The City of Austin Is Now Paying People to Keep Backyard Chicken Coops

[Suzanimal]

According to KVUE, the city of Austin recently announced that it is offering its residents free courses in keeping chickens, and paying those who are willing to start their own backyard coops.

The Chicken Keeping Rebate Program is part of the Austin Resource Recovery's Home Composting Rebate Program, which aims to achieve the city's Zero Waste goal by 2040, in part by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills by 90 percent.

"Chickens recycle your food scraps while giving you fresh eggs and creating healthy soil," the city said in an email.

After attending a "chicken keeping class," which covers how chickens can help keep food scraps, yard trimmings, and food-soiled paper out of landfills, Austinites who then buy a chicken coop can submit a rebate application online for $75. The first round of classes is already full, but the city says it is planning to offer more soon. You can read more information about Austin's Chicken Keeping Rebate Program here.

http://www.countryliving.com/gardening/news/a42642/austin-is-now-paying-people-to-keep-backyard-chicken-coops/

[angelatc]

Uh chickens also poop. A lot.

[Suzanimal]

Uh chickens also poop. A lot.

It's suppose to be good fertilizer.

[oyarde]

Giving a 75 FRN rebate . My guess is if you go to your texas farm store , buy a bag of chick starter feed , a small chicken coop to assemble and say , 8 - 12 chicks that will run a bit under 200 . Now , if you have a very small backyard , by mid summer there will not be a blade of grass left in it. They will eat it all down to dirt in just weeks . 8 chickens can do that to a 150 foot square .

[oyarde]

Uh chickens also poop. A lot.

The poop itself is one thing , but when that mixes with the smell of the wasted feed ( fermenting , rotting grains ) and bedding ( straw or wood chips ) and rainwater it takes on a whole new personality :)

[FunkBuddha]

Uh chickens also poop. A lot.

I started keeping chickens about 5 years ago. The first thing I learned was, give a chicken an inch and she'll shit all over it.

[tod evans]

I've been around chickens and unwashed vegans............

They deserve eachother....

[angelatc]

I've been around chickens and unwashed vegans............

They deserve eachother....

I was considering chickens when I saw AF mention they gave them up partly because he got sick of shoveling it. He strikes me as a lot less lazy than I am so I put that way on the back burner.

[Danke]

Uh chickens also poop. A lot.

So do Injuns, but can we do without casinos?

[oyarde]

So do Injuns, but can we do without casinos?

I work so hard I burn most calories . Too much sloth makes too much poop .

[Schifference]

The cost of eggs will go down in Austin.

Chickens are too much work and money for the benefit. They are filthy and will go everywhere if not restrained.

It is easy to get mites on you. They are almost microscopic little black specs that can be felt but hardly seen.

I have had many chickens, lost many to a variety of predators, replaced many, and am down to my last 5 most of which no longer lay eggs and are from my first batch. There were a bunch of feathers on the ground the other day. A coyote has been picking them off. I don't even close the coop anymore at night. looking forward to the last one disappearing.

As with many things in life it is better to know someone that raises chickens than to raise chickens.

The best way to minimize or eliminate waste is to not generate it in the first place. Packaging is a joke these days. Huge bags or boxes with very little product inside.

I just bought a house on 5 acres in rural South Carolina. I doubt any city trash services will be provided. I was thinking about waste and was talking to my wife about how we need to generate less waste. Why buy or cook more than you can eat/need? Compost what is compostable and save and burn what is burnable. Squash and sell the metal.