When you think of chickens, you probably picture a rural scene, complete with a barn and a tractor. However, chickens are becoming more and more popular away from the countryside. People from the suburbs and even the cities are beginning to raise chickens for a more natural, assumedly cheaper way of getting eggs and meat. U.S. News reported that the trend towards raising chickens was due to their "relative ease of care as pets; [an] increased interest in getting food from humane, local sources; and a desire by some to produce their own food in tough economic times."
While less money might be spent towards meat and eggs, though, chickens are far from cheap. They need food and bedding; as with any animal, they need to be cleaned up after, and may even need medical care if they get sick. However, besides their food-giving possibilities, chickens can be useful in a variety of ways. They're especially good for composting food--chickens will eat any variety of food scraps, which means less garbage going to landfills. Another economic option with chickens is selling surplus eggs for money.
Currently there are restrictions on chicken ownership, especially in cities. Many ordinances make it difficult or even impossible to raise chickens within city limits. This is understandable, given that neighbors may be subject to the smell and noise from the chickens. However, laws are changing, and chickens are becoming a more viable option.
It should be noted that chicken ownership would most likely have an economical effect on a more individual basis. The trend currently isn't enough to threaten chicken industry, and it would take a lot for it to have any effect on the market. This being said, is it economically feasible to raise chickens in a suburban or urban setting? What would be the trade-offs associated with poultry owning?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think that raising chickens is a great option overall. They do reduce food waste, they provide meat and eggs, and they can help boost a family's financial situation if they sell the eggs. I think the cost of buying food to feed the chickens is far less than the benefit of owning the chickens. The trade-off with poultry owning is the time and energy towards caring for the chickens and preparing them if you use them for meat. I do think that poultry companies may be a little concerned about this growing trend, however most people are too lazy to raise and care for the chickens and the trend shouldn't hurt the commpanies too much.
ReplyDeleteMany people in this area are trying to figure out how to change local ordinances so people can have chickens. Kalamazoo allows no farm animals within the city limits (except in cookpots, that is).
ReplyDeleteI think that Cierra's comment covers my own view very well. Raising chickens or other small farm animals that have long since left the cities and suburbs could be a boon to the average American, many of which already have experience with the care of a more mainstream pet. As I understand it, the diversity of pets in the American household has narrowed, with the ownership of chickens, pigs, ducks, and other animals plummeting over the last few decades. This is likely due to the perception of these animals by the public to be not in line with middle-class living. It would be beneficial if this idea can be broken.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the average American is probably too lazy to take care of these animals, despite them not being much more difficult to handle then a dog. Without a drastic transformation of the American lifestyle, I doubt any producers need to worry.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor a small-time operation like a four-person household, the cost to purchase and adequately care for the chicken would far surpass the money that the family is saving on eggs and meat. Even if a family was able to afford the investment cost, the level of training one would need to properly care for the chicken over a long period of time would be yet another problem. Finally, I believe that this is not the correct approach to supporting local foods. By choosing to supply your own chicken meat and eggs, you are removing yourself from that market and are no longer a potential customer for local farmers who are would like to sell you their goods. This is an interesting idea, but probably not a very good one for most middle-class families.
ReplyDeleteIt seems urban farming of animals and crops are becoming more common these days. These methods of creating your own food can be efficient, but can be a lot of work. Some people want to know exactly how their food was made and raised. Also, the food right out of your backyard can be made fresh and will certainly taste better. The only problem I see is people might not know how to properly take care of some of the animals and that could result in disease. In some areas feces and bacterial infection could be a problem as well. (A)
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Bridgett that having chickens wouldn't be cost effective. There isn't much training necessary to own a chicken. Also you wouldn't have to buy food if you feed it scraps. Then you could sell the extra eggs to further cover expenses. Over a period of time I think you could make a profit.
ReplyDeleteI know a couple people who raise chickens in their yards and they all love it. Of course, these are people who are very into community gardens, and similar things. They just enjoy raising the chickens, growing their own food, and living a slightly more sustainable lifestyle, even if they aren't saving much money. It's something to enjoy. E
ReplyDeleteI do believe owning chickens is a very smart idea, in more ways than one. It may not save you money at first because you have to provide housing and other things for the chickens, but in the long-term it will. It will because overtime, the money saved by not having to go out and buy eggs will result in great profit. Also, it may seem that when you eat one of your chicken's, you are in fact losing money, but if you sell a surplus of eggs that the chicken produced, you will have money to pocket, and also buy a new chicken. Its not like one chicken is only going to produce only one egg a year, some hens can produce over 300 eggs per year, so you should end up with a surplus of eggs that you can use to sell. This will lead to profit making and the ability to be able to buy more chickens without it hurting you. (A, T)
ReplyDeleteRaising chickens in the cities is definitely not a bad idea but we have to take into consideration the time and laws that come with it. Although chickens are usually raised in farms having them in the city could not be convenient to them, training and other special accommodations would have to be made in order to have the chicken in a good environment for an animal. Not only will it take time but also people are not well educated to prepare their own meat without being in danger of any diseases or bacteria, this will cause more diseases to those whom are not careful. Over all, chickens will be a good way to help families produce their own meat and eggs but also it will bring along many disease.
ReplyDeleteThis article got me pretty curious. I have a close family friend who used to successfully raise chickens at their home in Evanston, a suburb just outside of Chicago, and I was never sure just how legal it was.
ReplyDeleteSo naturally I googled it. Turns out, weirdly enough, that having chickens is actually legal and without many limitations in large cities such as Chicago, LA, most areas of NY, Atlanta, etc. and are either illegal or very limited in smaller towns and suburbs.
any ideas on why this would be?
Michael, I am just taking a wild guess at your question as to why there are hardly limitations on poultry farming in large cities but they are very limited in smaller towns and cities. In a larger city, there is a bigger market for goods and service including poultry. So am guessing than if a few persons in larger cities decide to rear a couple chickens that it won't have such a drastic impact on the market. Whereas in the smaller towns and suburbs which has a smaller market, if people are allowed to rear their own chickens, it would have a serious impact on the suppliers of chicken in the market.
ReplyDeleteI agree that rearing chicken is profitable. It doesn't take as much time as caring for pets, for eg. a dog. With a dog, u have to bathe it, walk it, brush it down etc. But with a chicken, all u have to do is ensure that it is well fed and its coop is clean, well-lighted and dry.
I also believe that buying and raising a chicken would be a good investment for suburbanites/urbanites. I'd like to add that one or two isolated chickens would be much less likely than more crowded, farm raised chickens to get sick, and therefore rather unlikely to require expensive medical care.
ReplyDeletePeople actually used to do this all the time. It's only been in the past decades that we've moved our food--chickens, gardens, etc--to distant rural fields (or CAFOs)--rather than our backyards. E
ReplyDelete