Backyard Hens: Facts & Myths

 

• Fact: Food Safety/Health By raising your own backyard hens, you are assured that they are being raised in a humane and healthy manner. Studies show that eggs from backyard hens are far healthier than store bought eggs.
• Fact: Sustainable Hens eat garden/grass   trimmings and kitchen scraps keeping them out of the landfill or sewer system and lay eggs providing a local source of nutritious food.
• Fact:  Educational Backyard hens are a great learning opportunity for children, showing them how food is raised and teaching responsibility.
• Myth: Smelly One medium sized dog produces the same amount of waste per day as 6 hens.  Hen manure can be composted, dog waste ends up in the landfill or lawns. Large, commercial operations can be smelly as they are not well ventilated and large amounts of waste are concentrated. Backyard coops of 6-10 hens do not create this concentration.
• Myth: Noise NO ROOSTERS ALLOWED! A hen at her loudest is 70 decibels, a barking dog or lawnmower is 90 decibels, a car horn is 100 decibels.
• Myth: Decreased property value There is no evidence that backyard hen keeping affects property values. According to a recent study, over 65% of major U.S. cities now allow chickens. Would major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Madison, Denver and smaller cities like Missoula, MT, Roswell, GA, and Portland, OR have all passed ordinances if it adversely affected values?