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An ordinance allowing the backyard raising of chickens in Medium Density Residential zones passed by the Orono City Council in 2010 has generated much interest in homegrown poultry in the town.
The specifics and challenges of raising chickens — either as a food source or simply for fun — were the topic of discussion at a Saturday afternoon presentation at the Page Farm and Home Museum on the University of Maine campus. This event, titled “Raising Chickens in Town,” was sponsored by the Friends of Edith Patch.
Robert Hawes, a UMaine professor emeritus of animal and veterinary sciences, and Mike Opitz, a retired university poultry pathologist, both gave approximately 45-minute presentations to about 40 people, mostly community members, on chicken varieties and the challenges of raising them in backyard environments.
“Since about the 1950s, I’ve never seen a time when people have been as excited about chickens as they are now,” Hawes said. “Everybody is getting into keeping chickens. Even movie stars have them.”
He cited 70 years of experience in the field, recalling his father who started one of the first used car businesses in the Bangor area in the 1940s.
“He used to take most anything in a car trade,” he said. “Since about that time, I’ve been working with feathers.”
Hawes noted the three major categories of breeds, separated according to degrees of refinement. Virtually all American breeds of chickens, he said, were products of trade markets opening between China and the Western world in the 1840s.
“Besides pigeons and dogs, nothing comes close to the variety of chickens,” he said.
Industrial breeds of chickens, Hawes said, are the most-seen birds used by large poultry companies and are the best producers of both eggs and meat because of fast rates of feed conversion and growth. He said about 10 large companies own most high-production breeds.
Exhibition breeds — ones prevalent at shows — lack the functional qualities of industrial birds but are fun to raise, Hawes said.
However, Hawes touted heritage breeds as the best category of birds to raise in a backyard. This group falls between show birds and industrial birds. They are easy to obtain because they are not sought by those looking to win ribbons or to produce high quantities of food.
He said the meat of heritage breeds has better flavor than industrial, with more texture and tenderness. The meat can be sold for $4 to $5 per pound.
“You are not going to feed the world with these birds,” he said. “They’re a little more upscale.”
Opitz, the pathologist speaking after Hawes, said raising chickens can be an expensive venture.
“You have to realize that keeping chickens is an investment of some time and some money at first,” he said. “If you’re really good, you’ll cut even after seven years.”
He also looked at the specifics of building a good chicken coop, with importance of sheltering chickens from predators, elements and feral wild birds that can spread diseases. Fencing on the top and sides of the coop is essential, he said.
Coops also must have a covered outdoor run with at least 3 feet, but up to 100 feet, of space per bird. Inside the coop, floor space is crucial — having more than 1.5 square feet of space per bird is necessary. If the coop is any smaller, the body heat of the birds could cause overheating and possibly death.
The pens must also be downhill from any wells and built on well-drained, uncontaminated soil. Opitz said he had heard of instances where coops built near older homes that had lead paint caused health problems in chickens. Mercury and lead poisoning, which sometimes is not visible in birds, can lead to inedible eggs, he said.
Opitz said chickens need constant access to feed and water. He said there are three types of feed most commonly used for chickens — mash, crumbles and pellets. Any changes in the variety for particular birds has to be done gradually.
“I have seen chickens standing in front of [new types of feed] starving to death because they just don’t eat it,” he said.
Chickens react very well to cold temperatures, he said, highlighting what he sees as misconceptions of new chicken owners who keep chickens tightly penned in the winter.
“You don’t need to coop them up and open when spring comes,” he said.
An audience member asked Opitz about “horror stories” of hormone and antibiotic use on chickens produced by large-scale production companies like Perdue Farms.
“That’s an old story,” Opitz said. “As far as hormones go, they’re not allowed in poultry. … [Antibiotic use] is becoming less frequent and not used in laying hens hardly at all.”
He said store-bought eggs are as nutritious as any a homegrown chicken could produce.
“If you want nutritional value, buy white eggs from the store. They’re probably 48 to 72 hours from the hen,” Opitz said.
Electric water heaters, he said, must be used to keep chickens’ water drinkable, and condensation within the coop must be prevented throughout the winter.
The 2010 ordinance in Orono, according to The Bangor Daily News, allowed for residents in Medium Density Residential zones to keep and raise up to six domesticated female birds with no fees for the chickens or the pens, unless enclosures exceed 200 feet.
Mary Bird, chair of the Friends of Edith Patch and an instructor of science education at UMaine, said before the ordinance many families owned chickens illegally.
“I know of at least eight to 10 families in central Orono that kept birds,” she said. “As long as the birds weren’t bothering anybody, it wasn’t a problem.”
After the presentations, Opitz said though the use of substances on corporately produced chickens is overstated, many enjoy raising their own chickens as a hobby.
“I bake bread. There’s no need to bake bread, but I like to do it,” he said. “You have to search yourself. It adds a little color to life.”
Bangor Daily News