Extension offers poultry production class
Raising backyard chickens right - is keeping yardbirds all it's cracked up to be?

[January 20, 2015]  It doesn’t get much better than frying up a couple of farm-fresh eggs that you just collected yourself. Maybe that is why so many people, whether they are on a rural acreage or an urban homestead, are becoming increasingly interested in raising chickens in their backyards.

“Whether motivated by extremely local food, or simply having a showy pet to decorate the yard, there are a number of things you need to know about raising chickens so that your family and your birds can live happy and healthy together,” says Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Local Foods Systems and Small Farms Educator with University of Illinois Extension.

Deborah will be offering a class on home-scale poultry production called Raising Backyard Chickens Right on January 27 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the University of Illinois Extension Office located at 700 S. Airport Drive in Springfield, Ill. Participants will discuss: starting your chicks; considerations for building a coop and designing a chicken run; overcoming winter weather and pressure from predators; and handling and selling eggs in Illinois safely and legally.

A small fee will be charged, payable in advance or at the door. Pre-registration is preferred to ensure adequate space and materials. To register or for more information contact the University of Illinois Extension office at 217-782-4617, [e-mail]  or visit our website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms

[Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, University of Illinois Extension Educator]