Can I build a chicken coop in Sacramento and is the cost worth it? Here’s what to know
Egg prices have soared over the past year, according a January report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — a dozen large averaging $5.97 in California.
People are starting to chatter: Are chicken coops worth it to offset the cost or access? From the Bay Area to the East Coast, the question is being asked.
Social media took the bait, too, with a Sacramento Reddit thread about the subject garnering 100 comments with advice.
The Bee also took this question to the streets of midtown. Watch this video to see what some residents had to say:
@sacramentobee Would you setup a chicken coop in your backyard? #egg #eggs #chickencoop #inflation ♬ original sound - The Sacramento Bee
What does it really take to build and maintain your own chicken coop? Is it worth it?
The Bee spoke with Alex Hoang, the founder of Oak Park Eggery, which produces free eggs for the community and composts food waste, about how to get started. But first, you need to know some rules.
What are the rules for urban chicken coops in Sacramento?
The city of Sacramento has an exhaustive list of egg farming rules for homeowners. In 2011, a city ordinance allowed residents to keep up to three hens in a backyard coop. Residents are required a $10 annual licensing fee per chicken, and a $15 annual permit fee.
Here’s what Sacramento requires, according to its website:
You can have a maximum of three hens
Roosters are not allowed
You can’t slaughter
Your coop can’t be closer than 20 feet from your neighbor’s house
A full list of rules — there are about 13 — can be found on the city’s website.
In unincorporated county, a permit is required and you’ll want to check your area’s zoning laws. In 2017, according to previous Bee reporting, the county voted to allow urban farms on “smaller lots” and vacant land parcels with similar requirements as the city.
If you rent — you’ll need permission from your landlord.
Chicken coops can be reported to both the county and city of Sacramento if neighbors consider them a nuisance.
What you need to start a chicken coop
To start a chicken coop you’ll need three items, Hoang said.
Water dispenser
Food dispenser
Boarded coop
A simple way to cut costs in a chicken coop, is to consider up-cycling a chain wire dog cage.
“Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a wooden structure,” Hoang said, “I just got free or cheap dog runs from within five minutes of the neighborhood from people desperate to get rid of them and their metal.”
Hoang enhanced the donated cages by adding additional chicken wire. He also added built in roofs with tarp and metal materials. These small tweaks reinforced the cages into predator proof homes for the chickens.
How often do you have to feed chickens?
Chickens are fed three times a day, Hoang said. To help keep chickens fed throughout the day and not have it be taxing on owners’ schedules, Hoang recommends water and food dispensers.
Hens require a high protein diet to produce high quality eggs. Huang champions this for his hens by combining a pellet and kitchen scrap diet.
“If you were a backyard grower, people would typically just buy one of those bags and then they would just supplement their kitchen scraps,” Hoang said. “The more you’re able to supplement kitchen scraps, the less feed, you’re gonna need to buy.”
Do I need a rooster?
The short answer is no. That is of course, if you’re not looking to house baby chicks.
“Hens will lay eggs regardless,” Hoang said. “They just won’t have fertilized eggs that would hatch into a new chick without a rooster there to fertilize.”
Is it worth it?
Despite inflated egg prices, starting a backyard chicken coop can become more expensive and time consuming.
“Eggs are expensive,” Hoang said. “So maybe if you produce more eggs, it’ll be cheaper, and that’s not necessarily going to be the case.”
Hens don’t lay eggs year round, which puts into question the investment of starting a chicken coop.
“Egg production drops each year when the hens molt and as daylight hours are lost,” according to the University of Minnesota Poultry extension website, a program designed to help poultry producers “reduce disease in poultry, develop new products and increase profits.”
Hoang instead advises those interested in starting their own chicken coops to create a plan that supports itself. This can be achieved by feeding chickens your kitchen scraps, then using their waste as compost throughout your garden.
“If it’s purely just, I’m gonna raise backyard chickens and I’ll save money on eggs. It’s not going to be cost effective,” Hoang said. “The system as far as the household waste and the gardening aspect then it’s creating value on top of producing the food.
You’ll want to decide for yourself if the taste of fresh eggs from your own backyard is worth the time and money.
What are the costs?
The coop is your most expensive upfront cost. But you’ll want to factor in the continued cost of feed, as well, and that’s not including the cost of your time. Here is a price breakdown on supplies to get started:
Chicken feed starts at $25 from Petco. Estimates put you at about $15 a month.
Chicken runs are around $130 unless you find a donated cage.
Chicks start at $6.99 at Western Feed and Pet Supply
Egg-laying hens can cost egg between $20 and $50, according to Alliant Credit Union, a financial advising website.
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