Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
URBAN RAISING ON THE RISE,
BUT CHECK WITH OFFICIALS
A growing number of cities and heavily populated towns allow residents to keep a
few young chickens; that is, at least until three to four months when a rooster begins
to crow. It's always a good idea to check on city and county ordinances in your area
before you purchase poultry. In some cases, even in rural areas, you may not be al-
lowed to have poultry or there may be a limit to the number of birds you may have.
Don't be surprised if you are not allowed to keep roosters. Their noisiness is con-
sidered an annoyance by some; it is their crowing that turns many neighborhood as-
sociations, small cities, and towns against their citizens raising poultry at all.
Many folks who decide to raise poultry want good food
and
something attractive.
If that's your desire, you can have it. Entire breeds and many varieties of poultry are
raised primarily for ornamental purposes. Keep in mind, however, that while they are
considered ornamental, many of these breeds also produce a reasonable number of eggs
and an acceptable meat product. With poultry, you can have the best of all worlds: eggs,
meat, and aesthetically pleasing birds.
Raising Your Own Food
Perhaps the desire to know all the raising and feeding practices involved in the produc-
tion of one's food is a leading reason many people in the twenty-first century choose to
raise poultry. Backyard raisers may have decided to establish their own flock because
they want to avoid genetically modified organism (GMO) crops used to feed commer-
cial animals, or they are concerned over the use of preservatives and hormones. They
may be trying to avoid trans fats or they may find the agribusiness approach to raising
poultry inhumane and feel that supporting that kind of raising is bad for the environ-
ment.
Needless to say, one of the principal reasons for raising your own poultry is to have
a good supply of fresh, delicious eggs. Nothing compares with eating an egg from your
own flock that has a nice, deep, rich, dark orange yolk when cooked. It's a far cry from
the pale, sickly, yellow, flattened yolk of an egg purchased at a supermarket.
You might also choose to butcher extra birds and supply your family with fresh, nu-
tritious home-raised meat. Knowing exactly what your animal was fed and how it was
cared for can make you feel at ease about the long-lasting health and environmental con-
sequences of what you're putting into your mouth.
