Are you curious about raising backyard chickens? They’re affectionate, affordable, low-maintenance, educational and fun. Plus–fresh eggs! Our kids love playing around with our hens, and we love that our family is developing a deeper understanding of what it takes to eat and live sustainably.
Like any pet, you can take a pared-down, modest approach, or pull out all of the stops–sparing no expense. While a top-of-the-line redwood coop with built-in heat lamps and a garden perimeter chicken run would be a blast, all your birds need is a safe space, some food, and a little TLC.
But wait, is it even legal to raise chickens in your city? Let’s break it down:
- Marina: up to 4 hens
- Seaside: up to 4 hens
- Monterey: up to 4 hens or roosters
- Pacific Grove: up to 4 hens with a permit
- Carmel Valley: no restrictions on hens, but permits required for more than five roosters
- Salinas: not legal
The Basics
If you’re adopting an adult chicken, skip down to the bottom of this chick-list.
Chicks will need
- A warming light to keep their space around 90 degrees
- Chick feed
- Large box
- Soft flooring (pine shavings work well)
- Your grown chicken will need
- A coop. 3-4 square feet per bird inside the coop and 10 feet per bird, outside.
- A covered egg-laying box within the coop - with an outside door to give you easy access to eggs.
- A perch within the coop. We use a few large branches spanning the coop about two feet off the ground. 2x4 wood also works well.
- More pine shavings for their egg laying box, and flooring for their coop. Sand is a popular option.
- Chicken feed and water, with dispensers for both. The better your feeding and watering system, the more low-maintenance your set-up will be.
Your chickens will love
- Veggie scraps
- Juicy bugs - chickens will help rid your garden of pests!
- Dust baths. Your kids, especially, will get a kick out of watching this grooming habit, which helps your hens stay free of parasites.
- Space to roam. If you can, allow your birds to wander the yard as much as possible during the day.
- Petting and gentle handling. If you pay attention, you’ll discover your birds have unique personalities. They’re often friendly and affectionate, especially with their trusted caregivers.
Troubleshooting:
- Hens live for eight to ten years but only lay for about five. Many people choose to part with their hens when they stop producing, but you can also let your ladies enjoy a much-deserved retirement as family pets.
- Be cautious about introducing new chicks to an existing flock. Chicks should be at least 2-3 months old before joining the hen house.
- Chickens will typically not lay in the winter without an assist from heat lamps.
- Feather loss (molting). Starting around 18 months, your hens will shed and regrow most of their feathers every fall. Perfectly normal and healthy!
Your flock may attract the attention of neighborhood predators such as cats, raccoons, and coyotes. Be sure there aren’t any tiny gaps in your coop, and that the material you use (wood and wire mesh, in our case), extends at least a foot into the ground around the perimeter.
Resources:
General Information: www.backyardchickens.com
Pacific Grove Animal Permit: www.cityofpacificgrove.org/public-safety/police/police-permits-requests
Monterey City Code, Section 6-6.
Restrictions on the keeping of domestic fowl.
“Any person keeping or maintaining any chicken or other domestic fowl within the City shall provide an enclosure of metal chicken wire, or other suitable material, of sufficient height and so constructed as to prevent the escape therefrom of any such fowl, and shall preserve such enclosure in good repair. All chickens and other domestic fowl shall be kept and maintained securely in an enclosure as provided for in this Section.”
Local chicks and supplies
Feed Trough Feed Store: 90 Monterey Salinas Hwy, Salinas, (831) 422-8229
Collier Feed and Pet Supply: 101 W Laurel Dr, Salinas, (831) 443-6161
Hacienda Hay and Feed: 7180 Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel, (831) 624-5119
Katie Raquel is a small business owner and mother of three living in Monterey County.