Q&A: Backyard Chickens Seminar in Richmond Heights

St. Louis backyard chickens expert Bill Ruppert will give a at community center.

In an email interview this week, he talked about the controversy surrounding chickens and how he plans to educate St. Louisans about chicken ownership later this week.

He also provided several related documents, which are attached to this article.

Richmond Heights recently voted to allow backyard chickens after in-depth discussion. Other cities have rejected similar proposals. In your view, why is this issue so controversial?

The primary reason for the debate is lack of knowledge about the subject. Today’s urbanized society has lost connection with our rural heritage and knowledge base. The attached document “The 7 False Myths About Urban Chickens” is fact-based, not emotion-based.

What's one thing that might surprise a lot of people when it comes to raising backyard chickens?

The No. 1 question I receive during my backyard chicken presentations is: Do you need a rooster for the hens to produce eggs? The answer: No, roosters are only required if fertile eggs are desired. Most folks purchase day-old pullets from the hatchery and do not hatch their own from fertile eggs. Roosters are not necessary, nor really desired since they are mean to the hens.

What message do you hope to convey during the backyard chickens seminar planned Thursday, March 29 in Richmond Heights?

I plan to eliminate the mysteries of raising and caring for backyard chickens. We will discuss the basics for managing a modest flock of hens for producing both eggs and the bonus of garden compost.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Backyard chickens are an integral part of our edibles garden. They produce compostable manure to ultimately enhance the quality of the garden soil and they enthusiastically consume kitchen scraps, thus diverting solid waste from entering the landfill.