Urbanites searching for cruelty-free eggs and farm-fresh produce are hatching plans to raise chickens and grow vegetables in their own backyards, redefining "local" food even beyond the neighborhood farmers market.

"Once you've eaten an egg that has come from a chicken in your backyard, you kind of turn your nose up at even the organic eggs in the store," said John Lyons, who owns the garden and chicken coop design company The Woven Garden.

But as the "urban homestead" movement continues to take off in the Los Angeles region, many residents are clucking about some cities' bans on the egg-laying fowl, which some see only as noisy neighbors.

When done right, backyard chickens can have many benefits, said Mike Scott of Eagle Rock, who builds chicken coops and vegetable gardens with his company Eagle Rock Backyard Farms. They can provide manure for the garden, eat household food waste, produce fresh eggs every morning and can even be lovable family pets.

Read more at the Daily News