Since the pandemic made our world a little smaller, some people have turned to homesteading as a way to spend the time and become self-sufficient. Part of that includes raising hens.
“People having chickens in their backyard has gotten a whole lot more popular,” said Dianna Bourassa, assistant professor and extension specialist in poultry science at Auburn University College of Agriculture.
Orders for chicks skyrocketed last year, but before you jump online with visions of eggs dancing in your eyes, we consulted with Bourassa and Katy Riley, farm manager at Bogastow Farm Project in Millis, Massachusetts, about a few basic things you need to know.