The Urban Chicken

A new generation of city dwellers are discovering the joys of keeping an unlikely – and productive – pet

article by MICHAEL DEVAULT | photography by STEVEN MYERS

Morning comes early in the spring. It comes even earlier for some folks who’ve chosen to keep an unconventional, if giving, group of pets. One of the hottest trends for the urban agrarian isn’t square-foot gardening or even edible flowerbeds. Instead, it’s a surprising fascination with poultry.In neighborhoods, subdivisions, and even on the roofs of condominium developments, homeowners are rediscovering the joys of keeping chickens. Backyard coops and free-range fowl are all the rage these days. Just take a drive through the Garden District or around some of the finest developments in northeastern Louisiana, and you’ll find chickens.

“There’s a certain amount of fulfillment that comes with just having livestock of some sort for themselves, whether people enjoy pets like cats and dogs, or chickens or whatever,” says Eric Hammons. “People just enjoy animals on their places.”

That was the impetus behind Chick Chick Coop, the company Hammons founded in 2017 selling custom backyard chicken coops. Hammons remembered growing up in agriculture, and he wanted something to remind him of his youth, of being around animals, and to expand his family’s exposure to the work and rewards of owning livestock.

His fascination with chickens began when a friend gave his family 11 chickens. Instead of building a coop or buying one, he simply turned them loose in the horse barn. “I don’t know why, but they thrived here,” he says. “I never saw a dead chicken. But there was a problem: they’re messy. And they mess on everything.”

Before long, the family had fifty free-range chickens – and the mess that came with them. Enough was enough, and the Hammons dispatched the fifty chickens to friends and family members. The next time they did chickens on the Hammons property, he knew they’d be in a coop.

One Christmas, his wife gave him a store-bought coop. They got some chickens and all was well. However, even as he was assembling the coop, he noticed a problem. It was poorly designed and even more poorly constructed. “It fell apart when bumped with a lawn mower,” he says of that early coop. There was a better way, he recognized. About the same time he was struggling with a failing coop, he read a story in the Wall Street Journal that pointed out the chickens fad was not going anywhere. He struck upon an idea and built a prototype of a backyard coop.

Armed with a prototype, an idea for further improvements and a host of options and expansion, and the knowledge that more and more people are turning to chickens every day, the Hammons family loaded up the coop and took it to Texas Trade Days in Canton – one of the nation’s largest flea market events. “I figured if it sells there, it would do really well,” he recalls. That was in early 2017, barely a year ago. “We sold nine of them that weekend, and we were excited because that confirmed what I thought we might see. We’ve been building them ever since.”

Backyard chickens, it seems, are indeed here to stay – and with good reason, too. Just ask Lee Hale, whose family keeps chickens in South Ridge, a new residential development in Start. The Hale family home is one such place where you’ll hear the cluck cluck of chickens. “We wanted fresh eggs,” Hale says, of the reason his family chose to keep chickens at home. It also speaks to his youth. “I grew up on a farm, but we live in a subdivision.”

To house his chickens, Hale decided he wanted portability over permanence of a fixed coop. So he purchased a custom-built Chicken Tractor, a portable coop on wheels. Self-contained, with a watering system built in, he can relocate the coop regularly, which adds a benefit: it fertilizes the lawn. In addition to getting fresh eggs essentially daily, the lawn’s never looked better. More importantly, Hale’s children – Macy Lee, 11, and Gavin, 6 – are learning valuable lessons about where their food comes from. “They’re learning the value of things and where things come from,” Hale explains. That’s an important lesson, he notes, especially for the digital generation. “A lot of kids these days are on a Nintendo or a Playstation inside. They don’t do things outside.”

Chickens keep them engaged in outdoor activities, chores that they appreciate and enjoy. It’s part of an urban farming philosophy that includes a small garden planted with seasonal vegetables, fruit trees, and pecan trees. “They’re learning the value of things and where things come from,” he says.

There are other benefits, as well, according to Judy Babb. She and her husband, Brian, own a microfarm featuring goats, turkeys, and eight (soon to be twelve) laying hens spread across several breeds. She refers to her hens as “her girls” and, it’s clear from listening to Babb, the affection she feels for her chickens is real. “Brian grows everything, I cook it, and anything scrapped or left over gets recycled and replenished on the farm,” she says. That means frequently, the chickens are treated to table scraps. When dinner time comes, the chickens are excited to see her. “We say we have really happy, diva chickens, because they all love to be held, they have personalities, and they’re really affectionate.”

Consequently, the Babb farm produces a lot of eggs. Happy hens lay frequently, and Judy and Brian Babb’s hens are quite happy. “People will say that, when it gets really hot, their hens won’t lay,” she says. “My girls lay year-round because they’re happy.”

Part of the secret to the hens’ summertime bliss is due to Judy’s insistence on preparing the hens’ favorite treats. She’ll take a can of corn, divide it into the compartments of a muffin tin, and freeze the tin. Each hen gets a frozen corn pop for a treat, which keeps them well-nourished and happy. Happy hens, she notes, are productive hens, and that leads to a bountiful harvest of fresh eggs, one of the biggest benefits to owning chickens.

When customers buy eggs from the grocery store, they are unsure the source of the product they’re receiving. Not to mention, both quality and flavor vary wildly between purchases. That’s not the case with homegrown eggs and chickens. “With people being more mindful of their foods they want to eat, they want to grow more of their own foods,” Hammons says. “Chickens certainly fit that bill.”
Hale agrees. He and his family feed their chickens only certified organic chicken feed. They can taste the benefits. “There’s a huge difference,” he says. “We feed organically, we know where our chickens have been, and so we know what they’re going to lay.”

Fresh eggs have a much stronger flavor than store-bought varieties. Also, shells are typically stronger, the yolks tighter, and the whites heavier. The result is a fried or scrambled egg packed with flavor and nutrients or a baking ingredient that produces a far-superior batter.
Perhaps, though, there are benefits that are far more important to keepers than just eggs that taste better or are better for them. They have a spiritual connection to their animals. “People fall in love with their chickens and give them names,” says Hammons. “One of my customers names all of her hens after the first ladies. Melania was a beautiful, silky chicken.”

Another owner of a Chick Chick Coop names each chicken after the Baylor University girls’ basketball team players. However owners choose to name their chickens, they form bonds with them. Hale knows exactly what Hammons means.

“We enjoy messing with them,” he says. “We go out and hold them. The kids play with them. And they give something back.”

There are some good tips both men share with families considering taking up keeping chicken in their yards. Ranging from breeds to practical how-tos, following these guidelines will help ensure your backyard coop is successful and long-term.

“The best advice I can give someone is to start small,” Hale says. “Start with two or three laying hens in a small henhouse in the back yard.”

Fewer chickens will help acclimate you to keeping the animals, give you familiarity with how to care for them, and most importantly, allow you to confirm chickens are your thing without costing you an arm and a leg or a lot of time.

Also, he recommends carefully choosing breeds that are good layers – they make a lot of eggs. Docile breeds are important as well, especially for families with kids who want their children to bond with the animals as livestock as well as pets. He recommends Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, and certain hybrids. He’s particularly fond of ISA Brown hybrids. Americaunas do particularly well in backyard situations, he adds.

Hammons notes that, in addition to choosing breeds, picking the coop that’s right for you is an important consideration, as well. Among the most important features of a chicken coop is a cupola, which provides ventilation to both the barnyard and henhouse sides of the chicken coop.

“You’ll never see a commercial henhouse that doesn’t have a cupola on the top because it pulls the gasses, the smells, and the heat out of your henhouse,” Hammons says. “It’s vital to the chickens’ survival. Without ventilation, the birds can’t live.”
Beyond that, he also recommends portability.

“Being that your coop is mobile allows you to have free range, but controlled chickens,” he says. “You can put it on fresh grass, fresh areas, but it’s controlled and secured so hawks, coyotes, or other predators can’t get to your chickens.”

Most of all, though, Hammons says just have fun and get to know your birds.

“People enjoy watching them cluck cluck around the yard,” he says. “And of course, you get the benefit of fresh eggs.”

Visit Double BB Farms at doublebbfarms.com and find your own Chick Chick Coop, visit their website www.chickchickcoop.com.

THE EGGSTRA MILE: FUN FACTS ABOUT EGGS

Farm-raised eggs can last up to a month – unrefrigerated. As long as the clear coating (bloom) isn’t washed off, you can leave your farm fresh eggs on the counter.

If your hens have laid eggs in a random place and you’re not sure whether the eggs are still good, try the float test. Fill a large container with cold water and drop the egg in. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s still good. If it floats, throw it out.
(But remember to refrigerate after the float test, as the bloom has now been washed off.)

Farm-raised eggs are often different colors. The different color eggs comes from the genetics of the hens laying them. At the end of production, a hen will release a pigment that colors the eggs. Concentrations in the pigment called protoporphyrin will result in brown eggs, while biliverdin will produce a blue or green hued egg.

If your chickens produce more eggs than you can use, eggs can be frozen or dehydrated for later use.

FIVE “TO-DO’S” FOR A CHICKEN COOP

1) Choose the right coop, portable if possible because it’s easier.

2) Choose a coop with ease of access to eggs, so you can gather eggs without entering the coop.

3) Choose a child-friendly coop. Hammons says his two-year-old grandson is easily able to gather eggs.

4) Your coop should be easy to clean, durable to both the elements and to a garden hose every once in a while.

5) Make sure your coop has adequate ventilation. It’s especially critical in Louisiana where temperatures routinely reach triple digits.