Three chickens hunted and pecked at the ground as they wandered around Deborah Johnson’s suburban backyard, a scene becoming so familiar in Bay Area neighborhoods that ready-made coops are sold at big-box stores.
Nobody knows how many Californians raise backyard chickens. But let there be no doubt about it: Chicken-mania is sweeping the Bay Area, with burgs big and small scrambling to regulate the popular trend of backyard birds and their coops — and keep the peace between neighbors who might not enjoy all the clucking going on next door. For enthusiasts, chicken rearing often starts with the desire to have delicious, fresh eggs but sometimes progresses to older chickens — well beyond their egg-laying years — kept as pets. Read More