Backyard Chickens 101: A primer for raising urban hens

CEDAR RAPIDS - Rebecca Mumaw's chickens do more than provide fresh eggs.

The hens eat bugs, work the soil, provide fertilizer for her garden and offer an endless source of entertainment for Mumaw, her husband and visitors.

“Chickens are a wonderful addition to the urban garden,” the Cedar Rapids woman says of the symbiotic relationship between hens and homeowners. “They eat our scraps and give us high protein eggs and help in our gardens.”

As a growing number of urban dwellers discover the benefits, more cities are examining rules to allow chickens within city limits.

Mumaw, who teaches a class on raising chickens through the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, says finding what ordinances apply in your town is the first step in learning the basics of backyard chickens.

Once you know if chickens are allowed - usually just hens and typically a limited number - follow these steps to raising urban chickens.

1) Do your research. Cities such as Cedar Rapids require permit applicants to take an approved class. Other information is available on the Internet, such as www.backyardchickens.com.

Watch this video: Backyard Chickens 101 by Liz Martin

2) Apply for your permit. In Cedar Rapids, the cost is $25 annually. Applicants must inform adjacent neighbors of their intent to obtain a permit. Understand the distance requirements for coop placement and other regulations.

3) Decide if you want chicks or pullets - young hens. Chicks need a brooder, such as a strong box with a heating source. Chicks can be ordered from hatcheries, but you'll

have to split an order with friends or neighbors because they are shipped in large numbers to stay alive during shipping. Some farm supply stores also sell chicks at this time of year.

4) Buy or build a chicken coop. Numerous plans are available on the Internet. Mumaw and her husband spent about $150 to build a portable coop, known as a chicken tractor, that can be moved around the yard. Coops should provide a place to roost at night, ventilation in the summer, nesting boxes and protection from predators. In Cedar Rapids, enclosures need a minimum of 4-square-feet per bird and chickens must be enclosed or in a fenced area at all times.

5) Provide fresh water and food daily. Layer feed for hens can be purchased for about $8 per bag. Chickens also need grit for digestion and oyster shell for calcium. Chickens will also eat table scraps, such as leafy greens, and weeds, bugs and grubs.

6) One of the most common questions Mumaw hears is if roosters are needed for the hens to produce eggs. They are not, and many cities do not allow roosters in the city limits. Most young hens that are older than 17 to 25 weeks will lay one egg per day in

the summer and fewer in the winter. Wash only visibly soiled eggs and store in the refrigerator.

7) Keep the coop clean. Mumaw uses pine shavings - available at farm supply stores - for bedding. In Cedar Rapids, odor from chickens or chicken manure should not be perceptible beyond the boundaries of the permitted tract of land. Also, noise from the chickens is prohibited beyond the boundaries of the permitted land that would disturb “persons of reasonable sensitivity.”

At that, Mumaw smiles.

“The birds and cars are louder than the chickens,” she says.