By Lisa M. Hamilton

When I told Tony, my neighbor, that I wanted to get chickens, his response was a litany of reasons why I should not: Noise. Smell. Bird flu. One by one, I dismissed each of his fears with a breezy reason why it was nothing to worry about. When he ran out of concerns, he tried the final argument: money. “Why the hell would you want chickens when you can get three dozen eggs at Safeway for $2.99?” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

Had he known me better, he wouldn’t have bothered. To begin with, efficiency is not a top priority for me when it comes to food. (I once grew wheat in the garden and hulled the grain by picking each kernel from its sheath with my fingernails.) More importantly, though, I possess the chicken-lady gene, that curious biological coding that makes a sensible adult human adore bony little birds descended from dinosaurs. For me this was not an act of thrifty food production, it was a domestic dream. And so I was delighted when the neighborly disagreement resolved itself: Tony left Marin, what he called “the land of fruits and nuts,” and moved to Reno; I got six chicks. They arrived at the post office less than two days old, in a cardboard box that was peeping from the holes in its sides. With my husband videotaping, I opened the box to find a half-dozen fluffy yellow birds, each barely larger than an egg. My heart broke open. Immediately, I was hooked.

Now a year old, my hens lay eggs with yolks the color of tangerines, the likes of which cannot be bought at Safeway for any price. The chickens eat from my hand and romp around the garden, and I have photographed them more than I care to admit — even e-mailed their pictures to friends and family, as proud as if they were my own offspring. Still, I’ll admit that I am reminded of Tony’s leeriness on a regular basis —and with more than a bit of chagrin. For instance, when I see what new garden plant the romping hens have discovered, eaten and scratched at until only bare earth remains. Or when I’m woken at too early in the morning by the raspy screeching of birds impatient to be fed and let out of their coop. My husband, who endures the daily punishment of chickens cackling beneath the window of his home office, has all but defected to Tony’s camp.

It turns out that keeping chickens is more complex than I had thought. Of course it needn’t be; people have done it for millennia and in nearly every culture and landscape in the world. But for those of us in cities and suburbs who have no experience with farm animals, a backyard coop begs for the kind of forethought that a parent tries to instill when giving a child its first pet. Just as puppies inevitably turn into dogs, those tiny, fuzzy, adorable chicks become five-pound birds that can live — not to mention eat, squawk, scratch, and shit — for years. What’s more, most hens’ egg-laying begins to taper off permanently after about eighteen months, which shifts the cost-benefit equation significantly.

If given the chance to do it again, I would, though with some changes. (To begin with, I would slap my hand from buying more than three.) For those who do want to raise chickens, there are dozens of how-to books, not to mention countless informational websites, blogs and videos. To start off, here are a few things to consider:

» Before you go fall in love with a peeping chick, make sure it’s legal for you to take it home. Seattle, San Francisco, New York and Chicago allow chickens within various guidelines, while other cities will fine you $1,000 a day for illicit poultry-keeping. If your town says no, don’t give up. Movements around the country are challenging local anti-poultry ordinances, and some, as in Madison, Wisconsin, have already been successful.

» In addition to the classic white hen with red comb, there are countless breeds of more exotic chickens that can be bought from an eccentric poultry enthusiast somewhere in the United States. But if you find yourself seduced by, say, the fabulous afro of feathers atop the head of a White-Crested Polish Frizzle, you would be wise to also consider practical characteristics as well. For instance, if your winters are long you’ll want big, cold-hardy birds. If you have small children you’ll want docile, non-aggressive birds. And if you live in a densely populated neighborhood, you’ll want to steer clear of adventurous breeds that can fly — say, over the neighbor’s fence (trust me).

» Spring is the season to raise chicks, for it allows them time to mature fully before winter weather hits. Feed stores are the most common place to buy chicks, and seeing them in the cage enables you to choose the ones that seem healthiest. If you simply must have a Silver-Laced Wyandotte or another breed that your feed store doesn’t carry, you can order them from a hatchery. Strange but true, the day-old chicks will be sent to you in the mail. (The nutrition each one gets inside the egg before hatching enables it to survive for two days without food or water.) For those who want full-grown hens, inquire at an animal shelter or online pet adoption service — you may be surprised how many chickens are in need of good homes.

» The way humans raise chicks is designed to replicate how a mother hen would care for them. You will teach them to drink (by dunking their beaks in water), and lead them to food. Most importantly you will keep them warm, as they would be when tucked under their mother’s wings. This requires a heat lamp, adjusted daily. It also means keeping them indoors for about eight weeks. But beware: while you might think they’d be fun in the living room, chicks’ cleaning and eating creates a fine dust that you’ll spend the rest of your life wiping from the bookshelves. A non-drafty part of the garage is a better bet.

» The chickens’ coop doesn’t need to be fancy, but it must be dry in winter and well-ventilated in summer. It should also attach to a fenced run, where the birds can spend their days. If you want to let them free-range in the yard, prepare to sacrifice (or fence) your garden. If your yard is small, consider whether you want them running free at all — their impact is significant (especially in Western climates that get no summer rain), and once they’ve tasted the yard life, the dirt-floored run will never be quite the same.

Chick Lit

Living with Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Flock by Jay Rossier (The Lyons Press)

Keep Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces by Barbara Kilarski (Storey Publishing)

Backyardchickens.com all things about raising chickens, plus super active forum

Feathersite.com includes a great directory of chicken breeds, for deciding which kind you want

Buy chicks and equipment at: mypetchicken.com or mcmurrayhatchery.com

Lisa M. Hamilton is a writer, photographer and urban gardener.