his neighborhood chickens make great pets he said and provide a wonderful daily food source people are excited about getting unmatchable quality eggs every day from their backyard chickens says leff 39 and kids love the birds they have personality theyre very funny they scratch run around and flap their wings three chickens are no more work than one indoor cat he says and contrary to reputation they dont make much noise they dont really stink its a fun hobby and a very relaxing diversion keeping chickens has always been legal in new york city according to taylor and has in the past been popular with people who moved to the city from the south or from places like the dominican republic or puerto rico where backyard chickens are popular roosters are not allowed and hens dont need roosters to produce eggs only to fertilize them with the wider interest in chickenkeeping his workshops are standing room only he said and his online meetup group for chicken enthusiasts has hundreds of members most of the people i work with are just keeping them and letting them live out their lives as egglayers taylor said though some people take backyard chickenraising a step further and eventually turn their egglayers into soup or roast chicken