Raising backyard chickens
Dennis Harrison-Noonan’s self-designed chicken coop, which has provoked some neighborhood opposition, provides a home for the poultry he keeps in the backyard of his Madison, Wis., home. Madison adopted, at local poultry fans’ urging, regulations similar to those in Los Angeles, as well as Seattle, Chicago and Baltimore, that allow up to four chickens per property. The animals are to be raised for eggs and must be housed in a coop that is separated from neighboring homes. (Roosters are typically banned in cities because of crowing.) (John Hart / For The Times)
Harrison-Noonan has an in-home brooder -- a heated container for young chickens -- which gradually acclimates the birds for their outdoor home. (John Hart / For The Times)
Evie Lynch displays eggs collected from her family’s chickens, which occupy a coop in the backyard of their Madison, Wis., home. The eggs are brown with a bright yellow yolk. (John Hart / For The Times)
Chickens roam a pen at Troy Gardens, a community gardening space in the city of Madison, Wis. The chickens occupy a coop built by Dennis Harrison-Noonan with help from his son’s Boy Scout troop. (John Hart / For The Times)
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Evie with the Lynch family chickens, Lucy and Flicka. The 9-year-old says the chickens make great pets. (John Hart / For The Times)
The pair of hens give the Lynches 14 eggs a week. And theyre cute, says Evie. (John Hart / For The Times)
Harrison-Noonan visits the poultry at Madison’s community gardening space. Chick hatcheries say they’re hustling to keep up with urban orders. Murray McMurray Hatchery, the worlds largest supplier of rare-breed chicks, has sold out of its Meat and Egg Combo collection. And there’s a backlog on orders for a standard hen. (John Hart / For The Times)
Dennis Harrison-Noonan’s chickens have spurred some opposition. In New Haven, Conn., a move to legalize backyard roosts has met with criticism: When you live with your food, you have issues, says Paul Kowalski, head of New Havens environmental health program. Raising your own food is cool but not when you have yards that are 20 feet by 30 feet. (John Hart / For The Times)
