Top 7 Questions About Backyard Chickens

When someone hears I have backyard chickens, they start firing off questions. In this post, I list the top 7 questions about backyard chickens. I get one of these nearly daily. 

You can have chickens in the city?

We can! But check your city ordinances. Not all cities allow chickens and if you’re in an HOA, you need to check the bylaws. If you live in an area with an HOA, you know they can be pretty strict but a lot rely on city ordinances for these types of things.

Most cities do not allow roosters. So, again, it’s a good idea to check. There may also be restrictions on where the coop can be placed.

Are Chickens Noisy?

Chickens are very social and talk to each other during the day. There are times they are more vocal, like when they lay an egg. 

There is something called the “egg song.” When a hen lays an egg, she sings at the top of her lungs. Sometimes, the other girls will join in the celebration. So if all six girls lay an egg that day, it can be pretty loud. 

Additionally, if Trudy, our top hen, is fearful of something, she will sound the alarm and start squawking. 

You shouldn’t have any noise complaints at night. Chickens roost about 30 minutes before sunset so it’s rare that you will hear a chicken after dark. 

Now if you have a rooster, that’s a different story. 

How do you keep them in the yard? Don’t they fly out? 

Chickens can fly…sorta. They don’t really take flight and soar. It’s more like a running hop. I don’t think I’ve seen them get more than a few feet off the ground.

Their breast or flight muscles are too heavy so it’s hard for them to get off the ground. Some of the smaller birds, like Trudy, our Leghorn, could probably get over a four-foot fence. 

For the most part, our chickens are “chicken” and don’t wander too far. They have about ⅓ of an acre to free range on and they seem pretty content. We do have an 8 ft privacy fence so I think that helps. 

The chicken’s wings are small in comparison to their bodies. But depending on the running distance, the size of your bird,  and the height of the fence, your chicken might could get over it.

Some people will trim their chicken’s wings but it’s suggested to just trim one side to keep them off balance.

Do they help with pest control? Will they eat ants?

Chickens are omnivores and eat plants and meat. They love bugs. They also eat small frogs, lizards, snakes, and mice. However, ours don’t really bother with ants. I’ve seen them eat a few but usually, they just let them be. But now that I think about it, we only have ant piles in our front yard. 

How many eggs do they lay a day?

Chickens only lay one egg a day and they don’t lay every day. Depending on the breed, some may only lay 3-4 eggs a week and as your hen ages, she will lay less each year. Also, egg production decreases and usually stops during winter. 

Check out my blog on the best egg-laying chickens. 

Is there a lot involved in taking care of chickens?

With all my blog posts, you may think they are hard to take care of, but in fact, chickens are very easy to care for.

In a previous post, I compared it to a little more than a cat but less than a dog.

Realistically, I think I spend maybe 20 minutes a day. I do spend a little extra time once a week washing feeders, scraping the roost bars, cleaning out the nest box and raking the run. Check out my blog post on keeping your coop clean.   

Now as often as possible, I love to sit outside with the girls and relax. When I do, I always find other chores to do.

Are you concerned about getting Salmonella from your chickens?

Not at all. We use good biosecurity measures, like hand washing and changing our shoes when we come inside. Plus I always cook our eggs thoroughly (although the Bearded Rooster likes his over-easy). 

For more info on Salmonella, check out that blog post. 

Before having backyard chickens, I had quite a few misconceptions and realize that other people do also. Like “you don’t have a rooster, how do you get eggs? Rooster only crow at dawn and can you eat your backyard chickens?” For the answer to those questions, see my post on Common Misconceptions about Chickens and for some Fun facts about Chickens, check out that post.

Do you have any questions about owning backyard chickens? Just let me know.