I just learned that zoning laws prohibit chickens in "medium density" neighborhoods, which means that I can't legally keep backyard chickens. I'd need to live somewhere more rural in order to have them, but this hasn't stopped my neighbors. The family next door had chickens before they left for a more rural part of town; several days ago they brought us a dozen fresh eggs, brown and that lovely Easter-egg green that Ameracaunas lay. And recently, when I awaken at 5AM, I've begun to hear the call of a rooster from what I am sure is the next block.
Zoning laws or not, people are keeping chickens. And why not? They are easy pets with comic personalities, and they can be quite gentle when handled regularly as chicks. Many claim that, after the more care-intensive first six weeks, they are easier to keep than cats and dogs, requiring not much more than daily feeding, watering, and a hand to open their coop in the morning and shut them back inside at night. That sounds like a lot less maintenance than scooping poop from litter box or lawn. They offer natural pest control for backyard gardens, as they free range and eat infiltrating bugs, and they provide compost with their droppings. There are many different, often quite pretty, breeds offering benefits based on the purpose for which one chooses to keep them (eggs, meat, or ornamentation), their heat- or cold-heartiness, and even their level of noise.
Given the zoning laws, I'm glad I know of a breed that makes nary a peep--chickens that are quieter and less of a nuisance than the neighbor's free-running dog or another neighbor's obnoxious motorcycle. Let's talk about zoning laws that prevent keeping chickens but allow window-thumping music at 11PM or prolonged train whistles at 3AM. Where's the real nuisance? I ask. Sounds to me like an appeal to city council is my next order of business...along with an order of stealthily silent chicks.
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