Backyard Chickens

Written by: Dr. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky and Dr. Ken Anderson, North Carolina State University

PROPOSED BENEFITS
Raising chickens in an urban backyard is not much different having a companion animal such as a cat or dog. In a recent USDA survey, Garber et al. (2007) noted that the most common reason for having backyard flocks was for fun or as a hobby. Additional reasons included family tradition, lifestyle, and food production, as well as the desire to expose children to food production, general affection for birds, and insect control.

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There is research to support the idea that improved emotional well-being results from keeping companion animals (Wells, 2009). Emotional benefits include increased social interaction and reduced feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression. If backyard chickens are considered companion animals, keeping them will likely have the same positive effects

Eggs are the main food item produced by backyard flocks. The local production allows families to have some control over their food production. Given the economies of scale, however, it is rarely possible for the keeper of a backyard flock to produce eggs at a lower cost than those available in the grocery state. Chickens can eat some kitchen scraps, but it is still necessary to feed them a complete feed in order to sustain egg production. When chickens are fed household waste, there is an environmental benefit to raising backyard chickens. An additional environmental effect is the supply of chicken manure, which when properly handled, is a good garden fertilizer, reducing the need for commercial fertilizers.

When the chickens are allowed to roam in the yard, they may eat garden pests and weeds, serving as biological control. Unfortunately, chicken foraging behavior can have negative impacts on the plants themselves.

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Some believe that eggs produced at home are more nutritious than store-bought eggs, but the research does not support this belief (Anderson, 2011; Kasrten et al. 2010). Eggs, whatever the source, are an excellent source of protein.

FACT OR FICTION
Sources of disease transmission to commercial poultry operations
Smith and Dunipace (2011) reviewed the literature on the role of backyard poultry flocks in past avian influenza outbreaks and concluded that the role is very small. They indicate that the small flock size and limited contact with commercial operations reduced the likelihood that backyard flocks are a risk to transmit the disease to commercial poultry operations. They back up this opinion with several case studies. For example, in the 2004 outbreak of avian influenza (H7N3) in British Columbia, Canada, the odds of infection were 5.6 greater for commercial flocks (>1,000 birds) than for backyard flocks. In addition, backyard flocks were always discovered by surveillance of nearby backyard flocks. In addition, backyard flocks were always discovered by surveillance of nearby backyard flocks after nearby commercial flocks had been infected. Similarly, in the 2002 avian influenza (H7N2) outbreak in Virginia, not a single backyard flock was reported to be infected.

Public Health Issues
The public health issues of concern are the spread of infectious disease from birds to humans and food poisoning from consumption of food items produced (meat or eggs). There are a number of hypothetical means through which people can be exposed to poultry diseases from backyard flocks. These include direct contact, waste handling, and egg consumption. There are a number of avian diseases that are zoonotic. The spread of avian diseases, however, is primarily associated with other poultry and wild birds rather than with chickens. Avian influenza and salmonellosis are two exceptions. Avian influenza has received a lot of attention because of the outbreaks of avian influenza among humans in Asia, but the concerns are restricted to Asian backyard flocks. There has not been a single case of H5N1 (the strain of Asian avian influenza) anywhere in the United States.

Salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis can pose an ongoing threat to human health in North America. A New Zealand study (Anderson et l., 2012) reported that Campylobacter exposure in people. When dogs are kept in the same area as chickens, the dog may eat the fecal material and could hypothetically transmit salmonellosis to household members. While there have been a few cases of salmonellosis in humans keeping backyard flocks, salmonellosis is not typically a problem in properly maintained flocks.

Waste management
Proper manure management is essential for controlling disease risk, odors, and flies. Most concerns regarding poultry waste are related to the quantities produced on large-scale farms. Small-scale operations, as well as backyard flocks, can also contribute to environmental pollution if they have high bird density and poor manure management. Most city ordinances restrict the number of birds allowed in a backyard flock. It is also rare for urban centers to situated near important water reservoirs. This dramatically reduces the risk of environmental pollution from backyard flocks. The weight of fresh manure output is about 115% of the total dry feed intake. So, to estimate the amount of manure a flock will produce, you can multiply the flock’s total feed consumption and multiply by 1.15. A hen typically eats a quarter pound of feed a day. Fresh manure is 75% water, and some of the moisture will evaporate from manure accumulating in a poultry house. It is important to keep the manure dry. By keeping the litter dry, only about one-third of the calculated weight of the fresh manure will remain. Composting the used bedding produces an excellent fertilizer for vegetable or flower gardens.

Pest populations
The main pests of concern for poultry include external parasites such as mites, lice, bedbugs, fleas, and soft ticks. Additional pests of concern include darkling beetles, flies, moths, cockroaches, and rodents. There is very little research to reach any conclusions about the effects of pests on backyard flocks. Rodents, especially mice, will eat feed and contaminate it with salmonella. In addition to transmitting disease, rodents can also spread lice, fleas, and mites. Health risks from backyard flocks depend on the cleanliness and security of the chicken coop, as wells as the nature of waste management and feed storage.

Noise
Most city ordinances do not allow roosters because of the crowing. It is not feasible to prevent a rooster from crowing, and roosters will crow throughout the day. Some city ordinances allow for the temporary keeping of roosters for breeding purposes, but that is rare.

Hens have also been accused of being a noise nuisance. A hen will squawk during egg-laying. The squawking can continue for up to five minutes but varies considerably. The city of Pleasanton, California, recorded the noises from a squawking hen at a distance of two feet and obtained a 63 dBA. By comparison, dogs are considered a noise disturbance when barking exceeds 100 dBA (Coopala et al., 2006),. Minimizing the number of hens allowed in a backyard flock will minimize the nuisance.

Odor
Keeping chicken coops clean and properly disposing of waste will minimize any odors from backyard poultry flock. Composting of used poultry bedding dramatically reduces any risk of odors. For more information on composting, see the article on composting poultry litter in your backyard from the University of Kentucky.

POINTS TO CONSIDER
A large portion of the urban population has very little contact with food animals, purchasing their meat, eggs, and milk from the grocery store. This disconnection results in limited knowledge about how to care for livestock such as poultry. A survey of Madsen et. (2013) identifies gaps in the disease prevention and biosecurity practices of backyard flocks.