Backyard Hens for Highlands County

In the city of Sebring backyard hens are allowed in chicken houses (coops), up to two per family. I spoke with code enforcement and was told that there are hardly any complaints about the families that choose to keep backyard hens.

Here’s a few easy reasons why I think backyard hens will be beneficial to our county:

• Chickens are fun, friendly pets with educational value for children about where food like eggs comes from
• They can provide food security for poor families
• They lay healthier eggs compared to store-bought eggs
• They give gardeners high-quality fertilizer
• They control flies and other pests, not add to them, and dispose of weeds and kitchen scraps that otherwise might end up in the landfill

The facts are:

Noise: If you don’t have roosters, chickens aren't noisy. Hens cluck and peep softly all day long, and then go to bed at dusk and remain quiet all night.

Smell: A small flock of two or four hens will poop about as much as an average small dog, and their poop won’t smell if it is kept clean. It usually dries up into a powder in a matter of minutes.

Fertilizer: For very little money you can make a movable coop which will allow you to move the hens around your back yard, thus fertilizing the grounds.
See: http://howtomakechickencoop.com/why-choose-a-mobile-chicken-coop/

Hens: Hens still lay eggs without a rooster.