Local chicken owner talks about what it takes to raise birds

OMAHA, Neb.—Across the country, more folks are raising their own chickens at home in response to egg shortages and soaring egg prices.

Omaha resident Sherri Tyler can testify that could be an effective strategy.

"We rarely buy eggs in the summertime," Tyler said. "We always have extras that we can give our neighbors, even with just two chickens."

It’s not like that year-round though. Tyler and another chicken owner we talked to said in the summer, a chicken will lay around one egg per day. However, that changes as the daylight hours get shorter.

“Around daylight savings time, they stop producing almost entirely for a while unless you put a heat lamp on them," she said.

With a heat lamp, they can continue to pop out eggs. She says she got four eggs out of her chicken within the last week.

Another chicken owner told Fox 42 there are specialty breeds the will not lose egg production throughout the year.

Tyler said it all takes work though.

Chickens are not the cleanest animals, often getting their waste into their own food and water bowls.

"There's less profit margin if they're soiling their food and you have to throw the food away," Tyler said. "It's inconvenient to be dealing with the water all the time like we have to in the wintertime with constantly dumping the dish and rinsing and washing when the weather's so cold."

There’s a reason why her only chicken doesn’t have a name.

"I stopped naming them when they started getting eaten because I got attached to them."

In urban settings, these birds are still prey for other animals. Even a privacy fence surrounding her yard in addition to the coop housing the chickens can’t guarantee their safety from raccoons and opossums. She said two chickens died before they figured out a way to keep predators from prying the coop open.

Even that didn't totally solve the problem.

"The last chicken was just kind of dumb and stuck his head through the chicken wire and was beheaded," Tyler said. "So we can't save them from stupid."

She said making the coop had cost around $200 and that she’s spent around $40 a year on feed for two chickens.

Then there are the regulations for owning them within city limits.

“We were licensed just for three because of the size of the coop," Tyler said. "You pay $10 or $11 for the permit.

"They just want to make sure that you're sanitary and taking care of the animals, so they come out and inspect before they let you have them."

Tyler said owning chickens is not for everyone, but that if you like animals and enjoy being able to produce for yourself, give it a try.

If you want to know what the specific regulations are for where you live, click here.