Times Are Tough...Get a Chicken

While thousands of dogs and cats are being given up by pet owners across the U.S. as times become harder, chickens are gaining popularity as household pets in some U.S. cities.

The rising popularity of the feathered friend is due to the chicken's ability to provide eggs, pest control, fertilizer and eventually meat.

(In fact, to address zoning regulations, homeowners are working to amend local laws in areas like Fort Collins, CO, Bloomington, IN and Brainerd, MN.)

One of the pioneers of raising chicken as household pets even created the Website BackYardChickens.com to help the growing web community with 19,000 members throughout the world address issues concerning their poultry habit.

In the U.S., the portal counts members from California, New York, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

Some cities like New York, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle already allow chicken to be raised by urban residents.

Source: http://www.ncbuy.com/news/2009-01-02/1017124.html