DaytonDailyNews.com

CLEARCREEK TWP., Warren County — Julie Black's grandfather raised beef cattle. So when she and her husband Paul recently moved to 12½ acres in Warren County, Black wanted a way to "tiptoe back into agriculture."

Like a growing number of Miami Valley rural dwellers, she chose chickens.

"I gave a half dozen eggs to one of my coworkers, and she was delighted," said Black, 31, an environmental transportation planner at LJB Inc. in Kettering. "I think the rest of them are amused."

Interest in backyard poultry appears to be on the rise, coinciding with consumers' desire for locally raised food and knowledge of where their food comes from, said Carol Goland of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association.

"There's no better way to do that than to get involved directly and have the experience of producing food for yourself," Goland said.

Mt. Healthy Hatcheries near Cincinnati, which hatches about 4 million chickens per season and mail-orders birds nationwide, said demand is up 50 percent from a year ago. It has a backlog of orders.

"Demand has just been incredible," said Rob O'Hara, Mt. Healthy's president, attributing the surge in part to rising grocery prices.

The hatchery, whose biggest customer is Tractor Supply Co., last saw demand spike in 1999 prior to the Y2K scare. Business was then hit hard by the bird flu scare of 2004-06.

The Blacks collect eggs from two Buckeye hens, a rare breed that Julie Black bought from a Miami County woman. They also have two Sussex pullets, or young chickens.

Julie Black said her birds' eggs are rich in beta carotene and have orange yolks. She's found raising chicks to be simple and has relied on several online resources for their care, but cautions others to protect their flocks from predators and check local zoning ordinances before buying chickens.

Siegel's Covington Country Store in Miami County has sold almost 2,000 chicks this spring, already surpassing last year's total despite encountering backlogs in ordering from Mt. Healthy.

"I'd order more if I could," Kathy Siegel said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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