With many communities in central Wisconsin allowing residents to keep a limited number of chickens for fresh eggs, there are things people considering the hobby should know.

The Wisconsin Rapids City Council recently approved allowing people to keep up to four hens in the city. Wisconsin Rapids joined Stevens Point and a number of smaller communities in central Wisconsin that allow chickens. Wausau rejected a similar proposal in 2010, and Marshfield rejected one in 2011.

Nearly every city in the state has considered a chicken ordinance, said Ron Kean, poultry specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. It usually goes pretty well for people who raise their own chickens for eggs, Kean said. However, he warns would-be chicken owners there is one benefit they shouldn't expect.

"I often stress to people when they're thinking about it that they're probably not going to save money going into it," Kean said.

By the time people pay for a chicken coop, chickens, chicken feed and other expenses, it's less costly to buy eggs at the store, Kean said.

Katrina Hittner proposed the chicken ordinance in Wisconsin Rapids. She is a member of Wisconsin Rapids Citizens for a Clean Green and Welcoming Community. The group is committed to projects that focus on sustainability and reduce people's impact on the environment.

Hittner, who currently lives in Wisconsin Rapids, has property in Stevens Point where she raises ducks.

"You can eat duck eggs as much as you do chicken eggs," Hittner said.

One of the important advantages of raising your own chickens is you know where the food is coming from, Hittner said. People who raise their own chickens know what they're feeding them. Mass producers keep chickens in cages, and they don't get to run around, eating bugs and doing the things a chicken should do, Hittner said.

Kean said he likes the idea of people knowing where their food, including eggs, are coming from. However, he is not sure there is much evidence that would indicate eggs raised by an individual are more nutritious than eggs that come from commercial production.

Hittner also wants children to get a chance to know where food is actually coming from, as some children are detached from the food growing process and think it just comes from the store, she said.

Parents can raise a few chickens in their backyards, and the children actually can see where the egg comes from, Hittner said.

The Wisconsin Rapids ordinance prevents people from butchering their chickens in the city limits. Kean said the stipulation is common with most chicken ordinances.

A chicken's first year laying eggs is the best production year, Kean said. After that, the amount of eggs laid drops by about 20 percent a year. After four years, the chickens don't give a lot of eggs. By that time, the chicken usually has become a pet, and people tend just to keep them, Kean said.

"You have to make up your mind that they're either pets or egg producers," Kean said.

Many people start with day-old chicks, Kean said. In those cases, they need brooding equipment, which usually consists of a heat lamp in a small place for the chicks.

One common problem people have raising their own chickens is predators, Kean said.

"A lot of things like a chicken dinner," Kean said.

Dogs and racoons are the most common predators in the city, Kean said. People need to keep that in mind and make sure the chicken coop is strong enough to keep predators out.

Not everyone is meant to have chickens, just like not everyone is meant to have a dog, Hittner said. She recommends people do their research before getting chickens. The local extension office is a good place to get information, she said.


Read or Share this story: