Calling All Chicken Owners - Please Take This Quick Survey

I'm writing a posting on who owns chickens and why.  I reached out to the USDA for information on this subject, but they haven't really collected any information on backyard chicken keepers.

If you own chickens, please let me know a little bit about how many you own and why by taking the Backyard Chicken Survey.  It will only take a few minutes and I'd really appreciate your help.  Thanks in advance!

Comments

[M. McCarty]

Hi, I took your survey.

Some of the questions are kind of slanted, e.g., "Safer eggs (no hormones, no salmonella)". Supplemental hormones are not allowed in egg and poultry production in the U.S. All eggs and poultry contain natural hormones as they are animal products... No salmonella in backyard chickens is incorrect. Backyard eggs are just as susceptible to contamination from salmonella as commercial eggs. Perhaps even more so since there is often greater contact with vermin and wildlife.

I "like" gardening, but your question leads me to declare that I "like" it because it makes my yard look better. (You'd laugh if you saw my weed-ridden vegetable garden). I like it for other reasons, primarily for putting food on the table, but I don't have a high interest in it beyond that.

You survey is also missing other reasons for keeping poultry. I sell organic eggs and broilers to supplement my income. That has become my predominant reason for keeping poultry, although my backyard flock has grown from about a dozen hens a few years ago to about 2500 now and has probably surpassed what you would consider "backyard" raising, although they are literally in my backyard on a rural homestead.

Good luck on your project!

[H. Mark Delman]

Thanks very much for taking the survey and also for your thoughtful comments. I greatly appreciate the help. Im going to post the same request to several sites to see if I can get a bunch more people to take the survey since the more that respond, the more accurate the reporting will be. Have a great week and good luck with your flock.

-PlanterTomato