Backyard Chicken Open House

April is a great month to tap into the collective knowledge of your chicken raising neighbors. If you are interested in raising chickens, mark your calendar for our Backyard Chicken Open House to be held on Saturday, April 28 from 1 pm to 3 pm. Participating homeowners will be available for casual drop-ins from people interested in raising some egg layers of their own. You’ll be able to ask questions about feeding and watering, get a tour of their chicken run and coop and discover practical solutions to predator problems. And since some folks on the tour will have new chicks, it may be a great opportunity to a see a brooder and ask questions about raising chicks. 

After touring some backyards on your own, you should have a better understanding of why there are a growing number of backyard chicken farmers in the area and the benefits of raising your own for a steady supply of fresh, better tasting eggs. When compared against eggs from factory farms, eggs from backyard chickens yield far greater nutritional value and supply significantly higher amounts of vitamins E and A and beta-carotene. Backyard chickens also produce nitrogen-rich droppings, great for compost bins and garden fertilizer. Their foraging and scratching provides natural soil aeration and decomposition, as well as chemical free weed and bug control based in part on a diet of grubs and other garden pests. 

Our growing list of open house participants includes: 

Marylou Garofalo, 327 Haddam Quarter Rd (Durham) 

Kathy & Ralph Chase, 398R Haddam Quarter Rd (Durham)

Carolyn & David Wallach, 45 Carriage Dr (Durham) 

Melynda Naples, 57 Saw Mill Rd (Durham) 

Rick Bihlmeyer, 228 Maple Ave (Durham) 

Tom & Sharon Starr, 189R Higganum Rd (Durham) 

Douglas & Brenda Vynalek, 368 Blue Hills Rd (Durham)

Tina Hurlbert, 43 Park Place (Durham) 

Jen Huddleston, 2 High St (Middlefield)

If you currently raise backyard chickens and might be interested in participating in the Open House on April 28, please call Claudia O’Connell (860) 349-5986 or send an email, just.write@att.net.  We would love to add more locations, especially in Middlefield! Watch for upcoming reminders on the Durham Patch & Town Times events calendars and on the Durham town website: www.townofdurhamct.org.

Don’t be shy. You are invited to drop-in at one or more of the residences listed above on April 28, between 1 & 3pm and learn about the wonderful world of backyard chickens.