Small Home Gazette, Summer 2023
Orpingtons, Australorps and Wyandottes
Keeping Chickens in the Back Yard
Ruth Karsky with Bacon, in front of her back yard chicken coop.
As a follow-up, we thought our readers might be interested in hearing from a present-day chicken mom. Ruth Karsky and her family have been keeping chickens in their south Minneapolis back yard for about two years. We paid a visit to ask about her experience.
Small Home Gazette: So why did you decide to get chickens? Was it for the eggs? For your kids?
Ruth Karsky: Primarily the kids. (Karsky and her husband have three; two of them under 10.) And I liked the idea. For me, they are like pets. They’re just so pretty. I didn’t grow up on a farm, but we grew up in the country. I’ve always wanted a hobby farm, but I love where I live. So I thought, why not give it a go?
Gazette: How did you get started?
Karsky: To get a permit from the city, you need to take an online Zoom course. It was a one-hour introduction to keeping chickens. Just to give an idea of what chickens need; how long they live; the steps to take; and the costs involved—so you know what you’re signing up for because you don’t think chickens live that long, but they can live 10 to 15 years.
Gazette: Oh! As long as a cat or a dog?
Karsky: Yeah, you really commit to them. You get the chicks, and about eight months in, they’ll start laying eggs and they lay eggs to about five years. Then they’re just pets. Maybe after ours stop laying, I’ll expand the flock. That way I never lose the egg production, because that is such a benefit.
Karsky’s chickens lay eggs in shades of brown and blue.
Gazette: How many eggs do you get?
Karsky: Each chicken, on average, will lay an egg a day in the middle of summer. My permit is for one to six chickens, so I got six. I believe you can get a permit for up to 16 in Minneapolis. We go through a lot of eggs. And we give out the eggs to others.
Gazette: Are these particular breeds?
Karsky: I wanted a variety, so I got Rhode Island Red, Orpington, Australorp and Wyandotte. I based the decision, most importantly, on them being winter-hardy birds. And also if the breed would be kid-friendly, not skittish or protective or anything like that.
Gazette: Have you named them?
Karsky: (Laughs) Yes, we named them after foods—there’s Mac, Cheese, Bacon, Salt, Pepper…
Gazette: Is there a problem with your other pets?
Karsky: The dog and the cats have all been around them since they were chicks. We often let the chickens out in the yard, and they’re all cool with each other. And I wanted the chickens to be used to the kids and used to being held. It’s great to have them domesticated.
Gazette: What about predators?
Karsky: The coop’s wire is buried about a foot into the ground, so even predators that like to burrow can’t get in that way. And having the dog and cats around keeps predators at bay, in general.
Gazette: Is there a lot of maintenance involved?
Karsky: For some people that could be the case, and there’s the time involved. But for me, I don’t feel like they take up much time at all. I do a deep litter method, so I’ll do a deep cleaning maybe four times a year. (The deep litter method involves adding thin layers of bedding when the top layer gets dirty, allowing the layers underneath to compost.) But otherwise it doesn’t smell like I was concerned about. Maybe on wet days or really humid days, but otherwise, there’s no smell a majority of the time. I can have my windows open, and I don’t smell it.
Gazette: Any objections from neighbors?
Karsky: None have complained. I figure as long as I share the eggs, it’s a good balance.
Gazette: Would you recommend backyard chickens to others?
Karsky: Oh, absolutely. They’re not a problem. The kids love them. For me, just the reward of the eggs is enough. And the fact that they’re beautiful!
