Chickens Becoming Urban Pets

If you hear the sound of clucking next door, you might just be hearing your neighbor's new pet.

Pet chickens are on the rise and they're making their home in city dwellers' backyards. More people are finding it attractive to keep chickens as pets, not only because they're cute, but because people want to produce their own eggs and retain a slice of rural life.

"People are turning to things that remind them of simpler times," Ron Kean, a poultry specialist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told the Los Angeles Times . "If you're smart, you can save money doing this."

Rose and Harry Koppen of Dubuque County, Iowa, recently bought six adult chickens that produce one to five eggs a day. They told the Chicago Tribune that the eggs taste better and that they use them to make fried egg sandwiches and pastries.

More cities are taking up the issue to decide whether to allow backyard chickens. The Times reports that Traverse City, Mich., and Iowa City, Iowa, are among the cities considering whether to allow people to own poultry. Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore already allow up to four chickens per property.

Hatcheries say they are getting hit with orders around the country. Murray McMurray Hatchery , the world's largest supplier of rare-breed chicks, says there's a six-week backlog on orders for hens by urban dwellers.

"I tell people we're getting out of the country livestock business, and getting into the city backyard pet business," said Bud Wood, president of the Murray McMurray.

Critics worry that raising livestock in backyards could become a public health concern. "When you live with your food, you have issues," Paul Kowalski, head of New Haven's environmental health program, told the Times. "Raising your own food is cool, but not when you have yards that are 20 feet by 30 feet."

Others question whether people are even saving money by keeping their own animals. "If the recession or safety are the primary motivations for raising chickens, the chicken-raisers aren't very smart," wrote Dan Mitchell on the Big Money . "A part-time job at Popeye's would be a far more effective way to offset the effects of the recession than would building and maintaining a backyard coop."

If you're interested in raising your own chickens, here are some tips from Iowa State veterinarian Dave Schmitt:

• Provide sturdy housing for chickens that keeps them warm during cold months and keeps out predators like foxes and hawks. MyPetChicken.com has some good options .

• Make sure the chickens have enough food and water and their coop is kept clean.

• Wash your hands before and after handling birds (especially important for children) and do not track dirt and debris from the hen house (wild birds, especially waterfowl, can carry disease and spread it in their excrement).

• Always buy birds from licensed dealers.