Kathe Barsotti throws sunflower seeds in the direction of talkative four hens.
They softly cluck in approval as they peck away at their favorite afternoon snack.
“I think they’re beautiful,” she said. “They’re fun to watch and they’re actually affectionate.”
The Herndon resident is a member of Hens for Herndon, an advocacy group supporting suburban agriculture in the town.
The town council approved homeowners owning up to four hens with a zoning inspection permit. The town previously only allowed one hen per household.
Barsotti admits three of her chickens were flying under the radar as the resolution passed. However, she felt that as flock animals, she could not just have one hen cooped in its pen alone.
TAKING CARE OF THE CHICKENS takes 10 minutes in the morning and 10 at night, which covers feeding them, letting them roam around her yard to peck at bugs in the grass, collecting eggs and throwing down fresh peat moss.
“It helps to keep the flies away and dust down,” she said.
As a longtime homeowner in Herndon, she felt that she did not have to leave her home in order to raise chickens.
“I’m kind of a foodie,” she said. “I love animals and always have. And I love eating good food.”
Every other day, she collects about four different eggs in a variety of colors depending on the hen that layed it. Olive, brown, even light blue eggs are found in the hen coop every week.
When she lets them out of the coop, they roam around the yard, never straying far from one another. They spend their time pecking at the grass while clucking to one another. And when one finds a bug, the rest chase after her to steal it.
“They’re like the clowns of the backyard,” she said.
However, that does not mean they are unintelligent. She said they are notoriously fast learners and have been used to show dog owners how to train their canines.
Another Hens for Herndon member, Ann Null, keeps two chickens of her own. Her own interest was sparked five years ago when she worked for someone in Marshall, Va. who ordered hatchlings by the dozen. About four years ago, she decided she wanted to try to raise one on her own.
“They’re so easy, and every day is Easter,” she said. “I like that I know what I’m eating.”
A long time resident of Herndon like Barsotti, Null did not want to have to leave her home in order to take care of these animals typically seen in the countryside.
“I think Herndon is a small town with real neighborhood feel,” she said. “It feels like the kind of place, traditional place, where you can have a dog or other animals,” she said.
JUST LIKE BARSOTTI’S HENS, Null’s chickens are very social with one another as well as herself. This surprised Null when she first began raising hens.
“They follow me around, and they’re fond of me,” she said. “I didn’t expect to have a relationship with these birds.”
Unlike Barsotti, there was a time when hawks and foxes tried to get into the hen’s coop for dinner. However, Null said that has changed since the wooded area near her home was bulldozed for a new townhouse development.
She noted that Hens for Herndon is not just an advocacy group for hens - that includes other barnyard animals like miniature goats. Barsotti had pushed for it previously, but the motion failed the town council’s approval.
“Goats have been bred down to backyard sizes,” said Barsotti. “I wanted the miniature goats for milk. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and the only thing that helps me is raw goat milk.”
She stressed that for anyone who hopes to raise their own flock of hens to purchase them two at a time for company and rent a coop through local companies to see whether the new chicken owner has the time commitment for them.
“It sounds faddish online, but it’s a pet,” she said. “It’s a commitment.”