Home chicken raising in NJ has been taking off in the last decade.  Why is raising chickens on your own property the latest fresh food craze? Many rightly claim that the eggs taste better and are healthier than store bought ones.

My problem is that chickens are a very dirty animal, their excrement is highly polluting and they can transmit many diseases; such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella Bacteria and Cryptosporidiosis.

These diseases are easily transmitted if proper care is not taken in the disposal of or use of chicken excrement for fertilizer. Thus the big problem of chicken management by amateur farmers and not to mention the possible noise and/or smell problem that can occur when a professional farmer is not raising them.

One of the biggest advantages of raising your own chickens is the fact that “once they start eating eggs from chickens raised on pasture, they won’t be able to go back to store bought.” Yes it can not be argued that home fresh is much better than store bought, but why go to all the trouble when here in New Jersey there are places where you can get freshly lain eggs without all the trouble of taking proper care of your own chickens?

Well for some it is all about being self-sufficient and a way to involve the family in something that will produce food that is good for them. Do not get me wrong I have no problem with people having chickens in the right setting, at least one acre of land and the overseeing by the government to make sure nothing is being done to harm public health.

Now I am sure that you are wondering why one acre and government oversight? To simply say that you are not causing problems for your neighbors by home raising chickens is a fallacy.

Raising chickens takes knowing what you are doing and not accidentally polluting the local environment. With all the proper care and feeding plus the proper disposal/use of their excrement you end up with a product that you could get from a local farmer who knows how to raise chickens already.

You might also take into account that by buying your farm fresh eggs and produce directing from a farm stand or farmers market you are helping to boost the local economy.

So before jumping into very murky waters to raise chickens, take a minute or two to think about how much better and easier it is to find a farm stand or farmers market.

In conclusion all I can say is “Support your local farmer!”

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike