What’s the one thing that separates dogs from chickens—besides the obvious differences—as pets? Eagle Rock Backyard Farms owner Michael Scott has a refreshingly clear-eyed answer: “You can have a dog and a dog gives you love back, but the chickens actually give you something for treating them really well, and that's the egg."
Scott, who left a lucrative position in the music business to build chicken coops, vegetable gardens and beehives, as Eagle Rock Patch reported back in 2010, was featured last week in a Daily News feature article about backyard chickens in urban areas and the contrasting laws about the practice in various cities in the Los Angeles area.
Backyard chicken farming is permitted in a string of regional cities such as Los Angeles, Pasadena, South Pasadena and Monterey Park, reports the article, adding that the San Marino City Council rescinded its ban on backyard chickens on Jan. 10 and that the San Gabriel City Council is considering a similar move.
The L.A. area is evidently in the midst of a backyard chicken farming boom—and Scott has been at the center of it.
“It's basically sustainable living, and chicken coops are a big part of that,” the Daily News quoted him as saying. “You're basically creating a mini ecosystem.”
Last Saturday, Scott introduced two new hens to his backyard. Named Pico and Yoko, the birds—a white Leghorn and an Araucana—raise to eight the total number of chickens that live behind Scott’s striking Spanish-style house south of Colorado Boulevard.
Of all the benefits of keeping chickens, the one that makes Scott most happy about his drastic career change is his relationship with the birds.
“One of my favorite things to do is sit outside with a glass of wine and watch the chickens peck and look for bugs," Scott said. "It's really relaxing.”
It’s Scott’s version of what he calls “chicken TV.”
