The BY chicken boom? Where at?

[fowlsessed]

Of course, I've heard about the Backyard chickens fad, but it's real far from me! Where about's is it really taking hold and concentrated?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I think you'll find a lot of chickens in a lot of cities, but they're not announcing themselves or anything. It seems like backyard chickens have been around for long enough at this point to no longer be a fad. And you're in TN? I would guess that there are plenty of chickens around you.

 

[fowlsessed]

Sure there are plenty of chickens around here. I was talking nothing about just chickens. It was the urban chicken movement I was inquiring about. And actually, it still goes around as a fad.

 

[TXchickmum]

-not sure it would be considered a fad, a hobby, or crazy, here.

We live in a suburban setting in Texas (north of the DFW Metroplex). -neighborhood with lots from between 7,300 - 10,000 sq. ft. We have 10 hens. Our next door neighbors have 10 hens. The neighbor several houses up the street has 5 hens. The neighbor directly behind us is about to get some hens. (We've all had our chickens closing in on two years - and absolutely love them!) We all have vegetable gardens and/or fruit trees as well. We are middle-aged folks raising families. We are NOT hipsters (had to consult a kid to find out what that even meant). -not into trends and that which is "cool" with the blowing winds. -think we'd all prefer to move out to acreage but are tied to jobs in the city. -so, our backyards suffice for now (as our places of respite, playgrounds for our children, and mini farms).

Now, when retirement comes..........hope that the backyard is about 20 acres!!

 

[Big Bubba]

It may be a fad, I don't know. I live less than a mile outside of DC. 3 blocks away from a subway stop and with more apartments than houses. Technically, it's still illegal to have hens, but I do and several other households around do, too. Our county is on the verge of approving code to allow up to 4 hens amd 1 minautre goat (I don't get the 1 goat thing.) The pressure to allow hens has been immense.

I suspect when the law does get approved the hen population will explode. I think there will be some negative with it, too. Eventually things will normalize.

Almost everyone who has seen what I'm doing wants to do the same.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

My sister lives in Brooklyn and there are plenty of chickens near her. She thinks that's disgusting.

 

[fowlsessed]

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting to hear. And yes, I certainly don't believe that you are a "hippy" or "fad-ster" just because you have a backyard chicken thing going, but that is one of the problems some are saying goes around with this - not enough dedication and learning, just a "cool" thing with some. But then that's just hearsay for me, I've never experienced any backyard chicken-eers, except for you guys, so I just have to say: "the majority is in the right!"

 

[TXchickmum]

There are a lot of people that find out 'you' have chickens and think it is neat....and want to immediately do the same thing. A pal saw a Southern Living article about backyard flocks and thought it looked so beautiful. I passed along to her that it can be lovely to integrate chickens into the garden (and beneficial) - BUT, it's a ton of work. -early start to the morning with feed, water, cleaning the coop....followed by outdoor supervised "free-ranging", scooping the run, gathering the eggs.......followed by a final clean-up, putting away the feeders/waterers so as not to draw pests, and making certain everyone is securely locked in the coop. It requires daily commitment (and a good deal of effort to keep it "looking/smelling" nice). I think that's where the interest begins to wane. Folks love the idea but don't love the work/time (especially if they live busy urban lifestyles). I'm a country woman trapped in suburbia....

 

[DCchicken]

I breed autosexing chickens (Cream Legbars and Bielefelders) for people that live in areas that cannot have roosters because they live in the city. Many people tell me they live inside D.C. and have chickens. I always warn them that it is illegal to have chickens in D.C. but they don't seem to care. So if you are wondering where there are backyard chickens, look at our nation's capital.

Please note: I do not condone breaking city laws to own chickens. In many cities, including D.C., you can sometimes get the mayor to override and approve chickens. So do your homework and maybe it will pay off.