I have a friend who I haven't seen in years but we keep in touch via Facebook. She lives not far from where we grew up in a distinctly suburban area of the state, which is one of the reasons that I always enjoy looking at the online pictures of her chickens. She's raising a small brood of them in her backyard and has been for quite a while now. When she first started, all I could think was "I wonder how her neighbors feel about that". I should have known that she was on the cutting edge of a new trend.
According to a story in the New York Times, the sales of baby chicks are on the rise as the number of families raising chickens in their backyards grows. The benefits include enough eggs to make your family breakfast every morning or, if you're a little more ambitious, home-grown free range chicken meat. You also get the satisfaction of watching your chicks grow and produce eggs. On the down side, it's probably going to cost less to buy your eggs and chicken breast from the grocery store and your neighbors may not be as enthusiastic as you are about your new hobby.
What do you think? Would you want to raise chickens in your yard? Would you want your neighbors to? Chime in below!
photo: j. maude/getty images
