Verbal Audit (See Interviews for Visual Audit)

Coop – A chicken coop or hen house is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features. Urban Chicken Famers commonly create custom coops that have been built from recycled and reclaimed materials in various styles and fashions. One trend is to build a coop that resembles ones house. 

Feed – Chicken feed is the primary source of nutrition for chickens of all types and ages. Comprised of a variety of nutrients and energy sources, it provides a balanced diet enhanced with minerals and vitamin supplements. Although the composition varies from farm to farm and climate to climate to climate, basic ingredients are found universally in approved chicken feed products. Some Urban Chicken Farmers use whatever kind of food that they have left over in the house as chickens will consume most foods. 

Compost – A mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. Most Urban Chicken Farmers have one of these near their chicken coop. This allows for easy collection of chicken waste or fertiliser and storing of the fertiliser for later use in the garden. 

Predator Proof – The practice of safeguarding a chicken coop from predators. This generally involved the sealing of windows with chicken wire or welded wire. The base of the coop is generally cemented or reinforced with a buried wire fence to keep predators from digging into it from underneath. Keeping your chickens safe limit the ability for predators to feed and helps limit their numbers in the home owners area. Thus eliminating one of the chief concerns of most Urban Chicken Farms neighbors. That the chickens will draw more predators to the neighborhood. 

Chicken Tractor – A chicken tractor is a moveable chicken coop lacking a floor. Most chicken tractors may also house other kinds of poultry. Chicken tractors are a lightly built A-frame which one person can drag about the yard easily. Generally they are built with wheels to make this easier. This allows the chicks to be free range. They can eat up the vegetation of one area and move onto the next leaving behind a fertilized area for regrowth.

Run - An outdoor area where chickens can roam freely, usually attached to the chicken coop. Under supervision this allows for the chickens 

Chicken Plucker – A chicken plucker is a machine that strips the chicken of feathers without breaking the skin. The chickens are first killed and soaked in hot water to soften them up. They are commonly built using recycled materials to save money. This is considered a more efficient way to pluck a chicken. 

Ordinance – Local law made a municipality or other local authority. Commonly a major road block to the desire of the homeowner to raise urban chickens. These ordinances often cost those to keep urban chickens without permits or being mindful of the limitations imposed on the amount of chickens their chickens. Outcry against these ordinances in various cities across the country has lead to a better organized and locally politically active Urban Chicken Farmers working to change legislation. 

Urban Gardening – Urban farming is generally practiced for income-earning or food-producing activities, though in some communities the main impetus is recreation and relaxation. Urban agriculture contributes to food security and food safety in two ways: first, it increases the amount of food available to people living in cities, and, second, it allows fresh vegetables and fruits and meat products to be made available to urban consumers. Urban Chicken Farmers commonly practice urban gardening because of the rich chicken fertilizer that is left over from urban chicken farming.