Until I lived in Urbana, I had absolutely no idea that people could raise chickens in their backyards. I was fascinated when my neighbors had a coop built and began raising these birds in their backyard. In 2013, Champaign passed an ordinance that allowed folks to raise chickens in their yards as long as they had permits and lived by the rules.
It’s pretty cool, you raise these things and then get some eggs and enjoyment out of it.
Unfortunately, this year there’s been a bird flu outbreak throughout the United States — though, no cases have been reported in Illinois yet. Despite the lack of cases in Illinois, precaution is advised by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. They’ve reached out to county fairs throughout the state asking for biosecurity measures amongst livestock.
It’s not just large spaces that need to be aware of these animal diseases though, it’s the backyard cultivators as well.
To help with this issue the University of Illinois Extension has put together a list of resources for preparing for and preventing bird flu. They also hosted a conference call with poultry experts that you can check out here.
This is a pretty damaging disease to poultry and the culture surrounding small farm and backyard enthusiasts, use the resources for the U of I Extension to make sure it doesn’t affect C-U.