After much debate, the Ann Arbor City Council recently approved a plan that will let homeowners keep up to 4 hens in their backyards. We figured a primer on raising chickens is eggs-actly what's needed right now:

They can be positive and negative to your garden. They like to eat all kinds of green stuff, so you don't want them getting into your garden or your neighbor's garden. Four or less hens shouldn't be an issue.

Question: Besides the gift of eggs, what are the pros and cons of keeping chickens?

Answer: I enjoy watching them. They're very calming in this busy world. You watch them, and they're just very focused on each moment. It's cool. And they're pretty. Hens do make some noise, but it's usually pleasant.

Q: What if someone just wants one chicken?

A: Big mistake. They're social. They have a hierarchy. That's where the term pecking order comes from. I wouldn't recommend any fewer than three. Something could happen to one of them. 

Q: Do chickens require a lot of work?

A: They do need some attention. It's not difficult to raise them, but you do have chores every day. Not a lot. Maybe 10 minutes. But you have to collect eggs. You have to clean the poop in their housing. You can't let that go. ... If they get stressed, there can be problems. But if raised properly, they're really easy. 

Q: Where would one purchase a chicken coop?

A: They can build a coop after researching the topic at the library. But there are some great ones they can just buy. Also, I would recommend subscribing to the magazine "Backyard Poultry." They have great coop designs and wonderful information for the small scale poultry farmer. Searching the Web, you can find numerous ready-made coops. I would recommend a moveable coop, so the birds have access to fresh forage. 

Q: Are chickens expensive to keep?

A: I buy organic feed, which is a little more expensive than the other. But at this time of year, it's almost free food. They're just mainly eating things outside. They just instinctively eat what they need. But it will cost you more per dozen than going to buy eggs at the store. 

Q: Do chickens make good pets?

A: I think chickens make fine pets. If you get them at day of age (the day they hatch), they'll imprint to you. If you call them, they'll come to you. If you feed them consistently on a schedule, they'll expect food to be there. I think they can be just as involved with you as a dog or cat or other companion animal. - Darrin Karcher, poultry extension specialist with the Michigan State University Animal Science Department

Q: What is the average life span of a chicken?

A: Many commercial laying hens are kept for up to three years. There are undocumented accounts of "yard chickens" living for more than 10 years. - The Texas Agricultural Extension Service

Q: Which part of the egg develops into a baby chicken, the yolk or the white?

A: Neither. A group of cells in a fertilized egg are located on the surface of the yolk in an area called the germinal disc. By the time the egg is laid by the hen there are already several hundred thousand cells in this disc. The tissues begin to develop, eventually surrounding the yolk which the embryo uses for food. - The Texas Agricultural Extension Service

Q: What kind of chicken do you recommend for the backyard?
A: Some birds are lightweight and tend to be flightly. Others are weighty. I recommend the weighty ones.

Q: What don't people know about raising chickens?

A: A lot. ... Most people don't know enough about what they're doing, and that can turn into problems. They can run into disease, nutrition problems.

Finding just four birds may be a challenge. I'd suggest finding others who want to buy them, get a larger order of 25, and dividing them. Most mail order hatcheries do not deal with less than 25.

The other thing to be aware of is the actual management. They need to make sure they have a good pen in the backyard or something predator-proof. They could have these four hens and something could come in and wipe them out. - Karcher

Q: Where can people get these chickens?

A: The only mail order hatchery in Michigan is in Zeeland (616-772-6514). 

Q: How many eggs do they lay?

A: At their peak laying - between a year and two years - they lay an egg approximately every 25 hours.

Source: mlive.com

Q: Does a hen need a rooster to lay an egg?

A: No. Everybody asks that. But no.