More people than ever are discovering their inner chicken farmer.
By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY – Today's discriminating consumer is looking for a happy, prolific chicken, says Deborah Reddeck, resident chicken expert for Blue Seal feed stores.
Reddeck knows chickens. She owns 25 of her own, and has for more than a decade. Recently Reddeck ran a community workshop for people in various stages of chicken ownership – from the dedicated backyard chicken farmer to those still exploring their inner poultry purveyor.
What they all have in common, said Reddeck, is that they recognize the wisdom of owning a backyard flock, particularly in this economy.
“There are really two things going on right now – on one hand, you have people interested in saving money. They are following the victory gardening trend and trying to reconnect with agriculture and the environment. Chickens not only make eggs, but they provide compost. But the other thing we're seeing is that it's also part of the wholesome food effort; people want to make sure they're putting healthy food in their bodies,” Reddeck said. “They're becoming more suspicious of the industrial food supply and are interested in self-sufficiency.”
Current sales figures support her thesis – hatcheries are selling out and dealers can't keep up with orders, said Reddeck. Ever since the sign out front of the Derry Blue Seal started advertising it was time to order spring chicks, the orders have been non-stop.
“Last year we ordered about 500 chicks. This year, we expect orders to be up even more,” said Samantha Lang, who has been working at the Crystal Avenue feed supply chain for two years.
“Something new this year is that we're offering fancy layers – people are getting interested in birds with hundreds of different colored feathers that lay all different colored eggs,” said Lang.
It's a trend you can thank Martha Stewart for, said Micky Ridgway, a fourth-generation supplier at Ridgway Hatchery in LaRue, Ohio, which fills local Blue Seal orders.
Aracaunas, sometimes called the Easter egg chicken, will lay eggs in shades of blue, green and rose, said Ridgway – and are among the most popular chicks ordered locally through Blue Seal.
“Beyond the novelty, I believe once people find out how relatively easy and inexpensive it is to raise chickens, they start to explore the different breeds and actually get excited about having interesting or exotic chickens,” Ridgway said.
“Something got Professor McGonagall the other day. She was our big chicken, a cochin,” said Flannery, who refers to her surviving hens as “the girls.”
“We named them all after the female characters in Harry Potter, so we still have Hermoine, Tonks, Hedwig, Ginny and Moaning Myrtle,” Flannery said.
This season she's tripling the flock and going beyond layers to include dual purpose chickens – hens that lay eggs and can then be roasted up for dinner.
“I'm hoping some of them will look enough alike that I won't get too attached to them,” Flannery said. “I'm trying to be more conscious of what we're eating as a family. I just feel good about getting our eggs fresh anytime we want them.”
That is exactly what keeps Gary Lynch communing with his chicken flock after seven years of egg collecting.
“I look at it as being able to enjoy living with nature. Plus, I'm afraid they do some strange things to the eggs you get from the store. Here, it's straight from the chicken to your mouth. When I get extra, I share them with neighbors and friends,” Lynch said.
He got started chicken farming during a previous marriage, as a way to get involved with his stepkids and share a hobby. It was a lot of fun, and taught everyone about the circle of life, especially if a hawk found its way into the hen house.
When the marriage broke up, Lynch took his half of the flock and went on his way.
“You wake up in the morning and go outside, see if they need water, collect some eggs and then just sit there with your coffee in front of the cage. I'm looking at them, they're looking at me. It's better than HDTV,” said Lynch.
For Christina Grover, chicken farming is part of her long range plan to be self-sufficient. She attended the Blue Seal workshop to see what she needed to do to be ready to raise chickens. She will spend this summer plotting where to put the coop and how many chickens to invest in.
“There's a certain way we live now, and a certain way I think we were meant to live. We've gotten so far from the way we were meant to live in this culture. So, given the way money is right now, and how things are in the world, I feel like I have to make some changes. In fact, I just planted some seeds. I'm expanding my garden this year, too,” said Grover.
She said parenthood has changed her world view. She graduated from college with a degree in history and planned to work in a museum. Instead, she became a mother. Then, September 11th happened. Then, came their second child.
“I've survived cancer, three years ago. Yeah, a lot has changed in my life in a short period of time, but reality has hit pretty hard. If I could buy a farm tomorrow, I would. My husband is a software engineer and he totally supports me in my urge to take care of my family on my own. We're not crazy green people; we're just trying to think of ways not to have to rely so much on the world,” Grover said.
“I walked into the Blue Seal for dog food when I saw the sign, about chicks. I took it as a sign, literally, and plan to do it next spring,” Grover said. “It's part of my long-term plan, to have chickens and eggs – maybe goats and goat cheese. Chickens will be a good start.”
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