same time most people had vegetable gardens, had fruit trees and kept a flock of chickens in their back yard. So we really didn't have it that bad.
It's a different world today a lot of really decent folks are having trouble just making ends meet, by the time they've paid the mortgage or rent, paid the utilities, taxes and such just to keep a roof over their heads there's not much left for food, clothing or other necessities. Yes, it's a different world, I believe our city even allows a goat and rabbits, and yes, you are allowed to butcher. I saw a goat tethered out on a front lawn in one of the older sections of the city mowing down the grass, who needs a lawnmower and think of all the good stuff for the garden .

Annette

 

[Grizla]

I think depending on the density of the city some regulations are a good idea- limited flock size, no roosters, certain distance from the nieghbor 's house, rat proof feed storage all make sense to me. But requiring expensive vet care or outlawing butchering seems ridiculous. One vet visit could easily cost more than the entire small flock (and their coop)! And what are you supposed to do with a hen when it stops laying except eat it? I also don't think animal shelters designed for pets should have to spend their resources on livestock. Maybe hold it long enough to see if there's any lost chickens on record (or if anyone has put in a request for a chicken) but then it should be put down pretty quickly. Maybe leg bands with a phone number would be a good solution?

 

[valley ranch]

Nothing quite like fresh eggs ~ is there ```

 

[valley ranch]

you don't think people should be allowed ~ rooster ~ I like hearing them ```

 

[digitS']

Some people aren't as tolerant as you, Richard!

Ha!

Ha!

Ha! i'm not likely to hear them, anywho

Steve
who rises before most any rooster and whose friend had a career as a baker so, i expect he does too ...

 

[Nyboy]

If someone could breed a line of silent roosters they would become very rich

 

[valley ranch]

Or cut the holie how out ```

 

[buckabucka]

I enjoy getting fresh eggs, and I guess I'd have to say my chickens are pets, because I have a few that are 8 years old, which is not efficient.

I think the mistake some people make with chickens is treating them like a cuddly pet and handling them and forgetting to wash their hands afterwards. It makes me cringe to see photos of young children holding a chick up against their face. Yes, they are adorable, but this is a bad idea if you do not want salmonella.