Cluck Yeah
Austin will now pay you to keep chickens in your backyard
There are 100 ways to cook an egg, and now you can explore them all. The City of Austin is offering residents free chicken-keeping classes, as well as a $75 rebate on the purchase of a coop.
This sweet deal is part of the Austin Resource Recovery Composting Rebate Program, which encourages Austinites to compost so the city proudly can be zero waste by 2040.
The USDA estimates that we throw out between 30-40 percent of our food, and chickens are a great way to help reduce that number. The clucky birds eat food scraps bound for the garbage while also creating healthy soil and, most importantly, laying fresh eggs to eat.
Those interested in participating in the program simply need to attend an educational class, buy a chicken coop, send in the rebate application online, then look for a $75 check in the mail.
Are you eligible for this program? If you pay the Clean Community Fee on your City of Austin utility bills and haven't received a Home Composting Rebate, you're free as a bird.
You can find a list of classes below. For more information about the rebate program, head here.
- April 23 at the Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller Browning Hangar
- May 13 at the SFC Farmers Market at Sunset Valley
- May 24 at the SFC Farmers Market at The Triangle
- June 18 at the HOPE Farmers Market
- July 29 at the Recycled Reads Bookstore