More urban, suburban homes have pet chickens

The leaves shiver, the branches quake and 9-year-old Sophia Genco bounds out of the bushes, clucking at the top of her lungs while sprinting after a flock of scurrying chickens.

Two siblings quickly join the pursuit, but the hens are slippery. They dart around the yard, managing to elude the kids until finally they wrangle one in a blur of flailing wings and giggles.

The youngsters aren't chasing down dinner. They're actually just playing with their pets.

The Gencos, who live in Colleyville, are among the growing number of urban and suburban families keeping chickens in their backyards. While they don't cuddle like kittens or play like puppies, owners say the birds offer a soothing presence and an endless supply of organic eggs.

"Nothing calms you more than sitting out in the yard watching your chickens poke around for bugs and carry on conversations with each other," said Carla Allen, who keeps chickens on her San Marcos ranch and offers advice to owners across the state.

There are no firm numbers on the trend because it's hard to determine who's keeping chickens for pets and who's keeping them to eat, said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Vetere, whose trade group tracks trends in the pet market, said the trend is most evident in Middle America.

"The biggest growth I see is the organic group that want to know where their eggs are from," she said.

That's certainly the case for the Gencos. Natalie Genco, the mother of four kids in the upscale suburb, says the homegrown eggs taste better. And they're fun to find.

"It's like Easter every day," Sophia said.

The three youngest Gencos, Sophia, Justin, 5, and Celeste, 13, shoulder the responsibility for hunting the eggs laid by nine hens. Each lays an egg daily, often in a random location on the 2-acre property. In the heat of summer, that adds up to 63 eggs a week.

The chickens also are nice to have around because they gobble up grasshoppers and mosquitoes that thrive in the humid summer weather, she said.

There is also chicken paraphernalia. There's a prefabricated chicken coop and pen, the "Eglu," for $570 and high-quality chicken netting for $169. The chicks themselves go for $2 or $3.

But often urban pet owners often have to wrestle with municipal codes that don't always welcome chickens. The rules vary widely across the country.

Sarah Hempel Irani, 29, lives in Frederick, Md., wants a pet chicken. After city officials said no, she started the Urban Chicken Underground, a blog dedicated to lifting the ban.

"People think they're loud and smelly, but my chickens would be a lot quieter and tidier than what people think," said Irani, who's researching their benefits and planning a presentation to City Council. (No. 5 on the list: "Chickens are fun and cute!")

The Gencos don't have to worry about zoning laws. Their property allows for limitless chickens, a few goats and a couple of horses. The biggest problem they've encountered in their neighborhood is their lone rooster crowing all night.

"We buy off our neighbors with eggs," Genco said. "They love them."

Reference: www.dallasnews.com

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