Chicken Visit

Chad Speight and I took a field trip to the home of Ross and Penny Depaola and their 4 hens today. They live off Buckeye Road in part of the Richmond Hills area, so while the neighborhood is out of town, it is much more akin to suburban residential than farm living. My overall impression was that the keeping of hens was very unobtrusive. Very little odor and almost no noise.

They converted the back third of their shed to the hen house with a small run on each side. I learned that the hens sleep in one specific area and they do most of their pooping while sleeping. This area is maybe 18" by 36" with straw and chips and gets cleaned out once a week. It basically functions as a litter box. The last cleaning was a week ago, which surprised because there was very little odor. The material removed from the sleeping area goes in the compost bin.

They use straw for the main floor area of the hen house and the chicken run. This straw only gets cleaned out about twice per year and doesn't need it any more frequently than that - I was there and just did not smell and was in good shape for continued use.

One key thing to note is the small silver-colored trash can. That can holds the food and is the simple key to keeping food away from rodents and other pests.

Seeing for yourself is believing. I hope any council members and Plan Commission members who are skeptical about chicken keeping will make a visit to an area coop.

This whole debate makes me wonder what the opponents are afraid of - the unknown? Or the unconventional? Do we all have to fit into a one-size Monona Box?