Hatched Online: Meetup Groups Help Boost Backyard Poultry Raising

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You should join if you like the idea of fresh eggs, local, ethical food and enjoy hilarious hens.

Florham Park, NJ (Vocus) August 16, 2010

When Michelle Hernandez organized the first Funky Chicken Coop Tour in Austin last year, she was surprised that almost 600 people turned up to gawk at offbeat backyard coop designs. The idea of raising small flocks of poultry clearly had allure in the quirky Texas city, so how best to build on that communal interest? The answer: create an active Meetup group.

Austin already had an online forum about the challenges of raising chickens in an urban setting, but Hernandez and other poultry enthusiasts were looking for something more.

“Online forums are great, but they’re still much less personal than meeting people face-to-face,” she said.

Meetup, an online network of community groups, is banking that many people feel the same way. The New York dot-com connects people of common interests who live in the same geographic area -- and while groups are formed online, the idea is that they will convene regularly in person. Meetup claims 7.2 million members in 77,000 different groups worldwide, from yoga buffs to Star Trek fans to the growing backyard poultry movement.

There has been a spike in interest in raising backyard poultry over the past few years. Only one Meetup group existed on the topic at the end of 2007, and there were only five at the start of 2009. But in the last 18 months, the numbers have soared and there are now 52 groups worldwide with 6,043 members. Members trade information about coop construction, poultry breeds and disease prevention, among other topics.

The Atlanta area has the most participation with 1,105 members. The group hosts as many as five meetings a month, usually neighborhood gatherings in local eateries that draw 30 to 40 people, according to its founder, radio show host Andy “The Chicken Whisperer” Schneider.

“Our meetings usually last two hours,” he said. “Everybody gets along, laughs and learns something. When they walk out the door of the restaurant, their lives are so completely different. They’re conservatives, liberals, gay, straight, black and white. But it's a whole melting pot of people for two hours.”

Meetup members give several reasons for the increased popularity of backyard poultry, including sustainability concerns, interest in natural bug control and the slow food movement. Not to mention that watching the little critters can be fun. As the L.A. Urban Chicken Enthusiast Meetup Group tells prospective members: “You should join if you like the idea of fresh eggs, local, ethical food and enjoy hilarious hens.”

Hernandez, who oversees the Austin site, agrees on the last point.

“Over and over again in the Meetup group, people find entertainment in these birds,” she said. “It’s easy to understand why people think of them as pets.”

The Austin Backyard Poultry Meetup Group has more than 600 members, some of whom drive more than 90 miles to attend events. In the past month, members have solicited online advice about ridding coops of chicken snakes, the ins-and-outs of city ordinances on backyard poultry and the best kind of feed. A recent face-to-face session featured a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian on poultry health and disease prevention.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has an ongoing public education campaign, Biosecurity for Birds, that is designed to teach backyard poultry and other bird owners how to keep their flocks safe and free from infectious diseases such as avian influenza (AI) and exotic Newcastle disease (END). Meetup groups can play a vital role in teaching members -- many of whom are learning about raising chickens for the first time . about how to protect their birds and keep them safe and healthy.

Schneider, a national spokesperson for the Biosecurity For Birds campaign, said learning about disease prevention is part of the responsible ownership of chickens. Meetup groups are a perfect setting for that instruction -- and can be a great help in getting the word out if an outbreak does occur.

“Our information network could be a great help in an emergency,” he said.

Hernandez said she’s done her part by passing out APHIS materials during her coop tours and at Meetup events.

“A lot of it is just getting knowledge out there,” she said. “It’s just getting people aware.”

Paul William Brennan, executive vice president of the Indiana State Poultry Association, said he's seen a jump in the number of backyard poultry owners in both rural and urban settings. His staff has stepped up talks they've given on healthy flocks in the past year, and have begun a new program where they ask backyard poultry owners to bring in a dozen eggs that can be screened quickly to identify potentially contagious diseases. That approach could be replicated with community groups in other states, too, including Meetup organizations, he said.

"More people are interested in backyard and small flock poultry raising,'" Brennan noted. "Biosecurity For Birds can be very helpful in communicating standardized messages on how to prevent disease and protect all flocks."

The Biosecurity for Birds campaign also is encouraging Meetup groups to plan activities and programs for Bird Health Awareness Week, November 1-7, and to share their information with other organizations by posting it on the campaign website: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/.

Local backyard poultry groups can be found through http://www.meetup.com.

Where the Bird Owners Are

Here’s a list of the largest “backyard poultry” or “urban chicken” groups on Meetup:

1.     Atlanta Area -- 1,105 members
2.     Austin, TX -- 620 members
3.     Los Angeles -- 272 members
4.     Little Rock, Ark. -- 258 members
5.     Raleigh-Durham, NC -- 242 members
6.     Santa Cruz, CA. -- 175 members
7.     Boston -- 172 members
8.     North Georgia -- 131 members
9.     Denver -- 129 members
10. Phoenix, AZ -- 95 members

Healthy Bird Tips

1.    Look for signs – Know the warning signs of infectious poultry diseases such as bird flu Sneezing, diarrhea, lack of energy or appetite, or a drop in egg production could signal a problem.
2.    Report sick birds -- If your birds are sick or dying, promptly notify your veterinarian or local cooperative extension office, the state veterinarian or poultry/animal diagnostic laboratory or USDA (toll-free at 866-536-7593).
3.    Protect your birds – Take a few simple steps: Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling your birds, and disinfect shoes, clothes and equipment. Make sure coop and feeding areas are clean.

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