NEW PARIS, Ohio – Corn, wheat and soybeans remain the top crops in the Farm World readership area. Many farmers looking to add an extra source of income have looked into growing fruits and vegetables on the farm. But the biggest uptick the past five years has been an interest in adding poultry on farms, both large and small.

According to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, raising chickens is becoming more and more popular with small farmers, urban farmers and homesteaders.

“Chickens can be beneficial in diversified farming operations by helping to control pests, providing an alternative, year-round source of income, and producing high-nitrogen manure for fertilizer,” said Ohio State University Extension Educator who specializes in Backyard, Community and Urban Farming.

“Interest in raising chickens has grown quickly in the last few years, accompanied by a resurgent interest in heritage breeds, pastured poultry and on-farm processing.”

During a recent webinar, McDermott addressed this issue as a multitude of people tuned in for advice from McDermott and other experts in this area.

“Keeping poultry for personal and family food security has become a popular activity that maintains social distance as well as has health and wellness benefits,” McDermott said. “But the first thing is to make sure you’re even allowed to keep your birds at your locations. Some places it’s easy, but in others there are some hoops to go through. Many municipalities have restrictions on raising meat birds, raising layers or restrictions on the number of birds you are allowed to keep.”

First and foremost, McDermott said, is obtaining the chicks from a reputable source. He said all certified hatcheries are under the guidance of the National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP).

The NPIP is a cooperative federal-state industry mechanism for controlling certain poultry diseases. The Plan consists of a variety of programs intended to prevent and control poultry diseases. Participating in all Plan programs is voluntary, but breeding flocks, hatcheries and dealers must first qualify as “U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean” as a condition for participating in other Plan programs.

Once the birds are purchased from a reliable source it’s time to keep them healthy, McDermott said. “Chickens are amazing healthy animals. Given good care they rarely get sick. Many people keep a flock for years without ever losing a bird to illness. However, chickens are vulnerable to many diseases. Some are aggressively infectious and can quickly devastate a flock. Wise people heed the lessons learned from human flu, measles and plagues and work to prevent deadly chicken diseases from sickening or killing their birds. The keys to keeping chickens healthy are to provide them a clean place to live, quality nutritious food, clean water and isolation from pathogens.”

Most chicken-raising authorities agree there are five steps to maintaining a healthy flock.

First, provide the flock with ample space. “Backyard flock owners typically have tiny coops,” said Tina Barrett, a veteran chicken owner from New Paris and a regular participant with the Ohio National Poultry Show. “They are often tempted to crowd too many birds together. Crowding encourages cannibalism, egg eating, fighting, odor and disease. The more space they have the better.”

Second is to keep the birds dry. Barrett says once litter gets wet, smell follows from enthusiastic bacteria multiplying in dampness. “Keep the coop dry. If litter gets wet from a tipped waterer or a leaky roof, immediately scoop out the compost and the wet stuff,” she said.

Third is proper nutrition. “Always provide chickens with fresh nutritious feed. Commercial rations, such as Nutrena NatureWise Layer Feed, offer a healthy complete diet that birds can supplement with occasional tasty bugs and worms they discover on the run.”

The fourth key is protection, keeping them safe from furry predators, biting insects and winter drafts.

Finally, Barrett said, is to keep the diseases at bay.

“Keeping diseases away from a chicken flock helps prevent outbreaks,” Barrett said. “Fortunately, most backyard flocks are protected by isolation. A common scenario in an American suburb is that only a few families keep chickens. One flock is typically a long way from the next closest one. Microbes have a hard time getting to a flock, unless humans inadvertently bring germs to their chickens either on their clothes or shoes or in the bodies of other infected birds.

“Be wary about adding new chickens to a flock. An easy way for a microbe or parasite to infect a healthy flock is to hitch a ride on a chicken. Just make sure the bird comes from a flock that has not experienced any recent diseases and has been kept in a clean coop. And that goes for the chicken owner as well. It’s so key to clean feeders, waterers and the pen.”