The Backyard Chicken and Egg Problem

A recent New York Times article described the fad of women raising backyard chickens in these terms: "Apparently it is no longer enough to know the name of the farm your eggs came from; now you need to know the name of the actual bird."

The writer claims people are obsessed about the source of their food, but the problem with many urban farmers is that they may know their chicken's name, but they don't really know where she came from. Few people stop to wonder about the origin of the chicken that came before the eggs. The fact is that most backyard chickens come from large scale hatcheries that are basically factory-farm-meets-puppy-mill operations.

A few months ago, I wrote about the importance of extending animal cruelty laws and humane values to backyard chickens as the phenomenon continues to grow. Well, that same sentiment applies to the entire life cycle of your chicken, not just the few years that she lays eggs. Getting chickens just for the eggs is like getting a cat just to get rid of a mouse, or a dog just to play with him during the puppy stage. Sadly, people do all of those things, instead of making a commitment to the animal as a companion for life.

Let's start at the beginning — with the chicken who lays the egg that will become your chicken laying eggs in your backyard coop. The birds in hatcheries, like in factory farms, are typically crammed together and debeaked, and just like with puppy mills, they're treated like crops. The chicks are usually shipped when they're only a day old and, since there's no oversight for this burgeoning trade, they're just stuck in a box, deprived of food and water for days.

The next stage: You buy a cute little chick or two from the local farm supply store and bring it home. I say "it" because you're hoping it's a hen who will lay eggs for you, but it's not that easy to tell with baby chicks. The hatcheries may have slipped a few roosters into the box (by now, the ones that they thought were roosters from the beginning are either dead, or living out a short, harsh life in a factory farm). Not only will the boys not give you eggs, but a number of cities have compromised on the chicken issue by banning roosters and their crowing habits.

If you end up with all females scratching around your yard, don't forget that they'll need vet care at some point in their lives, and not all vets deal with chickens. Those that do are likely to charge more since its not likely to be a normal part of their practice.

Now comes a big surprise for the average urban chicken owner. Hens are only productive egg-layers for their first few years, but they live, on average, to be 12-14 years old. This little detail if often glossed over. BackyardChickens.com says, "Chickens can lay eggs into their teens, although they sometimes stop earlier." It's technically true that you may get an egg now and then from your teenage chicken, but that's grossly misleading. Most people find out that their hens stop laying after a few years ... and then they don't know what to do with them.

Chicken Run Rescue in Minnesota is the only rescue dedicated to urban chickens, but there are sure to be more in the future. For now, unwanted chickens end up at the handful of farm animal sanctuaries who can take them, or they end up at humane societies that have no idea what to do with them. At the end of their chickens' lives, many hobbyists have no idea what to do with the animals since slaughter isn't exactly part of the backyard coop fantasy.

Despite all of this, the New York Times article about women with backyard chickens asks what could be more morally defensible? Raising backyard chickens is not just a commitment to your breakfast; it has to be a commitment to the animals, too.

The bottom line is that well-intentioned locavores need to remember that where there's an egg, there's a chicken.

Photo credit: protohiro