Morris County couple find raising their own poultry safer

As a young publicist in New York City, Abby Ray never pictured a future in farming.

But as Ray, 26, grew more interested in both food safety issues and her fiance, nursery owner Thomas Gallo, 26, she found herself moving to the farm-friendly suburbs of Harding Township, Morris County, and becoming the proud co-owner of six chickens and a few hundred fresh eggs.

"I grew up in Maine, with cats. We were afraid of chickens," said Ray, who now runs the blog EcoMoTown, about the environmental movement in and around Morristown. Ray doesn't eat industrially raised meat because of safety concerns, and grows her own vegetable garden near the chicken coop.

"She was all, "spiders and smells,' " Gallo said laughing, noting that he grew up with animals and thought it would be a good idea to have them at their shared home. "I convinced her."

Ray and Gallo are just two of many first-time chicken owners reviving backyard chicken keeping in New Jersey, a trend that has grown as people become aware of potential dangers in agribusiness, explained Rutgers professor Michael Westendorf.

"I think food security is a big issue," said Westendorf, a Rutgers Extension Specialist in animal sciences. "When you're reliant on trucks coming across the Delaware River to bring you eggs, I for one feel safer having some egg production be local."

Westendorf said his office has received an increase in calls in the past 10 years from residents looking for advice on starting their own backyard flocks.

"I think people want to produce their own food if they can, buy local food if they can, and get back to a simple way of life," Westendorf said.

For Middletown resident Mary Hussey, food safety issues were only the gateway to her chicken keeping. She now shows her flock in poultry competitions around the country.

"Initially, it's a food thing. When you don't have chickens, you don't know what you're getting into, but you know you're afraid of the food," Hussey said.

Chickens are now the fastest-growing segment of the pet population, said Kurry Walsh, manager of Rick's Saddle Shop, with locations throughout Monmouth County. The store recently started selling baby chicks each spring.

"If you'd have told me five years ago that people would want to buy chickens, I wouldn't have believed you," Walsh said. "The good thing about buying chickens is that you know there are no chemicals going into the egg. When you buy Perdue at the store, you don't know what's in those, and you probably don't want to, but with your own chickens, you control what goes in."

Hens generally lay one egg every day until they reach about two years old, when production decreases, Hussey said. They're also helpful for tilling gardens, producing compost, and controlling pests, and are often raised for meat, Walsh said.

Owning chickens isn't for everyone, warns Hussey, and the decision must come with a lot of planning.

"Do your research first, don't get an animal on a whim," Hussey said. "Take time to build or buy a coop or run first, and make sure it's secure, ventilated, and draft-free."

Gallo, who built his coop for about $300 out of wood and fencing, said he lost his first flock to raccoons because of gaps in the chicken wire.

"The second time, I made sure it was sealed up. I buried the fence six inches into the ground and zip tied the top together," he said. The biggest predators for chickens are hawks, foxes and raccoons, he said.

Gallo said he cleans his coop out completely four times a year, replacing the wood chips and hosing down the roosting boxes. When clean and well-ventilated, a chicken coop shouldn't have any odor, Hussey said. And when healthy and happy, chickens shouldn't make any discernible noise.

"I've had neighbors that didn't even know I kept chickens," Hussey said of her flock.

In return for the upkeep, a flock of six hens (no rooster is necessary for egg laying) will yield a dozen eggs every two days. Eggs can keep, unwashed, in the refrigerator for up to six months because of a special sealant on them, Hussey explained. Different breeds produce different eggs, including white, brown, and even green, but inside, she said, "an egg is an egg is an egg."

Walsh emphasized that a fresh farmed egg is a different thing altogether than a supermarket egg, noting the "orange color, and a real egg taste." Ray said a fresh egg "stands together" when cracked open, while supermarket eggs tend to run flat when cracked.

As chicken keeping grows in popularity, many towns are enacting ordinances regulating where and how they can be kept. In Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County, the borough council passed an ordinance in March to legalize chicken keeping. Borough clerk Lisa Burd said people had been keeping chickens for years until a noise complaint arose, and the council took action to ensure people could continue to raise chickens.

Westendorf, of Rutgers, said most residents in New Jersey with a backyard and a good lawn can keep chickens without any environmental problems, and said he has worked with residents who are trying to convince their towns to let them have chickens.

"If you're going to have six chickens in the backyard, it's not going to be a problem," he said.

Once residents understand their local laws, set up a coop with food and water, and buy their birds, the rest is easy, Gallo said. "There's not much to learn," he said. "Just do it." For Ray, it's a long way from her life in the city, but leading a more sustainable life and being a better consumer are rewarding trade-offs.

"We have friends with kids who come over, and the kids chase the chickens around," Ray said. "And now, when we go to someone's house, instead of wine, we bring a dozen eggs."