Chickens

I have friends who keep or have kept chickens.  They have relationships with their birds somewhere between pet and poultry.  They keep chickens mostly for the eggs, but also because they like the chickens.  My friends talk to them, care for them, and some even name them.  It is a relationship of give and take.
Milwaukee allows urban dwellers to keep backyard chicken coops now.  You are limited to four hens, no roosters.  There are rules for distances from neighbors, permission letters, and permits are required.  You are not allowed to butcher your hens in the city limits when they reach menopause.  You have to take them to the "country" to dispatch your old hens for soup birds.

There are many misconceptions about chickens.  One of the biggest misconceptions is that you don't get eggs unless you have a rooster.  You get eggs, you don't get chicks from those eggs no matter how long you incubate them.  Chickens will start laying eggs somewhere around five months, give or take.   A chicken can lay an egg a day, sometimes less, sometimes more.  They are omnivores, not vegetarians.  They eat bugs as well as grains.  The better eggs come from chickens which are allowed to scratch around and get a bit of greens and bugs.  You still have to feed them daily even if you allow them out.  They need water every day.  They don't like to be too cold, but they really don't like to be too hot.  One friend lost several birds on a hot day even though they were out in the open air.  Chickens need protection from the elements and predators.  If you have hawks, fox, or raccoon in your neighborhood, you have predators.  Chickens roost at night so you need to let them in and let them out each day.

If you like farm fresh eggs but are not committed to caring for the chickens, go to the farmer and get your eggs.  I am not to that point where my lifestyle is going to have chickens in it yet, but I hope to get there someday in the not too distant future.  In the meantime, I will continue to be grateful for those people in my life who do keep chickens and supply some of the best eggs I have had the fortune to bake and cook with.  I will also continue to do my reading and be ready for that day I get my own hens in my backyard.