chicken stats?

[Anne Laufe]

Hi! I'm working on an article about raising backyard chickens. Do you have any statistics on the number of individual households that are now raising chickens, compared to the number that were doing it five or ten years ago? If not, any ideas on where to find this information?

I live in Portland, Oregon, and since we're not required to have permits for three or fewer chickens, there are no definitive city records of how many people have them. Do other cities keep track?
Thanks for your help!
Anne Laufe

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I spoke with a reporter literally 5 mins ago that asked that exact same question.

Unfortunately there aren't any organizations that take census or even sampling data on people who raise chickens throughout the US. Some cities require permits for keeping backyard chickens and may be able to provide data on the number of permits requested 10 years ago vs. today.

Usually we use relative measurements to determine the growth in the interest in raising chickens. A good example: hatcheries have data on how many chicks are sold to the public each year.

 

[Anne Laufe]

Thanks so much for the information. I have calls in to a few different hatcheries, so hopefully will get some kind of answer.
Take care!
Anne