Backyard Chickens

Chickens produce two main valuable outputs: eggs and manure. Fresh eggs are the most commonly recognized benefit of keeping chickens, but manure is an additional valuable output. Regulatory infrastructure is being built to extend the same mass-slaughter and testing regime currently applied to commercial farms to small-scale and backyard poultry operations. Chickens are a major target for predators, especially in rural areas. The National Association for Veterinary Medicine in the UK has publicly stated that small family poultry operations may pose a public health risk. Buying eggs from local small farms and farmers' markets provides supply chain resilience and reduces exposure to mass-slaughter mandates. The UK is attempting to require registration of all home poultry holdings. Current egg prices make backyard chicken keeping economically appealing. Backyard chickens are permitted in some cities as well as rural areas.