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Prevent “Backyard Chicken” Mania
(December 9, 2009)

Growing interest in local and sustainable eating has led to many improvements in the way Americans think about and shop for food. However, this trend is not without its pitfalls, and one of the biggest we’ve seen so far is the rapidly increasing popularity of backyard flocks among urban and suburban residents eager to start raising their own chickens. Many citizens are working to loosen local regulations that restrict them from keeping farm animals, and every time they do, they open a Pandora’s Box of unanticipated problems.

Shelters and sanctuaries have seen a dramatic increase in the number of chickens, particularly roosters, dumped on their doorsteps, and the situation is only getting worse. Hens are often deemed worthless when their egg production begins to wane, and roosters are generally unwanted because they do not produce eggs and are rarely legal to keep in urban or suburban settings. Nevertheless, unmarketable male chicks are often included as living “packing material” in shipments of female chicks ordered from hatcheries, and people who buy hens from these facilities almost always end up with roosters they did not want, making for disastrous consequences. These hatcheries also employ cruel factory farm methods, such as overcrowding and de-beaking, and ship day-old chicks by mail — a process that subjects the birds to temperature extremes, injury and sustenance deprivation. Virtually all “backyard chickens” come from hatcheries, so buyers are almost always supporting the inhumane practices of this industry.

A coalition of organizations concerned about the welfare of chickens, including Farm Sanctuary, has issued a position statement on this trend and the animal welfare and other problems it poses. If you encounter an effort to legalize the keeping of “backyard chickens” in your neighborhood, or other efforts to promote the raising of “backyard chickens,” there are a number of actions you can take to educate your community and prevent the proliferation of this disturbing trend:

• First, read our coalition statement to learn more about the problems with backyard flocks.
• Submit letters to the editor of your local paper(s).
• Attend meetings held by your town/city council or other rule-making bodies where the issue is being discussed and offer testimony.
• Submit letters to your town/city council members and local humane societies.
• Talk to your neighbors and other members of your community.
• Feel free to use the coalition position statement, in its entirety or in part, whenever you have a chance to address the issue.

Please note: Farm Sanctuary believes that chickens should only be part of a family as companions and only when you can commit to providing them with lifelong care. In addition, chickens should only ever be adopted, never purchased.