India establishes $26.9 million for poultry improvements

The Indian government has set aside Rs 1.5 billion (US$26.9 million) to assist poultry estates and backyard poultry development, according to reports. The assistance will focus on one existing government component, Assistance to State Poultry Farms, and two new components, Rural Backyard Poultry Development and Poultry Estates.
“The Rural Backyard Poultry Development component is expected to cover beneficiaries from below poverty line to mainly enable them to gain supplementary income and nutritional support,” said Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram. It will assist roughly 385,000 beneficiary families by providing higher-potential birds through 1,285 mother units, which will rear the day old chicks up to 4–6 weeks. The Poultry Estates component will encourage taking up poultry farming in a clustered way scientifically, on a pilot basis, and initially only two estates will be set up.

More chickens kept as pets in UK

With National Pet Month fast approaching in the UK, feed manufacturer Dodson and Horrell has revealed that it is not only cats and dogs that are getting all the attention — more people than ever before are turning to hens.
The company notes that it has recorded a 25 percent increase in chicken feed sales across the UK over the last two years, and a surge in demand for chicken feeders and accessories. An estimated 3 million hens are now being kept in people’s back yards. “We used to find that chickens were limited to farms of smallholdings in the gardens of those living in the country," said Chris Gordon, Dodson and Horrell technical director. "But now it’s increasingly common for chickens to reside in backyards in our towns and cities.”

Australia poultry industry encourages school children to rear chickens

Australia’s Poultry CRC has produced a comprehensive poster illustrating the main breeds of fancy poultry available in Australia as part of an effort to encourage Australian students to keep and show poultry breeds suitable to their level of experience. By displaying the poster, put together with the help of poultry exhibitors, judges and show committees, it is hoped that schools may be able to attract students to the industry. Birds on the posters are grouped according to the class category they are shown in. A male and female of each breed is illustrated, along with a brief description of the breed. Copies are free to Australian schools, and are included in the Teachers Resource Kit, which was developed to more effectively incorporate poultry science into the agricultural curriculum. For schools that already have the kit, copies of the poster can simply be requested.

Newcastle disease hits backyard poultry farms in Nicaragua

Nicaragua has reported an outbreak of Newcastle disease in backyard poultry farms.
The disease is thought to have first struck in late July when 40 chickens died in the community of El Jobo. A further 468 chickens were destroyed to stop the disease spreading. Production in the area is mainly backyard to supply local families.
The source of the outbreak remains unknown, despite investigation. Movement controls have been introduced and the country’s animal health authorities have said that they will send weekly follow-up reports to the World Organisation for Animal Health. 

Why do you raise chickens?

I raise chickens because I like being self-sufficient and enjoy the many benefits of fresh eggs. The eggs from my backyard are fresher than anything I can get in a store, and they're more nutritious, too!
It is important to me to know where my food comes from, how it is cared for, and what is in it. My backyard chickens are as free range and organic as I can let them be, eating only things chickens should eat like bugs, worms, whole grains and whatever else they can chase down or scratch out of the earth. Read the full blog on www.poultrytribune.com.

Pet chicken owner, falconer clash

The upsurge in urban chicken populations occasioned by relaxation of city ordinances to allow small egg production flocks has resulted in cases of predation. In a recent incident, a resident of Cary, N.C., complained when a red-tailed hawk, exercised by a falconer, supplemented its usual diet of rodents with a young rooster snatched from a backyard.
The news report, which made the front page of the News and Observer, illustrates the conflict of rights represented by the licensed falconer and the homeowner.
Although raising hens in urban areas has increased, problems associated with disease, cost of feed, parasites, fly infestation and poor egg production may convince urban chicken owners to revert to purchasing their needs at the local supermarket.

Maryland community to review animal ordinance

Reports say the town of Berlin, Md., is reviewing an ordinance amendment that would outlaw the keeping of chickens and other farm animals within town limits.
This comes after a small flock of backyard chickens and ducks, kept as pets, led to community concern.

Backyard chickens considered in Chicago suburb

City officials in Evanston, Ill., may reconsider a 1974 law prohibiting the keeping of chickens, according to reports.
The citizen group, Evanston Backyard Chicken Committee, is interested in raising chickens for eggs and is pushing for the law change.
Members hope to develop a model ordinance based on successful policy in other parts of the country. The group would present its proposal to a sub-committee of the city council.

Virginia ordnance would allow backyard layers

By July 14, the City Council of Harrisonburg, Va. expects a draft of an ordinance that would allow residents to keep egg-laying chickens in their backyards.
Members of the Harrisonburg Backyard Chicken Project initiated the change to allow participation in the "organic food security movement," reported the Rocktownweekly.com.
The impact on property values and the potential for the spread of disease to commercial flocks have been raised as concerns.