living real} backyard chickens
Here, Chick, Chick, Chick. By chelle ellis • Photography courtesy of Amy Killian
Amy Killian’s da ughter, Kenzie Ki llian, with her Bantam hen, Goldie.
"Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” - Frank Lloyd Wright
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ach Spring, farm stores and coops fill up with chicks bought in a frenzy by parents for children at Easter. As chick becomes chicken, enthusiasm wanes, leaving the adult chicken’s family wondering: Now what? Planning and commitment are necessary components of keeping chickens, and with the growing knowledge of horrid living conditions inflicted on our feathered, tasty friends, backyard chicken keeping has drawn new interest. Knowing the food chain linked to your fork is quite a benefit, but first it’s a good idea to consider a few things. IS IT LEGAL FOR ME TO KEEP CHICKENS? Your local city ordinances regarding backyard 24 DeSoto
chickens can be determined by contacting your local health and zoning boards. If you are a member of a homeowners association, you will want to pass it through those powers-that-be, as well. In many cases, it is legal to keep hens but not roosters, but even if you can have a rooster, you should consider whether you should. It is advisable to consider your relationship with your neighbors and gain their permission before picking out your rooster. WHAT DO I WANT TO DO WITH MY CHICKENS? Do you plan to eat their eggs? Will you have the stomach to kill them for their meat? Do you just like watching chickens act like chickens? If you don’t know for sure, you should probably start out small, if at all.