Backyard Chicken Farmer?
If you told me a few months ago that I’d be raising chickens in my backyard, I wouldn’t have believed you. In my backyard? Chickens? It all sounded a little crazy to me until I spoke with Chris Huseman, Director of Marketing from Murray McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, Iowa. First of all, I didn’t realize how popular backyard chicken farming was. I thought you had to live on a farm to raise chickens. I soon learned that this was not the case at all. Many people actually raise their own chickens in cities and neighborhoods all across the U.S. I started talking to my friends about it and learned that many of them had a true desire to raise their own chickens. After talking to even more people, I’ve realized that I know a handful of people that are already raising their own chickens. This was all new news to me. The more I learned, the more interested I became.
After talking to Chris, and reading some books, I learned how easy it really was to raise chicks. They need food, water, and a safe clean shelter. I thought, I can do that. I also liked the idea that raising these chickens would help teach my boys some daily responsibility as they help care for the chicks. Finally, as a professional triathlete, I eat a lot of protein to help my body recover in between workouts. Eggs are one of my favorite sources of protein. So the thought of having my own fresh, organic, eggs daily sounded great! People have told me that once you begin to eat fresh eggs straight from the hen, you will never go back to store bought eggs. I can’t wait to try them!
So we made the decision, my family was going to become Backyard Chicken Farmers!
