Backyard Hens Are ‘Part Of The Family’

Sam and Dorothy Abram are members of a select group. The Bowden Street residents are among the seven families in Barrington where chickens are not relegated to the roaster pan or barbecue spit.

The Abrams took advantage of the town council’s decision earlier this year that allows residents to keep up to six hens in their backyards.

Actually, Mr. Abram was one of the key advocates for the new law. He worked hard to compile a packet for the council showing the benefits of backyard hens, built a tally of the cities and towns that had already passed laws allowing chickens, and recruited dozens of residents to sign a petition supporting the initiative.

Mr. and Mrs. Abram, whose children are now in college, have been celebrating the council’s pro-chicken vote for months. Mr. Abram built a green and white-trimmed hen house in the backyard that’s surrounded by a tall fence. Their “girls” live inside the enclosure.

“They’re really hilarious,” Mrs. Abram said. “The girls all get along.”

The Rhode Island Reds vary slightly — one has a lighter shade of auburn feathers, while another has longer tail feathers — but appear to mix comfortably with each other and the rest of the Abram family. They’re not intimidated by the two dogs, Beau and Bella, or the cats, Shiri and Ella.

“They are part of the family,” said Mr. Abram. “You would become very sorry if you lose one.”

Mr. Abram, who hails originally from Greece, said one of the hens escaped from the coop earlier this year. He said he mistakenly tried to catch the chicken, but realized quickly that there are few things more difficult that tracking down a loose chicken.

He stopped chasing the hen and watched in surprise as she returned to the coop all by herself. He said she wanted to be with the other hens.

The Abrams said there are numerous benefits to keeping backyard chickens — that was a message he preached time and again while petitioning the council to pass an ordinance allowing the hens. He said the home-grown eggs are more nutritious than store-bought eggs (see associated story), they taste better and, best of all, they are free.

He said the hens are also the world’s greatest composters. They eat all sorts of food scraps and produce a potent fertilizer for the Abrams’ garden.

Mrs. Abram said her yard has actually become a self-sustaining experiment. She said the hens churn out fertilizer that helps the Abrams’ garden yield a healthy crop of vegetables each year. Meanwhile, some of the vegetable scraps are eventually fed to the chickens, who then continue to create more fertilizer.

“They eat everything,” she said. “It makes a circle. It all ties in.”

Mr. Abram said the chickens have also led him to a popular standing among the neighbors. He said the hens lay so many eggs that he has more than enough to share with the folks next door and across the street.

“You give eggs to the boss and you’ll get a promotion,” said Mr. Abram with a smile.

The Abrams said they have not experienced any problems with predators in the area; despite having seen a fox in their backyard and heard stories of coyotes nearby, the Abrams “girls” have remained undisturbed during their days in Barrington. Mr. Abram also credits a well-constructed enclosure that sports a mesh net roof.

“They’re well-protected,” he said.

Mr. and Mrs. Abram said there was not consensus support for the new ordinance, but praised the hard work of Barrington Town Council member Kate Weymouth.

“She was great,” said Mrs. Abram. “Very helpful.”