For those who live in suburban San Antonio, being roused by a neighbor’s distant rooster is a commonplace occurrence. Backyard chickens are a northern Mexican ranch staple and thus a San Antonio barrio tradition.
Hearing a rooster call is often a reminder of the proximity of Hispanic culture in this town and for those on the Westside of town, it is a nostalgic hearken of home. Among those who have kept chickens within the city limits is Mary Mata, a retired debt collector and stay-at-home grandma. She resides in the Far Westside and has for years.
Mata’s small and spacious backyard is a children’s playground that includes a swimming pool, a swingset, climbing dome, former rabbit hutch, and a chicken coop. Mata’s husband built the coop himself using wooden pallets. It now houses two hens and one rooster who co-mingle with her three house dogs.
Although initially her husband’s idea, she keeps the hens because it makes sense for her. Mata has a baking habit, her husband likes an egg breakfast, and egg prices had been skyrocketing for the better part of a year. Most of all, her grandchildren love the chickens. She does not sell the eggs, though some chicken owners do…