The Backyard Chicken Fight

Boise, Idaho -- "The Backyard Chicken Fight" is a new book by local writer Gretchen Anderson gives us a look into becoming your own "Old MacDonald" as a backyard farmer.

"Five-hundred million eggs were recalled last summer, so people are saying 'enough with that, I'm going to raise my own chickens and benefit from the eggs,'" said Anderson.

It's quickly becoming one of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S. -- raising your own flock in the back yard.

"I was fascinated with the stories from around the country of people who wanted to keep chickens, but their city or county said they couldn't," Anderson said, "People just want to have the right to do what they want on their property."

Local writer Gretchen Anderson decided to write about the battle between rural and urban, and the places where backyard chicken coops are "ruffling feathers."

"I think that we've come so far from being farm communities and now we've become metropolitan, and people unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about chickens," she said.

Her research led to her own backyard farming experience.

"We sure have had a good time with our chickens. They really are our pets, and they're very entertaining," she said.

With five chickens of her own, her coop averages four eggs per day.

"More people want to know where their food comes from," said Mike Staton, a chicken farming expert from Zamzow's.

Stanton helped Anderson put together a "how-to" guide, and they say great breakfast is only one of the perks.

"Natural pest control, natural fertilizer, the eggs and the entertainment, there's a lot of benefits to having them," Anderson said.

With the push toward green, more families are catching on.

"This is the next step in being sustainable," she said.

Many families are heading back to the good old fashioned roots of farming.

"Especially if you've got kids, it's a great way to teach them responsibility, and peak their interest in animals," Stanton said.

They say anyone can do it with a little guidance, and a backyard.

The book is called "The Backyard Chicken Fight" and it has everything you need to know about raising your own flock.