COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) - The Genco family in the fast-growing Fort Worth suburb of Colleyville are among a growing number of urban and suburban families keeping chickens in their backyards.

While they don't cuddle like kittens or play like puppies, owners say the birds offer a soothing presence and an endless supply of organic eggs.

There are no firm numbers on the trend because it's hard to determine who's keeping chickens for pets and who's keeping them to eat. But the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association says the trend is most evident in Middle America.

Natalie Genco is the mother of 4 kids in upscale Colleyville. She says homegrown eggs taste better and are fun for the kids to find.

The three youngest Gencos are 5-year-old Justin, 9-year-old Sophia and 13-year-old Celeste -- and they're in charge of the gathering the eggs their nine hens lay. Each lays an egg daily -- but often in random spots on the family's two-acre property.

The mother says the chickens also are nice to have around because they gobble up grasshoppers and mosquitoes that thrive in the humid summer weather. She says they're often a soothing presence as they peck and cluck at one another.

The Gencos don't have to worry about zoning laws. Their property allows for limitless chickens, a few goats and a couple of horses. The biggest problem they've encountered in their neighborhood is their lone rooster crowing all night.