Local musician and writer Jessi Phillips is celebrating her chickens’ first eggs of the year! Backyard hens are legal in Oakland long as their enclosure is more than 20 feet away from a dwelling, church, or school.* Phillips explained that most of the costs of maintaining chickens are upfront— “You have to build, like, a little prison for them, which can run a few hundred dollars.” But after that, a $10 bag of food can last for over a month, and free chickens are often easy to find on craigslist!
*(Ord. 12705 § 3, 2005: Prior code § 3-9.28)
