Carpentersville Green-Lights 'Urban Chickens'

If you've ever thought that your backyard would be just perfect for raising your own chickens (and who hasn't), Carpentersville, Illinois says come on over!

Before calling a moving company and a chicken breeder, you might want to know that there are a few restrictions to this idea.

From the Daily Herald:

As many as 25 Carpentersville residents could be granted permission to raise urban chickens, as long as they abide by a set of guidelines. The village board this week agreed to allow property owners with a valid permit and license to keep up to four hens -- but no roosters -- in a backyard coop.
Coops have to be at least 10 feet from the property line and 25 feet from any residences, according to the measure.
Additionally, the village code includes rules for how the coop should be constructed and cleaned. Noise and odors also will be regulated, the ordinance says.

I got to thinking that I can't be alone in wondering exactly why someone would want to raise chickens in their yard--and it turns out that I'm right. I'm not alone.

NaturalLivingIdeas.com went to the trouble of listing some of the benefits to this practice: