That’s right — not only will you be blessed with an endless supply of fresh eggs to eat, but the city of Austin will also PAY you for it! Here are the four steps you’ll have to take if you want to be an urban chicken farmer:
- Take a free chicken-keeping class. The schedule can be found here.
- Buy a chicken coop.
- Submit an online rebate application with a copy of your receipt attached.
- Receive your $75 check in the mail!
This program is an effort on the part of Austin Resource Recovery, an organization dedicated to helping Austin reach its goal of zero waste. It also provides residential curbside collection of trash, recycling, and yard trimmings as well as performs services such as street sweeping, dead animal collection, operating a hazardous waste drop-off center, and collecting bulk items and large brush. It hopes to accomplish Zero Waste by 2040, meaning the amount of trash sent to landfills needs to decrease by 90 percent. To get there, we need to first reduce our trash output and reuse any and all products we can before finally recycling and composting everything else. This is why they’re urging people to start raising chickens — it’s a great first step to take because it helps keep waste out of landfills since the chickens eat scraps and provide fresh eggs.
Facebook/vitalfarms
This photo was taken at Austin’s Vital Farms, a pasture-raised chicken farm committed to ensuring the welfare of both the animals and people consuming the eggs.
Facebook/vitalfarms
Here are a few tips to remember when it comes to raising chickens:
- Keep them away from other pets at all times.
Flickr/twenty_questions Dogs and cats are natural predators, so never let them outside at the same time as your chickens. Put the chickens into their coop before letting your furry friends out!
- Chickens are social creatures, so always keep 4-5 at a time.
Flickr/cowgirljules Otherwise, they’re at risk for literally dying of loneliness — a tragedy you’ve probably experienced before if you’ve ever owned a guinea pig or other small animal.
- Make sure to budget for enough food and water and set it out for them frequently.
Flickr/coreyp Just like humans, chickens need to eat several times per day. Keeping a steady supply of food and water out for them is imperative to their health and daily egg production!
So, what do you think? Would you like to be Texas’ next chicken farmer?
Flickr/twenty_questions
Dogs and cats are natural predators, so never let them outside at the same time as your chickens. Put the chickens into their coop before letting your furry friends out!
Flickr/cowgirljules
Otherwise, they’re at risk for literally dying of loneliness — a tragedy you’ve probably experienced before if you’ve ever owned a guinea pig or other small animal.
Flickr/coreyp
Just like humans, chickens need to eat several times per day. Keeping a steady supply of food and water out for them is imperative to their health and daily egg production!
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