Chicken coops hatch in backyards across the state
Shift toward self-reliance inspires annual Shack Strut
GALVESTON — When Melinda Conner entered the chicken business in 2011, she was selling about 50 birds a month from her backyard coop. She now sells 400 a month and is so busy that she purchased a lot next to her San Leon home for parking for Seabreeze Hens customers.
“Our timing was so incredibly perfect,” Conner said. “When this backyard thing started taking off, we were set up.”
Clucking sounds are coming from more and more backyards throughout the Houston region as such chicken coops become an increasingly popular source of fresh eggs and pets — signalling a national shift toward self-reliance and environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Most of Conner’s customers come from Galveston, Fort Bend, Harris and Montgomery counties, but some come from as far away as San Antonio, College Station and Brenham. Almost all drive more than an hour to reach San Leon.
The growing popularity of backyard chicken coops helped inspire the annual Galveston Island Chicken Shack Strut, a self-guided tour of backyard hen houses held Saturday. It follows in the footsteps of Austin’s Funky Chicken Coop Tour, Denver’s Annual Chicken Coop Tour and Seattle’s Urban Farm
Tour.
“It’s been really fun, and I think it tapped into a whole movement of people trying to look at sustainable ways of life and having access to fresher ingredients for cooking at home,” said Alicia Cahill, founder of the Chicken Shack Strut and owner of four chickens.
Houston has no tour, but it has its share of chicken coops, said Jarrad Mears, the city’s animal control manager.
“There are chicken coops all over Houston,” Mears said.
Chicken coops must be built at least 100 feet from the nearest habitation, under an ordinance that makes hen houses illegal for Houston homes lacking spacious back yards. That ordinance prompted a group known as Hens for Houston to push for a change in regulations in 2012 and 2013. Four years later, the 100-foot restriction remains.
Mears said there is no way to keep track of how many people may be flouting the ordinance. His office is only called if there is a complaint, usually about the noise. Roosters crow early in the morning and are prohibited in Houston and Galveston.
Chris Arneson, 45, of Galveston, said his four chickens are quiet at night although they cluck by day. He said he has had no complaints from neighbors. “We placate them by giving them free eggs,” Arneson said.
Although some neighbors might be annoyed, chickens are just as likely to become an amusement for neighbors. Conner said one of her clients joked that he was going to start selling tickets because so many neighbors were coming to his back porch to watch the chickens.
Mears dismissed chicken owners as trendy, noting that they could just as easily buy eggs at the supermarket.
Not so, said Cahill, owner of The Kitchen Chick ap- pliance store in Galveston.
“There is a wide difference between home and commercial eggs,” Cahill said. The egg white whips up taller and stiffer, making it better for cooking, she said. “If you crack them into separate bowls you will see that the yolk of the yard egg is a beautiful golden.”
Arneson said his eggs also taste better than storebought eggs.
“The flavor, there is no comparison,” he said. “Whenyou scramble them, they are such a nicer qual- ity.
The benefits of backyard chickens go beyond egg production.
“Not only are you getting eggs, but you are outside, and it’s satisfying to make things from scratch,” Cahill said. “There is a return to those kinds of activities, like growing your own tomatoes versus going to the store and buying a red tomato that has zero taste.”
Chicken coops are easy to set up and maintain, Arneson said, and chickens are easier to care for than a dog or a cat. They also are a way for urban dwellers to make a gesture toward sustainable living.
“You don’t have to have 10 acres to do something more sustainable,” Cahill said. “Keeping chickens kind of falls naturally into that.”
Chicken owners quickly develop an affinity for their feathered pets.
“My ladies are great,” Cahill said. “They are really funny. They are like pets. When we lose them, it’s been really horrible, and we grieve the chickens we’ve lost.”
Arneson said each one of his four chickens has a distinct personality. Camilla, a Road Island Red, is friendly and wants to be held. Kayla, a Buff Orpington, is the alpha hen. Fantasia, the Ameraucana, is standoffish.
“We are very happy we did it,” Arneson said. “They are a source of eggs, they are pets, we enjoy them.”