Backyard chickens in Chicago, Illinois

Yes, backyard chickens are allowed in Chicago. The Chicago Municipal Code's animal-control chapter (Chapter 7-12, Animal Care and Control) does not contain a chicken-specific ordinance, a numeric hen cap, or a permit/license requirement for keeping hens as pets. Chickens fall under the Code's general definitions of "animal" and "pet," which are broadly defined as any living vertebrate kept by a person, so they are subject to the same general animal-control rules as any other pet.

Key general provisions that DO apply to chicken-keepers include: the ban on keeping or slaughtering any animal for personal food purposes, which exempts eggs (§7-12-300); the excessive-noise/nuisance ordinance, which specifically lists "crowing" as an example of prohibited excessive animal noise (§7-12-100); the requirement that animals be kept under restraint on the owner's property (§7-12-030); and a ban on dyeing or artificially coloring baby chicks or other fowl (§7-12-350). There have been repeated attempts by individual aldermen (e.g., a 2019-2020 proposal and a 2023 proposal, O2023-0002993) to add a 6-fowl cap, ban roosters, and require paid licenses, but as of the most recent version of the Code, none of these restrictions have been adopted.

Chicago has cold, often below-zero winters and hot, humid summers, so coops need solid winter insulation/wind-blocking along with summer ventilation and shade.

Chicago has a large, well-adapted urban coyote population — researchers estimate roughly

Chicago's coyote population has been estimated at "Chicago is a city of nearly 3 million people, 77 neighborhoods and 1,700 coyotes." Urban coyotes here also survive unusually well; researchers found "In rural areas, only 15% of coyotes survive one year; in Chicago, 65% do." Raccoons are also a major nighttime threat to coops, and are known for "rather than carrying off whole birds, they frequently reach through wire mesh and fencing to grab chickens, pulling off heads and limbs that can fit through the openings." Hawks (especially Cooper's and red-tailed hawks) hunt during the day and are common even in dense urban neighborhoods, so a fully covered run is recommended.