Fresh eggs from your own backyard – keeping chickens in the city.

Like farm-fresh eggs? How about the good feeling of feeding your family a healthy protein source from happy organic free range hens? If you own your own single family home, chances are you can be an egg farmer!

In Eugene and Springfield the requirements are few…

• No Roosters allowed. Sorry boys, no one likes a 4:30 wake up call on a Sunday morning.


• Zoning must be Low Density Residential (R1).


• If the square footage of your lot is between 0 and 10,000 square feet you can keep up to 4 hens.
  


• At 10,000 square feet you can keep 5 hens. And for each additional 1,000 s.f. you can add an another hen.
  


• Make sure to check the CCR’s for your subdivision for additional restrictions beyond what the county and city impose.
  

And the benefits are many:
Chickens are voracious bug eaters and they also peck at weeds, although they don’t seem to bother lawn grass. They will scratch away in garden beds and can make a mess of your patio, so if you are particular keep them penned or limit the free range time to when your are outside and can control their ranging. They provide an alternative to the compost pile for disposing of green table scraps and wilted lettuce leaves, though it is believed that fruit consumption decreases egg production. They will happily consume flax seeds, and are much better at converting them to a source of omega-3 fatty acids we humans can digest in the form of tasty omelets.

I like the way they look roaming the landscape, spread out and walking in a line patrolling for bugs and weed seeds in the grass, and their contented clucking can create a relaxing pastoral atmosphere in the 'burbs.

Chickens do need a modest shelter with straw or pine shavings for bedding and nest boxes for egg laying. There are a number of commercially available solutions or plans to build your own with an attached fenced yard. Make sure to lock ‘em up at night. Domestic fowl are defenseless against urban predators like raccoons and wayward dogs. Equally important, be sure you can make the commitment to keep your feathered charges supplied with ample food and water at all times. They are generally easy keepers, but will need someone to check in on them if you leave home for an extended period.

Give me a call if you’d like more information about keeping your own flock. And happy scrambling!

Bobby
541 225-8081
bobby@alternativerealtor.com

Thanks to freefoto.com for the chicken pic. Image used in accordance with licensing requirements.