Raise Your Own Chickens

This practical workshop will take you through the planning and preparation to care for your own backyard poultry. Through guided discussion, resources, and hands-on experience you will discover everything you need to confidently and humanely raise chickens for eggs, meat, or just for fun. This is a project-based learning experience in which you will document your own personal plan. You will also have the opportunity to get hands-on with the birds and learn practical biosecurity and food safety.

The class also provides an introduction to heritage poultry breeds. According to the Livestock Conservancy, “Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds [developed] before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice. These breeds were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to the local environment and they thrived under farming practices and cultural conditions that are very different from those found in modern agriculture. Traditional, historic breeds retain essential attributes for survival and self-sufficiency – fertility, foraging ability, longevity, maternal instincts, ability to mate naturally, and resistance to diseases and parasites.” There are many benefits to choosing heritage chicken breeds today – join us to learn all about it!

All are welcome – WEI classes are open to everyone.

Instructor Bios: George and Mandi Sawyer steward a 20-acre diversified, certified organic farm. Together, they care for several breeds of heritage goats and chickens as well as an apiary, wild harvest, and Livestock Guardian Dogs. The farm is operated regeneratively using rotational grazing and other permaculture techniques.

WEI has an annual scholarship fund to support cost-accessible programming. Please see scholarship application instructions in the class registration form.