Additionally, there is a growing number of people (including in urban environments) who are adopting ex-commercial hens – interrupting their usual destination of the slaughterhouse when the egg farming industry no longer wants them (typically at around the age of 1.5 years).
But local ordinances were created to limit this, owing to the noise and smell nuisance, and these were relaxed only in times of war when the urban populace was encouraged to provide food for itself.
[5] Urban relief gardens played an important role in sustaining large populations of Americans during economic depressions.
[citation needed] In Canada and the United States, the raising of chickens on urban, suburban, and small town residential lots has become increasingly popular.
[8] More and more cities that had previously banned urban chickens are removing old regulations or making permits easier to obtain.
[14] Studies have shown that small scale, backyard chicken keeping/egg production reduces these potential disease risks.
[15] Historically, avian infectious diseases were not appreciated for their ability to influence populations and were relatively neglected for their part in causing species declines.
Elements of sustainability include economics, environmental effects, human health and safety, and social values in addition to animal welfare.
Backyard egg production has been suggested as a solution to sustainable, healthy food supply for families.
This breed is noisy, but has a very high production of eggs and rarely go broody, and they are not very docile, cold-hardy or aesthetically pleasing.
Urban chicken owners often choose a red-sex link hybrid similar to production brown-egg producers (Isa Browns, HyLine Browns), another hybrid among the Red and Black Sex-links, or chickens known as "heritage breeds," including the Rhode Island Red, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Brahmas, Wyandottes, etc.
Often raised as pets, Bantams are the smaller variety of chickens that require less space and feed.
[21] Standards range from heavy to light breeds and produce the average sized eggs.
Adult chickens are able to digest grit, which allows them to eat bigger food pellets.
[22] There are some common concerns associated with the practice of raising chickens in residential areas, specifically noise, odor, attraction of predators/pests, property values, and health.
People who have weak immune systems, such as the elderly, young children, and those with various medical conditions, are most at risk.
Since these infected wild birds are currently only in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, there is no possible chance of it spreading to chickens elsewhere.
[23] In some areas, roosters are banned, and only hens are allowed, and in limited numbers, to prevent problems with noise.
In 1926 in Oakland, California, the department of public health and safety issued an order to "put your roosters in a light[-]proof coop, or devise apparatus that will hold the rooster's head down so he can't crow" in response to complaints about the noise they were making.
Rats, however, may be attracted to a yard in which excess chicken food remains on the ground on a regular basis.
[25] One of the arguments against allowing backyard hens is that chickens kept within city limits will cause a reduction in property values.