The Holly Springs Sun, April 24, 2008
Local residents Roy Sumner and David Byrd handle two young chicks at their hatchery and farm.
They are working overtime to keep up with the growing local demand for fresh eggs and backyard
chickens.
BY KAREE WHITE:
Brandon and Lisa Stephenson like having backyard chickens for the eggs and for the enjoyment
of their two young children. They put up a fence, built a chicken coop and are raising a dozen chicks
on their property just outside the Fuquay City limits. The chicks will eventually grow into egg-laying
hens to provide fresh eggs for the family. Suzanne and Joe Gavis care for eight chickens in a custom
built coop behind their neighborhood home located within a beautiful subdivision in the Fuquay
area, and they often share the daily-obtained, 2 dozen fresh eggs with neighbors.
Happy hens equal a happy family.
Greg Fritton enjoyed building his custom coop in his fenced backyard, and adding the chickens
was an even greater pleasurefor his two children. Fresh eggs were one of the benefits for the Frittons,
but the children enjoyed building small structures as mini-playhouses for the feathered flock.
When the family moved to another local neighborhoodwith subdivision covenants that prohibited
backyard chickens, Fritton sadly gave the chickens to friends –chickens that had become pets to
his family.
The backyard chicken trend.
One might call it a trend - one that reflects a growing movement toward greener living and an increased
emphasis on the importance of locally produced food, free of antibiotics, exposure to pesticides and
hormone supplements. Critics of factory-farmed eggs argue that eggs from backyard chickens taste
better; the color and texture are better than those store-purchased, bleached white eggs. Many
proponents of backyard chickens say that factory-farmed chickens receive antibiotics and are often
exposed to pesticides that are used in the layer warehouses to keep insect infestation down.
Backyard eggs are healthier, they tout. And, eggs from chickens allowed to forage naturally
have, on average, seven times more beta carotene (which is what makes pastured egg yolks so
orange), three times more Vitamin E, two times more Omega- 3 Fatty Acids and twothirds more
Vitamin A than factory farm birds, this according to data published by Backyardeggs.com.
Buying local eggs and chickens.
Local residents, Roy Sumner and David Byrd of Sumner-Byrd Farm and Hatchery in Holly Springs
are enjoying a booming market. The business began when Sumner made a major life change after
working as a software engineer for 35 years. “You never got personal with a customer as a software
engineer,” he says. “Now, I’m finally doing what I love and enjoy.” He partnered with Byrd to get
the hatchery and farm going. Sumner takes care of the daily routine of feeding the chickens, quails,
ducks and geese that are housed at the farm. Byrd helps as much as he can on the side of his day
job in industrial sales. Sumner and Byrd provide 14 dozen eggs a week to customers, and Sumner
even hand delivers eggs to two of them. Additionally, they sell live chickens, using online advertising
and the newspaper. Sumner has noticed his chicken orders sky-rocketing and often in smaller
numbers than 10 chicks, which is an indication that people want the chickens for pets in the backyard.
They are having a hard time keeping up with the growing market for chickens and eggs. They are
continually expanding their chicken housing and numbers. By the end of June, they hope to provide
at least 20 dozen eggs a week to consumers. Walter Cabral, a Cary resident, visits Sumner and
Byrd every week for fresh eggs. “I love the taste of these organic, fresh eggs,” he explains. “I share
them with my friends and family.”
Pet chickens bring Easter year round.
Sumner and Byrd recently received a letter from an Oak Grove Elementary fifth grader whose parents
had purchased her two chickens from their hatchery. In the letter, she thanked Sumner and Byrd
for the chickens, the newest members of her family. Sumner looks forward to raising peacocks in
the near future. The partners see this hatchery as somewhat of a hobby, too, trading quail eggs for
rare chicken blue eggs as an example to bring in a new color to the pretty tan, pink and green eggs
that their hens already produce.
Poop from the coop.
Many local families with backyard chickens use the chicken manure for their gardens. Smelly bird
poop to some is nitrogen-rich fertilizer for others, in some cases helping to enrich the soil and
produce delicious garden vegetables and flowers.
Municipal rules vary greatly.
Depending on where you live, you may or may not be allowed to raise backyard chickens. In Holly
Springs City Limits, the municipal code allows up to four chickens per acre of R30 zoned, residential
agricultural lots. Garner Municipal Codes are the same. In Fuquay-Varina City Limits, however,
homeowners on lots R20 zoned (1/2 acre or larger, residential) may house backyard chickens. Apex
Municipal Codes do allow backyard chickens with certain limitations, and there are no lot size
restrictions. “We wanted to enable people to have chickens if they want to,” says Bruce Radford,
the Apex Town Manager. However, Section 4-3 of the Municipal Code does restrict residents from
livestock and male chickens. And, hens may not wander freely on a lot. Apex reflects a national
growing trend toward easing up on municipal codes to allow chickens for their eggs and as pets.
In county areas outside of city limits, backyard chickens are allowed, unless restricted by a particular
homeowner subdivision rule.
Cooped up chickens.
Starting up your own chicken coop is simple, easy and can be quite inexpensive, according to
Sumner and Byrd. Chicks run under $5 a piece. Chicken feed is available at local farm stores, like
Tractor Supply in Fuquay. Additionally, chickens need poultry feeders, waterers and nesting boxes
where they’ll deposit their eggs. Sumner and Byrd warn about protecting chickens from predators
such as foxes, raccoons and hawks. Contact rsumner5@nc.rr. com for more information about raising
backyard chickens. For Roy Sumner, raising and selling chickens has given him a freedom he
never imagined when he worked as a software engineer. His philosophy carries over into his
business. “Why not start enjoying life before you have to retire and aren’t able to enjoy it,” he states.
“Finally, I’m doing what I love and enjoy.”
"Backyard Chickens: An Urban Movement"
