Christine Shiel, nature program manager for the Geneva Park District, knows if you want to raise chickens in your backyard, there’s more to it than throwing out some grain and listening for clucks.
“I’ve been raising my own chickens in the backyard now for three to four years” said Shiel. “It’s one of those things that has become a lot more popular as people are more interested in local food production as well as gardening.”
Shiel’s expertise in raising backyard chickens was on display Wednesday night at the Stephen Persinger Recreation Center in Geneva where a class of nearly two dozen took part in a 90-minute session covering everything from local laws and raising chicks to caring for mature birds while keeping non-chicken-raising neighbors happy.
Environmental education manager for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County Barb McKittrick said the course was part of the “Learn from the Experts” programs taught within the county in collaboration with the Geneva and St. Charles park districts.
“This is part of our certification series of classes for people to become certified naturalists,” she said. “We’ve had classes on a variety of things from geology to pollinators and spiders and this was something that proved to be very popular as the class is full.”
Shiel walked the audience through a number of topics from feed choices and vaccinations to capital outlay and nomenclature used in raising birds including hens, roosters, capons and more.
“A good place to start is by raising chicks and you need at least a pair as these are flock animals and a bird all by itself won’t be too happy,” Shiel said. “Most people have three to four and the limit in a lot of places seems to be six.”
Before her presentation, Shirl said she has been raising chickens since she “was 4 years old” and that they aren’t bothered at all by the current wintry weather.
“Chickens adapt to the weather and in the fall they grow these thick feathers that keep them warm,” she said. “The ones I’m raising at home are perfectly fine, they just don’t like the snow and keep staring at it inside the coop wishing it would go away.”
A well ventilated coop is important year-round, Shiel said, adding that chicks require a much smaller space to keep warm and will then require more space as they mature.
In terms of start-up costs, she said that “chicks only cost about $4 each” and that ready-made chicken coop kits from stores like Farm & Fleet “can be purchased for a couple hundred dollars.”
“There are ready-mades that run $300 to $400 but I made my own,” she said.
The egg production, Shiel said, is very much tied to the seasons and daylight.
“A chicken will lay an egg pretty much every day but needs about 14 to 16 hours of sunlight to do that,” she said. “In the winter, egg production slows down to one every three to four days.”
Class members who braved yet another cold night of snow and wind to attend were intent on learning more about raising chickens and wanting to have a go at it themselves.
Pam Otto who serves as the St. Charles Park District’s outreach ambassador said she wasn’t surprised by the size of the audience.
“I am not surprised. When the city of St. Charles approved backyard chicken keeping which goes back several years there were a lot of people who jumped on board,” she said. “Knowing where your food is coming from is very important. In fact, it might even be more important now.”
“I’ve always been interested in this and I could do it,” said James Frediani of Batavia. “I have neighbors over the years that have had backyard chickens and I’ve helped out with them but I could use learning a little more. I’m not totally committed but I want to learn.”
Pierre Hatch of Maple Park said he is already a certified naturalist for Kane County and in the past had raised ducks but wanted to know more about chickens.
“Ducks are a little heartier and there’s not nearly the amount of problems with disease but I know there are breeds of chickens that can be a little heartier,” he said. “I’m part of the grow-your-own food movement and as you probably figured out this year, it’s very expensive if you don’t. We’re into gardening and this is just one more branch, so to speak.”
Jill Zimmer of St. Charles simply said she was glad to have something to do besides surviving another day of the pandemic.
“I was just looking for something to do and am just so happy to be doing something out in public with other people,” she said. “I don’t know that I’m going to go home and raise chickens, but you never know what’s going to happen. I might have chickens someday.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
