The salmonella scare might have slowed down sales in the egg industry, but the chicken business is picking up.
Leslie Halleck, the general manager at North Haven Gardens in Dallas, said more people have started asking about raising their own chickens for their eggs.
"Any time there is a food scare in the public, we get an influx of people asking how to grow their own food, whether it's vegetables and produce and livestock, like backyard chickens," she said. "A mature hen can lay about an egg a day, so if you've got five birds, you're going to end up with five eggs per day."
Halleck expects to see smaller backyard farmers with the proper permits selling their excess eggs to local businesses.
"I think you're going to start seeing more local businesses turning to smaller organic farms or even backyard mini farms that you're seeing in Dallas now," she said.
Halleck raises her own chickens in her East Dallas backyard. She said raising chickens doesn't require the any more attention than a dog or a cat.
More: North Haven Gardens
