Backyard Chickens in Apex
There is a growing movement of people wanting to get closer to the origins of their food and in touch with the rewards of nurturing and growing their own small bounties. Small home gardens are cropping up and local grown produce is in demand. I have also seen a few rustic signs posted in yards advertising "free range eggs." Always loving chickens in artwork and pottery, I started to wonder about the possibility of having a few hens in my Apex backyard.
What I find in the local ordinances is that the town of Apex allows backyard hens within the Apex Town limits, but no noisy Roosters. Further research into the basics revealed that one happy hen produces one egg a day, so 2-3 hens should eventually produce enough eggs to feed a family and a little extra to give to neighbors. Maybe an occasional gift of organic free range eggs will keep neighbors happy. A recent visit to the local upscale nursery, The Garden Supply Company, opened my eyes to the new, very attractive chicken coop designs. They are like the adorable play houses you see in many backyards, only scaled down to chicken size. They offer seamed metal roofs, charming trim details, flower boxes and more. Who could object to such a charming structure? See the photos below and some links to my favorite sites on coop designs, chicken care and breeds. Contrary to common beliefs, 2-3 chickens are not smelly or noisy. They make great pets; eat bugs, offer eggs and organic fertilizer.
Although the town of Apex allows backyard chickens, most of the people of Apex live in neighborhoods with covenants and restrictions. I recently pulled a local neighborhood's covenants which allowed for "3 usual pets." I don't know if hens could be considered usual, but think they should.
Downtown Raleigh is a great example of how well chickens can work in a neighborhood environment. They have an abundance of urban homes with backyard coops. Every spring, several of the coop owners open their yards to a tour of the cities backyard coops. See the link http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/henside-the-beltline-tour-dcoop-2009/
My favorite site on the subject of backyard chickens is http://www.backyardchickens.com/The coop below is available through www.raleighcoop.com
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