Growing Number Of U.S. Urban Residents Turn To Chicken As Household Pets

AHN ^ | January 2, 2009

[george76]

While thousands of dogs and cats are being given up by pet owners across the U.S. as times become harder, chickens are gaining popularity as household pets...

The rising popularity of the feathered creature is due to the chicken's ability to provide eggs, pest control, fertilizer and eventually meat. To address zoning regulations, homeowners are working to amend local laws ...

Some cities like New York, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle already allow chicken to be raised by urban residents

[brytlea]

Hmmm...if they are using them for eggs and meat I don’t think you could truthfully say they were pets....

[Marie2]

I checked the website to see if chickens were allowed in San Francisco, but there seems to be no directory of that.

Anyone else know? I guess I could call the Humane Society.

[6SJ7]

Good luck training a chicken to use a litter box.

[Dr. Ursus]

I must have missed the headline that 93% of the workforce
still have jobs!

[brytlea]

?

[BGHater]

Your allowed to keep '4'.
Municipal Code, Article 1: Animals

[domenad]

My friend has a Serama hen. It’s the tiniest breed of chicken, some varieties as small as a single pound. I have heard a rooster Serama crow, and I assure you, it has no idea it is only one pound.

By the way, the hen’s name is Chicken Nugget.

[Revolting cat!]

Revolting chickens?!

[PowderMonkey]

Hmmm...I grew up in localities where that was common. There are plenty good reasons most municipalities zoned out “backyard poultry” in the first place. The least of which are noise, and the runoff from chicken poop. If your neighbor takes to raising ducks, the smell will peel the paint off your house. And, with the advent of avian flu, you really don't want a backyard full of chickens.

[Dr. Ursus]

We’re not at the point where we have to start having
Schezwan dog or cat.(pets)

[brytlea]

Yep, I had chickens as a kid. They are noisy and stinky. I had a hen who crowed like a rooster.

[HamiltonJay]

Welcome back to the third world.

While I personally don’t have an issue if a suburban family has a small coup in their back yard, provided they keep it clean, this has way more to do with 3rd worlders living in our cities than folks just deciding they want a chicken.

[WildcatClan]

You no want chicken. Chicken make lousy house pet.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My uncle had a hen that resembled a high school classmate.

[Allegra]

There's a rooster around here somewhere.

People keep hearing it.

It crowed at midnight New Year's Eve.

Roosters are not supposed to crow at midnight.

[brytlea]

Frankly, in an urban setting, I’m not sure where they will keep them. Maybe in coops on the roof?

[Malacoda]

Great. Obamanomics will turn us in to tax serfs who live in our thrice-recycled cardboard hovels, lit by a single "green" light bulb, all of us huddled with our livestock to stay warm.

Dragging us down to third-world levels.

[TonyStark]

It’s due to the rising popularity of being a Mexican, Hatian, or Chinese national living (legally or illegally) in America, nothing more.

[kalee]

Up intil Halloween weekend, I had a small flock of ducks. Sadly some sicko came onto our property and cut their bills off. We had one survivor who has fled to the creek at the cemetary across the road behind our house. We go over and check on him every day or so. He won’t come to us, too frightened by what he witnnessed, we figure. He and a blue heron seem happy together at the creek, so we have allowed him to remain.

Duck eggs are wonderful for baking! I sure miss the eggs and my happy little flock, may they RIP.