If you're beginning to hear chickens in your neighborhood, don't panic and call animal control.

Backyard chickens are becoming more popular across the state, as well as here in Pueblo.

"We are seeing it in Colorado in rural places and definitely across more urban areas as well," said Jennifer Cook, a small acreage management coordinator with the Colorado State University Extension.

Tom Laca, an extension agent at the CSU Extension in Pueblo County, said he teaches a class here on raising and maintaining chicken coops and knows of at least several people in the area who have backyard chickens.

"We hold a class every April about it and I get around 10 to 15 people who show up for it," Laca said.

Residents in the city are permitted to have up to 10 chickens in their backyard, according to the city's municipal code. They must be kept in the backyard and must be cooped, and coops must be kept clean and placed at least 50 feet from neighboring houses. There are a lot of more nuanced supplemental ordinances that control how chickens are kept and some that deal with nuisance issues.

The laws regarding backyard chickens in the county is a little more complicated.

On land zoned for agriculture in the county and Pueblo West, residents are allowed up to 12 chickens. But on property zoned as residential, chickens are not allowed, said Jay-Michael Baker, the communications and engagement manager for the Pueblo West Metropolitan District.

There are reasons for the emergence of backyard chickens here and across the state.

"I think people are just more interested in producing their own food, just like gardening is becoming more popular," Cook said. "We're kind of coming full circle in having forgotten how to farm, and now we're trying to relearn it. And I think people are just excited about local food and organic food and are more concerned about wanting to know where their food comes from."

Laca said he has asked people in his class why they want to raise chickens. Mostly, they tell him they want to raise their own eggs.

"And it's just almost a pet to have around that they can have," he said.

Raising and caring for chickens isn't any more laborious than doing so for a dog, Laca said.

To start, of course, chickens must be purchased. In the spring, farm stores such as Big R and Tractor Supply sell baby chicks.

Then, just like with any pet, equipment needed for the chickens such as feeders and housing must be bought.

Chickens need a place to stay outdoors that shields them from danger.

"Chickens require shelter and protection from predators," Laca said. "They need a good, sturdy shelter with an enclosed area for them to be able to get out and wander."

rseverance@chieftain.com

Twitter: @RyanS_Chieftain