Oct 5, 2009 10:01 pm US/Central
North Texans Merge Farm Life With City Living
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
It's a movement that's growing across urban areas of North Texas. Families are raising chickens in their backyards and reaping the rewards. As CBS 11 News found out, the families are enjoying a little bit of the farm life inside the big city.
Dallas sisters Mary Hatley, 7, and 2-year-old Annie love their pets. On any given day, running around near their swing set and toys, you'll find seven chickens. That's nothing new for their mom, Ann. "Scary enough, yes. I'm the chicken mama," she said.
Ann grew up in the city, but her family kept backyard farm animals. The North Texas mother says she wanted her children to benefit from the same experience. "I just love looking out in the backyard and just seeing them there and the kids love having that unique experience of having a farm element in the backyard."
Chickens are not hard to find. You can buy them online, like the Hatley's did. Ann said a company mailed her baby chickens in a box. Or, you can get them
from a guy like Dan Probst. He says people in Dallas know him as the "chicken man". He raises chickens on a farm about an hour east of Dallas.
"We bought about a half dozen and then we got more and then we got more," Probst explained.
Now Probst says he has to work 'like crazy' to keep up with the demand for backyard chickens. "People are finding out that people love to have chickens and it's kind of a very fun thing to do," he said. "They go home, open up the coop, sit down with a glass of wine and just chill for an hour or two."
Chickens need feed and water each day and Probst says owners should change out hay in their coop once a week. He says a chicken can live comfortably in a confined area as small as four square feet.
We found chicken wire and feed at North Haven Gardens in Dallas. Leslie Halleck, general manager of the store, raises backyard chickens and says more families are giving it a try.
"Growing your own vegetables, being able to have your own free range organic eggs that you've produced in your backyard, I think that's important to a lot of people," Halleck said.
Each of the Hatley's chickens can lay seven to eight eggs a week, and they use some of those eggs for food.
"They know that they're getting their eggs and eating their eggs, and they love that," Ann said of her kids. "It makes them think they know where things are coming from."
Chickens cost around $20 each and cost about $.75 a week to feed. But, before you buy, make sure to check with your local homeowners association to make sure you're not breaking any rules.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
