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Welcome to Mad City Chickens
In the Spring of 2004, Madison, WI passed a law allowing single-family homes the right to raise poultry in the back yard. Previous to this law, poultry was allowed inside the home, but not outside. Coops were not permitted, nor was raising poultry inside the garage. Today it is legal to have 4 hens (no roosters) in a coop, no closer than 25' from the nearest neighbors living quarters. Butchering within the city limits is still not allowed.

Mad City Chickens started out as a group of like-minded, pro-poultry people (also known as the "poultry underground"). Our aim is to educate the urban population on the benefits of raising ones own food, and to bring to light the misconceptions people might have about the raising of poultry in an urban setting. Mad City Chickens offers an Introductory class for those who are interested in raising birds in their own backyard.

See some of the original members of the Poulty Underground (and their feathered friends) in Tarazod Films' feature-length documentary Mad City Chickens."

A class for those who would like an in-depth look at Poultry Coop Design and Construction, is in the works.

Mad City Chickens is available to answer questions and concerns regarding all aspects of poultry rearing. We have the wonderful support of our local UW Extension Poultry Specialist and the staff of the UW Poultry Science Dept. They are a wealth of information, and willing to share it.

We hope you enjoy browsing through our site. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you might have.

Here are some different chicken breeds (click on any image to enlarge):

There are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pages at this site. ©2004 Mad City Chickens. Designed and illustrated by S.V. Medaris, chicken-rancher & artist