The issue is local municipal codes, so first check with your town clerk to see if they ar allowed. Back-yard chickens will eat all the ticks they can find. However, most ordinances forbid anything but hens (so as to not have any wake-up call for yourself and your neighbors).

We here in Middletown are very fortunate that there are no regulations restricting the keeping of backyard flocks. It means that people will be under a sort of honor system to maintain a flock suitable for the size of their lot, and to keep it clean and pleasant at all times. While I would certainly enjoy a large fowl rooster, I keep only a bantam rooster out of respect for my neighbors. Anyone who does not reside in Middletown must definitely check with their Zoning Board or their town Board of Health before setting up a coop - getting rid of their beloved pets because of zoning laws is a very painful experience.

PS - while chickens do eat ticks when they come across them, they are not the primary goal when foraging. Guinea hens are the real tick eaters, but I don't recommend them for any but the largest farms, as they are quite noisy and tend to wander. Chickens will, however, eat lots of weeds and other bugs. It's the lack of weeds and grasses that helps reduce the tick population. Some days you don't even have to feed them, they come back to the coop so full!

It's sad that having backyard chickens these days is considered rare in NJ. My family used to run an egg farm in Middletown. My wife and I have often considered buying a few chickens ourselves as my in-laws have always had them and they are great pets with benefits.

It IS sad! Which is why I'm hosting this lesson at the library - which you obviously don't need! Are you related to the Eigenrauch's? You would probably enjoy visiting our poultry show next month at the NJ State Fairgrounds. There's a good sales area where you can pick up started birds. You have a month until the show to get your coop ready! ;)

Chris Eigenrauch was my Grandfather. Actually, that was all before my time so I'm sure I would get a lot out of a lesson.

Well, then you should come over on Sunday! I'm Friendly with Jane - would she be your Aunt or Cousin?

Mischa, the cold weather is almost never an issue - it's the heat that is bad for them. There are steps you can take to deter almost any predator, except a bear. Still waiting for the people in northern Jersey to figure that out and let me know, while I enjoy our bear-free area.

I missed your talk. I just got a few chicken hens as pets this spring. I love them, they are quite amusing.
Unfortunately I go to court tomorrow to fight to keep a few chicken hens as pets. With all that is going on in the world now and especially post hurricane sandy, we all need to learn( or relearn) to be more self sustainable. I believe that the town of East Brunswick NJ should adopt an ordinance allowing its residents to keep chicken hens as pets( it currently has no ordinance against it). Times are changing, government needs to keep up.

Michelle - good luck! A lot of the opposition to chickens is due to rumor and misinformation. If I could, I would be there to give testimony. If you can use a stalling tactic, say, to gather more factual information to combat that misinformation, do it. I can point you to sites that help people do what you're doing - changing the ordinances in their towns to allow the keeping of backyard flocks.

Keep me posted!

- Mary Hussey

PS - Please don't take this the wrong way, but the proper terminology goes a long way towards making you sound legitimate. "Chicken hens" is a term I've heard before by another proponent, but it is incorrect. It's like saying "chicken chickens." I've seen people becoming confused by this term, as if it's a new breed of chicken or something. This is something you must absolutely avoid when attempting to change people's minds about backyard birds. "Hens" alone is clear and easily understood by almost everyone, just as is "roosters."