Backyard chickens in Bloomington, Illinois

Yes. The City of Bloomington, Illinois permits backyard chicken-keeping as an accessory use to single-family and two-family dwellings (and to preschools/schools) under its Unified Development Ordinance, § 44-1011 (Chicken-keeping). On lots of one acre or less, up to four chickens may be kept; on lots larger than one acre, one additional chicken is allowed for each additional half-acre. Roosters are not permitted, and chickens may not be kept for slaughter. All chicken-keeping must also comply with Chapter 8 (Animals and Fowl) and Chapter 22 of the Bloomington City Code, and with the City's general permitting requirements found at § 44-1716.

Bloomington, Illinois experiences hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters, with temperatures that can swing from the 90s°F in July to well below freezing in January. Coops should be insulated and ventilated to handle both summer heat and winter cold, with a draft-free but ventilated henhouse and access to unfrozen water in winter.

Central Illinois backyards bordering parks, farmland, and wooded creek corridors see regular predator pressure from raccoons, red-tailed hawks, red foxes, coyotes, opossums, and skunks, all of which are drawn to unsecured coops and feed. The required covered/fenced enclosure under §44-1011D is intended, in part, to keep flocks safe from exactly this kind of predation, so owners should use secure, buried-wire fencing and automatic coop doors for added protection.